WINTER 2014
ADVISER UPDATE
PAGE 7A
‘The stuff inside a journalist’s head’
By Rich Holden
F
“
corrections columns, there is
no single source of errors that
comes close to math issues.
These encompass everything
from calculating percentages
wrong to confusing mean and
median and confusing percent
and percentage point.
Here’s one example
from the 2014 exam that
few students caught. The
lead read: “A high-speed
passenger train . . . crashed
in northern Spain, killing 79
people and injuring 170. It
was the worst train crash in
Spain since a 1972 accident
near Barcelona killed 65
passengers.”
Have you spotted the word
that’s used incorrectly? It’s
not the worst accident “since”
1972. This crash killed 14
more people than did the
1972 accident. The paragraph
should have been reworded
to say something like: “The
previous record for the death
toll from a train accident was
65 in 1972.”
And of course there’s
always the section on
grammar and style to raise a
few hackles. If students stop
learning about geography in
grade school, then they stop
learning proper grammar early
in high school.
I could use the same “who/
whom” example for a dozen
years, and students would still
”
come up with the incorrect
answer at least half the time.
For instance, let’s take a
look at this sentence. “Who/
Whom did the publisher
name as editor?” It isn’t as
complicated as it looks. Simply
take the sentence, substitute
“he” for “who” and “him” for
“whom” and go from there.
One would not write “Did the
publisher name he as editor?”
Correct grammar dictates
that the sentence read “Did
the publisher name him as
editor?” Thus, the right answer
in this example is “whom.”
I realize that class time is
a very valuable commodity,
but I do think it’s important
that, perhaps, setting aside
some time for these issues will
greatly benefit the students.
I’ve often been told that an
editor’s mind is filled with
“stuff.” I realize that’s not the
most precise description out
there, but it does have its
place. That’s why whenever
someone is putting together
a Trivial Pursuit team, an
editor is always one of the first
choices.
You’re doing your students
a considerable favor by
making them aware of the
importance of keeping up with
current events and history. It’s
something they will thank you
for years from now.
Rich Holden
is executive director of the Dow
Jones News Fund. Before he was
named to that position in 1992, he
was an editor for 19 years at The
Wall Street Journal and The Asian
Wall Street Journal. He was also a
lecturer in residence for two years
at the Chinese University of Hong
Kong. He can be reached at The
Dow Jones News Fund at 609452-2820 or at richard.holden@
dowjones.com.
P01.V52.I4
P01.V52.I4
people who died over the past
year and articles that students
edit. If anyone is interested in
looking at past copies of the
exam, check out the website
editteach.org. It has tests
going back for 10 years and
also includes the answer keys.
I’ve come across many
examples of how little students
remember about geography
from their grammar school
days. For instance, this year’s
test included the statement
‘Nineteen firefighters died
fighting wildfires in this state.”
First, the students must know
the answer to the question
and, second, must be able to
find it on a map. That’s where
the problem develops.
One student from a highly
regarded university on the
East Coast correctly answered
Arizona, then identified the
state of Utah on the map. I
asked what the problem was
and, without missing a beat,
the student replied, “Well, I
know it’s one of those square
states out west.”
Now, many people would
argue that these issues come
up ve