I’ve only been reading The New Yorker cover-to-cover for the last eight months or so, but they have a pretty high standard of grammar and spelling, from my experience. Some would even call it unimpeachable, and they’re certainly the only publication I read that still use a diaeresis in words like “coördinate” and “reëlect” anymore. So it seems pretty strange that for two issues in a row, they’ve misspelled a proper name. In the article on Barbara Bocek and Amnesty International in the January 26, 2004 issue, renowned outdoor clothier and maker of what’s known as the “Alaskan Tuxedo,” Carhartt was spelled with only one “t” (page 52). Saying it’s a mistake a lot of people would make doesn’t really excuse them, because that’s what fact checkers and editors are for, no? In the next issue, dated February 2, 2004, I found Chantal Akerman‘s name spelled “Ackerman” in Peter Schjeldahl’s article on art dealer Marian Goodman (page 37). This one makes no sense, as Akerman is one of the better known innovators in the world of cinema and has been for thirty years. What’s going on over there? I’ll keep my eyes peeled for next week’s issue.