Dear Miss Manners: I am a journalist. The other day, I noticed a typo in an online headline from another outlet, so I called around to see if I could notify them. I was unsuccessful. Eventually, I posted on social media that they should fix it. I only meant for the post to be up an hour or so, but I got busy and forgot to take it down.
My supervisor (another journalist) sent me a note that my post was unprofessional and embarrassing to the other outlet. (We all follow one another.) She wants to meet with me to discuss it. To be honest, I do not see the problem at all. We should all be held accountable for mistakes made, especially as professional writers and journalists. Why should they get a pass for their error? No one would think twice about telling me to correct something.
What are your thoughts?
What you did, it seems to Miss Manners, was the professional equivalent of telling someone publicly that they have spinach in their teeth, rather than the more polite act of doing it discreetly.
If there had been a factual error, you would have had a better case. But publicly pointing out a typo — especially from a competitive news source — looks petty. This is quite a different thing from your own editors' correcting your copy. That is their actual job.
Therefore, Miss Manners is inclined to agree with your supervisor. And she will do you the favor of not questioning your journalistic abilities further by asking how difficult it could possibly be to find the other outlet’s copy editor. Instead, she will strongly suggest that next time, you try harder — or let it go.
Dear Miss Manners: I had a small destination wedding at a nice, but not top-of-the-line, resort. All guests but one had a lovely time.
The one unhappy guest usually travels to nicer resorts. We discussed this in advance, and I gave her several opportunities to decline, with the understanding that this may not be her usual cup of tea. She came anyway, but was unhappy and unpleasant the whole time. She spit out food at our cocktail hour, left the reception to eat elsewhere, described the spa as torture, and even insulted my groom and what he was wearing several times. I’m not sure why she wanted us to feel bad at our wedding, but she sure used a lot of poor manners to show how superior she was to us.
Now I have to send a thank-you note for her presence (no gift, as it was a destination), but I’m struggling to find sincere words of appreciation as I think it would have been better if she hadn’t come at all. Any ideas?
As much as she hates to discourage a thank-you letter, Miss Manners is pleased to tell you that one for mere attendance at a wedding is not necessary. Of course, your unhappy and unkind guest may disagree. But clearly she is used to being disappointed.
New Miss Manners columns are posted Monday through Saturday on washingtonpost.com/advice. You can send questions to Miss Manners at her website, missmanners.com. You can also follow her @RealMissManners.
© 2024 Judith Martin
