(Credit: Pixabay)
Media ethics and accuracy can be serious business, but amidst all the heavy news of 2019, there were some lighthearted moments thanks to amusing errors and corrections. Below, check out iMediaEthics’ ten favorite silly mistakes and corrections from the past year, many involving significant typos.
10. How to dissolve a body: Slate’s Oct. 11 correction:
“Due to an editing error, the Oct. 11 Care and Feeding misstated a Breaking Bad reference. You should learn from Walter White and dissolve a body in plastic, not a bathtub.”
9. Snakes or snacks?
A Texas community newspaper Community Impact erred in reporting on an Austin-area library’s Anti-Prom event. The library had to put out this correction for the paper’s mistake:
“there will be no snakes at this Friday’s Anti Prom at the library. There was a typo in a local paper that said we will have snakes. We will have snacks. Snacks is what we will have.
Not to say we have anything against snakes. In fact, snakes will be at the library in May during the Teen De-Stressing Day: Reptile Hangout, https://bit.ly/2D2BEjm.
So, just to summarize:
April 12. No snakes. 🐍 ❌
May 22. Yes snakes. 🐍 ✔️If you ever have any questions about our programs, please don’t hessssitate to call us at 512-990-6375 or send us a message.”
8. Corpses in the window: NPR’s Oct. 8 correction:
“In an earlier version of this podcast, guest Sheldon Solomon said that German funeral parlors often have embalmed corpses in their windows. Solomon says that he misspoke, and meant to say that the funeral parlor in which he conducted a study had an urn in the window, not a corpse.”
7. Committee to Project or Protect Journalists: A January 3 New York Times correction:
“An article on Wednesday about Netflix’s decision to pull an episode of “Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj” from its platform in Saudi Arabia misstated the name of an organization that has documented a crackdown on Saudi journalists. It is the Committee to Protect Journalists, not the Committee to Project Journalists.”
6. Cutie Pie or PewDiePie? The Guardian’s March 8 correction:
“We referred several times in an article to a YouTube channel called ‘Cutie Pie’; that should have been to ‘PewDiePie’ (Sympathy for the devil, 2 March, page 6, Review).”
5. Bad travel advice: USA Today’s June correction:
“Travel: An earlier version of this photo gallery incorrectly mentioned how Yellowstone National Park visitors could enjoy its hot springs. It is illegal and dangerous to soak in the park’s hot springs.“
4. Dr. Ruth and guns: A May 5 NPR correction:
“An earlier version of this story stated that Ruth Westheimer is seen in a documentary putting together a stun gun. She is putting together a Sten gun.”
3. Utah Jazz reporter or Utah jazz? A November Financial Times correction:
“An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the Salt Lake Tribune has a full-time jazz reporter. It in fact has two reporters who cover Utah Jazz, the local basketball team. This has now been corrected. “
2. Sioux chef or chief? A January 25 NPR correction:
“A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to Sean Sherman as a Sioux chief. He is a Sioux chef.”
1. IEDs or IUDs? GQ’s November correction:
“NOTE: This story has been updated. Alexander Vindman received a Purple Heart after being wounded by an IED, or improvised explosive device, not an IUD, or intrauterine device. We regret the error.“
