Regret the Error

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 ‘there are no atheists in foxholes.’ Perhaps, then, there are also no libertarians in crises.” Economist Paul Krugman repeated a version of the statement later on a TV show.
Also, “Cash for trash” in reference to the financial bailout did not originate with Krugman. He used the phrase in his New York Times column, but doesn’t recall where he first heard it. Link

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

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 his towel in accordance with German custom. When an older German-Turkish man enters wearing a towel, as is Turkish custom, Ozdemir said he put his towel back. After he put his towel back on, the man told Ozdemir that he had been right to follow German custom.
The AP story erroneously quoted Ozdemir as having said that the incident involved a naked German woman walking into the sauna. Link

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 not involved in the bribery case, nor does it own the pier.

In an Aug. 3 story about automated linking programs on the Internet, The Associated Press erroneously described what happened when Yahoo’s Shortcuts software tagged the phrase “underage girls” in a news item. The story said readers who passed their mouse over the phrase were shown a pop-up window with multiple corresponding images from Flickr, Yahoo’s photo-sharing Web site. Yahoo Inc. says the software initially displays just one image, not multiple pictures, unless the user takes the extra step of clicking on the Shortcut. Link

In a story June 30, The Associated Press reported that a new Florida law allows employees and customers to keep guns in their cars when parked in lots owned by private and government employers. The story should have made clear that these gun owners must have a valid concealed weapons permit. Also, the law does not apply to parking lots at schools, prisons, nuclear power plants, federal and military facilities and buildings that store explosives.

In obituaries on April 22 and April 23 for singer Joe Feeney of “The Lawrence Welk Show,” The Associated Press, relying on information from his son, erroneously reported that Feeney was a starting quarterback for the University of Nebraska football team. The university says Feeney attended the school in the early 1950s, but never played football for the team. Link

Thanks, William!