Is this correct Spanish?

[Chip]

Norma, you out there? Could you respond please?

[Norma Rosa]

Originally Posted by Chip

Norma, you out there? Could you respond please?

Sorry, I went to church. (I am a nice person.)

As I stated, newspaper headlines are brief (accepted in journalism). They have a very limited space in which to catch the readers attention. I read the article (thanks to mariel) and IMO the columnist could have done a better job. My biggest problem is with verb habría. I don't see (not yet, I will read it again) any justification for the use of that verb tense.

Were it not a newspaper headline:

La Policía Nacional arresta a 27 personas por el asesinato de un coronel, incluyendo a uno que confesó haber(le) disparado.


Please note: the headline cannot say por asesinato del coronel . . . because the coronel is not known to the readers. The indefinite article un must be used in the headline, even if his name appears in the body of the article.

If in the future another article appears in a newspaper about this case, then the headline should say por asesinato del coronel X (an specific person now known to readers).

One of the uses of por is to express a motive: they were arrested because of/ due to the crime committed. Yes, they were all arrested for the crime because at this point the PN does not know for sure who did it. They were all in the same rebú.

[Norma Rosa]

The columnist wants to express uncertainty. IMO, she is not doing a good grammatical job:

"SANTO DOMINGO.- La Policía arrestó hoy a 27 personas que habrían participado en una agresión colectiva contra . . . " (La República, 11 de mayo)

The use of habría implies that they could have participated but did not for x reason. (No information is given to indicate that.)

The columnist could have said:
1. que pudieron haber participado
2. que se cree participaron
3. que se alega participaron

"Entre los detenidos se encuentra un hombre que alegadamente admitió haber disparado contra el oficial junto a otros dos." (La República, 11 de mayo)

She could have used the same term alegar in the heading:

PN arresta 27 personas por asesinato (de) coronel, incluído uno alega le disparó

I think I am going to e-mail her. Should I?

[Chip]

Norma

I think you should contact here imo.

Also, why can't one say use "de" instead of "por" as I suggested? "De" should also allow for an association of the people being arrested with the assasination like in this case.

[Norma Rosa]

Originally Posted by Chip

Norma

I think you should contact her imo.

Also, why can't one say use "de" instead of "por" as I suggested? "De" should also allow for an association of the people being arrested with the assasination like in this case.

No, it is incorrect. To express cause or reason you must use por.

La República Dominicana es famosa por sus playas. (For what reason is it famous?

Me caí por ti. (What/who was the cause of my fall? )

No me dieron el empleo por ser mujer. (For what reason was I not given the job?)

Los arrestaron por el asesinato. (For what reason were they arrested?)

[Norma Rosa]

Chip, I did e-mail the newspaper.
On the same day, (May 11) there is another heading with "habría":
"La imprudencia de chofer habría provocado . . ."

I hope to receive a response from them. I'll let you know.

(Most headlines from the same paper are very well written.)

[Euterpe]

Also, the use of " habria" is correct in the context where the journalist is not certain of his information " uno habria confesado " le disparo" " ( one of them may have confessed " I shot him" ) - it's a conditional or supputative tense.
( sorry, no accents on this silly keyboard).

[Norma Rosa]

Originally Posted by Euterpe

Also, the use of " habria" is correct in the context where the journalist is not certain of his information " uno habria confesado " le disparo" " ( one of them may have confessed " I shot him" ) - it's a conditional or supputative tense.
( sorry, no accents on this silly keyboard).

But the journalist provides, not only the name (and age) of the person who confessed to the shooting, but also the source from which she obtained this information (PN spokesman).

[Euterpe]

Yes, indeed, but the use of the conditional " habria" covers his derriere in case he has got his facts wrong !

[Norma Rosa]

Originally Posted by Euterpe

Yes, indeed, but the use of the conditional " habria" covers his derriere in case he has got his facts wrong !

(Irresponsible journalism?)

If one opts for the conditional, then verb "poder" does a better job in this situation:

. . . incluído uno podría haber disparado. (Which boils down to: . . . pudo haber disparado)