That’s Not What He Said

You’d think people who wrote for a living would have a love of words, carefully picking and choosing them to convey precise meaning.

Here’s the headline from a Toronto Sun article on an interview with Robert Downey Jr. about Guardians of the Galaxy:

Robert Downey Jr.: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ the best Marvel movie yet

And here’s eight more headlines from other sources picking up the story:

Robert Downey Jr. Says ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Is The Best Marvel Movie

Robert Downey Jr. Calls ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Marvel’s Best Movie

Robert Downey Jr. describes Guardians Of The Galaxy as best Marvel movie yet

Robert Downey Jr. Declares Guardians Of The Galaxy The Best Marvel Movie Ever

Robert Downey Jr. admits 'Guardians of the Galaxy' is the best Marvel movie

Robert Downey Jr. Thinks ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Might Be the ‘Best Marvel Movie Ever’

Robert Downey Jr. Puts His Ego Aside, Admits Guardians Of The Galaxy Is The Best Marvel Movie

Robert Downey Jr. Praises ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’

Guess which headline is most accurate?

Congratulations if you chose “Robert Downey Jr. Praises ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’.”

Here’s the section from the Toronto Sun article quoting Downey:

“Galaxy in some ways is the best Marvel movie ever,” Downey says with admiration. “And it’s odd for someone with — on occasion — an ego the size of mine to actually say that!”

Call me a nitpicker, but “in some ways” is not the phrase you choose when making an absolute declaration, so maybe that wasn’t what Downey was doing.

In some ways, a lazy misquote is worse than an intentional one.

See what I did there?