Do we just see ‘the tip of the iceberg’ of newspaper errors?

The average newspaper should expand by a factor of 50 the amount of space given to corrections, according to an item posted by Slate editor-at-large Jack Shafer. Shafer’s column cites a recent study by Scott Maier, an associate professor at the University of Oregon, that also found that fewer than 2 percent of factually flawed articles had generated newspaper corrections. The study explored data from 10 dailies by sending stories to sources to check on the articles’ accuracy. About 69 percent of 3,600 news sources completed the survey, spotting 2,615 factual errors in 1,220 stories. Shafer takes the discussion a step further – discussing the merits of fessing up to errors and pointing out that papers might actually take pride in posting more corrections rather than assuming that an increase reflects growing negligence. To see Shafer’s column, click here: http://www.slate.com/id/2172283/nav/fix.