The buzz of deadlines, the agony of bad editing
Last week, on Friday night, I did something that I've never done before: A deadline review of a concert. The performance by South African guitarist Tony Cox started at 8:30pm and I needed to file the review and photos by 10pm for Saturday's paper.
I had actually turned down the job at one point because I didn't think I could make the tight deadline, but then I decided to bite the bullet so I called the paper back and asked if I could do the job after all.
Everything went smoothly. I had the photos delivered by 9:30pm and the review was sent at 10pm on the dot. I called to check that everything had got through okay, and then relaxed a bit while I re-read the review to judge it with a clear head. I was very happy with what I had produced, especially considering the time limit.
Sadly the version that ran in the paper was heavily edited. Two sections, which I'd been asked to write as a preview of a concert coming up on Saturday night, were removed. And in doing so, the person who made the changes made it sound like I was actually reviewing a concert that hadn't happened yet! There was even a comment added about a performer who wasn't at the concert. The whole thing ended up being a bit of a mess and an embarrassment.
The edited version isn't available online, but here's my originl version:
