Regret the Error » msnbc.com

Facebook tattoo hoax fools MSNBC.com

Craig Silverman — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:30:50 +0000

In a June 7 blog post and video clip, we reported a Dutch woman’s claim that she had her Facebook friends tattooed on her arm and showed video of the supposed tattoos. In fact, the story was an advertising stunt by a tattoo shop, and the tattoos weren’t real. Link

Apology

Craig Silverman — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:00:03 +0000

In a story posted March 8, entitled "Sports Agent Stole $300K From MLB Star," financial manager, Toni Chiricosta, was erroneously identified as being involved with Rodney Fernandez, a sports agent, who was charged with grand theft from Los Angeles Angel's first baseman, Kendry Morales. Mr. Chiricosta has not been accused of any wrongdoing and was not involved in any way with Rodney Fernandez. In fact, according to a Broward County, Florida police report, Mr. Chiricosta had assisted Mr. Morales in discovering the improprieties and the reporting the theft. MSNBC regrets the error and apologizes for its mistake. Link

And that’s all we’re telling you

Craig Silverman — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:00:49 +0000

An Oct. 20 headline in our tech-science section erroneously reported an Apple product announcement. Link

Speed, accuracy and photo identification

Craig Silverman — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:06:23 +0000

While we’ve had loose guidelines around this procedure for years, we’re going to need to formalize them, and then continue to evolve them. We’ll share what we come up with in updates to this post, and welcome your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below.One question to get the discussion going: How much do you trust pictures you see in social media, or derived from there on Web sites? Are you cautious about believing captions? And does your level of trust vary between established news sites like msnbc.com and other places where you come across cell phone pictures purporting to show breaking news events?

– via Photoblog – Is this a picture of the Discovery gunman today? We don’t know..

The above refers to the ethics of posting photos from social media during breaking news events. Good to see MSNBC.com open this topic up for discussion and input — and nice to see them use such a non-declarative headline for the post. A worthy discussion.

Tarballology

Craig Silverman — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:00:35 +0000

A June 14 Photoblog post incorrectly identified a mass of oily material as a single, one-ton tarball found in the Gulf of Mexico. The post has been updated with information from the Coast Guard indicating the object is a â€œmass of tarball materialâ€ made up of many smaller tarballs collected from the gulf. Link

Rest is fine

Craig Silverman — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:00:12 +0000

In a May 28 story, msnbc.com incorrectly stated that Indiana Republican Senate candidate Dan Coats had been a lobbyist from 2000 until early this year. In fact, he was a lobbyist from 2005 until early this year.
The story incorrectly included Goldman Sachs as a firm for which Coats lobbied. In fact, the lobbying disclosure form for Coatsâ€™ former firm does not list Coats as a lobbyist for Goldman Sachs.
The story also incorrectly quoted Coats’ spokesman Pete Seat as saying, “Only one person in this race voted for the bailout, the stimulus and the health insurance bill â€” and thatâ€™s the incumbent Brad Ellsworth.” In fact, Seat used the phrase “health care bill,” not “health insurance bill.” Link

MSNBC.com’s Pope misattribution upsets Catholic League

Craig Silverman — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:00:17 +0000

A headline appearing within a March 30 story about the Catholic church incorrectly attributed a statement about alleged sexual abuse to Pope Benedict XVI. The statement was made by a German priest writing in The Times of London. Link

WebNewser has some background:

Under the article, “Losing Their Religion? Catholicism in Turmoil,” the related content subsection linked to an article title reading, “Pope Describes Touching Boys: I Went Too Far.”
According to the Catholic League, this article said nothing about the Pope but discussed a homosexual German priest who had sexual relations with males in the 1980s.
Catholic League president Bill Donohue, often a guest on MSNBC cable, demanded an apology — and got one later that day …

Thanks, Daniel!

MSNBC.com infected by viral campaign

Craig Silverman — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:00:26 +0000

In a Nov. 17 video our original headline and caption said pictures within the clip were home video from a wedding. In fact, the video was created as part of a viral marketing campaign on responsible drinking by the brewer Heineken. Link

Fuzzy numbers etc.

Craig Silverman — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:00:59 +0000

A Sept. 22 story about airline fees incorrectly stated that Alaska Airlines expects to generate $700 million in revenue in one year by adding a $15 fee for the first checked bag. The correct figure is $70 million. The story has been corrected. Link

A useless headline

Craig Silverman — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:00:13 +0000

In a July 31 story about doctors who own their own scanning equipment to conduct tests, the initial headline mischaracterized some tests as “useless” or “needless.” The story did not characterize the tests that way. Link

Death by media

Craig Silverman — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:00:04 +0000

A June 26 story about how sales of Michael Jackson merchandise could get a boost after his death incorrectly listed musician Chuck Berry as deceased. Chuck Berry, 82, is still alive and touring.

Link

Fun with photos

Craig Silverman — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:00:14 +0000

In a May 7 story, msnbc.com published an incorrect photo of the suspect in the shooting at Wesleyan University. The photo was supplied by The Associated Press and credited to the university. The AP later notified the media that the wrong photo had been published, and the Police Department in Middletown, Conn., supplied a correct photo of the suspect, shown here.

It’s a snap (to steal photos)

Craig Silverman — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:00:48 +0000

Over the weekend, one of our readers pointed out that the “It’s a Snap” user travel Photo of the Week was, in fact, a copyrighted image. We have removed the photograph from our site, as the picture is the property of Scanlan Photography’s “Windows to the World,” viewable at http://www.scanlan.com. Link

We got something wrong…

Craig Silverman — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:00:24 +0000

…but instead of explaining and fixing it, we’ll just send you to another website.

A chart included with an article Sept. 17 about how to maximize bank deposit insurance through the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. included incorrect information. For more information, click here. Link

Apology for “uppity” remark

Craig Silverman — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:00:24 +0000

Msnbc.com’s Courtney Hazlett issued the following statement June 6: “Today on MSNBC TV’s ‘Morning Joe,’ I chose my words poorly in describing the relationship between Clint Eastwood and Spike Lee. I take my responsibilities as a journalist seriously and know that words can have a strong impact. I sincerely apologize to Spike Lee and to the viewers for my comments.” Link

Some background.