It’s been around for a few months now, so maybe you’ve seen it, but if you haven’t you really should check it out. Regret the error is a daily compilation of corrections and clarifications from Canadian and US newspapers and magazines and even TV and radio stations.
Some, like this one from the Toronto Star, expose the occasional idiocy of major media outlets: Contrary to a story in today’s What’s On, Singer Lena Horne is not dead. The Star regrets the error.
And some, like this one from the Ottawa Citizen, are works of art in themselves: The Ottawa Citizen and Southam News wish to apologize for our apology to Mark Steyn, published Oct. 22. In correcting the incorrect statements about Mr. Steyn published Oct. 15, we incorrectly published the incorrect correction. We accept and regret that our original regrets were unacceptable and we apologize to Mr. Steyn for any distress caused by our previous apology.
Regret the error is edited by Craig Silverman, a Montreal writer and the guy behind Explainer, an excellent column that runs in Montreal’s alt-weekly, Hour.
Here’s Silverman reflecting on the unexpected success of Regret the error:
“I’ve also noticed that other blogs like Gawker are now paying attention to corrections. Perhaps I’ve had some small part in raising the profile of corrections, which otherwise remain tucked away and unnoticed. I think they can often say more than the story that spawned them — and they certainly demonstrate the areas in which the media falls short, such as when it comes to names, numbers and nuance.”