Is a correction needed?

[Smallpotatoes]

This afternoon I received an e-mail from somebody about a softball preview story that one of my stringers wrote.
The piece ran in last week's paper (I wonder why it took the reader so long to contact me. Maybe it took her that long to calm down).
It seems that a few players who are on the team were not named in the story. Maybe the stringer decided not to include them. Maybe the coach didn't give the stringer their names. I really don't know what happened. Either way, it seems like a judgement call, not a factual error.
Though our previews typically include the names of every player on the roster, it's not a hard-and-fast rule with me that every name must be in the story.
Is it worth questioning the stringer about this and should I run a correction on something that was a judgement call?

 

[friend of a friend]

No correction.

Hopefully, he didn't leave out the best players.

 

[wickedwritah]

I side with the others. Definitely no correction. Don't do phonebook journalism just because.

EDIT: Buck beat me to it.

 

[pallister]

If I ever have to cover a softball team again, I hope they have players named Betty Batter, Polly Pitcher and Suzy Stealer. They'll definitely make it into the paper.

 

[TwoGloves]

Absolutely not. Politely explain that writers only have so much space in the paper, they have to write a story that will interst all readers --- not just the players' family members --- and just because a kid is the worst player on a team doesn't mean he or she is entitled to get mentioned in the paper and then do my favorite and ask if getting publicity is why Jr. is involved in athletics. If all that fails, tell them to **** off.

 

[Ace]

smallp,

If you typically name every softball player in a preview story, the bigger issue is why are you forcing that down the throats of your readers?

Run a damn roster with your previews and hit only the highlights. How you gonna say something nice about Bettye, the sophomore outfielder who can barely tie her shoes, let alone catch or hit a ball?

As to your question, yes, you should talk to the stringer about it. If typically every name is included in the story, the stringer needs to know that beforehand. And if he did, you need to know why he chose not to include them or didn't get their names.

If every other story listed all the players and the coach gave your stringer all the names, I might consider listing them in a clarification as a goodwill gesture to keep the parents off the coach's back.

 

[Double Down]

It's not a correction or a clarification that Ace seeks. It's a reckoning.

 

[trifectarich]

No correction.

However, there could be several legit reasons why you're getting this call a week later. Maybe people are out of town on spring break, etc.

I once got a call from an article that had been published about six months earlier. This guy was using the newspaper for packing something in a box; he noticed something on one of the pages and gave me a call.

 

[Bob Slydell]

No correction needed unless names were misspelled.

And why do you have every player's name in a preview?

 

[txscoop]

dont ever listen to parents

 

[forever_town]

No correction needed. No clarification needed, unless you want to make a goodwill gesture. However, that opens up a whole can of worms that's best avoided.

If your shop has a policy about printing every player's name, that sounds like it's your shop's problem. BUT if your stringer knew the policy and didn't get every name and could have, it's the stringer's problem.

 

[DemoChristian]

Agree with the consensus here. Nobody "deserves" to have their name in the paper. We decide what is and is not newsworthy.

 

[Barsuk]

Damn, smalltaters, I'll bet your football previews get awfully long.

 

[Ace]

Agree with the consensus here. Nobody "deserves" to have their name in the paper. We decide what is and is not newsworthy.

So who made the decision in this case?

 

[DemoChristian]

Apparently the stringer decided. Of course, maybe the coach did by not telling the stringer about a few people.
Either way, I stand by my point. You don't get to have your name in the paper just because a parent says so.

 

[Ace]

Apparently the stringer decided. Of course, maybe the coach did by not telling the stringer about a few people.
Either way, I stand by my point. You don't get to have your name in the paper just because a parent says so.

So it's OK with you if stringers make willy nilly decisions about whose names go in the paper when the policy seems to be run them all?

I think the parent is standing on firmer ground here than the stringer.

 

[DemoChristian]

We still don't have a straight answer on the policy.
I agree with you there -- if such a policy exists, the stringer needs to follow it.
However, I find that to be a silly policy and I HATE it when parents tell me I have to do something. If they can make a sane argument, I'll listen, but if it turns into, "You need to do this," they can shove it.

 

[forever_town]

We decide what is and is not newsworthy.

I see where you're getting at, but that line makes you sound Godawfully arrogant. It's one of the huge complaints many of our readers have against us. Frankly, I think they're right about that.

 

[DemoChristian]

Maybe it does sound arrogant, but it is our job to decide what goes in the paper. That is what we are trained for.
Readers can suggest things. I'm not saying I won't do something just because it wasn't my idea, but I don't go into the doctor's office and tell them they MUST prescribe this medication, do I?

 

[Ace]

Maybe it does sound arrogant, but it is our job to decide what goes in the paper. That is what we are trained for.
Readers can suggest things. I'm not saying I won't do something just because it wasn't my idea, but I don't go into the doctor's office and tell them they MUST prescribe this medication, do I?

Yes, but if they charge everyone else $50 for the visit and the receptionist decides to charge you $200 is that OK with you? She decided that was gonna be the price.