Nobody burns with righteous indignation like a reporter who's found an error in a larger publication.

The other day, I read in a local magazine that a Vanity Fair photographer figured it would sound good to say we have no grass in town.

What pifflecock! We should all be horrified and offended, because this means we are hicks who don't have Internet access! And how can anyone get away with saying that it doesn't snow?

I always smile when I read these shock-and-awe columns from reporters who are aghast at finding errors in larger magazines. It is almost as if they don't know that their own stories contain errors that are just as ridiculous to people who are familiar with the topics they cover.

We do have grass. It is planted in most of our public parks, because as far as I can tell, it doesn't grow naturally in our region. The Vanity Fair photographer almost certainly stood on grass to take his photos during part of his stay. But I know what he meant. Part of his trip was to a fly-in-only area that really is "just trees and lakes", without the type of grass you'd find on a lawn. And it DOES get too cold to snow in the winter: it rarely snows during our coldest months. That said, I suppose I should temper my statement: I'm sure a meteorologist could provide a far more detailed and accurate explanation about our snowfall. I only know what I see out the window.

So, sure.

You see, I'm used to defending ridiculous errors in local publications. I think I should get to roll my eyes when they pretend the folks who "should know better" are the only ones who make mistakes.