Think you’re smarter than a Star journalist?
The questions you choose to double-check count as a win for reporters and readers Back to school and time for another round of my Public Editor reader’s quiz: “Are you Smarter than a Toronto Star journalist multi-tasking on multi-deadlines?”
If you were a journalist working on deadline, would you know if the following information is right or wrong? And how many of these “facts” would you double-check in line with the journalist’s imperative to verify what we publish?
As always, in testing yourself remember that anytime you opt to double-check counts as a win for both journalists and readers. “Fact” or factual error? 1. No Canadian political party has won more than four elections in a row in more than a century. Right, Wrong, Double-check? 2. The three countries cited as the “Axis of Evil” by former U.S president George W. Bush were Syria, Iran and North Korea? Right, Wrong, Double-Check? 3. The Detroit Tigers advanced to the World Series in 2013. Right, Wrong, Double-check? 4. The Pan Am Games were held in Cuba in 1999. Right, Wrong, Double-check? 5. Queen Elizabeth has an annual income of $420 million. Right, Wrong, Double-check? 6. The top photo depicts Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta. Right, Wrong, Double-check? 7. The Canada Life Building on Toronto’s University Ave. was the city’s tallest building when it was completed in 1931. Right, Wrong, Double-check? 8. Jim Croce won the IMPAC Dublin Literary award for his novel Harvest. Right, Wrong, Double-check? 9. American pop icon Andy Warhol died in 1980. Right, Wrong, Double-check? 10. Melissa McCarthy played Sookie in the television series Parenthood. Right, Wrong, Double-check? 11. Torres del Paine National Park is located in Argentina. Right, Wrong, Double-check? 12. The birds pictured here are flamingos. Right, Wrong, Double-check? What’s your accuracy ranking? The most common reason for factual errors in the Star comes about when journalists don’t doublecheck because they assume they have it right.
In fact, all of the above is wrong information published in the Star as “fact” in recent months and demanded subsequent correction in line with the Star’s commitment to accuracy and owning up to our errors. Here is the right information as stated in Star corrections. 1. The Liberal Party of Canada won five elections in a row from 1963 to 1974 and between 1935 and 1953. 2. The countries Bush cited as the “Axis of Evil” were Iraq, Iran and North Korea. 3. The Detroit Tigers advanced to the World Series in 2012. 4. The Pan Am Games were held in Havana, Cuba, in 1991. 5. The Queen earns £17.8 million annually from the Privy Purse. Her net worth is $420 million. 6. The photo, used to illustrate an article on the top 10 nature parks around the world, depicts Yosemite National Park in California. 7. The Canadian Bank of Commerce building, now called Commerce Court North, also completed in 1931, was the tallest building in Canada and the British Empire until 1962. 8. Spelling matters: Jim Crace won the IMPAC Dublin Literary award for his novel Harvest. 9. Andy Warhol died on Feb. 22, 1987. 10. Melissa McCarthy played Sookie in the television series Gilmore Girls. 11. Torres del Paine National Park is located in Chile. 12. Those pink birds are roseate spoonbills. Kudos to the many smart bird-lovers who brought this mistake to our attention.
The back-to-the-books lesson here for all? Always double-check and never assume. publiced@thestar.ca