Regret the Error

Romenesko spotted this blog post by the Houston Chronicle’s ombudsman. It refers to a photo caption about Anna Nicole Smith that originally read, "When Redding, a longtime scout for Playboy, discovered Smith, the model could barely right a sentence…" Emphasis ours. From the blog:

There’s right, and then there’s write. Unfortunately, we got "write" wrong today in a photo caption on E12  (STAR section) of the print edition. I’ve received several e-mails and calls about it, most dripping with sarcasm.

Is it true Anna Nicole Smith could pass the Houston
Chronicle copy editing test? According to the caption on page E12 of
today’s edition, `When Redding, a longtime scout for Playboy,
discovered Anna Nicole Smith, the model could barely RIGHT a sentence.’

And…

In the past I have overlooked many misuses of words with
the same spelling, e.g. an article about athletes and `the last thing
they want to here’. However, I really must protest today’s subheading
under a page E12 photo (the cover of a book about Anna Nicole Smith)
that states: `…the model could barely right a sentence.’ Recently,
two friends on separate occasions referred to your paper as `The
Houston Comical’. Rather than continue to prove them justified in the
appellation, perhaps you should have a knowledgeable real-life person
at least `spot’ proofread your copy. I think such individuals were once
referred to as `proofreaders’. Hint about who not to use: although good
wordsmiths, your headline writers do not appear to be equally good
spellers…

Features copy desk chief Andrew Olin said of the error:

No matter how many editors or copy editors read a page,
there are times when a mistake may find its way into the paper. Most
times the mistake is so minor that it only stands out to us.
Unfortunately, there are times when the mistake is so obvious — as in
this case — that it’s pretty tough to swallow. In addition to
improving stories, writing interesting headlines and laying out pages,
copy editors are the last line of defense in the effort to put out an
accurate and error-free newspaper. This is something in which they take
great pride. Because of this commitment, it stings when something gets
past us…

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