Errors in jounralism - spelling 101

Recently there have been calls for MySpace to reveal what it knows about child offenders that have been using their site. MySpace refused, indicating that they were prohibited by law to do that. MySpace did take down the suspected child offenders profiles.

Then there was a cry that MySpace is protecting pedophiles and blah blah blah... So, the attorney generals got their act together provided MySpace with the appropriate documentation and MySpace is to release the information to the authorities. This is not MySpace backing down as had been described in some articles.

This is a blog. I make mistakes. I make spelling mistakes, and I make mistakes where the statement sometimes written means exactly the opposite of what I was trying to say. It isn't a big deal, I'm no professional.

However, in this article, which was reasonably well written drops the ball at the end.

"Also an issue is the growing prevalence of spam in MySpace Groups, much of which redirects users to scatological porn sites so shocking and vial they aren't fit for adult viewing let alone viewing by children."

Vial? Did this article actually get vetted by an editor? This might pass a spell checked, but did the writer re-read the article before posting it? The word that is supposed to be there, you guessed it - was vile.

It seems that around the point of the spelling error in the article, the author began writing about morality and what people think is right instead of the facts in the case.

Yes, scatology is disgusting. Not fit for adult viewing? Well, there is certainly a portion of the population that does watch it, so clearly that is a value statement and a false one at that.

I'm not in to scatology or scheisse video (I know the word only because it was mentioned in a South Park episode and I had to look it up). But if someone else wants to have sex with feces all around them - they can go for it.

The Register normally puts out pretty good articles if I recall correctly, so maybe this one fell through the cracks.