OF DEAD SUB- EDITING, FIRST EYE-SECOND GLANCE AND SECOND EYE-FIRST GLANCE

Proofreading skills are proving to be in a state of neglect in the Kenyan press. The frequency of editorial errors on textual and semantic levels, is far too high. One is tempted to think the draft copy is starved of adequate revision and overfed with false confidence, during sub-editing. All that is required could just be a second glance by the first eye, or a first glance by a second eye.

Such is the nature of some irritating errors. Nothing complex. Just really simple omissions that ruin the reading experience and distort the information being conveyed.

Even in the wildest of imaginations, there's no way the entire European Union can:

"...pledge $3.8 to help curb migration."

Less than 4 American dollars! That headline in the country's leading daily, does not even begin to add up.

But what is more worrying is that the 'Intro' of the story clearly states the amount is in the region of billions.

Undoubtedly, many eyes must have noticed that headline, during the production process, yet hardly any seemed to have taken note of the major anomaly.

The first eye of the headline drafter ought to have spotted something was amiss at first glance, and not miss the error at second glance.

The second eye should have raised a red flag at first glance, or flag it off for correction at second glance.

That is how newspaper sub-editing ought to be alive to eye-opening glances.