MOST PRINT newspapers and magazines run corrections. These note mistakes both large and small. But as more people read news online, corrections face big changes.
"A correction is something news outlets do to set the record straight," says Anne Glover. She worked as a digital content editor and taught at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in Florida. The institute publishes lists of the worst—and the funniest—new corrections.
Not Always Right
How often are stories wrong? Scott Maier is a professor emeritus at the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications. He researched errors and corrections in the news media. His study looked at 4,800 news stories and found errors in about 60 percent of them. "Errors are more common than journalists believe," he says.
Most mistakes in the news are quite small. Think a misspelled name. Why print corrections? Maier says it's to convey the idea that "we may not always get it right, but when we do make an error, we correct it prominently, and we correct it quickly."
As It's Happening
Dit verhaal komt uit de Muse February 2025: Waht Misteak? editie van Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
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Dit verhaal komt uit de Muse February 2025: Waht Misteak? editie van Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Al abonnee? Inloggen
HOUSE OF CARDS
TRY THE PERFECT EXPERIMENT—AND THEN REFLECT ON HOW IT WENT.
ACCIDENTALLY Delicious
Have you ever been really hungry, but there wasn't much to eat in your kitchen? Did you throw together a bunch of stuff you had on hand and were pleasantly surprised when it tasted good?
IS YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FEED TOO PERFECT?
EVERYONE'S LIFE CAN APPEAR PERFECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. On YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and similar apps, people tend to share their happiest, most picturesque moments. They carefully compose any text to get the message just right. They use filters and enhancements to glam up images and videos. The app sorts the posts with the most likes and comments to the top. The end result? All you see of others' lives is the best of the best.
Art ALERT!
THE CASE OF THE MASTERPIECE THAT WASN'T
MARYAM ZARINGHALAM
SCIENCE POLICY FELLOW AND WRITER
Lost Cat Treks More Than 800 Miles to Get Home
Rayne Beau (pronounced RANE-BO, as in \"rainbow\") is a two-year-old Siamese cat.
EASY AS ABC
But in number theory, well, it's complicated.
That Wanaka Tree Gets a Companion
\"THAT WANAKA TREE,\" AS IT'S CALLED, IS A FAMOUS WILLOW TREE THAT GROWS OUT OF LAKE WANAKA ON THE SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND.
Two College Students Devise Smart Glasses That Can ID People
YOU'RE WAITING FOR THE SUBWAY WITH A COUPLE OF YOUR FRIENDS.
Two Comb Jellies Can Fuse Their Bodies Together to Become One
COMB JELLIES ARE GELATIN-LIKE AND MOSTLY SEETHROUGH INVERTEBRATES, OR ANIMALS WITHOUT A BACKBONE, THAT FLOAT IN THE OCEAN NEAR SHORE.
