Wacky news that makes you go "wtf?"

[Dr Sardonicus]

One of my pet peeves is people focusing on some bit of grammatical nitpickery, rather than the topic under discussion.

That said, it appears the indicated usage of "criteria" is inconsistent with the usage approved in the AP News Stylebook.

According to AP Style flashcards (which I am relying on since the actual Stylebook is behind a paywall), the approved usage in AP News writing is

Term:
criterion, criteria

Definition:
criterion = singular
criteria = plural

Upon reading the sentence, I think the real mistake is the singular article "a" in "has a qualification criteria," Dropping it gives "has qualification criteria," and the birds are twittering in the treetops.

And, back to the topic, a major objection to the European Super League was that 15 teams were guaranteed slots in the Champions League, without any selection criteria.

[kriesel]

"Datum" is very frequently used in engineering and manufacturing, to specify limits on geometric form to ensure proper fit and function of mechanical components.

In some cases the locations of datum targets are also specified for the inspection process or inspection tooling design. Much modern scientific instrumentation, transportation equipment, and other machinery contain many components (if not all) with geometric dimensioning and tolerancing required.
Primary datum is likely to be what lies on the surface plate (or a v-block), secondary datum against a straight edge such as one side of a square, and tertiary datum if used is often a point. The combined effect is to uniquely orient the object relative to tooling, or feature relative to part, in up to 6 degrees of freedom if the degree of design asymmetry merits it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomet...nd_tolerancing
https://www.gdandtbasics.com/datum/

Geometric form control is also very important in optical components, either reflecting or refracting. I've seen some with tolerances in the nm range; approximately atomically flat reflective-coated silicon. The smaller the tolerance, the larger the price and delivery time.

One of my pet peeves is the corrupting influence of carelessness on both the language and the people who use it. It's is in the process of replacing its through that process, although it's has a specific meaning, a contraction of "it is", while "its" is a possessive, a distinct word, similar to the distinctiveness of their (whose), there (location), and they're (contraction of they are).

Reliable accurate clear and sufficient communication is required to successfully produce well functioning safe products. Inaccuracy or ambiguity can be actually deadly, to the product, or the user, and sometimes the manufacturer.

In the case of the AP article, if they're conspicuously not following the rules of the language, and conspicuously not following their own style rules, why would we not also question the reliability of other aspects of the content that is less easily checked by their readers?

[VBCurtis]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

And, back to the topic, a major objection to the European Super League was that 15 teams were guaranteed slots in the Champions League, without any selection criteria.

This euro super league would be fully separate from, and not replace, the Champions League. That competition would still exist, without the teams who choose the Super League instead.
But the Super League fell apart rather quickly, so it's a bit moot.

[axn]

Originally Posted by kriesel

"Datum" is very frequently used in engineering and manufacturing, to specify limits on geometric form to ensure proper fit and function of mechanical components.

<snip>

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomet...nd_tolerancing
https://www.gdandtbasics.com/datum/

TIL! However, the articles you linked used "datums" as plural, indicating a different origin/usage. Is that right?

[Xyzzy]

One goose. Several geese.
One moose. Several meese?

[xilman]

Originally Posted by kriesel

Sheesh, you'd think a prominent organization with global reach such as the AP could afford a decent proofreader or software to perform the function.
"has a qualification criteria".
Criteria are plural (multiple); criterion is singular (one).
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/criteria
Similar to how data are plural, and datum is singular, or radii and radius.

Octopus and octopodes.

[xilman]

Originally Posted by Xyzzy

One goose. Several geese.
One moose. Several meese?

The plural of spouse is spice.

[kriesel]

Originally Posted by axn

TIL! However, the articles you linked used "datums" as plural, indicating a different origin/usage. Is that right?

I think it's from overgeneralization of how one makes plurals in English, despite the many cases of words whose origins are from other languages and bring those rules along. (In this case, datus from Latin; thanks Merriam Webster. And looking up Latin plural and singular brought me back around to among other words, criterion) Learning's good, and there's more than enough to fill a lifetime for any of us.

[Xyzzy]

https://www.bbc.com/sport/56720358

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by kriesel

One of my pet peeves is the corrupting influence of carelessness on both the language and the people who use it. It's is in the process of replacing its through that process, although it's has a specific meaning, a contraction of "it is", while "its" is a possessive, a distinct word, similar to the distinctiveness of their (whose), there (location), and they're (contraction of they are).

Super nit-pick: The contraction "it's" can also mean "it has," as in "It's been a long time since I've used a slide rule."

At least the mistaken use of "it's" as a possessive is in line with the traditional use of the apostrophe to indicate possessives. The "apostrophe catastrophe" besetting plurals distresses me more.

[Xyzzy]