I realise that XML parsers are supposed to reject badly formed XML, but in my limited experience, a sizeable proportion of RSS feeds are badly deployed.

I have alerted several Webmasters to problems I've encountered, but problems aren't always fixed.

Until recently, I used code very similar to what you have above. However, I frequently found myself missing information from badly formed RSS feeds. I can understand the benefits of ignoring badly-formed XML in mission critical situations, but for RSS feeds I'd rather misinterpret the information I'm receiving than receive no information at all. Others' opinions may differ.

With hindsight, I should have written a strong disclaimer with my code that it breaks the XML spec.

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