Error policy created to improve accuracy

I was sitting with two of our top editors awhile back and we were

discussing a spate of errors that had plagued the newspaper.

Misspellings, typos, busted headlines, wrong information in

captions.

How can we stop these errors, I wanted to know.

To me it seems neither fruitful or morale building to just

verbally beat up my staff each time an error occurs. It doesn’t

really stop the errors and instead can create an atmosphere of

tension. Furthermore, I know my staff is hard-working and tries to

avoid errors anyway, so there had to be a better way to clean up our

act.

I asked these two top editors, Managing Editor S.J. Cahn and News

Desk Chief and Art Director Joey Santos, to give me suggestions.

Tell me how we can hold people accountable for the mistakes they

make but do it in a fair and equitable way, I pleaded.

What they came up with isn’t revolutionary in newsrooms but hadn’t

been instituted here in all my time with this paper.

They came up with a policy that spells out the consequences of

making errors, while giving room for mistakes that all of us are

capable of.

Well, maybe not all. There are a couple readers, especially former

English professors, who take glee in pointing out our errors. But I

guess they are either perfect or have never worked at a newspaper,

where they’d have a more-than-humbling epiphany I’m sure.

So without further ado, here is the Daily Pilot’s official error

policy in its entirety:

OBJECTIVE

Among the many principles upon which our community-based

newspapers are based, accuracy stands as integral to our continued

success. Failing to get things right will erode our readers’ sense of

our fairness and balance, our commitment to quality and our place as

the newspapers of record in the cities we serve. Formalizing how we

handle errors will improve our papers substantially, in a variety of

ways:

* First, of course, by reducing the number and frequency of

errors.

* By establishing the need to address how and why errors happened,

discussion and monitoring will create an environment where problems

can and should be addressed immediately.

* By creating a fair and balanced way to deal with problems that,

in turn, creates a fair and equitable work environment.

BASIC GUIDELINE

The error policy allows for five “major” errors in a three-month

period before corrective action and/or coaching are taken. Errors of

greater severity can warrant immediate corrective action

Errors fall into two distinct categories:

* Minor errors: These include minor typos or other insignificant

mistakes, as judged by supervisors. Two such minor errors within a

three-month period will count as one “major” error for tracking

within the error policy.

* Major errors: These include errors of fact: misspellings of

names or places; incorrect locations in stories; incorrect dates.

These also include typos or misspellings in front-page cutlines or

subhead text and in any headline as well as other mistakes in display

type.

UNPUBLISHED ERRORS

A separate category of errors are ones that are, thankfully,

caught before they make it into print. However, repeated errors

caught before publication can be considered a “major” error.

OTHER ISSUES

Other substantial problems, including plagiarism or willful

disregard for ensuring the accuracy of our papers. A single,

significant error that compromises the reputation of the papers or

stories that, as a whole, provide an erroneous portrait of the news

also will be dealt with seriously.

SOURCE OF ERRORS

An important aspect to this policy is the fair attribution of

errors to the appropriate party. Errors would be tracked back to the

person who made it, whether it be a reporter, editor or photographer.

In some cases, perhaps no one will be assigned blame. In an extreme

case, more than one person might be determined to be at fault.

CORRECTIVE ACTION

When someone surpasses the limit of five “major” errors within a

three-month period, supervisors will discipline and work with the

journalist to improve his or her error rate. Other action includes a

probationary period and other steps are taken if the person continues

to have problems with accuracy. Significant errors or poor job

performance can supersede the policy and require corrective action

or, in extreme cases, termination.

So that’s it. It may not be perfect, but it does get the point

across.

No one is perfect, but holding everyone to a higher standard is

something that will reduce the errors and increase our repour within

the community.

So far, the error policy has been met with appreciation by

reporters, photographers and editors alike, who agree it was needed

and believe its presence will make them better journalists.

After all, that’s all we really want to be.