We know how much corrections count
More than one reader, angry at The Enterprise, has tried to add fuel to their arguments by pointing out the number of corrections we publish.
So we'll just agree on a couple of basics: Yes, we print a substantial number of corrections. Yes, we make too many mistakes and we're not proud of that.
With those arguments out of the way, many people are curious about why we make the effort and suffer the embarrassment of so publicly admitting our mistakes. Television stations certainly don't announce mistakes they made in a newscast.
First, we do it because we think we should. It is our responsibility as journalists to be fair and honest. Part of that is admitting our mistakes.
Secondly, we want our readers to be able to trust us. We think correcting our mistakes is one way we can continue to earn that trust.
Some people are hesitant to "bother" us with mistakes.
But, it's not a bother. Rather, it is important to let us know so we can right those wrongs. It gives us the chance to make sure our files contain the correct information.
Stories published in newspapers become part of the history of a person or event. Electronic archiving makes that even more widespread, so it's important that corrections become part of history.
One of the best examples I can recall is that of the widow of J. P. "Big Bopper" Richardson. For years, we had written about his tragic death in 1959 and the widow he left behind, Teensie Richardson.
It wasn't until she died, in 2004, that we realized that we'd been using the wrong nickname for years. Adrianne Richardson Wenner actually went by the nickname "Teetsie" not "Teensie."
At some point in the 1980s or before, a reporter got it wrong and other reporters picked up that information and reused it again and again. Nobody ever called to say we were wrong, until she died. To newspaper journalists that's a terrible legacy.
We want to get every detail of every story correct. Names and numbers, especially telephone numbers (such as in today's correction), are strategic, but that doesn't make other details less important.
So, readers might wonder, what happens when they call to say there's an error?
Surprisingly, they might not get a call back. Sometimes when we make a glaring error, like putting the wrong Jumble answers on our puzzle page, we get dozens of calls. There are no questions about the error -- it either is or is not right. So, we correct it.
Sometimes, if it's a typographical error hidden deep in a story or some other small mistake that would not affect the understanding of the story, we might choose to not run a correction.
On other occasions, such as if we misspell your name, either the reporter or Reader Representative would call you back to apologize and verify the correct spelling and we would run a correction. Since it's your name, you're the authority, and so we wouldn't seek further verification.
If someone questions a fact in a story, sometimes it takes a day or two to chase those down. We go back to original sources and sometimes even authorities on a subject to make sure we are absolutely accurate and then draft and publish a correction -- or not -- depending on the outcome of the investigation.
Sometimes an error involves a dispute about who said what.
Our reporters are then required to show their notes to an editor -- or play their voice mail -- or their tape recorder. If a reporter's information is in conflict with what the person being interviewed says they meant we might still run a correction clarifying their statement, but not retracting what the reporter's documentation says they actually said.
In some cases that might even depend upon who was interviewed. For example, a regular person who has never been quoted before in his or her life might easily misspeak or be unclear in her presentation of information. Someone in public office, accustomed to being interviewed, however, would more likely be expected to present clear, cohesive thoughts based on their experience.
So, basically, if we're wrong, we say we were wrong. But if we're right, we will stand up for ourselves.
So we'll just agree on a couple of basics: Yes, we print a substantial number of corrections. Yes, we make too many mistakes and we're not proud of that.
With those arguments out of the way, many people are curious about why we make the effort and suffer the embarrassment of so publicly admitting our mistakes. Television stations certainly don't announce mistakes they made in a newscast.
First, we do it because we think we should. It is our responsibility as journalists to be fair and honest. Part of that is admitting our mistakes.
Secondly, we want our readers to be able to trust us. We think correcting our mistakes is one way we can continue to earn that trust.
Some people are hesitant to "bother" us with mistakes.
But, it's not a bother. Rather, it is important to let us know so we can right those wrongs. It gives us the chance to make sure our files contain the correct information.
Stories published in newspapers become part of the history of a person or event. Electronic archiving makes that even more widespread, so it's important that corrections become part of history.
One of the best examples I can recall is that of the widow of J. P. "Big Bopper" Richardson. For years, we had written about his tragic death in 1959 and the widow he left behind, Teensie Richardson.
It wasn't until she died, in 2004, that we realized that we'd been using the wrong nickname for years. Adrianne Richardson Wenner actually went by the nickname "Teetsie" not "Teensie."
At some point in the 1980s or before, a reporter got it wrong and other reporters picked up that information and reused it again and again. Nobody ever called to say we were wrong, until she died. To newspaper journalists that's a terrible legacy.
We want to get every detail of every story correct. Names and numbers, especially telephone numbers (such as in today's correction), are strategic, but that doesn't make other details less important.
So, readers might wonder, what happens when they call to say there's an error?
Surprisingly, they might not get a call back. Sometimes when we make a glaring error, like putting the wrong Jumble answers on our puzzle page, we get dozens of calls. There are no questions about the error -- it either is or is not right. So, we correct it.
Sometimes, if it's a typographical error hidden deep in a story or some other small mistake that would not affect the understanding of the story, we might choose to not run a correction.
On other occasions, such as if we misspell your name, either the reporter or Reader Representative would call you back to apologize and verify the correct spelling and we would run a correction. Since it's your name, you're the authority, and so we wouldn't seek further verification.
If someone questions a fact in a story, sometimes it takes a day or two to chase those down. We go back to original sources and sometimes even authorities on a subject to make sure we are absolutely accurate and then draft and publish a correction -- or not -- depending on the outcome of the investigation.
Sometimes an error involves a dispute about who said what.
Our reporters are then required to show their notes to an editor -- or play their voice mail -- or their tape recorder. If a reporter's information is in conflict with what the person being interviewed says they meant we might still run a correction clarifying their statement, but not retracting what the reporter's documentation says they actually said.
In some cases that might even depend upon who was interviewed. For example, a regular person who has never been quoted before in his or her life might easily misspeak or be unclear in her presentation of information. Someone in public office, accustomed to being interviewed, however, would more likely be expected to present clear, cohesive thoughts based on their experience.
So, basically, if we're wrong, we say we were wrong. But if we're right, we will stand up for ourselves.
posted by Sheila Friedeck at 3:43 PM
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