An anecdote sent in by Bob Turner.
BACK IN MY DAY as a typesetter, among other things, the first rule of typesetting was to “follow copy” – even if somebody threw it out the window.
Failure to do so usually resulted in unemployment.
One of the newsside operators on the Cleveland Plain Dealer, an avid follower of the Sport of Kings and a gambler on same, was setting a column-and-a-half feature entitled “The Consensus” wherein some so-called expert would render his opinion on what a horse’s chances were in a certain race.
Our intrepid hero came to an entry on which he had lost considerable money and, when he noticed there was no comment on this entry, supplied one of his own. “Looks Like Horse, Runs Like Duck!”
The sports department got calls. Lots of calls. A check of proofs and the incriminating “take slug” and the culprit was identified and fired for not only not following copy but, heaven forbid, altering copy.
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