A change to a panel headline in later editions last week gave an misleading impression of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s byelection record. The headline, which changed from “Byelection results” to “Byelection results under Jeremy Corbyn”, ran over a graphic showing results from the past five contests, four of which Labour lost.There have been 10 byelections since Mr Corbyn became Labour leader in September 2015. Labour has won six, the Conservatives three and the Lib Dems one. An accompanying piece reporting on voter attitudes in Halifax incorrectly placed the town in South Yorkshire. It’s in West Yorkshire. (“People are seeing the Tories as not being the nasty party any more”, News, pages 8-9).
A piece on football stadiums last week confused measurements when it asked, tongue in cheek, if Spurs would disappear in the “added square meterage of an average family bathroom” when they move to a larger pitch next year. The current Spurs pitch is five metres shorter and one metre narrower than the one in their new home. We meant to say that the added “corridor” on one side of the pitch was merely as deep as an average family bathroom (“Nothing sweet about a cursed new home”, Sport, page 20).
Write to Stephen Pritchard, Readers’ Editor, the Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU, email observer.readers@observer.co.uk tel 020 3353 4656
