MY BIGGEST WORK MISTAKE S What is the biggest work mistake you have seen in the workplace? Nicole Mowbray's biggest work mistake involves the difference between British and American English, the Iraq war, whistleblowers and spying, and is included in a new film. What do you think she did wrong? @® Read the article and explain Nicole's mistake and what the ramifications were. The Guardian aes 2010 a translator at GCHQ in the system? | wasn’t given Cheltenham. In 2003, she any other information. Their leaked a top-secret memo to only instruction: “Don’t make the Observer about an illegal any mistakes.” And so | set to spying operation ordered painstakingly typing in each by the US National Security sentence. Agency. It intended to bug It took about 10 minutes. the phones and emails of six | double-checked it, sent it United Nations delegates, through, moved on to my from Angola, Cameroon, next task. Chile, Mexico, Guinea and = On Sunday morning, | Nicole Mowbray: Pakistan — nations that could woke up to see the paper's How my work determine whether the UN front-page: “Revealed: US mistake came back —2?Proved the invasion of Iraq. dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq to haunt me The memo ordered staff war”. Underneath was the to increase surveillance memo I'd typed up. Have you ever wondered operations “particularly who'd play you in a film? | directed at... UN Security had, occasionally, until the Council members (minus day I got the answer. In spring US and GBR, of course)” to 2018, a message pinged or to _ provide real-time intelligence my phone from a journalist for Bush officials on voting friend. “So this is a bit weird,” intentions. it read. “A sister of a friend | was working at the is playing you in a movie, Observer at the time. And, apparently. You aware of although | was just a. bit- this?” | wasn't. player in the story, the film Of course, the story — “Hanako Footman is dramatises_ a monumental broken by Bright, Beaumont playing you in the film Offcial_mess-up on my behalf — the and the inimitable New Secrets. She wants to meet biggest mistake of my career. York correspondent and you, like actors do. She saw | was handed a printout investigative journalist Ed we were pals and asked if'd of an email by Martin Bright Vulliamy was huge. But my ask you. What did you do in (then the Observer's home pride in being a tiny part of that story?” affairs editor, playedin Official the team soon crumbled “That story” concerns Secrets by Matt Smith) and when, first thing on Monday British whistleblower Peter Beaumont (the foreign morning, my phone rang. It Katharine Gun, played by affairs editor — played by was an unknown number Keira Knightley. The 28-yz2ar- Matthew Goode). Could | and, as Monday was a day old Gun was employed as type it up and save it into off for most of the newsMY BIGGEST WORK MISTAKE o team, | didn’t expect it to authenticity. It was decided The senior editors forgave be the office. It was -I think the readers’ editor should me, and | remained on the = Stephen Pritchard, the publish a special dispatch foreign desk for three years. Paper's readers’ editor. He to counter the thousands | was invited to a first- was very polite, but informed of complaints from readers, cut screening of the film. | me with deft understatement many American, calling watched as “I” got bawled out and a total lack of drama that us “lying limey bastards”, by the Observer's famously | had caused “something of claiming that the story’s sweary then editor, Roger an international incident”. authors had fallen victim to Alton (played by Conleth Pha Dhcaryor Eye 2 hoax and that the email till, Lord Varys in Game Fal Observer Pr was part of a campaign of Of Thrones) in front of the ener misinformation. entire team — thankfully not Revealed: US dirty tricks gj Of course, it was not. something that happened in towin vote on Iraq war 5° Despite my “administrative real life. Footman played a error”, the story still made blinder as me — albeit a more shockwaves around the _ groomed version. world, Some days later, Gun —_| knew it would be hard to went on to reveal her identity, watch my mistake unfold, but and her life imploded; she when it came, it felt like being lost her job, was arrested punched in the throat. I felt Fastidiously typing and ultimately faced a trial the shame all over again, and memo, and not knowing under the Official Secrets sobbed silently into my tissue. what the document was or Act, which collapsed after the Nevertheless, the film is as its origins, 'd changed all the prosecution declined to offer brilliant asit is important. And American spelling “mistakes” its evidence. while | wouldn’t recommend to British English. “Recognize” Meanwhile, | struggled carrying the burden of a became recognise, and to make peace with the catastrophic fuck-up, as “emphasize” emphasise. ramifications of what 'ddone. Alton would term it, through “Favorable” was amended to There was nothing to do but one's career, it did provide a favourable. | thought | was go in and face the music. | salutary lesson in attention to being helpful. Instead, it was assumed I'd be fired. | was detail, It was my first serious a disaster. summoned to meet Pritchard mistake, and hopefully it will The story that Gun had and Bright to explain what be my last. risked so much to reveal was had happened, and while thrown into doubt. How could there were a few eye rolls | this be a leaked US memo, think they understood why asked websites such as the I'd done what | did, being in Drudge Report, when it was the dark about the genesis all spelled in British English? of the document. How the The wobble caught on. Was mistake wasn’t spotted by Ita fake? Some outlets due to anyone else was also a matter ETS SaITS EY reporton the Observer's s:ory of some consternation. cancelled interviews over Somehow, | managed to * Official Secrets is released in doubts about the memo’s put the disaster behind me. the UK on 18 October @ Do you think you would have made the same mistake as Nicole Mowbray? Do you think Katharine Gun was right to blow the whistle? Who would you like to play you in a film?MY BIGGEST WORK MISTAKE O® @® Find words in the article that mean the following 1 friend 2.a person who exposes any kind of information or activity that is deemed illegal, unethical, or not correct within an arganization 3 hide tiny microphones which transmit what people are saying 4a person or thing with a very small part in something 5 mistake, error 6 sack, dismiss from employment 7 see, identify 8 cry noisily, making loud, convulsive gasps @ Write sentences of your own with the words. I have a drink with my pals every Friday night: The Guardian August 2018 “Recognize” became recognise, and “emphasize” emphasise. “Favorable” was amended to favourable. @ The article highlights the fact that American and British English spelling sometimes differs. American Englishtends to prefer -ize and -ization whereas British English prefers -ise and -isalion, Generally, in Amerivan English -ur as a word ending is equivalent to -our in British English. American -er as a word ending is sometimes equivalent to -re in British English. @® Look at these words and decide whether they are spelled in the American way or spelt in the British way. emphasize fibre ageing center centralise organise aeroplane aluminium behavior practice (v) colorful defence labour maneuver theater @ Listen to the words read to you. First decide what the werds mean and then which is more commonly used in British English and which is more likely to be heard in American English @ In pairs, make sentences impersonating an English or American speaker. You could try putting on the accent. Say whether your partner is being English or American. e.g. Student A: Let’s take the subway to the cinema. Student 8: You're American.