How to screw up and admit it
: Reader Patrick Hynes emails me a comparative study in newspaper corrections.
In the “Do’s” column, put Dan Okrent’s correction this Sunday:
In my June 27 column, I described Nigel Hamilton’s “Bill Clinton: An American Journey” as a “full-frontal attack.” This characterization came from my reliance on a review by critic Michiko Kakutani. She may be right, but given that I’ve never read the book, it was stupid of me to characterize it with such glib surety.
In the Don’t’s column, put Washington Post Baghdad bureau chief Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s 12-graf “explanation” for falsely reporting that Paul Bremer did not give a farewell address to the Iraqi people. “I screwed up; sorry” should have summed it up. But check out the full length of his effort to spread the blame on Scott Johnson’s blog.
