Regret the Error » the west australian

Dying words

Craig Silverman — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:00:41 +0000

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 security guard who went to help Mr Woodhouse asked for his name, Mr Woodhouse replied: Johnny Montoyo. The West Australian accepts this does not necessarily imply that Mr Woodhouse named his killer. Johnny Montani, a friend of the slain bikie, stood trial three times for murder. The first trial ended in a hung jury, the second resulted in an acquittal at the direction of the judge (set aside on appeal) and the third in a not guilty verdict by the jury.

Family issues

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

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 an error during the editing process.

Bad for business

Craig Silverman — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:00:47 +0000

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 CafÃ© would “shut up shop” during the festival. In fact, the Little River CafÃ©, which is on the same property as the winery but run separately, will be open as usual during Spring in the Valley.

Much better

Craig Silverman — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:00:13 +0000

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.

Some dope writing

Craig Silverman — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:00:24 +0000

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".

Death by different circumstances

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

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).

Russell Crowe knows all

Craig Silverman — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:00:14 +0000

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 McAffrey, not McCaffrey, and Crowe won his best actor Oscar in 2001 for Gladiator, not A Beautiful Mind.

Fuzzy numbers etc.

Craig Silverman — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:00:09 +0000

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).

Lessons in geography (and paternity) etc.

Craig Silverman — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:00:02 +0000

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 only, not Peru as we misconceived.

All writers look (and groom) alike

Craig Silverman — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:00:46 +0000

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 was in fact Hughes.

Death by media

Craig Silverman — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:04 +0000

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.

All talk

Craig Silverman — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:00:16 +0000

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 with the loquacious Conversation Council.

An error got me

Craig Silverman — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:00:25 +0000

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”, was in fact Australian-born of an English mother and he was stabbed, not shot. The reader should know. She is his daughter.

Correction, with murder mystery

Craig Silverman — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:00:24 +0000

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 factual tale of the 1882 murder near Albany of Irish-born ex-convict Little Jock, who lived as a man but was found in death to have been a woman).

All actresses look alike

Craig Silverman — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:00:25 +0000

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 caption (The Millers’ tale, West Weekend, page 18, February 7). Vivien Leigh (real name Vivian Hartley) – once wife of actor Laurence Olivier and dual Oscar winner for her roles as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire – was not related to Psycho star Janet Leigh (real name Jeanette Morrison), who was once married to actor Tony Curtis.