How many news sites make it easy for readers to report errors? Very few, according to MediaBugs, a pilot project in the San Francisco area that's trying to hold the news media accountable and get them to fix "correctable mistakes." The group reports that three-quarters …
When newsrooms cut editorial staff--as so many have in the past couple of years--are typos and grammatical errors the inevitable result? The Washington Post's ombudsman, Andy Alexander, admits there are more errors in the print paper and "clearly reduced staffing plays some role." But a bigger …
Smaller staffs, shorter deadlines and more platforms to feed. Is it any wonder mistakes get on the air and online? In today's short-handed, 24/7 newsrooms, it's more important than ever for anyone involved in producing content to double check it for accuracy. Don't think …
Calculate percent change or percentages from raw numbers. Convert unit measurements (distance, weight or volume). Adjust prices for inflation using the BLS inflation calculator based on the consumer price index. Calculate change based on wage or medical cost inflation. Compare cost of living in U.S. cities. Convert currencies to …
By Gary Hanson & Stan Wearden "They identified someone else with my name on the screen." Every news director dreads hearing from upset viewers when the seemingly simple facts of a news story somehow end up being wrong. Ask any journalist and he or she will tell …
By Deborah Potter and Gary Hanson Every news director dreads the angry call: “They put my name on the screen over someone else’s picture!” It’s the kind of mistake that happens all too often in a busy newsroom but it shouldn’t surprise anybody who works in …
When mistakes happen on the air--and they will--how many television newsrooms have a clear-cut policy for handling corrections? A NewsLab survey of 220 TV journalists found that just over a third work at stations with guidelines covering both the timing and placement of on-air corrections …
