Publisher, Shari Johnson
For the official record, I find the grammar police’s comments hysterical. I’m grateful I don’t know who they are, or when I do, that I don’t really value their opinion. But I wanted to clarify to whomever cares about the grammatical errors on the Ridgeview News, that those errors come with a cost. And none of it is out of your pocket.
The Ridgeview News is not required reading. It is free of charge to those who read it, but it does cost me personally a pretty good chunk of change. It is solely written for the purpose of providing the truth to my community. I provide information that allows residents of Calhoun County to make decisions in the best interest of their family. I want them to know who their neighbors are, and what they’re up to, should they be concerned.
I love letting people know the successes of people, especially young people in our community. I also enjoy helping the events of Calhoun County be more successful by letting people know when and where they occur… if someone lets me know.
As for the grammar: In between my 90 year old mother’s rice pudding and toast for breakfast, Vegetable soup, cornbread and pineapple upside cake for lunch, a ham and cheese sandwich, with apple sauce for supper, and an apple for an 8:00 snack, making sure her house stays to her standards of clean, and watching 10 episodes of “Reba” a day… and occasionally entertaining myself with my attempts to sew, grammar is way down on the list.
I wish my grammatical errors, and writing style was all I had to worry about. I am truly happy that it’s all you have to worry about. But life is real. It’s not on the internet… that’s just where I report it.
For my friends and supporters, I love that you care. But worry not. I’m good, and publishing the Ridgeview is a blessing. It keeps my mind busy and I look forward to doing it better… but for now. Enjoy the poor grammar.
I love’s me some poor grammar
Grammar matters because words matter. When information is shared publicly, especially as news, clarity and credibility depend on accuracy. Errors in spelling and grammar can distract readers, undermine trust, and sometimes change the meaning of what’s being communicated.
In today’s world, basic proofreading is not difficult. Spell-check is built into nearly every phone, tablet, and computer, and it takes only a few seconds to review before publishing. While no one expects perfection, consistent errors suggest carelessness rather than circumstance.
Everyone has responsibilities and busy lives, but that doesn’t remove the responsibility that comes with publishing information for others to rely on. Clear writing shows respect for the reader and for the message itself.
Grammar isn’t about policing or superiority. It’s about communication doing its job.
I agree with Georgie, of course.
Proper grammar shows respect for the information and the reader. It also reflects your respect for getting information right. It reflects on you and the community. It reflects on your advertisers.
Occasional errors will slip through, of course, but to toss out any consideration of it shows how little you care about rules and accuracy. It also tells young writers that grammar isn’t important when, truly, it is. In “real life,” as you say, it IS important.
Caregiving is hard. Proofreading is easy. The Grammarly app/browser add-on is FREE and will add mere seconds to producing any post. Try it.
That is exactly what I’m pretty sure every reasonable reader would expect. Proper grammar shows that the author takes pride in his/her work as well as takes the time to at least double (if not triple) check their work. Spewing out whatever information comes to mind might be good enough for a Facebook comment, but it is far from what an individual with years of published articles should present to the public.