Oops


Reporters and editors usually learn early in their careers that they shouldn't laugh too, too hard when one of their colleagues allows a knee-slapping or wince-worthy gaffe to make it into print or travel across the airwaves. Sooner or later, everybody screws up, sometimes in an oh-my-God, I-can't-believe-I-did-that fashion. You just do your best and hope that yours are never hall-of-infamy material.

Some news organizations, of course, are more forthright than others in correcting their errors. One paper of my acquaintance runs very, very few corrections, which either means staff members are nearly flawless or they're not terribly honest with their readers. I know from observation it's the latter.

The most trustworthy news organizations admit their errors and admit them promptly. A recent American Society of Newspaper Editors survey found that 63 percent of respondents have more confidence in news coverage when they see mistakes corrected.

In a 1999 column in Editor & Publisher magazine, journalist Frank Sennett argued that news outlets should be "honorable enough to admit their mistakes, and ... take them as seriously as the problems they uncover in the outside world. Any news site that doesn't correct its factual slipups in a similar fashion is making a grave error."

You'll find Sennett's column reprint in full at http://www.slipup.com , a Web site that offers up daily goofs from news organizations. Some are knee-slappers, some are head-scratchers, and some are just plain troubling.

In addition to the correction of the day, the site also include links to URLs where various newspapers, magazines and other news outlets post their corrections.

I first learned about Slipup.com from Jim Romenesko's excellent site, MediaNews. The site, http://www.medianews.org , also offers up a running chronicle of major journalism goofs. While you're there, be sure to check out the "Bloopers" link on the left-hand side of the page. Here, you'll find memorable gaffes submitted by readers.

The copyright of the article Oops in Journalism is owned by Daryl Lease. Permission to republish Oops in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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