Reuters journo issues one heck of a correction
David Cay Johnston is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author. And, in his own words, he recently made a mega "bonehead error".
David Cay Johnston us a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author. And, in his own words, he recently made a mega "bonehead error". As he says, his premier article for Reuters was "100 per cent dead wrong." The article in question, premised on News Corp's taxes, he says, was based on a misreading on the company's disclosure reports: "For the first time in my 45-year-old career I am writing a skinback." What follows is a lengthy explanation of how the experienced journo approached the story, made the flub, and what big lesson he's since learned:
"I often write tart notes at the Romenesko blog for journalists, the Columbia Journalism Review, Nieman Reports and elsewhere about what I consider flawed reporting by others. I lecture to young reporters around the world on the duty of care they need to take with facts and teach how to check and cross check. Until now I have never made a big mistake, but this is a painful reminder that we all put our pants on one leg at a time. The measure of character, I say in my posts and lectures, is whether when an error is found you forthrightly and promptly correct."
You can find the whole thing — but not the original article — on Reuters.
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