Wednesday, November 17, 2010

How about those copy editors?

From today's Express-News:

Police Officer Andrew Montemayor was kicking flares to the side of Potranco Road, joking with fellow rookie Robert Davis about how crazy their day had been, when he heard the revving of an engine outside his line of vision.
Instinctually, he knew something was wrong and began to run, Montemayor told jurors as testimony began Tuesday in the manslaughter and aggravated assault trial of former colleague David Seaton.
I think the reporter meant "instinctively." That's pretty funny. I was taught in my journalism classes in college never to use big, flowery words when smaller, more straightforward ones will do. Perhaps they should have also taught reporters never to make up words. And I know no one would believe this without photographic evidence, so...

Wow, what a state big-city journalism is in...