-30- or the end of credibility

Before computers replaced typewriters, journalists signalled the end of their story with the symbol "-30 -," which Webster's defines as a sign of completion. An American Journalism Review story points out that many younger journalists have never heard of the tradition. In fact, at the New York Times in July, a copy editor unfamiliar with the symbol created an embarrassing error when an editor thought the reporter's use of 30 was supposed to be a date in the story. Unfortunately, the editor turned that date into Feb. 30! And we wonder why people don't believe what they read in the news media. If you think accuracy isn't important, check out the list of errors editor Craig Silverman compiles on his. Regret the Error site each day. The morale of the story: Double-check and triple-check your facts. You don't want to end up on Silverman's list. And even more importantly, you want people to trust what you write.