November 11, 2009 – 8:00 am
In the Nov. 7 article that ran in Globe T.O., T.o.night No Afternoon Delight, several errors were made. The newspaper consists of 30 per cent advertising, not 50 per cent as written, and most, not all, of its content comes from wire services. Its proprietor, John Cameron, attended the University of Western Ontario three years ago, not last year, and the late broadcaster Bill Cameron is his cousin, not his father’s uncle. Link
November 9, 2009 – 8:00 am
An article in some editions on Wednesday about Michael R. Bloomberg’s narrow victory in the New York mayoral race referred incorrectly to a voter who said Mr. Bloomberg “ran a smear campaign against a nonexistent opponent.” The voter, Stav Brinbaum, is a woman. The article also misstated, in some copies, the age of a second voter, Gerni Oster, who called Mr. Bloomberg “egotistical and arrogant,” and misspelled, in some copies, the given name of a professor who said she voted for Mr. Bloomberg’s Democratic rival. Ms. Oster is 32, not 34; the professor is Kathryn Krase, not Katherine. Link
October 26, 2009 – 8:00 am
An obituary said that Al Martino’s birth name was Alfred Cini Martino, that he recorded his first hit, Here in My Heart, for the Capitol record label, and that four years later (1956) his version of Volare was released. He was actually born Alfred Cini, recorded Here in My Heart for a small independent company called BBS, and released Volare in 1975 (15 October, page 36). Link
October 19, 2009 – 8:00 am
Errors appeared in an interview with Matthew Slotover and Amanda Sharp, who own Frieze magazine and the events company that stages the Frieze art fair. In connection with part of the piece that quoted them talking about founding the contemporary art magazine, it has been pointed out to us that the masthead of the first edition of Frieze in 1991 listed the founding editors as the artist Tom Gidley and Matthew Slotover, and Amanda Sharp as advertising and PR. Elsewhere in our article, the 2005 figure of £2.5m should have been given as the art fair’s turnover – fees from visitors and exhibitors – not as its profit; the height of its tent walls should have been given as 12ft not 12m. Amanda Sharp’s surname sometimes appeared wrongly in the piece as Smart (All the fun of the fair, 3 October, page 34). Link
September 25, 2009 – 8:00 am
The article “Beware of Big Ideas: Newly nervous post-Soviet states crack down on Western schools” (Aug. 10 & 17) contained several errors. The article stated that the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research (known as KIMEP) recently laid off 30 professors. The correct number is 20. The article also stated that KIMEP spent $10 million on a new building this year. In fact, the building was completed last year. Finally, the name of the school’s vice president is Habib Rahman, not Khalib Rakhman, as stated in our article, and our reporters did not speak to him for the story. NEWSWEEK sincerely regrets the errors.
September 11, 2009 – 8:00 am
Ashcroft ruling: An article on Saturday’s Page A1 about a federal appeals court ruling involving former Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft inaccurately described the breadth of the court’s decision and mischaracterized some elements of the case. The 2-1 ruling by a panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday held that Ashcroft could be sued personally for allegedly violating the constitutional rights of a Muslim man, Abdullah Kidd, who was detained after the Sept. 11 attacks. The opening paragraph of the article incorrectly said that the court held that Ashcroft had “violated the rights of U.S. citizens.” The appeals court did not decide that question. Instead, the judges ruled that Ashcroft could be held personally liable if Kidd’s allegations proved true. They sent the case back to a lower court for a trial to determine whether the allegations were accurate.
The allegations involve Kidd’s arrest under a federal law that allows officials to detain witnesses in criminal cases whose testimony is needed and who might otherwise flee before a trial. Kidd alleges that Ashcroft adopted a policy that authorized officials to deliberately misuse the material-witness law to detain people the government lacked probable cause to arrest. The court ruled that such a policy — if it existed — would violate the Constitution.
The article also compared the alleged material-witness arrests to another Bush administration anti-terrorism policy, the seizure of suspects outside the U.S., and in doing so referred to both types of arrests as “secret.” Kidd’s arrest and detention were not secret. The article quoted one portion of the ruling, which sharply criticized those who “confidently assert” that the government has the power to detain people on material-witness warrants, but it incorrectly attributed the quotation to “the panel,” rather than to the two judges in the majority. Moreover, the article described the judges as having aimed their criticism at the Bush administration’s policies. Although that was the clear implication of the judges’ words, they never directly named the targets of their criticism, and the article should have made clear that the criticism of the administration was implied, not stated.
Finally, the article quoted two constitutional scholars as praising the ruling, but failed to note that both of them had previously been on record as criticizing Bush administration policies in the area of civil liberties. The article should have included a broader range of reaction to the decision. Link
September 9, 2009 – 8:00 am
There are a few corrections that need to be made regarding two stories in the August, 2009 edition featuring Newco Tank Corp.
The first story, “All systems are go for launch of patented Newco tank,” page C11, spoke about Newco’s new production tank design that features the engine package inside the tank, and using its heat to heat the oil in the tank.
The price as quoted was $110,000. That was incorrect. It should have read, “The Newco tank comes with a lease site set up cost of $165,000. That is considerably more than a conventional tank but with virtually no propane costs or harmful emissions overall operating costs are much lower.”
The payback is six to 12 months, not less than six months, as stated.
When compared to a worst case scenario, with a tank operating inefficiently at high temperatures, the Newco tank in comparison would result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions the equivalent of taking 200 to 300 vehicles off the road. That was the number we stated. However, for a tank operating at 70 C, the GHG reduction is closer to 38 to 158 vehicles.
The first prototype was initially worked on in 2002, not 2004.
The company is seeking to design a two-1000 barrel tank setup, consisting of a production tank and sales tank on a single site, not a 2000-bbl. tank.
In the second story, “Nordic cuts operating costs with the leased ‘green’ Newco tank,” pages c12-c13, it stated, “Newco plans to
drill one or two more wells in the area before the fourth quarter but [Matthew] Barnard cautions Nordic is, ‘anxiously waiting for the price of oil to go up.’”
That should have read, “Nordic Oil and Gas plans to drill one or two more wells in the area before the fourth quarter but [Matthew] Barnard cautions Nordic is, ‘anxiously waiting for the price of oil to go up.’”
Pipeline News regrets the errors and any confusion it may have caused.
This appears on page A6 of the Sept. 2009 issue of Pipeline News, which can be downloaded as a PDF here.
September 4, 2009 – 8:00 am
An article on the Square Feet pages on Wednesday about distress in the commercial real estate sector incorrectly paraphrased a comment by Richard Parkus, a research analyst for Deutsche Bank, about recent market trends. He said that office vacancies are increasing and rents are decreasing, not the other way around. The article also misstated the dollar total of commercial mortgages that are due to expire by the end of next year and the total that had been due to expire this year but were extended. The amounts are $393 billion (not million) and $39 billion (not million), respectively. And the article referred incorrectly to Murray Hill Properties’ mortgage payments on the building it owns at One Park Avenue. The mortgage is current; the company has not missed a payment. Link
September 2, 2009 – 8:00 am
William Clark, co-founder of The Baby Einstein Company, has asked us to correct several mistakes in a story headlined Baby genius videos make money, not sense (14 July, page 3, Education). The company was launched in 1996 not 1997. The video Baby Mozart was released in 1998, not 2000. Baby da Vinci was produced after Disney bought the company in 2001, not by the Clarks. With regard to 2001 turnover, Clark informs us that sales were $17.6m, not $25m as we said. Link
August 26, 2009 – 8:00 am
Israel: An Op-Ed article on Thursday supporting a boycott of Israel said that the organization Oxfam had severed ties with one of its celebrity spokespersons, a British actress who also endorsed cosmetics produced in the occupied territories. Oxfam has not severed ties with the actress, who is American, not British. Link
August 17, 2009 – 8:00 am
In the Aug. 7 installment of "The End of America," Josh Levin originally stated that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that Jesus will be resurrected to rule on American soil. The LDS Church believes he will return, not be resurrected. In addition, the church believes that Jesus will also reign in the old Jerusalem. Link
August 13, 2009 – 10:55 am
An article on Saturday about a visit to South Africa by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton misstated the location of Durban, where she met the new president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma. (The error was repeated in an article about Mrs. Clinton’s visit on Sunday.) Durban is on the coast of the Indian Ocean, not the Atlantic Ocean. The article on Sunday also referred incorrectly to Durban’s size. It is South Africa’s third-largest city, with a population of more than 3 million; it is not a “beach town.” Link
Thanks, Lesego!
A correction from the New York Times:
An appraisal on Saturday about
Walter Cronkite’s career included a number of errors. In some copies, it misstated the date that the Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was killed and referred incorrectly to Mr. Cronkite’s coverage of D-Day. Dr. King was killed on April 4, 1968, not April 30. Mr. Cronkite covered the D-Day landing from a warplane; he did not storm the beaches. In addition, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969, not July 26. “The CBS Evening News” overtook “The Huntley-Brinkley Report” on NBC in the ratings during the 1967-68 television season, not after Chet Huntley retired in 1970. A communications satellite used to relay correspondents’ reports from around the world was Telstar, not Telestar. Howard K. Smith was not one of the CBS correspondents Mr. Cronkite would turn to for reports from the field after he became anchor of “The CBS Evening News” in 1962; he left CBS before Mr. Cronkite was the anchor. Because of an editing error, the appraisal also misstated the name of the news agency for which Mr. Cronkite was Moscow bureau chief after World War II. At that time it was United Press, not United Press International.
This is a Stanley correction. I’ll have more on it in my Columbia Journalism Review column, which goes online tomorrow. Update: You can read it here.
Note that posting will be light today; I’m having some server issues and it’s difficult to add new posts.
An obituary on Monday about the writer Frank McCourt included several errors. A memoir published by his brother Malachy McCourt is titled “Singing My Him Song,” not “Singing Him My Song.” The director of the film adaptation of Mr. McCourt’s memoir “Angela’s Ashes” was Alan Parker, not Robert Parker. And Mr. McCourt’s birth date was Aug. 19, 1930, not Aug. 30, 1930, as it was given in some editions because of an editing error. Link
An article on June 30 about new state laws that encourage the recycling of old electronic equipment overstated what is currently known about whether toxic metals from nonrecycled electronics in American landfills leach into soil and groundwater. While many scientists and state environmental agencies warn that the potential for such leaching exists, the federal Environmental Protection Agency says it has identified no instances of soil or groundwater contamination attributed specifically to electronic waste in landfills.
The article also referred incorrectly to chlorinated solvents. While they are used in the manufacturing of electronics, they do not make their way into the products themselves and therefore cannot leach from them.
And the article misidentified an industry advocacy group that says it would prefer passage of a national electronics-recycling law to a patchwork of varying state laws. It is the Consumer Electronics Association, not the Electronic Manufacturers Association. Link
An article about career-coaching company Career By Choice ("Roman Payday," June) contained the following errors: The company is three years old, not two; its 2008 revenue was 56,000 euros, not 70,000 euros; client Brian Rothbart launched a lecture DVD, not an online lecture series; and client Tony Piccolo works in information management at the U.N., not in information services, and is not organizing a conference on biofuels. FSB regrets the errors.
An article published on Page A1 Wednesday about an unfinished home in Columbia Township contained incorrect information about Amy and Chris Dickerson. The article incorrectly stated that Amy Dickerson filed for bankruptcy in 2008. That is not true. The article also said there was a judgment against the Dickersons relating to a civil case with the contractor. That is not true. The case was decided in the Dickersons’ favor, and Chmeil General Contracting, LLC was ordered to pay the Dickersons $181,829.38. The Dickersons were in no way at fault. The Citizen Patriot apologizes for these errors. Link
The Summer Pubs booklet distributed with the paper on 13 June contained some errors. The entry for The Bell Inn at Castle Hedingham (page 59) said that Mighty Oak beers are brewed in Mauldon, when Maldon, in Essex, was meant. The pub also sells Mauldon beers, brewed in Suffolk. The Old White Hart in Lyddington is in Rutland, not Leicestershire (page 58). We said the Swan on the Green, West Peckham, Kent (page 29) was built in 1586 and added that this was 17th year of Henry VIII’s reign. We were wrong on both counts: the king died in 1547 and the pub was built in 1526. We moved the Ty Coch Inn, Porth Dinllaen, Gwynedd, Wales, several miles south: it is in Caernarfon Bay, not Cardigan Bay as we said (page 22). Link
A Page 1 story Friday on Beccah Beushausen’s Internet hoax about a terminally ill baby described her as a social worker. While she has worked in social services, she says she is not a licensed social worker. The Tribune confirmed that she has worked at women’s crisis centers in Tinley Park and Pittsburgh. Also, the caption with a photo from Beushausen’s blog said the woman pictured was not her. That’s what Beushausen initially told the Tribune, but the charity that took the picture said it was indeed her, and she later acknowledged that she was the woman in the picture. Link
In a list of 144 celebrity graduates of Bay Area high schools, baseball great Joe DiMaggio was included as a graduate of Galileo High School. He attended Galileo, but left before graduation. Cartoonist Robert Ripley attended Santa Rosa High School, but also left before graduation.
And:
In a list of 144 celebrity graduates of Bay Area high schools, the wrong high school was listed for pro football player Rhett Hall. He graduated from Live Oak High in Morgan Hill in 1987. Also, football player Ernie Nevers attended Santa Rosa High but finished high school in Wisconsin.
Meteorite bombardment: In Section A on June 7, an article about a meteorite barrage that may have provided ingredients for life on Earth said that the meteorites may have been stripped of "oxygen- and water-rich outer layers" by "frictional heat" as they entered the atmosphere. It should have said carbon dioxide instead of oxygen; and the heat from such events is caused not by friction but by "ram pressure," in which compression heats air around the meteorite.
A report by The Associated Press in the National Briefing column on Jan. 6 about the resignation of Meg Whitman, the former chief executive of eBay, from three corporate boards misspelled part of the name of one of the companies. It is Procter & Gamble, not Proctor & Gamble. A reader pointed out the error in an e-mail message on Monday, and also correctly noted that The Times has misspelled the name more than 100 times. (This is the second correction.) Link
So many amusing errors:
A week-long series of World factfile booklets appeared with the Guardian from 18 April to 25 April. They contained some non-facts.
New Zealand’s prime minister should have been listed as John Key, not Helen Clark, his predecessor (23 April, page 15). Jerusalem was referred to as Israel’s de facto capital instead of as a disputed city claimed as capital by both Israelis and Palestinians (Sources panel, page 2, daily).
Jamaica’s “living national icons” included the late Bob Marley (21 April, page 31). Bulgaria’s highest point, Musala peak, was listed under its defunct and short-lived name, Stalin peak (18 April, page 29). Poland was partitioned in the 1700s, not the 17th century (23 April, page 29). A map of Turkey included northern Cyprus, which Turkey occupies but does not claim (25 April, page 14).
The verses of some national anthems were inadvertently pasted into the page templates of other countries. Thus, stretching global fraternity and sorority, the people of Brunei were held to sing – on the website, though not on the printed page – of their willingness to fight for Albania (18 April, guardian.co.uk). The Solomon Islands were found singing of freedom from slavery in words that actually belong to Belize (24 April, page 21).
On their arrival in abandoned Barbados in 1627, British settlers “found the island uninhibited” (18 April, page 18). The series website has corrected versions of these and other pages: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/series/country-profiles
In some broadcasts, we said, “Madden ended his career working for Monday Night Football on ESPN.” In fact, he was working for Sunday Night Football on NBC when he decided to retire. Link
In the Late Final edition of the Cape Argus yesterday, several aspects of a judgment delivered by Cape High Court Judge Basheer Waglay were incorrectly recorded.
The report related to the murder trial of Booi Marthinus, who was acquitted of the 2007 Rawsonville murder of two-year-old Sonja Brown.
During the editing process, parts of the judgment were incorrectly represented.
A large part of the report was also cut due to space constraints.
It was reported yesterday that Marthinus was accused of murdering Sonja and then stuffing her into a sewage tank. However, the evidence of the pathologist showed that Sonja was alive when she was in the sewage tank and that she had died as a result of drowning.
It was also reported that Marthinus had waited 20 months for the finding. However, he was charged with the murder 20 months ago.
In addition, the report quoted Judge Waglay as saying that the evidence, as a whole, did not form a coherent and logical connection to Marthinus. What Judge Waglay in fact found was that a statement Marthinus had made to police after his arrest, when taken together with all the other circumstantial evidence presented, could point to the accused’s guilt if it had formed a logical and coherent connection. But Judge Waglay found that it had not.
Judge Waglay also ruled that he could not rely on the evidence of State witnesses Johanna Martiens and Gawie Marthinus because there was no corroboration for their testimony. This was incorrectly recorded.
In addition, the report said the court had been obliged to find that the State had proved conviction beyond reasonable doubt.
However, it should have recorded that the State was tasked with proving the accused’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt, but had failed to do so.
The Cape Argus regrets the errors and apologises for any inconvenience caused.
