By Paula LaRocque, KERA 90.1 Commentator
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-485329.mp3
Commentary: Funny Corrections
Dallas, TX –
Most media are committed to correcting their errors, but one of the unhappy truths of running corrections is that sometimes the correction attracts more attention than the mistake.
For example, CNN once created a stir by correcting an error in a story about Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. A CNN headline had reported that Greenspan had been hospitalized because of, quote, an "enlarged prostitute," unquote. When this correction was mentioned to Greenspan's wife, NBC's Andrea Mitchell, she quipped: "He should be so lucky."
CNN said, of course, that it had meant "prostate."
Simple typos are generally benign and seldom corrected. But the following church-page ad was an exception: "An Italian sinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. at the Essex Center United Methodist Church."
A Michigan newspaper corrected an ad for Ora's Steakhouse that listed a menu item as "Pan-Fried or Baked Children."
And a Massachusetts newspaper correction explained: "Due to a typo, Michael Dukakis was incorrectly identified in the third paragraph as Mike Tyson."
There's no shortage of memorable corrections. Here's an old one from The Star-Telegram: "The Star-Telegram incorrectly reported Tuesday that Jack Wallace Davis, 20 . . . was killed Sunday in an auto accident. Davis was not in an accident and is not dead."
Here's another: "In last week's issue of Community Life, a picture caption listed some unusual gourmet dishes enjoyed at a Westwood Library party for students enrolled in a tutorial program for conversational English. Mai Thai Finn is one of the students in the program and was in the center of the photo. We incorrectly listed her name as one of the items on the menu."
The Bryan-College Station Eagle once ran the following correction: "The title of the book that was to be reviewed at Sunday's meeting of the Unitarian fellowship was incorrectly reported on the church page of Saturday's Eagle as How to Say No to a Baptist and Survive. The title should have been How to Say No to a Rapist and Survive."
Sometimes the correction itself needs correcting. Here's an example:
"Our newspaper carried the notice last week that Oscar Hoffnagle is a defective on the police force. This was a typographical error. Mr. Hoffnagle is, of course, a detective on the police farce."
Here's another example: "We referred to the former chairman of Chrysler Corporation as Lee Iacoocoo. His real name is Lee Iacacca."
Finally, here's a correction to end all corrections, from the San Antonio News:
"The pilot was not a former Air Force pilot, as reported, but had been in the Air Force pilot training program...He wasn't flying an aircraft owned by Beck Concrete Company but was in a plane owned by Crow Aviation Company... He was not making a mechanical check of the plane, and was not trying to land. He was making a low-level pass. He was not trying to lower the landing gear. He had been flying in a two-plane formation with Harry Perez, not Joe Perez, and Perez did not circle the area until help arrived. Perez was already on the ground when the crash happened...The victim was not trapped between the instrument panel and engine, but between the seat and the instrument panel."
That correction created a stir among an amused media. The editor, responding to the question how could such a thing happen, said simply: "That reporter didn't know a danged thing."
I'm Paula LaRocque.
Paula LaRocque is a former editor and writing coach for the Dallas Morning News.
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