Daniel Okrent, the beleaguered Public Editor of the New York Times, spent a column suggesting a new way for the paper to handle corrections. “Let Editors’ Notes remain Editors’ Notes, let Corrections remain Corrections — but give substantive (if innocent) errors their own place on the page, under their own heading”. Okrent then invites readers to help name this nebulous section by emailing suggestions to public@nytimes.com. (Be sure to cc us on your submissions.)
Regret wholly supports the idea of giving “substantive” errors more play. The number of readers who scan A2 for errors is probably even less than those who read the Letters To The Editor — the other spot where publications try to offer the offended or miffed a place for restitution. It’s frankly unacceptable that a paper can run a front-page article that contains an error and then only have to admit it in an obscure place the size of a Shredded Wheat square. Let’s see if the Times accepts the idea.
In the meantime, here are our suggestions:
1. The Blair Files
2. All The News That Was Unfit To Print
3. We Crunked
4. Look, We’re Really Fucking Sorry, Okay?
5. The New York Post
