Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!wivax!decvax!ittvax!ittral!laidbak!ihnp4!houxm!hocda!spanky!burl!duke!unc!tim From: tim@unc.UUCP Newsgroups: net.jokes,net.followup Subject: Re: (sic) Message-ID: <5466@unc.UUCP> Date: Wed, 29-Jun-83 13:17:34 EDT Article-I.D.: unc.5466 Posted: Wed Jun 29 13:17:34 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 30-Jun-83 12:59:01 EDT References: wdl1.179 Lines: 20 From my own experience on a student newspaper, I have a few things to say about "[sic]" in published letters to the editor. Typically, if a letter comes in with a spelling mistake or two, you think nothing of it and let the proofreaders correct the spelling. However, some letters are so incredibly full of spelling mistakes that it really leaps out at you. Reading these letters really makes you wonder about the person's command of language, and therefore thought. These letters are the ones you print without correction, although "[sic]" is usually overkill. There are very few borderline cases. The "[sic]" is used only in borderline cases that are noteworthy, for instance from an athletic director who consistently uses the spelling "atheletic" -- they really should know better. ====================================== The overworked keyboard of Tim Maroney duke!unc!tim (USENET) tim.unc@udel-relay (ARPA) The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill