Monday, August 03, 2009

Memo to NY Times Copy Editors

Considering the seven corrections you had to make to one article by Alessandra Stanley, I would think you'd be keeping a careful eye on everything you edit this week. For instance, you might consider counting to see if the number of people listed in each photo caption matches the number of people visible in the photograph.

Take the Caramoor Festival Semiramide review that's up right now. There are six singers and one conductor visible, plus various orchestra members. The caption reads as follows:
From left, Will Crutchfield, Vivica Genaux and Angela Meade in "Semiramide" at the Venetian Theater at Caramoor.
Well, no. The gent to the far left happens to be tenor Lawrence Brownlee. Will Crutchfield is conducting; he's up on the podium with his back to the audience, between Genaux and Meade.

I do not know the three singers to the far right, which the caption doesn't even attempt to identify, but I bet the Caramoor press department, or even their reporter, could clue in the Times. Also, for new-media types, Will Crutchfield is easy to find on Facebook.

3 comments:

Dr.B said...

Maybe they've been laying off the proofreaders.

Anonymous said...

Today's Arts section has that caption under a photograph that matches it. Maybe the Art department was responsible for the original mismatch?

Lisa Hirsch said...

They're made the correction! They're still missing one of the singers, but whatever.