The story behind U-T corrections

Reader Dale Rodebaugh of San Diego recently emailed about corrections.

He asked about this sentence that appears at the end of a correction: “It is the policy of the Union-tribune to correct all errors.”

“What constitutes an error?” Rodebaugh wondered. “Is an error 1. a misstatement of fact involving who, what, where, when, how many, how often? 2. a misspelled name or place? 3. a typo? 4. a dropped word that creates confusion? 5. incorrect grammar (the company said their policy instead of its policy)?

“Who determines what constitutes an error? Is a reader complaint the only basis for a correction? Do corrections appear in the online and print editions or in only one place?

“Readers might find an explanation of the error-correction process interesting.”

I agree (thank you for the questions), so let’s go down the list.

First, though, the U-T has an ethical responsibility to correct factual errors — in print, and online. Second, we need to distinguish between corrections and fixes. Correcting grammar, a typo and some misspellings are fixes and do not require a correction to be published on A2 (where corrections typically appear) or noted in the story online.

A misstatement of fact involving who, what, where, when, how many, how often would require a published correction in print and for it to be noted in the online story. For instance, a story reporting something happened in Carlsbad when it actually occurred in Oceanside would result in a correction.

A misspelled name or place would be formally corrected.

A simple typo, such as transposed letters or a misspelled word (brake vs. break), would be fixed online and not noted.

A dropped word that creates confusion might require a formal correction, if the dropped word makes a statement inaccurate. The best example of this would be if the word “not” was inadvertently omitted.

Incorrect grammar (like their vs. its) would be fixed online.

Inaccuracies are primarily flagged two ways: from sources and readers.

A person who appears in a staff-written U-T story or person who provided information will commonly alert the reporter to the mistake. In those cases, the writer will communicate with their editor and the readers’ rep. The reporter typically will write the correction and email the readers’ rep so it can be published on A2. The writer will make the correction online and note that the story was updated. The correction will deal with the error; it will not assign blame. Some inaccuracies occur because a source gave the reporter faulty information or an editor accidentally inserted an error while editing.

Readers consistently identify errors. They will either email the reporter (reporters’ email addresses appear at the bottom of their stories) or they will email the readers’ rep (readers.rep@sduniontribune.com).

A reader recently emailed the readers’ rep about an error in an Arts+culture item that recently appeared. The item incorrectly stated that Anza-borrego Desert State Park is closed to camping because of the pandemic. But actually in July some campgrounds reopened. A correction was published.

Corrections must be clear-cut. The information is either right or wrong. It’s not a debate, a disagreement or a dislike of a story. Readers might also complain of what they feel are omissions or opinion. Those will have to be topics for other reader columns.

Most corrections are straight-forward. It’s unnecessary for them to be discussed beyond the reporter and the writer’s editor. Some, however, might involve a discussion with the managing editor or editor.

On Aug. 2, the splashdown occurred of two astronauts returning from the International Space Station aboard a Spacex capsule. The Associated Press transmitted a photo supposedly of the event. That photo ran on A1 of the U-T.

The photo was in error. It was not of the splashdown that happened Aug. 2 off Pensacola, Fla. The AP mistakenly transmitted a year-old photograph of a splashdown that had been taken during a NASA test mission and erroneously identified it as from Aug. 2.

When the AP learned of the mistake it alerted news agencies. The U-T had to decide how to handle the correction. This one required discussion between Editor Jeff Light and Managing Editor Lora Cicalo. They decided to publish a correct photo from the Aug. 2 splashdown on A1 with an explanation.