When Reporters Make Mistakes
Reporters will occasionally get something wrong. It's your job to determine whether correcting the mistake is a wise battle to choose.
BY DAVID P. BLANCHETTE

What To Do
• Determine if the mistake will cause major problems
• Gather facts and supporting documentation
• Contact the reporter and calmly explain the problems the mistake may cause
• Consider a letter to the editor, but do not hurl blame or accusations
• Do not threaten legal action

Alas, life is not always a bed of roses, and dealing with the news media is not always a pleasurable experience. Anyone who regularly deals with the media has either been misquoted, ambushed or has seen a story appear that has only a passing resemblance to what you and the reporter discussed.

What can be done to correct these problems? Better yet, what can be done to prevent these problems from occurring?

If a reporter gets a few minor details wrong in a story, it is usually wise to simply let it pass. However, if there are major problems with the accuracy of a story, you might want to take some action. Gather your facts and supporting documentation. Contact the reporter either by telephone or in person and calmly explain the problem, using the facts you have assembled. Avoid emotional outbursts. Be sure to emphasize, without pointing the finger of blame, what problems the inaccuracy might cause (e.g., people might show up for the wrong date, potential donors may reconsider making contributions, the address or phone number are wrong, etc.).

When approaching a reporter with a mistake, think for a moment how you would feel if someone you had just met came into your office and said that you were doing your job incorrectly. Is there anything they could say to "soften the blow?" Keep this in mind when asking a reporter to correct a mistake.

Most news organizations will run a correction if the original story causes serious problems for an organization, but you must often convince them that the potential problems are serious enough to warrant a correction.

A letter to the editor may be used to correct erroneous information, and often the letters are some of the most widely read pieces in a newspaper. Again, avoid accusations and stick to the task at hand: correcting the information. When you criticize a newspaper on the very pages upon which it is printed, you run the risk of offending editors, publishers and reporters. In addition, following particularly critical letters, newspapers may print an editor's note that makes the letter writer seem like a buffoon. This is the journalistic equivalent of taping a "kick me" sign to your organization's back.

Don't threaten a lawsuit, because your lawsuit will fail unless you can prove malice on the part of the reporter, editor or other staff members. And don't threaten to go to the organization's advertisers, unless you are prepared to have an adversarial relationship with the news media for the rest of your professional life. (Trust me, you don't want that.)

Remember, every reporter occasionally gets something wrong, and true journalists never intentionally report false information. Journalists are in the accuracy business and, like other professions, sometimes business is good, and sometimes it's bad. 

DAVID P. BIANCHETTE
is the public information officer for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. He has nine years or experience as a news reporter and another ten years handling media relations for Illinois state government. This article is reprinted with permission from Blanchelle's recently released book Impress the Press' News Media Relations tor Small Businesses and Organization:, To order, send $19.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling to Impress the Press, David P. Blanchelte, P.O. Box 2332, Springfield, (1 62705-2332. Check or Master Card/Visa accepted.

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