Regret the Error

To our Readers:
In Tuesday’s editions of The Times-Picayune, a graphic on page A-5 detailing the presidential candidates’ stands on various issues erroneously stated that Sen. John McCain favors abortion rights.
When we became aware of the error, we corrected it on our affiliated web site, NOLA.com.
It was a serious mistake, all the more so because it appeared on Election Day. We take full responsibility for it. I have spoken to and emailed dozens of readers who called and wrote, deeply and understandably upset with us. Some believed that the misstatement in the graphic was intentional. I assure you it was not. Others speculated that it might be connected in some way to the endorsement of Barack Obama by our editorial page. The staffers who produce our editorial page are separate from those who report and edit the news pages.
What happened in this case? The Associated Press sent us the graphic, with the correct positions attributed to Sen. McCain and Sen. Barack Obama. In the course of re-shaping the graphic to fit our page, we inadvertently transposed the candidates’ positions. For the record, Sen. McCain believes that the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade should be reversed and that the decision about abortion should be returned to the individual states.
The error should have been caught before it went to press. It wasn’t.
Again, we take responsibility for the error. It was not intentional, but it was deeply regrettable. To all of our readers: We value your loyalty to our newspaper and hope to earn it every day. Please accept our apology.
Sincerely,
Jim Amoss, editor Link

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