TSN Doesn't Know Maxim Afinogenov Very Well

by Rafal Ladysz on Jul 20, 2010 7:41 PM EDT Comment 5 comments

TSN has listed the finest remaining free agents in a new article. Front and center is former Buffalo Sabres forward Maxim Afinogenov. Their write-up on him is amusing:

The Russian forward had 24 goals and 37 assists for the Thrashers last season, equalling his career-high in points (61, a mark which he had previously set during the 2006-07 campaign). Last season was Afinogenov's first year with a team other than the Sabres, where he had spent nine seasons (he was drafted by Buffalo in 1997). At 30, Afinogenov seems poised to bring some added scoring to a team looking for a solid offensive force with lots left to offer.

It's all straightforward, but Afinogenov's career-best in points isn't 61 - in 2006, the Russian led the team with 73 points. Whoever put this piece together, would have had to just click on his name at the website to realize this. These days, it's not easy being a responsible journalist.

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On top of that, he was a minus 17, so……

by bluecollarbuffalo on Jul 20, 2010 8:16 PM EDT reply actions

A common practice

Many newspapers, magazines and book publishers have taken some extreme measures in order to save costs. Almost all of them have ruthlessly slashed copy editor positions because few were seeing the economic benefits of having such people working full time. This is why you’re seeing such obvious and prominent mistakes in all forms of written journalism, both in print and online. The publishers instead are having people who are untrained or unqualified trying to pick up the slack, they’re relying on automated processes (with sometimes very humorous results), they’re having writers self-edit or they’re simply not bothering to go through the editorial process at all in order to get stories out faster.

Simply put, failing to edit and fact-check articles properly jeopardizes your appearance of professionalism and eventually your journalistic credibility. You look amateurish and incompetent. This is not something that is happening just to organizations like TSN. It is happening even to the most widely respected of publications…like this one:
http://theslot.blogspot.com/2010/07/theres-only-one-child-myth.html

A word of advice to any newspaper, journal or professional website. If you want to look professional, rehire your copy editors and pay them well. If you don’t, you’ll look like a grade-school publication and will be taken just as seriously.

"I could have conquered Europe, all of it, but I had women in my life." - King Henry II of England

by Calvert on Jul 20, 2010 8:18 PM EDT reply actions

I actually read this piece yesterday and had two thoughts. First obviously they hold a higher regard for mad Max than I do and also that I thought he had posted more than 61 once. I did not research it as I was more interested in the other names on the list. Good catch rafal.

Fear the Grier!!!!

by willgarr15 on Jul 21, 2010 7:51 AM EDT via mobile reply actions