Bikie shooting: A report as part of our Perth’s Dark Underbelly series (Violent times in reign of bikie gangs, pages 10-11, June 1) incorrectly said that a security guard told police Kevin (Mick) Woodhouse used his dying breath to name his killer as Johnny Montoyo. According to evidence given in Supreme Court trials, when a [...]
Rai Fazio: Our report about an incident in May 2003 involving former boxer Rai Fazio and members of the Coffin Cheaters (My conscience is clear: Kizon, page 5, June 3), may have implied there was a rift between Mr Fazio and his father Joe. There was no basis for any such implication, which arose from [...]
Wine woes: A caption which accompanied a picture and article about Spring in the Valley (Winemakers to boycott Swan Valley ‘debauch’, page 7, September 9) stated that the owner of the Little River Winery and Café would “shut up shop” during the festival. In fact, the Little River Café, which is on the same property [...]
Student assault: A brief report wrongly said that a Chinese student had been stabbed in St James on Saturday night (Student stabbed, page 18, July 21). In fact, police have alleged that the student was struck in the mouth with a screwdriver and sprayed with pepper spray. Report an error
Designer drug: Diprivan, the drug found in the late King of Pop Michael Jackson’s home, is a powerful anaesthetic (Sedative ‘in Jackson’s home’, page 19, July 4). We must have been artfully sedated to allow it to be dopily described in our paper as an "intravenous aesthetic". Report an error
Bikie death: "Rebel Rick" Roberts’ death in Canberra in March was the result of a domestic dispute and not, as we wrongly wrote, part of a wave of apparent revenge attacks following a brawl between bikies at Sydney Airport (Bikie world pulls in viewers, Agenda, page 62, June 27). Report an error
The wrong stuff: Who can blame Russell Crowe for his cynicism about journalists getting things right? In a feature article (Mind games, page 16, SEVEN days, May 23) we misspelt the name of his character in his new movie State of Play and erred about his Academy Award. His character in the film is Cal [...]
Bunker bungle: Jarrahdale resident Colin Abbott paid $1500 – not $15,000 as we incorrectly reported – for two concrete pipes he used to build his backyard bushfire bunker (Backyard bunkers to beat fires, page 12, May 12). Report an error
Immaculate misconception: We got ourselves in almost as much of a tangle as former bishop Fernando Lugo, who has now had three separate allegations of paternity levelled against him (President hit with third baby claim, page 26, April 24). The former man of the cloth might get around but he is the President of Paraguay [...]
Writer wrong: American humorist S. J. Perelman and compatriot “jazz” poet Langston Hughes might have shared a February 1 birthday, a love of the written word and a penchant for moustaches but they did not share the same face. A photo in Burning Questions (Today, page 16, April 23) under the caption S. J. Perelman [...]
Greatly exaggerated: Perth theatre director Raymond Omodei assures us that he is alive and well after he was referred to as “the late Ray Omodei” in the obituary of architect Jeff Considine (Architect was pioneer of green design, page 77, April 7). We regret any embarrassment or inconvenience the error caused. Report an error
Green gaffe: There’s little doubt eco-warriors love a good chat as much as a tree hug, but our digitally dyslexic reporter’s creation of a new organisation was a revelation for verbose greenies (Recycling record comes under fire, page 18, March 23). It is more apt, of course, to discuss recycling with the Conservation Council than [...]
A reliable source: Research for our feature article about Kalgoorlie’s 1934 race riots led us to write that British miner Charles Stokes was shot in the stomach (The race riots that split a town, West Weekend Magazine, March 14). A reader has told us that Mr Stokes, whose dying words were “a ding got me”, [...]
Guilty as charged: Our report about the blessing of the bonnets as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations requires clarification (Bonnet blessing remembers convicts, page 18, March 9). No female convicts officially came to WA among the almost 10,000 male convicts. (Or did they? WA author Amanda Curtin’s novel The Sinkings is based on [...]
A photo Sunday was misidentified as that of Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. The photo was of Meryl Streep and Redford in “Out of Africa.” Link Idol impostor: Those old enough to know were quick to let us know we should have known better than to mix up Janet and Vivien Leigh in a photo [...]
Vice-regal vicissitude: Last June we showed a lack of excellence by changing Australia’s first female Governor-General Quentin Bryceinto a man, calling her Mr Bryce. Now we’ve also managed to change the sex of Canada’s Governor-General, Michaelle Jean. Her Excellency Mme Jean is a she, not a he as we published in late editions of the [...]
Time warp again: A gremlin has been switching headings in our This Week in The West Australian column (page 26, January 6; page 49, January 7). Lt-Governor Sir James Mitchell was speaking in 1934, which was 75 years ago, not 100; Sister Kate was awarded an MBE in 1934, which was 75 years ago, not [...]
In this year’s round-up of the Year in Media Errors and Corrections, I unveiled the Ian Mayes Award for Writing Wrongs. It is given to the “publication or person that demonstrates wit and wisdom in the writing of corrections.” The winner is David Hummerston, the, deep breath, Saturday editor, editorial counsellor and readers editor of [...]
Sew and sow: As we sow, so we weep (One life used up after vets sow Edgar’s face back on, World, page 32, December 11). Report an error
Flight of fancy: We inadvertently created the travel bargain of the century (Deals, Travel, page 19, December 6). The $359 per person twin share for four nights quoted for the Grand Mercure Roxy in Singapore, including breakfast, does not (disappointingly) include airfares. Report an error
E=mc3+1: As mathematicians, journalists make fine geishas. One of the paper’s most perspicacious readers has again successfully challenged our careless checking of figures in reports received from overseas and interstate. In one report we had an Olympic swimming pool holding a meagre 1000 megalitres – a waist-high depth that would becalm Eamon Sullivan (‘Angel’, 4, [...]
Binge drinking: Deakin University professor of psychology Robert Cummins points out that neither he nor his research said that binge drinking could be a good thing (Professor sees positive side of binge drinking, page 17, October 23). He said although his Wellbeing Index research found that the feeling of wellbeing in 18-25 year-olds remained high [...]
Mayor nightmare: An assumption by a reporter changed the gender of the Mayor of Gosnells (Suburban graffiti costs millions, page 19, October 13). As there is no doubt Olwen Searle believes graffiti vandals should be jailed, so there is no doubt she is a woman. Report an error
Deep depression: Our economics editor has officially gone from recession to depression. By mangling the names of two of history’s most highly decorated economists, John Maynard Keynes and Milton Friedman, we not only created an economy of truth but blamed poor Milton Keynes for having “crazy” ideas (We can all learn from Depression, Opinion, page [...]
White flag: We surrender to vigilant vexillologists who point out that a graphic accompanying a travel story about Estonia flagrantly raised the red and white flag of Latvia (The beguiling old town of Tallinn, Travel, Today liftout page 14, September 25). The Estonian flag has three horizontal bands of blue, black and white. Report an [...]
