Clark Hoyt, the new public editor of the New York Times, was likely inspired by this string of name-related corrections to look into why the paper has such a problem spelling names correctly. The Times is not alone in this regard. Naming errors are among the most common factual errors in newspapers and other media. (The upcoming book from the editor of this site devotes a chapter section to misspelled names and titles.)
In this case, the usual reasons are offered in explanation: deadline pressure, reporters relying on memory, general sloppiness, misspellings in other articles used as sources etc. That's not to sound dismissive; these are common explanations. Hoyt's piece is an interesting look at the phenomenon of misspelled names in the Times, but perhaps the most intriguing part of the column is the last sentence:
How about requiring a personal letter of apology from the person responsible for an error to the person whose name is misspelled?
This probably strikes some as a strange and time consuming suggestion, but it's unorthodox and could help change behavior, which could change the culture. Hoyt also offers another excellent suggestion: "creating a database of the most commonly misspelled names,
so that editors are automatically flagged when they appear in copy."
This would be a lovely innovation. It's also encouraging that Hoyt recognizes the need to offer concrete suggestions to help fix problems, rather than just cataloging them and proffering a stern finger wagging. Maybe the Times could solicit more suggestions from staff and see what other ideas pop up? Sounds like a job for the paper's internal wiki.
