A Jan. 29 caption with a photo of the Howard Johnson hotel on Metropolitan Rd. in Scarborough provided an incorrect price for the cost of the room. As was correctly stated in the article about a list of Toronto’s “dirtiest hotels” a room at that hotel costs $89. Link Report an error
A Jan. 19 image accompanying an article about Jason Kieffer’s new comic book, The Rabble of Downtown Toronto, incorrectly identified the cartoon as “Crazy Hand Lady.” In fact, the drawing was “Rage Man.” Link Report an error
Tad Friend is the author of Cheerful Money: Me, My Family, and the Last Days of Wasp Splendor. A Nov. 22 review and photo caption of the book incorrectly identified Friend as Tad Friendly. Link Report an error
An Aug. 20 Living section article about the lack of services for homeless gay and lesbian youth featured the experience of a young man, Solomon Christiansen. The article reported that Christiansen felt he had no where to turn, left home, dropped out of school and began taking drugs because his mother’s boyfriend couldn’t accept his [...]
A Sept. 25 article about the proposed TTC 2010 capital budget incorrectly stated the amount needed to maintain the current system as $949 billion. In fact, $949 million will be needed to maintain the current system. Link Report an error
A Nov. 14, 2004, column about the death of Yasser Arafat included an unverified quotation attributed to former Israel Defence Forces chief of staff Moshe Yaalon. Yaalon, now Israel’s strategic affairs minister, was quoted in that 2004 column as saying in 2002 that "the Palestinians must be made to understand in the deepest recesses of [...]
An August 4 article on the effect parasites have on sexual reproduction attributed a quote to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. In fact, the quote was from another Matthew Broderick movie, WarGames. Link Report an error
A reader sent this image of a photo/photo caption mismatch in the Toronto Star: This is the image it was eventually replaced with: *Correction: The original headline on this post read "The curtains don’t match the drapes." That’s redundant. It has been corrected. Report an error
A May 16 article about an upcoming biopic of Frank Sinatra included an incorrect photo. The photo labelled as a picture of Frank Sinatra was in fact the Toronto-based Frank Sinatra tribute artist, Rick Sonata. Link Report an error
There are approximately 74,000 wind turbines currently operating in Europe, not 1,700 as was stated in a May 11 article about wind power. A May 12 article about wind power incorrectly stated the current estimated cost of a new nuclear plant is $7,000 per megawatt of installed capacity. In fact, it is $7,000 per kilowatt. [...]
A March 31 article about the lack of effectiveness of school gym class in reducing childhood obesity incorrectly stated that childhood obesity rates in Canada now stand at about 30 per cent.In fact, this estimate applies to combined overweight and obesity rates in Canadian children. The latest data published by Statistics Canada in 2006 placed [...]
A March 14 article about Martha Stewart included incorrect information. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has a channel on Sirius Satellite Radio, Stewart does not own a radio station. Stewart’s housewares line is currently available in Macy’s stores. Stewart does not have an eco-flooring company but is participating in a multi-year agreement with FLOR, Inc. The [...]
A photograph in yesterday’s Spectator mistakenly identified a man as Randy Kowaleski. Randy Kowaleski, pictured here, was injured in a bus crash in Mexico on Monday. His wife, Carolyn Kowaleski, was killed in the crash. The Spectator apologizes for the error and extends its sympathies to the family. A photograph in yesterday’s Hamilton Spectator incorrectly [...]
A Feb. 26 article about Justice Arthur Gans incorrectly stated that David Stucky had been convicted of misleading advertising in connection with direct mail promotions in a trial presided over by Gans. In fact, Stucky was acquitted of the charges. Link Report an error
Two recent columns by newspaper ombudsmen caught my eye. Kathy English, public editor of the Toronto Star, wrote her latest column about the paper’s policy regarding the “unpublishing” of articles. An excerpt: … Generally, the Star believes that unpublishing is a serious act as it erases the online history of the Star’s journalism. The Star’s [...]
A Jan. 24 article about tattoo artist Kat Von D wrongly referred to her as a former exotic dancer. In fact, the reality TV celebrity has never worked as an exotic dancer. The Star regrets the error. Link Report an error
The caption with a photo published Jan. 8 incorrectly stated that the photo depicted a hole in the basement of a house that led into a cinder-block tunnel Toronto police allege was used to move marijuana between the basements of two houses. In fact, the photo depicted a hole behind a grate on the side [...]
On Friday, Columbia Journalism Review online published my latest weekly column. Read it here. I also wrote a Saturday op-ed for the Toronto Star about the year in errors and corrections. Below are excerpts from both pieces. CJR column: The Year in Errata About a month ago, I began the laborious and depressing task of [...]
Butterball turkeys are in no way connected to Maple Leaf Foods or the recent listeriosis outbreak in Canada. This photo (above) depicting Butterball turkeys should not have been published with a Sept. 15 opinion article about the safety of cheap food. The Star did not intend to suggest that Butterball turkeys are unsafe. The Star [...]
The headline on a Sept. 10 article by The Canadian Press about the fraud trial of George Radwanski was incorrect. The report made no reference to any testimony indicating that Radwanski lied. The Star retracts the headline and regrets the error. Report an error
The MILF Show by the Skin Tight Outta Sight Rebel Burlesque troupe (at the Cadillac Lounge, 1296 Queen St. W.) takes place on May 10 at 8 p.m., not May 11 as incorrectly stated in a May 8 article about the show. Link Report an error
A March 15 photo caption incorrectly identified the man in the above photo as Jonathan Black. It is actually a photo of Toronto law student Chris O’Connor. Mr. O’Connor was in no way connected to the incident allegedly involving Black. The Star regrets the error and apologizes to Mr. O’Connor. Link Report an error
A Feb. 17 article about a man shot and killed by police in a Davisville-area park included misquoted information. Christian van Heiningen said that three weeks ago a man was flashing (exposing himself), in Oriole Park, not slashing himself. Link Report an error
James Dobson, founder and chair of Focus on the Family, is not an ordained minister. He was incorrectly referred to as a reverend in a Jan. 13 review of the documentary For the Bible Tells Me So. The Star regrets the error. Link More of this series here, here and here. Report an error
A Jan. 9 headline incorrectly stated that a mother faces charges after a boy’s hands were dipped into a pot of boiling water. The 22-year-old Belleville woman charged with aggravated assault in connection with serious burns suffered by a 3-year-old boy is not the boy’s mother. The Star regrets the error. Link Report an error
