Horrible New York Times correction?

[Kayaugstin Kott]

Any correction is regrettable and it sucks — but if this falls as "horrible" on your scale, I'd like to see what you think of actual horrible corrections. ... The type that make Romenesko and such.

 

[DeskMonkey1]

I bet none of you have quoted a man who'd been dead for more than two years....

 

[da man]

Wasn't there an obit of a famous person awhile back that was written by a dead guy? You know how papers often have obits written ahead of time for certain older high-profile types so they can plug them in quickly when that person dies. I seem to recall one of them running with the byline of a writer who had himself pashed away before the obit was used.

Am I losing my mind or does anyone else remember that?

 

[DeskMonkey1]

It seems I remember hearing about that but like you I can't place where I heard it

 

[MNgremlin]

Wasn't there an obit of a famous person awhile back that was written by a dead guy? You know how papers often have obits written ahead of time for certain older high-profile types so they can plug them in quickly when that person dies. I seem to recall one of them running with the byline of a writer who had himself pashed away before the obit was used.

Am I losing my mind or does anyone else remember that?

Elizabeth Taylor's obituary, written by Mel Gussow

New York Times Obit Writer for Elizabeth Taylor Died Six Years Ago - Speakeasy - WSJ

 

[da man]

Elizabeth Taylor's obituary, written by Mel Gussow

New York Times Obit Writer for Elizabeth Taylor Died Six Years Ago - Speakeasy - WSJ

Thank you. I feel better now.

 

[MTM]

So you went into an NFL locker room and didn't have any clue who any of the Detroit Lions where? At minimum, you have to know for or five starters on each side of the ball. You should know them all if it's a division game. Maybe not the o-linemen. Right?

Was that supposed to be in blue font? How he supposed to recognize players who come into town once a year, at most.

I used to cover NHL and visiting team writers and team PR staff were usually helpful in IDing guys, especially the rookie who scored his first goal or the third-liner who had a strong game.

 

[Batman]

So you went into an NFL locker room and didn't have any clue who any of the Detroit Lions where? At minimum, you have to know for or five starters on each side of the ball. You should know them all if it's a division game. Maybe not the o-linemen. Right?

Settle down, Beavis. If he's anything like me, I'm sure he knew names, positions and favorite foods but didn't necessarily spend an hour staring at the Lions media guide like Liam Neeson on the plane to Paris in "Taken," burning their faces into his brain so he'd recognize them on sight.
Shoot, I cover a handful of high schools for a living and there's people I have to remind myself who they are when I see them in the wild, without a jersey on.

 

[Dave Kindred]

Another obit writer dead before the obit's subject: Red Smith, died January '82, on Jack Dempsey, died June '83....also in the Times.

 

[HanSenSE]

We had a high school basketball team make a coaching change, new coach and old coach both had the same first name, so of course, first game of theirs I cover I quote the new coach and use the old coach's name.
It was embarrashing to be sure, but we ran a correction and I apologized the next time I saw the coach. He told me not to worry about it and in fact, the players got a kick out of it.

Doing an American Legion ball preview one summer, called one player by his brother's name. The brother had played for the same team before. Alas, I fed the story to a paper in our chain in the player's hometown, and no one caught it except the editor, when it was too late. When she called, I told her, "I've known that family for years, when we see each other at the ballgame, we'll probably both have a good laugh." And, we did.

 

[PTOWN]

You don't have to burn faces into memory, but you could pick out one or two guys before you go into the locker room instead of shuffling around like a mope asking "talk about" questions and then bothering other reporters with "Hey, who was that guy?" But that's just me. To each their own.