“Hooray for Matson”

.....I said in an e-mail, the text of which follows:

“Stick to your guns, BossMan. Ain’ nuthin’ wrong with being meticulous about spelling.
I remember getting letters from Poyzer (Victor?) loudly asserting a fevered agenda against the Messenger. We used to get them all the time. ‘What’s wrong with you guys? I could write better than that. Here’s my letter — make my day!’
Yeah, after an involved rewrite to help him say what he meant, and a tortured phonecall.
I sure rewrote enough letters I had scanned.* The tub-thumpers had a habit of mucking up, and then it was the old waazoo — make them say what they meant; if someone went to all the trouble to write us, they should be published.
Last weekend my tub-thumping brother-from-Boston suggested I needed my “prostrate” checked, and I found that laughable. Seems I stopped that from flying in the Mezz once.
So the writer excoriates you for pointing out spelling-errors. “Tough!” I said. Fly an error and Poyzer (or his Limbaugh wannabees) goes ballistic.

(*I shouldn’t have done that. We shoulda just run them AS IS — let them make fools of themselves.)

Not too long ago, the Houghton “Mildew” (that’s Wheeler) had a write-up about David Findley, Class of ‘68. I guess he went on to become a veep at Hartford Insurance (or something). He allowed he was more partial to hiring liberal-arts students, because they were better prepared for life — like spelling correctly. Techies had a habit of crashing mightily in flames.”

“Matson” is Robert Matson, “BossMan,” the Executive Editor at the mighty Mezz, who -a) had the moxie to take me on as an unpaid intern after my stroke, and -b) then made the giant leap of doubling my pay, so I could go off Social-Security Disability, and go full-time.
Matson has always had his head screwed on right — probably from being a Houghton grad (1980), unlike some noisy Limbaugh wannabee who wasn’t a “Liberial”-Arts student.
Matson had a column in the mighty Mezz last Sunday (July 13, 2008) about the vagaries of hiring.
Apparently he turned down an applicant that misspelled “definitely” (misspelled as “definAtely), and misused the word “two” (as “to”); both in a follow-up e-mail.
Ya got a spellcheck; use it! Ain’t nuthin’ wrong with being meticulous.
Misuse of “two” is an editor-gig.
Be not meticulous, and the tub-thumping Conservatives showed up at the Receptionist-Desk, Uzis a-blazin’: “What’s wrong with you Liberials? I could write better than that.”
Followed by retired English teachers and others of the dreaded Grammar Police.
Apparently the spurned applicant loudly excoriated Matson for pointing out spelling errors — “fiddling while Rome burned” — refusing to acknowledge towering writing-talent all because of a mere spelling error.
Matson also rejected another applicant who supplied a link to her blog wherein she abhorred having to work for a low-paying newspaper only to be told her writing “sucked” (her word).
Newspapers are under incredible pressure, and may be doomed.
But at least the Messenger will spell “cemetery” kerreckly.

“Houghton” is Houghton College in western New York, from where I graduated with a BA in 1966. I’ve never regretted it. Houghton is a religious liberal-arts college.

“Wheeler” is L. David Wheeler, an editor at the Messenger newspaper, also a Houghton grad (‘91).

Actually it was Sydney Poyzer.

The “Messenger” (mighty Mezz) is the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger newspaper, from where I retired over two years ago. Best job I ever had.

I had a stroke October 26, 1993.

“Liberial” is how my loudmouthed macho brother-from-Boston noisily insists “liberal” is spelled. (Recently it’s “liberila.”)

The Messenger had a Reception area.