I just finished grading round one of test essays for an upper level undergrad media course. There were some priceless answers. Here are a few.
An answer to a “long essay” prompt about regulatory policy in the U.S. (the right answer would start with “there’s not much regulatory policy in the U.S. …”):
I feel as if there is a lot of regulatory policy that happens even though their is a freedom of press amendment. Today the very much controls what is put out there about themselves, and others. The same goes for market forces, if someone has the money they can pay to have an ad back another political opponent. Everything regarding the media is controlled by the government.
Very articulate.
Short answer, definition question: Define “interpretation.”
“interpretation is how the media chooses to understand information as.”
Right.
And in my personal favorite, a student inserts the word “whale” for the word “way.” I mean, they’re almost the same thing, right?
“in a whale, what it actually covers works as a basis for societal norms.”
This is going to be a fun semester.
1 response so far ↓
Aubra // September 29, 2009 at 12:53 am |
Yikes. My three favorite typos/wrong word choices at the newspaper:
3. Sports writer used “Camecocks” instead of “Gamecocks” six out of nine times in her sports story.
2. Entertainment writer used “leggo” and thought that really was the proper term for “let go.”
1. Trial writer called our town “Starville” (it’s Starkville) and Word corrected her incorrect spelling of the word “mosquitoes” to “misquotes.”
Oddly enough, none of those three write for us anymore.