The Oops! Section
"Newspapers are unwilling to correct mistakes fully, candidly, prominently and promptly, and with grace" (Robert Giles in Best Practices for Newspaper Journalists page 1).
"There is a broad feeling in the public that newspapers not only make too many mistakes, but that they also are unwilling to correct them fully and promptly" (page 13).
Print News
Many newspapers frequently hide their Oops! We Made a Mistake section. Some people view this as dishonest, saying newspapers don't want to admit faults. But honestly, how many people do you know who run around the streets proclaiming their faults? What newspaper is going to put it's Oops! Section on the front page? And really, what reader wanted to see corrections on a previous article plastered, first, on the front page? Even thought Haiman states, "Not one member of the public in our roundtables said he or she thought seeing many more corrections would diminish the credibility of the newspaper," I highly doubt it (13). Especially if there are 4.5 to 2.5 mistakes per page like the Tribune used to have (11). "Most said it would make them less skeptical and the paper more believable" (13). Yea, right. I seriously doubt that, especially if I tell you they can still be biased by choosing which corrections to advertise, and which to not.
Television News
Now I will defend this statement for the television news stations. Last night (October 19, 2009), KDKA ran an apology for showing the wrong video clip. The anchor was talking about the Ponzi Scheme in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. It involved 58-year-old Eugene Miley.
Instead of showing a clip of Eugene Miley, they showed a clip of another man. So, last night, Stacy Smith made a heart felt apology to the man.
SO....... it is true that television media would have a very difficult time hiding the apology for the mistake. There Oops! Section can't be hidden in the text. It has to be voiced just like any other piece of news information. So, in a way, television news stations are forced into admitting their faults.
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Josie Rush on The Oops! Section: Good point, Jeanine. No one is
Katie Vann on The Oops! Section: I agree with you that a fault
I agree with you that a fault on a TV news would more likely stand out greater than a fault in print news. However, I have read a few different news papers, most of which printed corrections on the front page. I think as Dr. Jerz pointed out in class one day when we were talking about the design of the front page, if the corrections on placed on the front page stratigically within the "Z" design, it helps readers to see it more clearly. But I know what you mean when you say why would they want to place their faults in broad daylight, just as why would someone want to tell everyone all their faults.
Good point, Jeanine. No one is going to run through the streets proclaiming their mistakes. People know where the correction section is, don't they? (I seriously don't know if they do, that's a real question. lol.)
Great links, too. Way to back your points up.
You make some good points; I also questioned whether looking at a bunch of corrections in a newspaper wouldn't diminish the credibility of the newspaper. The people they talked to said they wouldn't look at it that way, but these people overall seem to be very sensitive to the need for newspapers to make corrections. It's one thing for that to be said by people who are concentrating on the issue in a discussion, and it's another for the average person reading a newspaper who isn't necessarily thinking, "Boy, I wish newspapers would correct their mistakes more often; oh, look, here are the corrections right on the front page!" Their first instinct (at least I know mine) would be, "Wow, they get a lot of things wrong." If every single newspaper had a big list of corrections on the front page, it might not hurt anything, but since this isn't enforced on everyone, that's not necessarily the case.