Regret the Error

Reuters turns Britney in(to a police station)

An amusing Reuters error catalogued by the always entertaining The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (click to enlarge):

Fib one for the Gipper

In an Oct. 10 story about the exhumation of George Gipp's remains for a DNA test, The Associated Press, relying on information from Gipp's hometown, erroneously reported he scored 83 touchdowns for Notre Dame. Gipp scored 21 touchdowns and passed for eight others, according to the university's sports information office. Link

Thanks, Jim!

History repeating

The Canadian Press erroneously reported Wednesday that a waitress from Newcastle, Ont., picked all 13 NFL winners on Thanksgiving weekend, becoming the biggest Pro-Line winner in Ontario history — with a prize of $444,186. In fact, the story was old and moved in error. The woman’s lucky weekend was last year.

The correction was truncated by The Record of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario to read:

The Canadian Press erroneously reported in a story in the Sports section Thursday that a waitress from Newcastle, Ont., picked all 13 NFL winners on Thanksgiving weekend, becoming the biggest Pro-Line winner in Ontario history. Link

 

Thanks, Jim!

Resurrection

A story taken from the Associated Press wire service headlined 'Race row mayor hits back at protest song' (World, last week) was wrong to state that a white student in Jena, Louisiana, had been 'beaten to death last December'. The student, Justin Barker, was beaten, but not fatally. Apologies. Link

Additional pain and suffering

In a Sept. 17 story about the death of actress Brett Somers, The Associated Press erroneously listed a daughter among the survivors. Her daughter, Leslie, died in 2003.
Link

All journalists look alike

In a Sept. 20 story about access to ground zero, The Associated Press erroneously reported that an interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was conducted by Katie Couric. It was conducted by Scott Pelley. Link

AP removes man's legs

In an Aug. 30 story about the drunken driving arrests of two men operating the same car, The Associated Press, relying on information from police, erroneously reported that one of the men, Harvey J. Miller, 43, was disabled and had no legs. Miller is paralyzed below the waist, but is not legless.

This correction appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Tulsa World and Raleigh News & Observer, among others.

Another incorrect obit

In a Sept. 2 obituary for Bill Henry, The Associated Press reported erroneously that he was the former major league pitcher of the same name. The deceased was a Lakeland resident, also known as Bill Henry, who had been passing himself off for more than 20 years as the player, according to his stepfamily and his pastor. The former pitcher lives in Texas and says he is in good health.

See this recent example. Thanks, Jim!

Reprise, not reprisal

(Corrects word in first paragraph to reprise from reprisal, and last paragraph to show that role was Radcliffe's first major role)

By Michelle Nichols
NEW YORK, Sept 5 (Reuters) - British actor Daniel Radcliffe hopes to debut on Broadway next year in a reprise of his London role in "Equus," a performance where he shed not only his clothes but also the mantle of Harry Potter... Link

Fiction made reality

In an Aug. 2 story about actor Lane Garrison, who has pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving in a 2006 crash that killed a teenage passenger, The Associated Press reported erroneously about a public service announcement featuring Garrison. The PSA depicts a fictional crash that occurs after teenagers drink at a party, not the crash involving Garrison. Link