Sin City

The Associated Press, showing it no longer has editors who know what editing is all about, ran an article headlined in Yahoo News as "Obama responds to ire over 2nd anti-Vegas remark."

The second-day leed (cq) paragraph by writer Oskar Garcia, starts off OK (but could have been tightened up a bit): President Barack Obama is known for having a way with words, but some lawmakers from Nevada wish he would pipe down about trips

And then the editorial creeps in with "(about trips) to Sin City."

Sin City.

Come on, AP.

The slander pops up again later when the writer - reporter certainly is the wrong word for the scrivener who cobbled together this piece - offers without attribution that "Perception and reputation are sensitive issues for Sin City as it struggles to find footing amid a two-year meltdown of foreclosures, bankruptcies and unemployment."

I was for many years an honest (newspaper) reporter and editor.

I lived in Nevada - Ely, as it happens.

Nevada may offer "recreation" that other states attempt to prevent, e.g., Nevada lacks a law prohibiting prostitution (although it is illegal in Las Vegas) and obviously Nevada welcomes gamblers. On the other hand, many states including Florida, West Virginia, and New Jersey to name but 3, have legal casinos and many states market lotto tickets, very much a gamble. I know of no state that is free of the "world's oldest profession," and I've been to most of the 50 states, parts of Canada, and overseas as well.

So the gratuitous use of "Sin City," especially sans any attribution - did the president call Las Vegas "Sin City"; there is no hint of that in the AP article - is a sign of sloppy editing.

I don't fault the writer as much as the editor; editors should make certain editorial comments, e.g., "Sin City," are saved for editorials.

I hate to admit it, but I'm glad I'm out of the journalism business. It ain't [cq] what it used to be back when Hector was a pup.

Yohanon
Yohanon.Glenn at gmail dot com