A total of four corrections for conservative NYT op-ed columnists William Kristol and David Brooks. [E&P]
Alexei Barrionuevo, the Times scribe who's been outed as, at least, a two-time plagiarist, was called out for a third article about Canada and Chile's salmon industries. Today? The requisite correction that onlookers knew was coming.
An article on March 27 reported on a virus, infectious salmon anemia, or I.S.A., killing millions of salmon cultivated for export by Chile’s salmon farming industry. It quoted an official at the port of Castro, Chile, describing bags of fish food stored at the facility by Marine Harvest, a Norwegian company, as containing antibiotics, pigments and hormones. The official, Adolfo Flores, identified himself as the port director. He in fact worked as a security guard, The Times learned subsequently. Had The Times been aware of his actual position at the time, it would not have cited him as an authority on the contents of the bags, which were labeled medicated food. The article also should have noted that Marine Harvest and SalmonChile, an industry association, deny that they use hormones or that the pigments they use pose any risk to consumers.
You sort of expect to read plagiarized articles, columns, and books in newspapers, magazines, and websites around the world. But do you expect to read copied work submitted by … children? In the Washinton Post? "One of the poems that KidsPost published April 29 as part of its poetry contest was not written by the child who submitted it. The poem that appeared as “Horrible, Just Horrible” was actually written by Shel Silverstein and is titled “One Out of Sixteen.” The child who sent in the poem originally told KidsPost that it was her work. Another poem on the page, titled “Eraser,” was inspired by, but not credited to, Louis Phillips, who wrote “The Eraser Poem.”" [WaPo via RTE]
The New York Times' review of The Hills was updated today with this printed correction: "A television review on Monday about The Hills, on MTV, gave an incorrect identification in some editions for the character who has Whitney as a close friend and colleague. She is Lauren, not Heidi." Two surprises: The article wasn't written by Alessandra Stanley, and the correction did not apply to the part where Heidi was called a "feminist hero."
CORRECTIONS That New York Times blog post you read about Ron Paul might have implied that he’s a racist, but he’s not! He’s never even met with those white supremacists who are supporting his campaign. Plus, he has a blimp. According a recent poll, the two most important issues for voters this election are non-racism and blimp ownership. Ron Paul in ’08! [NYT]
Last night we finally picked up the New Yorker. Jonathan Lethem’s story was weird, and frankly if the New Yorker didn’t run an excerpted version of Fortress of Solitude, which admittedly made us cry back then, there’s no way, no way, it would have gotten into this issue.
Lizzie Widdicombe had another classic Talk of the Town piece. Just because she’s good doesn’t mean we resent her any less for regularly publishing in the New Yorker 18 months after graduating Harvard.
And Malcolm Gladwell was back to his pre-Tipping Point days in his piece on I.Q. tests. In other words, we enjoyed him again. But apparently we were mistaken. CONTINUED »
If there's one thing we here at Jossip never get tired of, it's heartwarming tales of how the rich get richer. Which is why we were thrilled to read all about how ambiguously gay designer type Tommy Hilfiger bought his oceanfront East Hampton summer home for $18 million last May, and just sold it for a staggering $26.5 million.
That's "more than $8 million profit!" Page Six excitedly points out. (Also known as $8.5 million). As it turns out, however, there's an excellent explanation for the sudden increase in property value. And it has to do with some combination of Mariah Carey and a cornucopia of bathrooms.
Sunday Styles messed up big time. Stephanie Rosenbloom’s piece on vajayjay claimed that the word originated on Grey’s Anatomy. In fact, the expression was used six years earlier according to a commenter on Fimoculous:
MC Paul Barman song 'MTV get off the air pt.2' from his 2000 EP It's Very Stimulating, in which he trades retardedly brilliant sex rhymes with Princess Superstar. Among other gems, this appears towards the end of the song: ‘Lady, one more complaint/and I'll shove a rape-whistle up the Mrs. Va-J-J.
Rape-whistle exploitation always leads to scandal.
One would think Jenna Bush's real life foibles would not need inflating. One would be wrong.
From the Times:
Correction: October 1, 2007
An article on Saturday about the publication of a new book by Jenna Bush, a daughter of President and Mrs. Bush, referred incorrectly to her involvement with under-age drinking. Ms. Bush was cited twice for under-age drinking, but was never arrested. The article also referred incorrectly to a widely publicized photograph of Ms. Bush taken in 2004. She stuck her tongue out at members of the news media, not at Secret Service agents.
Phew, glad that was cleared up.
"An obituary on Saturday about the writer Madeleine L’Engle, author of 'A Wrinkle in Time,' misspelled the surname of that book’s heroine. She is Meg Murry, not Murray." One can only hope the fictional Ms. Murry was mollified by the correction. [NYT]
Whilst browsing the Weddings/Celebrations section of this Sunday's New York Times, we couldn't help but notice what may well be the most amazing correction ever written on page 21. Without wanting to unnecessarily delay your enjoyment, we've decided to omit a clumsily written introduction and simply—and cheerfully—reproduce it below, for your utmost reading pleasure.
A report on Oct. 24 1988, about the marriage of Amy Levine and David Abrams, misstated where the bride received her undergraduate degree. She graduated from Brown University, not Boston University. Amy Abrams only recently called attention to the error.
Thanks for finally setting the record straight, Amy. And here we've spent the past nineteen years berating you for attending a non-Ivy. [NYT]
Ever fondled a child? Been incorrectly pegged as a size 16? Lied about your alma mater to get your wedding announcement in the Times? If so, there's an excellent chance your life is already as good as over. Either that or Clark Hoyt is just short on material this week.
According to a research study conducted by Professor Scott R. Meier (and highlighted by Slate's Jack Shafer) only 2% of "flawed articles" are later corrected.
When asked for her opinion on the new study, a somewhat vindicated Alessandra Stanley replied, "Ha! Looks like instead of lambasting me for my litany of errors, you guys should actually be praising me for my honesty and forthrightness".
She then immediately issued a correction.
[Slate]
Did you read last week's New York Times Sunday's Style section? Of course you did! And, knowing you as we do, you paid particular notice to the Wedding/Celebration section, particularly to the announcement of Ikeolu Gbadegesin and Oreoluwa Adetunji Adeyemi's nuptials, where you especially noticed the part describing Gbadegesin's academic honors.
If not, let us refresh your memory.
Ms. Gbadegesin, 29, was, until May, a senior international lawyer at the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a government agency that provides grants to poor countries. She will begin working next month as an associate in the London office of the New York law firm White & Case. She received bachelor’s and law degrees from Harvard and graduated magna cum laude from both schools.
Ah, another high-performing Harvard law school graduate finds love, or so it seems. 'But wait!' warns a tipster. Gbadegesin's academic achievements might not be quite as impressive as they appear.
Remember yesterday when Page Six inexplicably took down an item about Michael Bublé striking out with (his girlfriend!) Emily Blunt? Well today, the red-faced Sixers attempt to make it up to the happy couple by publishing this open apology.
We Struck Out
SPIES who saw Michael Bublé and Emily Blunt at the Hotel Costes K in Paris were badly mistaken when they saw
Bublé "strike out" with the lovely lass - as was Page Six for reporting the "incident." Bublé's rep told us the low-key twosome "have been together for two years" and "are a lovely couple." As for our spy saying he wore a "ridiculous" vest, Blunt told us via a rep, "I thought he looked very cute in the vest." Contrary to reports elsewhere, the two are not engaged, although she's a backup singer on his new album, "Call Me Irresponsible."
You gotta admire Page Six for having the chutzpah to entitle their consolatory item, "We Struck Out." Meanwhile, we're just hoping someone can send us a picture of this "ridiculous" (or not-so-ridiculous!) vest.
Until then, we prefer to think of Bublé's ensembly-challenged wardrobe as being inspired by fashion icons Screech Powers and Ducky (from Pretty in Pink). And we prefer to think of Emily Blunt as in denial.
Have a chance to read today's Page Six? If not, you may be surprised to receive a scary error message should you click on a (now inactive) link to this morning's "A Swing And A Miss" item.
Fortunately, we've taken the liberty of copying and pasting the item here, for your convenience:
Corny crooner Michael Bublé isn't entirely the ladies' man he fancies himself to be. The never-bashful balladeer was spotted 'boasting to anyone who would listen' in the bar at the Hotel Costes K in Paris the other night, 'wearing this ridiculous vest and bragging to everyone about how women fall all over him and how amazing he is,' our witness reports. But when he tried out his moves by flirting with Emily Blunt, who was also at the hotel, he completely struck out.
Although we can only speculate as to the official reason for the item's removal, we do know a few things for certain, namely:
(1) Michael Bublé and Emily Blunt are currently dating, and have been for the past three or so years.
(2) Like most couples who have been together for three or so years, Michael Bublé and Emily Blunt have probably had sexual relations.
(3) Said relations were probably consensual.
Newspaper fuck up chronicler Regret The Error leads in to the end-of-the-year listicle scene with a compilation of the year's biggest errors of judgment, overlookings, and general idiocy. Like this one from the Delaware News Journal:
An article in Sunday’s Local section on the estate sale of former Gov. Elbert Carvel quoted Olin Vanaman of Wilmington about his excitement in purchasing 35 of the governor’s decanters during the auction, including one used at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. Vanaman said he used a slang term when describing Carvel as "a big boozer,” but he did not mean that the former governor was a heavy drinker. Vanaman refers to people who collect decanters as "boozers,” he explained, "the same as guys who collect cars are gear-heads.” No reference to drinking or the consumption of alcohol was intended in the article.
And, can you believe it, that was merely the runner up for Correction of the Year.
From today's Corrections in Slate:
In the Dec. 14 "Today's Blogs," Michael Weiss misidentified the final book of the Bible. It is called the Book of Revelation, not the Book of Revelations.
You see, Weiss (a Jew, we're guessing) so wanted to give Christians the benefit of the doubt: that they had more than one revelation. But alas, it just ain't so. Starbucks' Christmas blend may only come once a year, but Jesus loving zealots only get one revelation per universe.
Corrections [Slate]
Editorial Director
