Does no one check anything at the BBC any more?

You’re not alone.

Hardly a day passes when I don’t groan at the standard of grammar in our local paper, which I receive daily online. I wonder if the ‘journalists’ ever went to school. Their writing is dire. Perhaps this is the proverbial Normal for Norfolk.

I don't think anyone checks anything anymore. Books, papers, advertising, subtitles...

AreWeThereyet, broadly agree but subtitles on live programmes are rather different

DD used to be a television subtitler, working mainly on live programmes like the news, sub titling as the programme went out. To do this she spoke the subtitles into a computer that she had spent 6 months training (like a dog) to recognise her voice her pronounciation, spacing etc etc.

Despite that every so often the computer would just go potty and even though she repeated the word(s), stuck to its first interpretation, The classic one she always quotes was subtitling the late Queen's 60th jubilee thanks giving service in St Pauls. As the Prince of Wales and Prince William, entered the cathedral the commentator said; 'Here come 2 future Kings' . DD repeated this into the computer and up on screen came the words 'Here come too few chickens'. She repeated the text a couple more times, but then had to move onto the next comment. the computer remained obdurate and refused to change it!

So with subtitles, if it is a live programme, blame the computer, not the subtitler.

I don’t think the programme OP referred to was broadcast live.

Dare I say, AreWeThereYet, that ‘anymore’ is incorrect. It’s two words, not one.

Seems to me that the BeeB is actively encouraging dumbing down, and has been for some time.

I love "too few chickens"!!!

Regarding checking information - On today’s traffic bulletin from BBC Newcastle, I was warned of queues at the Hospital Roundabout and slow moving traffic passing the Cemeteries.
No locations given!
Last week, the presenter mentioned the usual delays North from MetroCentre to Chester le Street - which is, in fact, South.

Sorry GSM, 'anymore' is one word. Witness 'anywhere', 'anybody', 'anything' etc.

And your authority for that is? Your examples don’t prove the point.

Try any decent dictionary. Things like this are matters of common usage. The examples I gave don't prove anything if you don't believe the evidence of your eyes.

Not according to my OED. Being in common usage doesn’t make something correct.

Oh we recorded this and I was just the same shouting out to the TV . Local newspapers are just as bad. I cannot believe that people on Facebook ask " Dose anyone know ....?" So many spell "does" like that .

Just to clarify, the error referred to was not a sub-title (i.e.live) but a caption at the end of the programme. So someone wrote it and several other people, presumably, saw it before the show went out.

I'm glad this annoys others too. The BBC especially has really gone downhill. Many foreigners rely on the BBC to learn correct English, so it's vital that standards are kept up.
It's also vital for people to complain and point out errors. If no-one says anything, these mistakes will become the norm.

I'm also concerned about American spelling creeping in. Britain is not an annexe of the USA, and we must keep our (correct) version of the English language.

The reason DD stopped being a sub-titler was because she said that because of the pressure of the big tv companies to drive down the price of subtitling, companies were having to employ less skilled people, give them less training, reduce standards and, of course, cut salaries.

I am sure this applies to companies that do all the other captioning etc. Someone having written the caption Kate54, I think it highly unlikely that anyone will have checked it. It is the checking and rechecking procedures that go when there is pressure to drive down costs.

the bbc has ruined local radio by getting rid of regular presenters and hiring new people to present new 'shows.' t is clear dumbing down or talking 'down' to listeners has been used. A bit 'stacey dooley' like.

Floradora9

Oh we recorded this and I was just the same shouting out to the TV . Local newspapers are just as bad. I cannot believe that people on Facebook ask " Dose anyone know ....?" So many spell "does" like that .

It's because spelling was so badly taught for a long time when teaching good phonics went out of fashion. Once someone has an incorrect spelling established it's really difficult to change it. Children were taught to remember the letters in a word but they couldn't always remember the order the letters should be written in.. They didn't even know that there was any connection between the letters and the sounds in a word.

Last week, my GS sent me an essay he had written about Henry the Seventh. He used the word ‘coronated’. It was like a slap in the face. I suggested he should have used the word ‘crowned’. I have always considered the word coronated to be an adjective, not a verb. Discussions are ongoing! I’ll be interested to see what his teacher says when she marks it.

I'm amazed how many people write thankyou as a single word

Our local newspaper and regular updates say’ cops have said’ when did our police turn into cops?

There are frequent and glaring errors of grammar and spelling in most subtitles and I find it very distracting,

Agree, momb. I also agree with GSM that any more is two words when referring to time.