PSO ad error: The difference between criticism and nitpicking

 

Thanks to a recent blog post by cartoonist Mike Lynch, we are all made aware of a "glaring" error and "dopey mistake" in a current Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's ad about its upcoming season. Apparently, the PSO accidental labeled Joshua Bell as a pianist, not a violinist.

And this was worth a blog post? Come on, Mr. Lynch. I am sure you have never made any mistakes in your cartoon copy (actually, cartoonists are famous for doing that).

If you know my writing here, I am far from an apologist for the PSO, but in my coverage of the institution and its performances, I always go by the philosophy that small errors don't concern me -- it's the big picture that counts. And in this case, I think we can cut the understaffed PSO marketing department a break, especially since the rest of the ad is well done. True (constructive) criticism -- not self-serving nitpicking -- might point out that perhaps the PSO could stretch itself a bit for more bold moves in advertising. But the world is hardly going to end because of this small mistake, and it is not as if mistakes don't occur everywhere...

I suggest Mr. Lynch pick on someone like Berkeley Breathed or Garfield...