Has a journalist, blogger, influencer or media outlet reported incorrectly about you, your business or your firm? Perhaps a quote was misconstrued, a name misspelled or a situation described incorrectly. Sometimes mistakes are minor, but other times, they could have serious implications. What should do you do?
As AI and other media-related trends accelerate, this is a good time to take a fresh look at how to handle such moments.
Maintaining your relationships with reporters
Keep in mind that reporters are humans and mistakes happen, especially in the age of 24/7 news coverage. It is hard to receive criticism, so knowing when and how to ask a journalist for a correction is key to maintaining an ongoing relationship.
First and foremost, be careful about assigning blame — be sure the error was the reporter’s fault. Reporters and editors typically verify and double-check details, so it’s possible that wrong information was provided. The error also could have occurred in the copyediting phase, especially with more and more publications outsourcing that process and even doing without proofreading altogether.
Is your correction justified?
You might not like the way your quote reads in the context of the article, how your firm or company is portrayed, or the tone of the article, but it’s only appropriate to ask for a correction when there are factual errors. A reporter’s credibility is on the line and they appreciate knowing about mistakes, especially in instances of misspellings, incorrect titles, wrong descriptions, statistical errors, etc. In fact, publications such as the New York Times have systems in place to handle corrections; the Times “recognizes an ethical responsibility to promptly correct all factual errors, large and small.” For online articles and blog postings, it is generally easy to correct errors in real time.
Mind those manners
When asked for a correction, the reporter or editor may feel embarrassed, so be polite and gracious. Digging into, lecturing or insulting the reporter isn’t the best course of action. Keep your emotions in check while politely pointing out the inaccuracy, giving the reporter the right information and asking them to run a correction.
Correction vs. retraction
Sometimes the terms correction and retraction can be confusing. A retraction is an admission that a reporter or media outlet got the story completely wrong, so the story gets retracted; essentially canceled. A correction is a factual error to set right an inaccuracy that did not take away from the main point of an article. News stories also often evolve as new information becomes available. Reporters may update or clarify details based on subsequent developments.
AI and journalism — today’s increasing challenge
The use of AI in content creation and journalism is currently a topic of discussion and experimentation in the media industry. AI technologies can generate articles based on data inputs and algorithms, but they are supposed to be supervised by human editors to ensure accuracy and quality. AI technologies may struggle to grasp the nuances of language, culture and context that human journalists naturally understand. This can lead to misinterpretation of statements, events or cultural references. For instance, in 2023 the news outlet CNET issued corrections last year after using an AI-powered tool to help write dozens of stories. The editor then published an editorial about what they learned from their mistakes.
Don’t be afraid to point out an inaccuracy. You do want stories about your firm to be reported accurately, but a key part of public relations is creating and nurturing relationships with the press. A heavy-handed approach, such as demanding corrections, could set back a relationship and do more long-term harm to your public relations efforts than the short-term damage caused by a factual error in an article.
Faced with an awkward media situation? Contact me at laltman@jaffepr.com.