Some papers underscore their interest in accuracy. Along with a statement that the News policy is to promptly acknowledge and correct errors, a special phone number is given. Patrick Dougherty, editor of the Daily News, said this ensures such calls don t get lost in the everyday hubbub. Newspapers get into trouble by mishandling peoples concerns about what s in the paper, Dougherty said, blowing them off, not taking them seriously, not being appropriately apologetic if we indeed made a mistake. Sometimes that s the front page.
Content is as crucial.
We want the correction to be clear to someone who did not read the story, what the error was and what we re correcting, said Frank C. Barrows, managing editor. The Associated Press has long given its corrections prominence. If the mistake comes to light in a later cycle, the AP moves a corrective story. It asks any member that published the erroneous story to use the new one. The corrective story explains what the mistake was and corrects it.