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With alarming regularity, the news writers on ABCRN finish their playlunch, ask Miss to sharpen their crayons, and write things like:

"Schabir Shaik was found guilty of fraud in a South African court."

Mr Shail was, in fact, found guilty, in a South African court, of fraud.

The ABCRN reporters for some years have seemed incorrigibly dedicated to the cause of "grammar doesn't matter so we shall deliberately flout it and hang the consequences (of which there are none)". Today's example is not the strongest one demonstrating where grammar does indeed matter, but serves to show how misinformation can (and often does) come about when such amateur scrivening becomes the norm. Yesterday I heard another from the News Department, of the same general construction -- as bad if not worse. It was a normal day.

The most remarkable thing is not that the News people do it, but that they continue to disregard grammar in the face of relentless reproach over many years from very many literate critics, for example in letters to newspaper editors. Of course, I make no assumption that ABCRN journalists ever read newspapers as these are pitched at the educated 12-year-old.

One must admire ABC journos' commitment to de-grammaring Australia, if not their raw talent. They serve their cause with the dedication of the greengrocer and his apostrophe.

Come on, guys! Our language isn't that hard, and I want to be nice.