The six-column headline on page three of last Saturday’s St. Petersburg Times’ Tampa Bay section called attention to a story of considerable interest to Florida college students. “University Tuition To Rise 15% In Fall” it said.
Unfortunately the sub-head directly below undermined it. It said: “Blurb Hed Goes Here Here Here Here Here Here Here Here Here XYYYXYYX.”
So, instead of delving directly into the details of what the university system’s Board of Governors had wrought, it highlighted an entirely different story. Namely, the increasingly noticeable drop in newspaper quality control. Fact-checkers? Proof-readers? Adult editors? We’re no longer talking typos and the occasional misspelling. We’re talking inexcusable lapses borne of consolidation and inexperience.
These are tough, challenging times for newspapers. But not that challenging.