Copy editors of an upstate New York newspaper probably wish they could travel back in time to correct a somewhat serious mistake. The Post-Journal from Jamestown ran a rather awkward headline on Saturday, one that has, unfortunately for the newspaper’s staff, gone viral.
“Julia Roberts Finds Life and Her Holes Get Better With Age,” the headline reads, as the Independent reported.
The newspaper issued a correction on Monday, stating that the word “hole” was meant as “role.” But the correction did very little to prevent screen grabs of the newspaper page from making the rounds on social media.
The headline accompanied an Associated Press article reviewing Roberts’ acclaimed performances in her new movie Ben is Back and the recently released Amazon series Homecoming , according to Out magazine . The reviews applauded the 51-year-old Oscar-winning actress for reaching out beyond romantic comedies like Pretty Woman and My Best Friend’s Wedding into a variety of new roles.
The original AP story offered a slightly different headline: “Julia Roberts finds life (and her roles) get better with age.”
“With age comes more complexity of possible parts,” Roberts told the AP in a new wire interview shared with publications nationwide. “You know, I’m happy and I have fun at home, so it would take a lot for someone to say: ‘Look, you can play this part where you’re happy and have fun.’ Well, I just do that at home!”
However, the headline distracted Jamestown readers from the actual meaning of the article, many of whom took to Twitter to share the unfortunate typo. There, it quickly attracted the attention of thousands, including celebrities.
“This is why she’s a movie star. My holes have only gotten worse with age,” Busy Philipps joked on her Twitter account on Monday.
This is why she’s a movie star. My holes have only gotten worse with age.???? pic.twitter.com/h3jiuEqF6P
— Busy Philipps (@BusyPhilipps) December 10, 2018
Another user pointed out that the letter “R” and “H” are not exactly close on a standard keyboard — which makes the typo even funnier, in his opinion.
“R and H are nowhere near each other on the keyboard. I choose to read it literally,” one Twitter user wrote.
References to “holes” obviously abounded.
May all our holes get better with age!!!
— deborah cooper (@deborahoak) December 11, 2018
However, many other social media users took the opportunity to comment on the state of the industry — and its shrinking staff. According to a July Pew Research study, newsroom employment across the United States declined 23 percent between 2008 and 2017, primarily as a result of job losses at newspapers.
“‘Get rid of the copyeditors,’ they said. ‘What could go wrong,’ they said,” one user wrote.
