A harsh reality of newspaper editing is that the deadlines don't allow for the polish that you expect in books or even magazines.
Writers' bedtimes vary, but few have been spared the shock of a copy editor's early wake-up call.
I caution against beginning or ending a quotation with ellipses.
If any sort of error is inexcusable, it's an incorrect phone number. One of the cardinal rules of copy editing is that every phone number published must be checked.
