Last week, we published an article about the lack of a universal correction standard in broadcast journalism. We made particular note of the lack of online corrections pages at major North American broadcasters. (See our sidebar to the left, "Where Is Your Online Corrections Page?") An alert reader sent along a note saying that CNN ran an all too rare video correction on Monday. After some considerable searching on the CNN site (they don’t have a corrections page), we finally managed to locate the correction. The description of the video reads:
In a recent video about kitchen germs on CNN.com, incorrect information
appeared. We direct you to the correct information in this video. CNN
regrets the error. (April 3)
You can watch it here. The errors are quite serious. The difficulty in locating this correction is yet another argument in favor of CNN creating a static corrections page. We’re pleased to see it, but it also raises more questions. How often did it run on the air? How did CNN determine where to place it online? And how long will it stay (hidden) online? Last nitpick: The description should explain the errors and offer the correct information, just for those who choose to forgo the video. This is particularly important because the story made several errors, some of which could have caused viewers to become ill. It’s about taking all reasonable measures possible to get the correct information to the public.
