Old School Reporting.....

[The Annoyed Man]

There's a Los Angeles based website called LA Daily Mirror that is sort of a blog and sort of some other things, but one of the thing that it does is post OLD newspaper articles, even going back to the 19th century. My wife checks this one regularly, and tonight she found the following. Reporters don't write this way anymore. It would be better if they did, but most have the writing sensibilities of a turnip.

This particular story is from June 6, 1907, dateline Pasadena (my old home town):

Judge Wins Black Eye in Pasadena’s First Dog Show
http://ladailymirror.com/2006/06/07/jud ... -dog-show/

“Bradshaw became indiscreet enough to let drive a hard right swing at Morris,” The Times said. “The latter ducked cleverly and encountered with a terrific right to the eye, which in the parlance of the pugs, immediately erected a substantial ‘roof’ over the optic.”

A modern writer would have written it thusly:

"Bradshaw started the fight by attempting to strike Morris with his fist. Morris evaded the blow and stuck Bradshaw in the eye, injuring him."

They tell the same story, but which would you rather read?

"erected a substantial 'roof' over the optic!"

[Sidro]

TAM, great literary description from that time. I think today it would probably be closer to this. Morris supposedly responding to an alleged attack by Bradshaw, struck Mr. Bradshaw in the eye causing severe damage and untold monetary expense for reconstructve surgery to fix the damages. Charges will be filed against Mr Morris according to a law enforcement spokesman.