Wed, 5 Feb 2003 -- Media Matters No. 23:
When asking for a correction may be the wrong move

When the reporter gets your facts incorrect, it is entirely proper to ask for a correction. Most newspapers, as we pointed out last time, are eager to correct mistakes.

But sometimes the situation may not be so clear cut.

For example, say the reporter writes a story about your project and really nails it cleanly. Really captures the spirit of what you are doing. But maybe he or she got a minor point incorrect, or left out your funding source. What do you do? You could call the reporter and demand that the inaccuracy be corrected and the omitted material be noted. But in so doing you might alienate a reporter who might be a good long-term partner in telling your story in the future.

You might consider this approach: Call the reporter and tell him or her that the story was great and you really appreciate the effort. Then you could tell him that, by the way, this minor point was a problem and that you want him to know in case it comes up again. And, no, it's probably not worth a formal correction.

That happened to us recently. A nationally syndicated columnist wrote an article on visit-ability and universal design. The story made all the important points and gave credit and resource information. But he apparently felt obliged to quote someone from our center, and garbled it. If he had to quote us at all, we wished he had got it right, but the story overall was well done. Writing a correction would have entailed far more space to explain than the columnist had for his column. And the quote was not critical in any case. We're delighted that he wrote the column, which appeared in newspapers across the country, spreading the message we wanted people to receive. We thanked him. And he'll probably revisit the issue in the future and we'll be eager to help him again.

Sometimes a reporter will get all the facts correct but get the "feel" or tone of the story all wrong. It's difficult to correct. Rather than complain to the editor or the reporter, a better approach might be to thank the reporter for doing the story, and ask for the time to talk more about it with her.

If you can't get anywhere with the reporter, talk to the ombudsman, if the newspaper has one. Again, a correction probably isn't the answer. But the ombudsman may talk to the reporter or her editor and another story may develop down the line that more accurately captures your reality.

In short: If the point is essential to the message and the reporter gets it wrong, insist on a correction. But if the mistake it not crucial, instead of demanding a correction, try using the opportunity to educate and build a positive relationship with the reporter.

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