The Canadian Press moved a story April 3 that erroneously reported The Wilkins Ice Shelf was originally part of Jamaica. In fact the Ice Shelf, located on the western side of the Antarctic was originally the size of Jamaica.
Thanks, Andrew!
Rhonda Roland Shearer and her team at Stinky Journalism do a great job digging into the story behind some big stories. They recently posted a look at the media reports about the crash of Continental Flight 3407 in Buffalo, New York. It worth a read. Here’s an excerpt:
Were the pilots, captain Marvin D. Renslow and [...]
In a story contained in WENN’s 1st feed on 4 March 09 – headlined QUAID PAL WAS PLAYING HUSBAND TO HIS EX WHEN HE HEARD OF MEDICAL CRISIS, we reported that actor Brett Cullen was working with Quaid’s ex-wife, Kim Basinger, on the film The Burning Plain. Of course, Quaid was never married to Basinger. [...]
February 23, 2009 – 8:00 am
In a Feb. 11 photo accompanying an Associated Press story about two Pennsylvania judges accused of taking kickbacks to send teenagers to youth detention centers, the AP caption erroneously described the facility shown. The Youth Services Agency’s Adventure Challenge Therapy wilderness camp in Jim Thorpe, Pa., was not part of the alleged kickback scheme.
February 17, 2009 – 8:00 am
In a story contained in WENN’s 2nd feed on 16 February 09, headlined “HARTNETT WINS BEST NEWCOMER FOR WEST END DEBUT”, we referred to FRANKIE VALLI as “the late singer”. We wish to make it clear that Frankie Valli has not passed away, and should not therefore have been referred to by WENN as “the [...]
February 16, 2009 – 8:00 am
In stories on Feb. 1, 7 and 8, about Jennifer Figge’s long-distance swim in the Atlantic, The Associated Press reported erroneously that she had swum across the ocean. Figge swam only a fraction of the 2,100-mile journey. The rest of the time, she rested on her crew’s westward-sailing catamaran. Her spokesman, David Higdon, told The [...]
February 10, 2009 – 8:00 am
This a bit meta.
Giles Hattersley wrote an article for the Sunday Times (London) that reported Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales would soon make “a controversial proposal to ensure that changes to the most popular wiki-pages are vetted before they go live.” The goal of the proposal was to help reduce factual errors and vandalism on the site. [...]
January 16, 2009 – 8:00 am
In a Jan. 11 story about a state senator seeking an investigation into the state’s role in the case of a boy missing for more than a decade, The Associated Press misidentified the general counsel for the Kansas Department of Education. Her name is Dea Lieber, not Ed Libber. Link
Thanks, Candy!
January 9, 2009 – 8:00 am
An Associated Press graphic that appeared on 1C in Wednesday’s sports section incorrectly reported New Orleans Saints coach Drew Brees was the offensive rookie of the year. Drew Brees was voted the Offensive Player of the Year. The Advocate regrets the error.
Also, Brees is the quarterback, not the coach. This was published in The Advocate [...]
January 6, 2009 – 8:00 am
In a Dec. 21 story about wind-generated energy, The Associated Press incorrectly stated how much money Mike Doyle is paid for having wind turbines on his property. He is paid about $35,000 a year, not $35,000 a month.
December 23, 2008 – 11:00 am
Please note the important 4th writethru to SCOC-Cromwell which corrects the name of the former Supreme Court judge to Michel Bastarache, which had been changed to Bastard by a spellcheck error.
Thanks, Carolyn!
December 23, 2008 – 8:00 am
In a Dec. 14 list of the Top 10 quotes of 2008 as compiled by the Yale Book of Quotations, The Associated Press, relying on information from the book’s editor, incorrectly attributed the origin of two quotes.
Professor Jeffrey Frankel of Harvard, in a 2007 article in Cato Journal, was the first to write, “They say [...]
December 22, 2008 – 8:00 am
In a Dec. 18 story on Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to France, The Associated Press erroneously quoted the former Israeli prime minister as saying that Iran has “apparently known ambitions” about using force. He actually said Iran has “apparently no inhibitions” about using force.
Another great Israel/Iran misquote here.
December 15, 2008 – 8:00 am
In a Dec. 6 story about a letter NASCAR chairman Brian France sent to Congress asking for support of a financial bailout for the Big Three automakers, The Associated Press reported that France asked for the best “for our general country.”
France’s correct quote was “for our great country.”
December 12, 2008 – 8:00 am
A CNS story slugged Scientist Sentencing that was transmitted Monday incorrectly stated that the defendant, Abraham Lesnik, admitted during the sentencing hearing that he had a drinking problem when he took classified documents from Boeing’s El Segundo plant to his Valley Village home.
In fact, Lesnik never referred to anything involving alcohol. Instead, he told the [...]
December 8, 2008 – 8:00 am
In a story Nov. 27, The Associated Press reported that Planned Parenthood of Indiana was offering gift certificates for health screenings, including birth control. Indiana Health Commissioner Dr. Judy Monroe called them a “really meaningful gift” in difficult economic times. The story should have made clear she was commenting only on the certificates’ use for [...]
December 3, 2008 – 8:00 am
Poynter’s Amy Gahran has an interesting post up about a false report from the Press Association that moved its way around the web:
On Nov. 29, the story ran in Wales Online: “We thought we were safe… then CNN stepped in!” said the headline. As of this writing you can still find it listed in the [...]
December 1, 2008 – 8:00 am
A Canadian Press story that appeared in the Star Nov. 27 erroneously reported that Barenaked Ladies front man Steven Page was convicted on drug charges earlier this year. In fact, a New York state judge ruled that charges against Page would be dismissed provided he receives therapy, passes a drug screening and is not arrested [...]
November 28, 2008 – 8:00 am
In the headline on a Nov. 26 story about controlling the dog population in Baghdad, The Associated Press erroneously described recommendations from Humane Society International. The animal rights group suggested how to control the dog population, not ways to kill dogs. Link
November 19, 2008 – 8:00 am
In a Nov. 6 story about AC/DC, The Associated Press erroneously quoted producer Brendan O’Brien as saying the band’s music was aggressive in a way that’s catchy and “hokey.” The word he actually used was “hooky,” which is music-industry parlance for a song full of irresistible refrains, or “hooks.”
November 19, 2008 – 8:00 am
In a Nov. 14 story about German Green Party politician Cem Ozdemir, The Associated Press incorrectly reported an anecdote that he uses to illustrate a cultural difference between Germans and Turks.
In the anecdote, Ozdemir recounts entering a sauna in Turkey to find a group of naked German men. He starts talking to them and loosens [...]
November 19, 2008 – 8:00 am
An Associated Press story about Citigroup layoffs published Nov. 18 erroneously said IBM Corp. cut 60,000 jobs in July. The record cut by IBM was in July 1993. IBM has had no mass layoffs this year. The corrected story has been republished. Link
October 27, 2008 – 8:00 am
In an Oct. 23 story and headline, The Associated Press reported that American Composite Timbers, a marine products supply company, admitted its role in a bribery scheme involving repairs to a Manhattan pier that is home to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. The article should have made clear that the Intrepid museum was [...]
October 17, 2008 – 8:00 am
In an Oct. 15 story fact-checking the presidential candidates’ debate, The Associated Press incorrectly reported that presidential candidate Barack Obama overstated the proportion of American households that would see tax cuts under his economic plan.
The Democrat specified that he was talking about “working Americans,” and the figure he cited – 95 percent – is essentially [...]
September 15, 2008 – 8:00 am
An article in Thursday’s national news section incorrectly represented the circumstances surrounding the departure of the Wasilla, Alaska, town librarian when Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was Wasilla’s mayor. Palin twice asked for and received letters of resignation from the librarian. Both times, she rehired the librarian, who later resigned on her own. Link
In [...]
