Regret the Error » times-picayune

Fun with photos

Craig Silverman — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:30:41 +0000

IN yesterday’s report concerning three fatal road traffic accidents, a photograph purportedly of Aoife Ivers, who was injured in an accident near Portumna, was in fact of her friend, Gemma Hayde. Ms Hayde was not involved in the accident. We are happy to correct the position and apologise for any confusion caused.

A picture in some editions on Saturday with an article about a decision by John C. Liu, the New York City comptroller, to hire Robert Abrams, a former state attorney general, to review Mr. Liu’s campaign fundraising practices was published in error. It showed Robert W. Abrams, a defense lawyer who is deceased. Link

Man in photo deceased: The cutline on an archived photo that ran in some editions Tuesday with an article about the Vieux Carre Commission said the man pictured, Alan Shea, lives on Dauphine Street. Shea died in 2009.

Fuzzy numbers etc.*

Craig Silverman — Thu, 12 May 2011 12:00:58 +0000

St. John housing official’s salary corrected: A story in some Tuesday editions about the termination of Richard “Dale” Wolfe as St. John the Baptist Parish housing authority executive director incorrectly reported his salary. Wolfe was paid $75,000 a year, not $75,000 a month.

*Correction May 12: The headline of this post originally read “Fuzy numbers etc.” instead of the correct “Fuzzy numbers etc.” Thanks to the anonymous person who used the Report an error button at the bottom of the post to report this. See, it works!

Updated: Osama errors continue to roll in

Craig Silverman — Thu, 05 May 2011 11:30:37 +0000

Also, a story in some editions Monday on Page 2 about Osama bin Laden’s life said bin Laden died in the lawless badlands of Pakistan along the Afghanistan border. Bin Laden was killed in a house in Abbottabad, north of Islamabad. The story also repeated a paragraph that had some garbled sentences.

A timeline in the main news section Monday incorrectly stated how many siblings Osama bin Laden had. He was one of 54 children of a Saudi construction magnate. Link

Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan on May 1, 2011. The year was incorrect Tuesday in a timeline of bin Laden’s life. Link

Osama bin Laden was killed by American forces May 1, 2011, in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The date was incorrect in a graphic in Tuesday’s paper.

In some of yesterday’s editions, it was incorrectly stated that Osama bin Laden’s wife was killed during the attack on his compound in Pakistan. She was not killed.

Headline erred on quote: In Tuesday’s editions, a headline with a story about congressional reaction to the killing of Osama bin Laden said “Quitman says ‘Evil has met his maker.’” The quote in fact came from U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander, a Republican who is from Quitman.

Update May 5:

A picture on Tuesday with an article about the response of New Yorkers to the death of Osama bin Laden was published in error. As the caption indicated, it showed a ceremony in Manhattan that included a reading of the names of Holocaust victims; the event was not connected to Bin Laden’s death. Link

Jared Diamond and the puzzling correction

Craig Silverman — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:00:53 +0000

DeBerry column based on article: On Dec. 9, 2008, The Times-Picayune published a column by Jarvis DeBerry titled “Justice deferred,” in which DeBerry referenced an article published in The New Yorker on April 28, 2008, written by Jared Diamond titled “Vengeance is ours; what can tribal societies tell us about our need to get even?” DeBerry has no personal knowledge of the events described in the Diamond article, and neither DeBerry nor The Times-Picayune conducted any independent investigation into the events described in the Diamond article.

The above is a confusing correction. It becomes easier to understand when you know that Diamond’s New Yorker article came under heavy scrutiny by the folks at Stinky Journalism. They launched a detailed investigation into the story and produced witnesses and facts that disputed major parts of Diamond’s story. (I wrote a related column for Columbia Journalism Review.) So my guess is the Time-Picayune repeated some of the disputed allegations from Diamond’s piece and then saw the need to clarify.

Name game

Craig Silverman — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 12:00:03 +0000

Man was not arrested: The police reports in some Jan. 29 editions said Kevin Perkins of 2001 Tiffany Drive, LaPlace, was booked Jan. 26 with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a drug without a prescription with the intent to distribute, crack cocaine possession and drug possession. In fact, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said officers arrested another man who had assumed Perkins' identity when he was booked. They say Kevin Perkins was not arrested. Link

Totally orgasmic correction

Craig Silverman — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 13:00:20 +0000

Subkrewe's name corrected: The caption on a photo of the Krewe du Vieux parade in Sunday's Metro section incorrectly referred to a parading subkrewe as "Tokin" rather than by its initials: T.O.K.I.N., for the Totally Orgasmic Krewe of Intergalactic Ne'er-do-wells. Link

Thanks, Todd!

Jets-Patriots game ends in confusion

Craig Silverman — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 16:31:09 +0000

Gawker, via Reddit, pointed out this unfortunate dummy text headline error in the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

Defend a client, become a drug abuser with prostitution problems

Craig Silverman — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:00:28 +0000

Lawyer did not have a drug problem: A story published in some Thursday editions about Curtis Kyles, a suspect in the killing of Crystal St. Pierre, reported incorrectly that criminal defense attorney Paul Fleming had problems with drug abuse and prostitution. The story should have said that Fleming questioned a detective about whether St. Pierre had drug and prostitution problems. Link

Bad for business

Craig Silverman — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:00:34 +0000

Seafood story erred: Amy’s Seafood in Westwego is paying 75 cents to $1.50 more per pound for shrimp since the Gulf of Mexico oil spill created a shortage. A story in Friday’s editions incorrectly reported the price as 75 cents to $1.50 per pound. The story also said that while patrons of one seafood stand know products it sells are safe, “the same cannot be said for customers of Amy’s Seafood, which occupies a nearby stall.” The seafood sold at Amy’s is safe. Link

Tax, not sex

Craig Silverman — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:00:43 +0000

I am sorry to disappoint all the readers who wished to apply for the position, but New Orleans does not employ a “sex assessor.” That was a misprint in Wednesday’s column. It should have read “tax assessor.” Slips don’t come much more Freudian than that. Link

Thanks, Todd!

Cavalry, not calvary

Craig Silverman — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:00:27 +0000

Word misspelled: In some Thursday editions, a headline above a group of photos showing members of the National Association of Buffalo Soldier and Troopers Motorcycle Clubs said "The calvary has arrived." It should have said "cavalry." Link

Bad for business

Craig Silverman — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:00:43 +0000

Studio not involved in bribery case: A story in Thursday’s editions detailed the sentencing of former state film official Mark Smith for bribery. The story was accompanied by a photo of the Louisiana Film Studios in Harahan. The studio was not involved in the case. Link

Birth of a nation

Craig Silverman — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:55 +0000

Letter sent to Congo: A story published Tuesday about the upcoming corruption trial of former Rep. William Jefferson incorrectly reported that the New Orleans Democrat had sent a letter to the “president of the Republic of Congress” in regard to a project Jefferson was promoting by the U.S. satellite company Worldspace. The letter was to the president of the Republic of Congo. Link

Of bites and blasphemy

Craig Silverman — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:41 +0000

Suspect gave wrong address: A story in Tuesday’s editions about Mario Vargas, who was arrested Saturday after being accused of taking a bite out of a Metairie man’s arm, listed Vargas’ address as 724 Camp St., New Orleans, according to a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office arrest report. An official from St. Patrick’s Church, located at the address, said Vargas does not live there and has no ties to the church. Link

So much better

Craig Silverman — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:00:41 +0000

Wrong host named: A story Tuesday about a Washington, D.C., campaign fundraiser for Gov. Bobby Jindal identified the wrong Chris Cox as one of the hosts. The Cox at the fundraiser is a principal with the lobbying and consulting firm Navigators Global and not the former California congressman and Securities and Exchange Commission chairman. Link