Mistakes we’ve made a few
Most people hate the media, whether it’s for bias they think they see (It’s amazing how many times the same story can get complaints from all sides of the political spectrum) or other factors. We strive for accuracy, but we often fail (myself included). No one likes to be told they’ve made a mistake and it’s understandable to feel embarrassed. Too often though, whether in media or government or anywhere else, the first response is to get defensive. No matter whether you report a mistake gently or with sarcasm, people often view it as an attack instead of a teachable moment.
I happen to be an entertainment junkie with an insane amount of statistical information lodged in my brain, so I happen to spot errors of those kind more often that most. Others have that ability with sports statistics. In fact, I’ve said for years that if I could get a nickel for every Oscar mistake I’ve spotted in national publications or on the wires, I’d be very rich. (For further reference: Al Gore is not an Oscar winner. People write it and TV talking heads say it all the time, but though his documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” did win the Oscar, the prize went to the film’s director, Davis Guggenheim, not Gore.) What worries me and probably all readers are the alarming number of factual errors I catch just by virtue of my knowledge. Imagine all the errors that could be floating out there in subject matters in which I don’t have such familiarity.
Entertainment errors may seem minor in the long run, but it seems to me that in this great Internet age, it’s easier to check these facts than ever. Awards such as the Oscars, the Tonys and the Emmys all have official Web sites with easy searches for quick fact checking. The Grammys on the other hand, much like the award itself, leaves a lot to be desired in terms of its awards search capabilities.
This post has two points. For the readers: If you spot something you think is wrong and find that it is wrong, tell the news source in question. For my fellow journalists: Don’t be so defensive. Accuracy is your friend and should be your goal. Everybody makes mistakes — I’ve made plenty myself — but don’t view the reporting of them as personal attacks. One of my errors that still haunts me is when I reviewed the movie “Hard-Boiled” years ago. I said the crooks in the film were drug smugglers when they were gun smugglers. A simple lapse between my brain and my fingers, but it still makes me cringe to think about it.
By Scott Schuldt, Staff Writer
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