And they don't know the difference between 'effect' and 'affect'...
Neither do I. I've gone back and forth between the dictionary definitions and they seem to say the same things. I'd welcome a good explanation of the difference between the two.
affect...a verb, effect...a noun?
The effect of the rainstorm affected my plans to paint the window trim.
They used to be plainly different . . . but some special uses have blurred the lines between the two.
Generally speaking, you are correct -- "affect" is the verb, while "effect" is the noun. "Affect" is to act upon something to produce an "effect." However, there are exceptions.
The shrinks have a term of art "affect", a noun, meaning the demeanor of a patient . . . usually seen in the descriptive term "flat affect" - one of those blank-looking people.
And "effect" is used as a verb in the phrase "effect change" - it doesn't mean exactly the same thing as "affect" in this context, though, because "affect" denotes a partial or tangential force operating upon something, while "effect" in this context is causative. So the usage in this article is an exception to the general rule, but correct.
Clear as mud?
One is a noun, the other is a verb.