Whose back did Lola Openg want scratched? That’s the question I’m left with when I read this on Yahoo Lifestyle:
The writer alleges that Ms. Openg said, “Scratch her back.” Whose back would that be? In fact Ms. Openg asked Alexa, “Scratch my back.” That’s a bit different, isn’t it? And that illustrates what happens when a writer and editor have no idea what a direct quote is.
I’m not one to holler “fake news” when I see something obviously wrong online. I’m more likely to holler “Yahoo!” Yup, the internet giant makes mistakes on its pages — mistakes that are completely avoidable by a little bit of reading by its editors. Take this teaser on Yahoo News:
I can’t understand how that mistake was made. For the last month we’ve heard and read about the 17 deaths in Florida. And anyone who has been paying attention knows that 14 students and 3 staff members were victims of that tragedy. Why don’t the Yahoo editors know that?
Maybe they just don’t like to read. Maybe they prefer to exercise their imagination. Like they did on yahoo.com with this falsehood:
The pedestrian bridge that collapsed has not been open for a few days. Not even for one day. The bridge has not been opened at all. Period! (as Sean Spicer would say).
I had hope that the editors corrected the error when I noticed they updated the headline, but noooooo:
The editors still insist that the bridge opened days ago. With hope springing once more, I was sure they’d corrected the error when they updated the headline yet again:
And yet again, the alternative fact is still there. Maybe I have to reconsider my avoidance of calling obvious errors fake news.
According to Yahoo News, the current occupant of the Oval Office has suggested arming high teachers:
I think it’s a terrible idea. Why would you want to arm anyone who’s high?
I know virtually nothing about American football, but I do know that this tidbit on yahoo.com is wrong:
Philadelphia isn’t looking for its first Super Bowl. It’s looking for its first Super Bowl win. That’s kinda different.
The real entertainment in Yahoo Entertainment comes from the typos on its home page:
For those outside the United States (and possibly for some people in the United States), we do not hold elections retroactively. Presidential elections are held every four years, and only in years whose last two digits are divisible by four. So, the next election for president is 2020. Seems like Trevor Noah knows more about our elections than the folks at Yahoo.
Editors at Yahoo Lifestyle seem to have a different definition of “matching” than I do. Here’s what I mean:
See that headline? It refers to these “matching” dresses:
Did you notice that the dresses are alike except for the color. And the belt. And the sleeves. And the length. And the neckline. And the layers on the skirt. And the details on the bodice. And the train. So if you overlook those little items, they are indeed matching dresses. So maybe I’m just being picky. Or maybe the editor doesn’t know what “matching” means.
This intro to an Instagram star on Yahoo Lifestyle just tanked:
This is Tank McNamara, a comic strip character:
George Resch is known as Tank Sinatra.
Would you be skeptical, like me, if you read this on Yahoo News?
I’m no expert, but the cost of $25K per day seemed awfully low to me. So, I read the article to find out the truth:
Looks like Yahoo News might really be Yahoo Fake News.
It’s become almost a daily occurrence at Yahoo! Style: the inability to form possessive of a plural noun:
What the heck is so hard about this? If you’re writing about one couple, it’s couple’s. If more than one couple, it’s couples’. If you’re really confused, it’s couples’s and it’s wrong.
While I’m pondering the reason for that common mistake, perhaps you’ll solve another mystery for me: Why did the writer (and presumably her editor) refer to a boy with the pronoun her? Is this a transgender thing?
Don’t expect these folks to do actual research. A simple Google search is too much of a bother for the writers and editors at Yahoo! Celebrity. They’re happy letting us know that Taylor Swift’s estate is “near Rhode Island”:
So, it might be in Massachusetts or Connecticut or even Narragansett Bay. Real journalists would take the time to learn that Watch Hill, the location of Ms. Swift’s mansion, is in Rhode Island. I’d say that’s pretty “near.”
Terribly Write 