Tuesday, September 2, 2014

How News Organizations Correct Mistakes
Editors, please explain how news organizations address errors they and their readers and viewers discover in their publications and on their sites.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

For the Washington Post the policy is that the reporters and the readers can fill our a form for corrections that they feel need to be made for a story and that form can be given to the editor of either that section of the paper or the chief editor. The form is then reviewed by the editor and the editor will then publish the corrections either in the following edition of the paper or immediately online or to the social network that the incorrect story has been posted to. The Post has a corrections section where these new releases with the accurate information can be found. I think that having a policy for corrections shows that the Post is willing to admit that their journalists do make mistakes and that they are willing to take the responsibility for those mistakes and work hard to find errors and correct them so that the public is able to receive the accurate information.

Unknown said...

The USA Today's policy on corrections is that they are committed to accuracy. If there are any concerns about stories or other information, the reader is to contact the Standards Editor via e-mail or phone and I indicate whether the content is online or print. The editor is then to review the information and send a questionaire survey to the sources in question and then make the corrections or clarifications via print and online. This in itself shows that the paper is willing to be as accurate as possible, and that they want to be honest and are respectful to the readers.

Megan Osborne said...

The corrections policy for USA Today simply states that if there is a problem with accuracy, the Standards Editor can be contacted at accuracy@usatoday.com or by phone. This holds the publication accountable for its mistakes in order to maintain an accurate publication.

Unknown said...

The Washington Post is committed to correcting any errors that may appear in any section of the newspaper. If an error is found one can e-mail The Washington Post, or they can call the main number. By calling the main number one can be directed to the section in which the error was located. This shows that The Washington Post thrives to make sure what they publish is accurate and are trying to be honest to the people who are reading what they publish.

jocelynzoe said...

The New York Times correction policy allows readers to voice their concerns through email, promising that if a correction is warranted, it will run in the designated place in the print edition. The policy clearly states the importance of correcting factual errors, no matter how small. It is great to see a publication dedicated to getting things right or at least admitting when they are wrong. Their policy even includes information about the process that happens when a source complains about an error involving their part of a story. I would imagine most sources don't realize they have a right to contact the publication if they got something wrong. A source is more likely to work again with a newspaper that corrects their mistakes.

Unknown said...

The Charleston Daily Mail's policy is they want to get it correct. They have an "Errors" section on their jump page to list any corrections to stories from previous issues of the paper. Readers are encouraged to report any error they may find within the paper. In the "Errors" section on the jump page a phone number is presented to readers to contact. The Daily Mail asks readers to ask to speak to a city editor on the city desk regarding the error they wish to report. This shows that The Daily Mail is committed to presenting its readers with correct information and will fix any problems that may arise and publish them inside the paper to show the mistakes that were made and what those corrections should be. Having a policy like this shows The Daily Mail will take responsibility for their mistakes and will take the necessary action to ensure corrections are made to give readers accurate information.

dmay0915 said...

The policy of corrections for he Charleston Gazette states that the Charleston Gazette corrects errors of fact in this space. If you spot an error please call Greg Moore at (304)-348-1211. This holds the newspaper responsible for any mistakes and are wanting to be an honest and accurate publication.

ahoosierherdinwv said...

The Herald-Dispatch's corrections policy is that they will correct any reporting or editing errors giving the public the option of reporting errors to one of two phone numbers. I think the willingness to correct errors says a lot about the organization. It shows they want their paper to be perfectly laid out for their audience. I believe that if an organization would be unwilling to correct their mistakes, it shows a lack of conviction for their work thus tarnishing their credibility.

Unknown said...

The correction policy for The Parthenon states that factual errors appearing in The Parthenon should be reported to the editor immediately following publication. Corrections that the editor deems necessary will be printed as soon as possible following the error. This shows that the editor is concerned with having accurate information and encourages readers to report any mistake that is published.

Resources


Charity Standards Page.
Click Here

Charity Reports Page.
Click Here

Understanding Financial Statements by Julie Floch.
Click Here 24MB (.ppt)
Download may take several minutes depending on connection speed. We recommend selecting "save file to disk".

Nonprofits 101 by Nathan Woodlif-Stanley.
Click Here 225KB (.pdf)

Video Announcement
Click Here streaming (.wmv)