I made a wee bit of difference in the Clarke story. *GRIN*

mouse7

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Sat Mar-27-04 10:12 PM
Original message

I got the New Your Times and Washington Post to correct some errors in their Clarke testimony transcripts! COOL!

It's not a big thing, but when you're disabled and for the most stuck at home, it gets hard to feel like you matter, sometimes, if you know what I mean.

Anyway... here's what both paper had in their transcripts and the e-mail I sent off to both papers.

"...THOMPSON: Well, what it suggests to me is that there is one standard of candor and morality for White House special assistants and another standard of candor and morality for the rest of America.

THOMPSON: I don't think it's a question of morality at all. I think it's a question of politics.

CLARKE: Well, I...

(APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: I'm not a Washington insider. I've never been a special assistant in the White House. I'm from the Midwest. So I think I'll leave it there...."
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That's a terrible error. Clarke is the person who said "I think it's a question of politics."

Sounds like you have someone in your transcript service that doesn't like anyone but Republicans getting applause. It's a blatent error that reeks of political bias. Errors like that aren't accidents.

Get it fixed. NOW.

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Well, I sent them off using an e-mail account I don't use a whole lot. I just checked that mail and found these in my box...

"Ombudsman Internet DropBox" <ombudsman@washpost.com>
Subject: Re: Terrible error in your transcript of Clarke testimony
To: "mouse cheese" <m0use7@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 12:33:42 -0500

thanks. i think you are right. i've forwarded it to the national
security
editor.

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Subject: Clarke's testimony
To: m0use7@yahoo.com
From: "Mark Stencel" <stencelm@washpost.com> Add to Address Book
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 13:27:11 -0500

Mike Getler, our ombudsman, forwarded your note about the error in the transcript of Mr. Clarke's testimony. The attribution error was made by the transcription service used by us and other media organizations and was obviously overlooked by us in editing the text for the Web. It's been fixed now, thanks to alert readers like yourself, and a correction will also be added to that page noting that the error has been corrected.

Many thanks
for your note. -- Mark Stencel

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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 13:30:14 -0500
To: "mouse cheese" <m0use7@yahoo.com>
From: "Public" <public@nytimes.com> Add to Address Book
Subject: Re: Terrible error in your transcript of Clarke testimony

Dear Mouse Cheese,

Do you have the link to this part of the transcript?

Sincerely,
Arthur Bovino
Office of the Public Editor
The New York Times

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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 13:45:46 -0500
To: "mouse cheese" <m0use7@yahoo.com>
From: "Public" <public@nytimes.com> Add to Address Book
Subject: Re: Terrible error in your transcript of Clarke testimony

Dear Mouse Cheese,

This mistake has been corrected. See the link below:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/24/politics/24CND-PTEX.html?pagewanted=68

Thank you for the heads up and thank you for keeping The Times to high standards.

Sincerely,
Arthur Bovino
Office of the Public Editor

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