Correction (newspaper)
Encyclopedia
A correction in a newspaper
is usually the posting of the notice of a typographical error
or mistake that appeared in a past issue of a newspaper. Usually, a correction notice appears in its own column.
Newspapers usually have specific policies for readers to report factual errors. Usually, it involves the reader contacting an editor (either by phone or in-person visit), pointing out the mistake and providing the correct information. Sometimes, an editor or affected reporter will be asked to refer to a note or press release to determine how the mistake was made.
A correction differs from a clarification
, which clears up a statement that — while factually correct — may result in a misunderstanding or an unfair assumption.
Most corrections are the result of reporting errors, although sometimes the newspaper was provided incorrect information.
However, some corrections are the result of major mistakes or carelessness in reporting, and in extreme examples involve such things as completely incorrect facts, gross misquotes and extreme misrepresentations. Following are some examples:
One study suggested "that fewer than 2 percent of factually flawed articles" in daily newspapers are actually followed by a correction.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
is usually the posting of the notice of a typographical error
Typographical error
A typographical error is a mistake made in, originally, the manual type-setting of printed material, or more recently, the typing process. The term includes errors due to mechanical failure or slips of the hand or finger, but usually excludes errors of ignorance, such as spelling errors...
or mistake that appeared in a past issue of a newspaper. Usually, a correction notice appears in its own column.
Newspapers usually have specific policies for readers to report factual errors. Usually, it involves the reader contacting an editor (either by phone or in-person visit), pointing out the mistake and providing the correct information. Sometimes, an editor or affected reporter will be asked to refer to a note or press release to determine how the mistake was made.
A correction differs from a clarification
Clarification
In journalism, a clarification is used to make a statement in a published story more clear. It refers to a statement in a story that, while factually correct, may be subject to a misunderstanding or unfair assumption....
, which clears up a statement that — while factually correct — may result in a misunderstanding or an unfair assumption.
Most corrections are the result of reporting errors, although sometimes the newspaper was provided incorrect information.
Examples
Most newspaper errors are relatively minor, sometimes mere typos or atomic typos, and involve one of the following:- Names — Their name was misspelled, someone was misidentified (e.g., in a photograph), their professional title was incorrect ... the list goes on.
- Figures – Usually, the result of a typographical error, although it can adversely affect a story (e.g., "the lawsuit was for $8 million, not $8 billion").
- Time/date/place – Usually, as for an event (e.g., "the event will be on Friday, not Saturday").
However, some corrections are the result of major mistakes or carelessness in reporting, and in extreme examples involve such things as completely incorrect facts, gross misquotes and extreme misrepresentations. Following are some examples:
- From The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 2004 — "In our profile of Daniel DennettDaniel DennettDaniel Clement Dennett is an American philosopher, writer and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. He is currently the Co-director of...
(pages 20 to 23, Review, April 17), we said he was born in Beirut. In fact, he was born in Boston. His father died in 1947, not 1948. He married in 1962, not 1963. The seminar at which Stephen Jay GouldStephen Jay GouldStephen Jay Gould was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
was rigorously questioned by Dennett's students was Dennett's seminar at TuftsTufts UniversityTufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
, not Gould's at HarvardHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Dennett wrote DarwinCharles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
's Dangerous Idea before, not after, Gould called him a "Darwinian fundamentalist". Only one chapter in the book, not four, is devoted to taking issue with Gould. The list of Dennett's books omitted Elbow Room, 1984, and The Intentional Stance, 1987. The marble sculpture, recollected by a friend, that Dennett was working on in 1963 was not a mother and child. It was a man reading a book."
- From the New York Daily News, 2009 — "Correction: It has come to the attention of the Daily News that a number of statements in this article written for the Daily News by a freelance reporter are, or may be, false. Cornell UniversityCornell UniversityCornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
has told us that ShanteRoxanne ShantéRoxanne Shanté is an American hip-hop pioneer. Born and raised in the Queensbridge Projects, Shanté first gained attention through the Roxanne Wars and her association with the Juice Crew....
did not receive any degree from it under either her birth or stage name. We have confirmed that prior to the article, at least four publications on Cornell's own website reported that Shante had earned a Ph.D. from the university. Those references have now been removed. And in response to an inquiry today, Marymount CollegeMarymount Manhattan CollegeMarymount Manhattan College is an urban, coeducational, independent, private, liberal arts college located in Manhattan, New York City, New York with a focus in performing arts. The mission of the College is to educate a socially and economically diverse student body by fostering intellectual...
stated that Shante attended there for less than one semester. Numerous e-mail and telephone inquiries by the freelance reporter to Marymount during the preparation of the article to confirm Shante's account were not responded to. Finally, there have been recent media reports that there never was an education clause in Shante's recording contract. When the reporter contacted Warner Brothers RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
about the contract before the article, its only response was that it was having difficulty finding someone within the company who could 'talk eloquently' about it."
- From the New York Times, 2010 — "Correction: It has come to the attention of the Times that Frank RichFrank RichFrank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
did not mean to write "the news eked out" but rather "the news leaked out" in his July 30, 2010 column.
One study suggested "that fewer than 2 percent of factually flawed articles" in daily newspapers are actually followed by a correction.
Further reading
- Amster, Linda, and Dylan Loeb McClain. Kill duck before serving: red faces at The New York Times: a collection of the newspaper's most interesting, embarrassing, and off-beat corrections. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2002. ISBN 0312284276.
- Silverman, Craig. Regret the error: how media mistakes pollute the press and imperil free speech. New York: Union Square Press, 2007. ISBN 9781402751530.
External links
- Kinsley, MichaelMichael KinsleyMichael Kinsley is an American political journalist, commentator, television host, and pundit. Primarily active in print media as both a writer and editor, he also became known to television audiences as a co-host on Crossfire...
. The shaky war on errorism. Washington Post, 4 September 2009. - Lo Dico, Joy. Why, in the world of newspapers, sorry seems to be the largest word. The Independent, 23 March 2008.
- Lyall, SarahSarah LyallSarah Lambert Lyall is an American-born English journalist, who currently works as London correspondent for The New York Times.-Biography:...
. Confession as strength at a British newspaper. New York Times, 16 February 1998.