Edits are applied to stories multiple times throughout the process (Jessica Lynch)
By Jessica Lynch
Dear MainSheet readers,
In the journalism business, errors are inevitable.
Nobody likes them.
Journalists hate them.
But, because we’re all just people, and people make mistakes, they happen. Sometimes they are the result of a reporting or editing error. Sometimes they are the result of incorrect information supplied by a source.
The MainSheet recently issued a correction to a published story. It wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Washington Post are no strangers to corrections either.
While we don’t have a team of “fact checkers” at The MainSheet, like most newspapers, all of the paper’s journalists are expected to get the facts right. Editors will hold stories from publication if there’s any question of their accuracy.
Here at The MainSheet, after a story is written, its first draft receives an initial edit. Suggestions are provided to the reporter on how to improve their drafts. The reporters apply these suggestions themselves and send their final drafts back to the editing team. At this point, the story is edited once more, usually for minor details.
After the final edits are applied, the stories are uploaded to our website and the photos and captions are added alongside them. The editing team does one final read through and then posts the story for our readers to see.
Even following this involved process, mistakes still occasionally happen, which is why corrections are so important.
After a story is posted, sometimes an error will be caught by the journalist, an editor or a reader. Minor mistakes like typos (“cate” instead of “cat”) can be fixed by simply editing a post, but others need a more detailed correction.
In the instance of more serious mistakes, the editor will temporarily remove the story from the website while they correct the mistake. After reposting the corrected story, they will write a correction statement. Usually that statement is something like: “Due to a reporting (or editing) error, incorrect information was published regarding (insert topic containing mistake here).” The next sentence would include the correct information. The editor will make a new story post with a brief description of the correction in the headline and the correction statement in the body of the story.
The person who made the mistake, whether that be a reporter or an editor, will usually reach out to anyone that was affected by the mistake to apologize and let them know a correction has been posted.
So, now that you know what corrections are and how they are issued, you may wonder why we need to issue them at all.
Well, it may be obvious, but accuracy is incredibly important in journalism. If a story tells you an event is at 8:30 p.m. but it actually starts at 7 p.m. and you get to the venue only to find an empty banquet hall, you’ll likely be pretty frustrated. It may even make you question the accuracy of future stories written by that newspaper. But, let’s take it a step further with higher stakes.
Say a story tells you, without proof, that vaccines are ineffective and dangerous, so you decide to avoid your yearly flu shot. As a result, you get sick and spread it to your immunocompromised loved one, who has to be hospitalized. Pretty serious stuff.
Both examples are why it’s so important for stories to be accurate. Not to mention the effect publishing a false story has on the journalist’s reputation.
Although people make mistakes, they must be corrected quickly to avoid the spread of misinformation.
We care about our readers and want them to be able to count on the fact that what they read in The MainSheet is accurate. Corrections allow us the opportunity to fix mistakes and meet the high expectations we have set for The MainSheet.
I hope this letter was enlightening to you, reader. Should you have any questions about corrections, our process, or anything else, feel free to email me at jessica.lynch@capecod.edu or Tim Miller at tmiller@capecod.edu.
Warm regards,
Jessica Lynch
Editor-in-Chief
