Re-posted today: Just in case you may have missed this latest development. . .

Published in The Palm Beach Post: A double-whammy.

There was a clarification and a correction in last Wednesday’s print edition.

Did an editor at the Post really misspell the name of Pulitzer Prize winning author Dave Barry? Is that even possible? Hard to believe, but that did happen. Four times! More about that and the correction that got published is a little later in this blog post.

First to the clarification:

CLARIFICATION

A story that appeared in Saturday’s [Nov. 24th] Post stated that a poll on American first ladies was released by Lynn University. The university said that the poll was conducted by Lynn professor Robert Watson “independently of the university.” [emphasis added] The story appeared on the front page.


This story about first lady Melania Trump ranking near the bottom historically of all first ladies since 1948 made the online edition on November 20th. Here is an excerpt from that story that needed to be corrected vis-à-vis, “The poll was conducted by Robert Watson, distinguished professor of American history at Lynn University in Boca Raton”:


Historically, presidential rankings have taken place since 1948 but it was not until 1982 that a poll of first ladies was conducted. Since then there have been seven more, with three by [Robert] Watson.

In all fairness, Watson admits that it is early in her husband’s [President Trump] presidency to assess the totality of her role as first lady. It is not until the papers of the president and first lady are released, biographies are written and archives established that a true and complete assessment can be made, Watson said.


To learn more about Lynn University and their Bachelor of Arts degree in multimedia journalism, ethical communications and communication theory click on this link.

And FYI: The title of “first lady” is not an official title and is therefore not capitalized. However, it depends on House Style. Some news organizations do use the title “First Lady” as in First Lady Melania Trump.


And without further ado. . .


CORRECTION

Because of an editing error, a story in Wednesday’s [Nov. 28th] Post misspelled author and columnist Dave Barry’s name. The brief appeared on Page B3 in the Local section.


Yes. Hard to believe but true.

An editor at the Post misspelled Dave Barry’s name. Not just once. Four times.

The irony here is this ‘news’ is about an event sponsored by the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County’s “Read Together Palm Beach County”. About this event at the Harriet Himmel Theater last Wednesday evening is this excerpt from the Post that needed to be corrected in yesterday’s paper:


The title selected for the 2018 “Read Together,” was bestselling author, columnist and humorist Dave Berry’s “Best. State. Ever. A Florida Man Defends His Homeland.”


Berry? Really? 

Briefly, before we proceed, the book Best. State. Ever. A Florida Man Defends His Homeland is available on Amazon:


A brilliantly funny exploration of the Sunshine State from the man who knows it best: Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times best-selling author Dave Barry.

We never know what will happen next in Florida. We know only that, any minute now, something will. Every few months, Dave Barry gets a call from some media person wanting to know, “What the hell is wrong with Florida?”


So. In the news article in the Post, Dave Barry’s last name was misspelled four times as ‘Berry’.

How is it possible that Dave Barry, a famous Floridian and author, could have his last name misspelled in The Palm Beach Post? Four times!

Anyhow, if you would like to learn more about the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County click on this link. And you can also say “Thank You” to the Literacy Coalition for bringing such wonderful authors such as Dave Barry to inspire the public to learn how to read and to appreciate how important literacy is here in Palm Beach County.

And Gee Wiz! Dave Barry won a Pulitzer Prize and wrote for the Miami Herald for over twenty years.

Shouldn’t every single editor at the Post know who Dave Barry is? And just wondering. Has a ‘satirist’ at The Palm Beach Post ever won a Pulitzer Prize for humor?

From Wikipedia:

David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comic novels. Barry’s honors include the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary (1988) and the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism (2005).