December 23, 2022
The Times Deeply Regrets These Errors
By Alfie Kohn
Due to an editing error, an obituary on Saturday incorrectly described Thomas R. McKeown as having lived in Longfield, NJ. He actually lived in East Longfield. Additionally, Mr. McKeown has not yet died.
An account in Sunday’s Vows section of Elizabeth “Tipsy” Wagglesworth’s wedding to Maria Guttierez contained a typographical error. The bride’s mother was reported to have offered a toast in which she said, “At a time when our society is riven by acrimony and bigotry, it does one’s heart good to celebrate a pure love that crosses boundaries, ignores prejudices, and calls us all back to our better selves.” In fact, the bride’s mother was grimly silent throughout the ceremony.
Editor’s note: As a result of an intern’s prank, all of the articles, columns, reviews, letters, photographs, maps, and advertisements in last Saturday’s paper consisted of the corresponding content in that day’s Wall Street Journal. The intern, A. G. Sulzberger VII, has been sternly requested to notify the editors if he intends to do this again.
A review of an experimental theater production in last Sunday’s Arts section contained a claim that “no one can imagine the effect on an audience of staring at a blank screen on stage while listening to a recording of a raindrop for more than 40 minutes.” Subsequent reporting has revealed that just about everyone can imagine the effect of doing this.
An article last Thursday about new restaurants opening in Tajikistan stated that “Qurghonteppe M. Kabirirakh, a long-time customer, has lived in Tajikistan, which is located in western Africa, ever since World War II began in 1958, and is now 46 years old.” Mr. Kabirirakh’s middle initial is actually N. The Times regrets the error.
Due to an oversight, the slogan “All the news that’s fit to print” on the front page has not yet been updated to read “All the podcasts, newsletters, videos, AR demos, apps, puzzles, and recipes that are fit to post.”
An article in Friday’s Science section contained a passage explaining that “To evaluate the domains targeted by the S protein-specific GC response after vaccination, recombinant monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were generated from single-cell sorted S-binding GC B cells as defined by the surface marker phenotype CD19+ CD3– IgDlo CD20hi CD38int CD71+CXCR5+ lymphocytes.” That passage should have read as follows: “Loud coughing may disturb your spouse.”
The clue for 43-Across in last Saturday’s crossword puzzle, “A _______,” should have read “The ________.”
A photograph intended to accompany a news article about climate change on Tuesday was entirely black because the photographer inadvertently neglected to remove the lens cap. Also, rather than appearing alongside the intended article, it was published in the Times Cooking Newsletter, next to a recipe for frozen kale dessert pops. The Times acknowledges being slightly amused by the error.
A review of the book “Master of the Game: Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy” accidentally neglected to mention that Kissinger is a war criminal who, in a just world, would have spent the last 45 years in a dungeon.
Editor’s note: A highly flattering profile of Senator Baxter Smithee, Jr., published on April 9, was written by reporter Baxter Smithee III. Editors had assumed the similarity between the two names was coincidental. It was not.
The results of the quarterfinal match played at Wimbledon in 1983 were listed as 4-1, 3-0, 3-2, 2-1, 4-3, 2-1, and 3-0, respectively. In fact, these were the scores from the PGA golf tournament played several years earlier. The editor under whose auspices this error occurred has been posthumously reprimanded.
Janine Delisle, professor of linguistics at Oral Roberts University, was misquoted in last Tuesday’s Science Times. She did not say, “‘Firefly’ and ‘lightning bug’ are synonymous and therefore completely interchangeable.” Dr. Delisle actually said, “‘Lightning bug’ and ‘firefly’ are synonymous and therefore completely interchangeable.” The Times deeply regrets the error.
An item in Thursday’s corrections column stating that all of the items printed in Wednesday’s corrections column were inaccurate, and that the original articles in question were accurate, was inaccurate. Those items were indeed inaccurate, whereas this correction is not.
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