Every week, The Washington Post publishes a collection of letters of complaint from readers pointing out grammatical errors, reporting omissions, and inconsistencies. These letters point out our mistakes and sometimes even offer words of praise. Here are this week's Free-for-All letters:
Rachel Tashjian's June 4 Style Perspective, “Kelsey and the Tragedy of Too-Tight Pants”:
First, is this the lead article in a section about this?
Second: When is the Washington Post going to run an article saying that women should stop wearing pants that are so small they're skintight?
Lyndon Dodds, San Antonio
I suggest distributing usage notices to staff reminding them that “iPhone” and “phone” are not synonyms. The Travis Kelce pants article was the latest in a series of (blue?) articles in which Washington Post journalists carelessly assume that everyone has an iPhone and that everyone calls their phone that. This unfortunate approach reminds me of middle school.
Although the iPhone is the best-selling mobile phone in the United States, it only accounts for 20% of mobile phone sales worldwide. Even in the United States, over 40% of people live without an iPhone.
But further evidence of the middle school situation may be suggested by the fact that 85 percent of American teens own an iPhone.
I was dismayed to find that fashion articles were appearing more and more frequently in the Washington Post. For example, in the last two weeks of May, Style published five fashion articles, averaging one nearly every other day: “Melania Trump's Ensemble: Her Clothes Are Armor, Her Hat Is a Helmet” (May 20), “The Buzz from Cannes” (May 22), “Why Are the Suits Hanging Out to Dry?” (May 23), “Jill Biden Ditches Neutrality for Glamorous Democracy” (May 25), and “Simple Is Hard” (May 28).
Last week finally blew my mind: four days in a row, fashion stories were on the front page of the section: “One $20,000 Shawl, Several Endangered Chills” (June 3), “Kelsey and the Farce of Too-Tight Pants” (June 4), “Why Does Everyone Want to Dress Like Katie Holmes?” (June 5), and “All Work, No Fun: Trend Chaos” (June 6).
Surely I can't be the only reader who couldn't care less about Travis Kelcy's pants!
I understand and applaud the attempt to broaden your readership beyond white, college-educated, liberal/independent, environmentally conscious, older women, but remember: not everyone is a fashionista.
Lucia Anderson, Woodbridge
I'm glad someone picked up the ball I dropped.
Thank you, Erik Wemple, for writing your June 5 online column, “For The Washington Post, A Stain on the Supreme Court,” from the perspective of a newspaper reporter who did not cover Alito's flag-raising case. It was interesting to note that a long time, three and a half years, passed between the time the Washington Post reporter observed the facts and the time the New York Times published the article.
I love seeing journalism at work!
Ellie Berner, Kittery, Maine
Amal Clooney's husband's call to the White House
Instead of “George Clooney calls White House to defend wife's work on ICC investigation” [Politics & The Nation, June 7]How about “George Clooney calls White House to defend Amal Clooney's work in ICC investigation”?
Let's move on to a new century.
Karen Travis, Gig Harbor, Washington
Donald Liebenson's June 4 Book World review of Miss Mae Doesn't Exist by Carrie Couroggen, “A memoir about the enigmatic Mae” [Style]:
Reading about Elaine May, I was instantly transported back to a weekend in the late 1950s, when I was in the family car with my mom, dad, and sister, listening to the radio. Every time the announcer told us to stand by for the latest news from May and Mike Nichols, we all quietly focused on the scratchy AM frequency 780 to hear the next conversation. The car radio dial was always tuned to WBBM on the CBS Radio network out of Chicago. In fact, in our house, it was on every night after the TV stations went off the air, a nod to my dad’s World War II experience in the Pacific to monitor and maintain communications. But more often than not, we were listening intently to May and Nichols in the car. Their improvised situations were where our family got an objective look at our own trials and tribulations. It was the highlight of our prime-time, fresh-air drives, especially on our way to special places, listening to whatever new situations unfolded comically between the two comedic icons.
Sometimes I feel ashamed by what I am forced to read in the newspaper. Why did I read the June 7 news article, “Hallie Biden Testifies, Describes Year of Family Triumph,” knowing that its purpose is not to inform serious readers concerned about gun violence and drug abuse, but to stimulate our basest proclivities: our worst voyeurism? Have we lost compassion for a human being whose family is being roundly vilified for the mistakes of a son left behind? Why do we continue to read this article about the humiliation of a family and cannot put it aside, knowing that we would never stand outside someone's door and listen to them secretly share their inner thoughts with others? This father has worked his whole life for his family and his fellow citizens. Is he different in that respect from our neighbors?
Rosalind Goldfarb, Chevy Chase
Regarding the June 3 news article “Chinese spacecraft lands on 'dark' side of Moon, collects rare samples”:
I had hoped that the inaccurate and outdated phrase “dark side” had been passed over. The term can still be confusing to the general reader and was used multiple times in the article, including in the headline. Contrary to the author's assertion that “dark” refers to “the fact that scientists know very little about this hemisphere,” I have never heard “dark side” used in that way in almost 40 years of working in the space community.
Please continue to provide great coverage of space activities, but please refrain from publishing stories about missions that head towards the Sun at night to avoid the heat of the sun.
Denying the legitimacy of “illegitimate children”
I was taken aback by the outdated term “illegitimate child” in C.W. Goodyear's May 28 online editorial, “Grover Cleveland Admitted to Sex Scandal, and It Helped Him.” Is any person “illegitimate”?
Stick to “outside marriage.”
Stereotypes are a step backwards
I'm an immigrant from Mexico. I came here for grad school and have been here ever since. I love this country. I love Mexico.
That's why I was so put off by the tone and language you used to describe my country in your June 4 news article, “Mexico paves the way for a female president with legalized gender equality.” The first sentence of the article was, “Mexico is known for its macho culture.” An online headline called Mexico a “bastion of machismo.” Would you describe France that way? Spain? The United States? None of these countries have a female head of state.
Someone at The Washington Post must know that attitudes towards gender roles in Mexico have changed dramatically – Mexico had its first major party female presidential candidate (Josefina Vázquez Mota) in 2012, four years before Hillary Clinton. The Post is doing its readers a disservice by promoting incredibly condescending stereotypes about Mexicans.
Gonzalo Molina Cieiro, North Las Vegas, NV
Thank them for their service and their stories
Regarding The World's June 7 article “Normandy beaches filled with memories”:
When I was a kid in the 1950s and early 1960s, all my friends' fathers were WWII veterans. We were too young to appreciate their accomplishments. It was fun to hear their “war” stories after a few beers at a barbecue. There was a Marine who laughed about stealing a tank from the Army. At his funeral, I learned that he and one other man were the only ones to survive of the 40-man platoon that landed on Iwo Jima. Another dad, who seemed like a nerd to me, piloted landing craft in multiple island invasions. My dad was a bomber pilot. Of a crew of 10, he and one other man were the only ones to survive, and both were taken prisoner. I miss these heroes.
Ed Taft, Springfield, Illinois
I found the opinion piece on Thursday, June 6, “'Too Horrible to Even Think About': Why D-Day Never Happened,” an excerpt from Garrett M. Graff's book, “When the Sea Came Alive,” very interesting. Reading this essay, I was reminded of a great television show that began in the 50s and was hosted by Walter Cronkite called “You Are There.” The show presented world-changing events (like the Gettysburg Address) from the perspective of journalists who covered the events and interacted with the participants. I wonder if such shows are of value to this generation. Maybe it's time for a revival.
Leland Hewitt, Alexandria
Our AI has a frog in its throat
Regarding the May 29 article in Style, “Long-lost Caravaggio painting of 'extraordinary value' goes on display for the first time”:
I was really disgusted to hear an artificial intelligence voice read ruin many words, including those of the great artist Cimabue. If you expect your audience to respect your standards and pay your prices, it is your duty to maintain those standards. Don't treat your audience like ignorant fools. Hire a human to read them.
Victor Owen Schwartz, New York
Thanks for the helpful comics
I applaud the “Baldo” cartoon that appeared in the Comics section on June 2. It pays tribute to those who come to America from other countries with the intention of contributing fully to American society, and who often know what it's like to live in an oppressive society.
Speakers also introduced the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, which for 50 years has encouraged Spanish-speaking citizens to learn how their state's voter registration laws work and then use that knowledge to register.
At one time, the organization was known only in the Southwest, but now, thanks to “Baldo”, it has spread throughout the country.
What is that? A paper hat?
I was at my 7-year-old grandson's baseball game and was reading the print edition of the Washington Post during warm-ups when one of the players came up to me, pointed to the paper and said, “What's that?” Democracy dies in darkness.
Melvin Klein, Columbia, Maryland
“Democracy Dies in Darkness” is not just a slogan
We are pleased to have Jerry Brewer back on the pages of The Washington Post. His “Grumble Game” column series continues the long tradition of great sports columnists at The Post that stretches back more than a century.
Read “The Battle for Jackie Robinson” [Sports, June 6] I remember my father reading Shirley Povich's “This Morning” column to me at the breakfast table, before I could read for myself. My father's voice and Povich's words washed over me like milk over cereal. That breakfast marked the beginning of a lifelong connection to The Post, a ritual that has defined my mornings for the last 75 years. I have enjoyed reading the work of generations of talented reporters, columnists and editors, and then washing the black smudges of the newspaper off my fingertips.
I hope today's leadership understands that The Post needs to be more than just a revenue stream. To be a truly great newspaper is to be a civic cornerstone in a fair and free society. “Democracy dies in darkness” is not just a slogan; it is a warning and a challenge that in these uncertain times, even the sports section can be a shining lifeline to who we once were and who we want to be.
Gordon Berg, Gaithersburg
Any student in my Building Technology 1 class would immediately see the problem when they saw the diagram of a septic tank that accompanied the May 24 front-page article, “Hidden Dangers.” Unlike the pipes that carry hot and cold water, a septic tank is not pressurized but relies on gravity. Therefore, the pipe that leaves the house, runs to the septic tank, and passes through the drainage field must be sloped, not flat as shown in the diagram.
These are otherwise very nice diagrams, but showing the sloping pipes not only makes them more accurate, but also helps convey the delicate balance that a septic system must achieve.
Kevin J. McPartland, Jessup
The author is a professor at Anne Arundel Community College.
