Corrections

The NewStandard ceased publishing on April 27, 2007.

NewStandard Corrections Policy

Because The NewStandard considers accuracy and fairness among the most important elements of journalistic ethics and standards, significant corrections are posted prominently to the NewStandard homepage (where they remain for no less than 6 days). They are also appended to the item in question. All news organizations make errors, ranging from simple misspellings to wholly false statements. Unlike nearly all other news outlets, however, TNS endeavors to prominently expose its own errors, rather than burying them and letting them pass off into obscurity.

TNS considers "significant" any error which alters the meaning of any part of a news item. Inconsequential mistakes such as misspellings, grammar changes, unimportant dates, numbers or other figures, are always corrected immediately upon discovery and confirmation, but are not necessarily noted prominently on the homepage or appended to the article in question.

If you encounter a factual error in any TNS news story, please notify the editors by email at tns-editors at newstandardnews dot net.

This newly-created archive will soon contain all corrections made to TNS articles dating back to January 1, 2005.

April 27, 2007 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “Bottled Water Boycott Highlights Waste, Resource Depletion

The original version of this article said the FDA does not regulate water "sold and bought" within one state. In fact, the FDA does not regulate water that is bottled and sold within one state.


April 24, 2007 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “FDA Complicit in Pushing Prescription Drugs, Ad Critics Say

John Pippin was inaccurately identified as a “former physician� in the original version of this article. Pippin is still a physician and is on sabbatical from patient care while he serves as an adviser to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.


April 18, 2007 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Loophole Let Wal-Mart Evade $2.3B in Taxes*

The original version of this article misstated Wal-Mart's tax payments in Wisconsin as "about a third of one percent of Wal-Mart’s revenues in the state." In fact, the payments amounted to about a third of one percent of Wal-Mart’s profits, or taxable revenues, in the state.


April 18, 2007 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Salmon Advocates Say Kill Dams, Not Sea Lions*

This article originally stated that the lower Snake River dams generate about 1,200 megawatts of energy per year. It's actually 1,200 average megawatts of electricity.


April 18, 2007 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “Salmon Advocates Say Kill Dams, Not Sea Lions*

The original version of this article, Scott Simms was not identified as the spokesperson for the Bonneville Power Administration.


April 18, 2007 | Major Change

Correcting: “Loophole Let Wal-Mart Evade $2.3B in Taxes*

A poorly written headline originally misstated the amount that Wal-Mart would have owed as "Taxes on $2.3B" rather than "$2.3B in Taxes." The amount in the article itself has remained correct.


April 06, 2007 | Major Change

Correcting: “Maryland May Join Pact to Bypass Electoral College*

In the original version of this article, at the second reference to how this law works, we erroneously wrote that the state's popular vote, rather than the national popular vote, would be the determining factor.


March 30, 2007 | Major Change

Correcting: “At Some Youth ‘Treatment’ Facilities, ‘Tough Love’ Takes Brutal

A source in this 2005 article wrote us recently to complain that a quote and paraphrase representing him were not placed in appropriate context. After serious review, we have agreed that he was correct. Our reporting suggested that Larry Stednitz, an educational consultant who refers parents to youth facilities and had visited Mission Mountain, was in favor of the “work regimens� described in this story. But a review of the interview transcript original revealed that he was not informed during the interview of the specific practices attested to in the article by other sources. Therefore, we have decided the quote and paraphrase were inappropriate, and have removed them entirely.


March 14, 2007 | Minor Change

Correcting: “‘Worker Centers’ Pick Up Where Unions, Govt. Leave Off*

The original version of this article stated that Domestic Workers United campaigned successfully in 2002 for a citywide "Bill of Rights." While campaigning did happen in 2002, the legislation did not pass until 2003. The article has been changed accordingly.

 

 


February 21, 2007 | Major Change

Correcting: “Labor ‘Free Choice’ Bill Stares Down Bush Veto*

The original version of this article indicated that employers review workers' signatures in a "card-check election." In fact, as the article now reflects, a third-party arbitrator carries out this task.


February 20, 2007 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Safety Places a Distant Second in Race to Repopulate New Orleans

The original version of this article stated that an estimated 60 percent of homeowners in New Orleans lacked flood insurance. The article has been changed to reflect that FEMA's estimate referred to housing units instead of owner-occupied homes. Detailed insurance-policy data on types of homes was unavailable.


February 09, 2007 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Drugmakers Hurry Sales, Delay Safety Studies*

The original version of this article stated that the audit by the inspector general of the US Department of Health and Human Services studied 2,353 drugs with postmarket commitments. In fact, the study covered 2,353 post-market commitments for an unknown number of drugs.


February 05, 2007 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Public Pushes Back Against Planned Test on Old Nuke Site*

In the original version of this article Eileen McCabe's name was mispelled.


February 03, 2007 | Major Change

Correcting: “Immigrants’ Stories Expose Murkiness of Deportation Laws

The original version of this article stated the average time of US residence for people ordered deported in the TRAC study was 15 years from fiscal year 1992. The sentence has been changed to reflect that, due to limitations on the available data at the time of the analysis, this figure is based only on immigration-court proceedings from 1997. These are separate from the "administrative order" proceedings that ICE can use for non-green card holders.


February 01, 2007 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Guantánamo Anniversary Sees Renewed Shut-Down Calls*

The original version of this article said the Military Commissions Act was passed in 2005. In fact, it was passed in 2006.


January 08, 2007 | Major Change

Correcting: “Nevada Wild Horse Condemnation Upheld by Court *

The original version of this article stated, "...some horses rounded-up by the BLM are sold and slaughtered for their meat." This was misleading since it implied that the BLM sold horses directly to slaughterhouses as a matter of policy. In fact, the BLM policy is against selling to slaughterhouses though it has admitted it has little control over what happens to the horses once they are sold. 


January 02, 2007 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “Sexual Assault Survivors Accuse Military of Systemic Uninterest

The last word of this article's original headline was disinterest. The better term is uninterest.


December 23, 2006 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “Navajo Dissidents Take Action to Stop Tribe-Backed Power Plant

In the original version of this article, a quote by George Hardeen, spokesperson for the Navajo President’s Office, implied the protesters are still on the site of the drilling, because he was interviewed during the height of the blockade. We changed the context of the quote to reflect the current situation.


December 15, 2006 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “New Nuke Arsenal Decried Nationwide

In the original version of this article, we implied that all of the opponents who spoke before Thursday's public hearing in Washington, DC were members of the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, which is not necessarily true. 


December 11, 2006 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “Orlando’s Homelessness Fight Continues

About an hour after publication, the first two sentences of this item were altered for clarity.


December 07, 2006 | Major Change

Correcting: “Taco Bell ‘Truth Tour’ Highlights Poverty Wages

The original version of this article stated that to make 50 dollars, a worker must pick 2,000 pounds of tomatoes in one day. In fact, a worker must pick 4,000 pounds to make about $50.


December 06, 2006 | Major Change

Correcting: “Offshore Drilling Back on Washington Agenda*

This article originally implied Bristol Bay, not Prince William Sound, was the site of the Exxon-Valdez spill. In fact, that incident did not directly affect the waters of Bristol Bay.


November 09, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Oregon Committee Invites Contested ‘Biopharming’ of GE Plants*

The original version of this article stated that a 2005 bill considered by the Oregon legislature would have put a moratorium on biopharming. In fact, the bill would have put a moratorium only on raising biopharmaceuticals in crops usually used food, or growing any pharmacrops in an outdoor environment.

The original version also stated that the state Senate ordered the departments of Agriculture and Human Services to form a committee to make recommendations on how biopharmaceuticals should be produced in the state. In fact, both the Senate and the governor made this charge.


October 26, 2006 | Major Change

Correcting: “Amid Harsh New Border Plans, Death Toll Mounts*

The original version of this brief said the 205 deaths were along the US-Mexico border. In fact, they were along the Arizona-Mexico border.


October 24, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Group Sues FBI to Disclose Personal-Data 'Warehouse'

The lead of this brief originally said that groups went to court "this week," when in fact, they went last week. This error was caused by the editors when the brief was published later than originally planned.


October 15, 2006 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “'Nanocosmetics' Alarm Safety Advocates

The sentence on the potential accumulation and toxicity of nanoparticles has been changed to emphasize that according to the NNI’s report, nanotechnology research is varied and still ongoing. The reference to nanoparticle-based sunscreens has been moved to clarify that while they are one type of nanomaterial being investigated, exposure studies have not definitively shown that they accumulate or have toxic effects.


September 22, 2006 | Major Change

Correcting: “Court Restores ‘Roadless’ Rules Trampled by Bush

The article originally stated that the South Kalmiopsis is located in Washington State. In fact, the Kalmiopsis is located in southwest Oregon.


September 19, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Groups Go International with Fight for Former Prisoners’ Voting Right

In the original version of this brief, the term "non-white Hispanic" was erroneously used instead of "Hispanic."


September 13, 2006 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “Chicago Mayor Rescinds Living Wage for Big Box Employees

The original version of this article said "yesterday" instead of "Monday" in the first sentence, erroneously giving readers the impression that the mayor's veto occurred on Tuesday. The error was introduced by editors when the article was published a day later than expected.


September 13, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “New Program Gives Local Police Immigration Enforcement Tools

The original version of this article misstated that the Migration Policy Institute is based at New York University School of Law. In fact, while the Institute's report was prepared in collaboration with New York University School of Law, the Institute itself is independent and based in Washington, DC.

Also, the New York Times article cited was dated Friday, September 8, not Sunday, September 10.


September 06, 2006 | Major Change

Correcting: “Students Seek Alternatives as Textbook Prices Mount

The original version of this article stated that students spend an average of about $900 on textbooks every year, but in fact, the $900 is spent on books and supplies.


August 31, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “CDC to Recommend Routine HIV Testing

In the original version of this article Jim Pickett was incorrectly identified as working with the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP). In fact, he works with the Chicago AIDS Foundation.


August 20, 2006 | Major Change

Correcting: “Landmine Abolitionists Balk at Pentagon’s Pursuit of ‘Alternativesâ

Our description of anti-personnel mine systems in development by the US military contained several substantial errors. After considerable investigation and cooperation from Human Rights Watch and the Pentagon, we can now confidently correct the record.

The original article stated that the Spider mine system works with a command-and-control system called Matrix. However, Matrix does not control Spider landmines; it is an entirely separate detonation mechanism, and it is not covered by the narrow scope of the Ottawa Test Ban Treaty, even for signatory nations. Therefore, all references to Matrix have been removed from the article.

Additionally, though our original article accurately noted Spider’s self-destruct and deactivation safeguards, it also stated that once Spider-controlled mines are switched to victim-activated mode, they can only be diffused by military personnel. From what we can now discern of this secretive system, it appears that the self-destruct/deactivation failsafe is at least theoretically intact and takes effect after some period in victim-activated mode, with or without human intervention using Spider’s control system.

Many of these errors are a result from failing to contact the Pentagon with enough time for the spokesperson to provide the answers to our questions. A Department of Defense representative responded to our queries after the article had been posted. From that dialog, we learned the above information (which we then verified, while we could not verify other statements) and that the spider program is past the development phase and into production, information we have now included in the article.


August 03, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Work News for Week Ending July 31

In the digest item, "Report: Bush used 9/11 to undermine federal workers rights," the original reporting stated that federal courts have repeatedly ruled against the proposed National Security Personnel System. In fact, one federal court has found that the proposed National Security Personnel System (NSPS) illegally abrogates existing contracts and cripples collective bargaining rights. Another court has twice ruled against a nearly identical proposal for DHS workers.


August 03, 2006 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “States Push Healthcare Reform While Activists Demand Overhaul

In the 27th paragraph of this article, the phrases "and he took issue with groups that blame insurance companies for driving up the cost of healthcare. Instead he blamed state regulations mandating coverage of certain treatments" has been added to better place the quote the follows in context.


July 03, 2006 | Major Change

Correcting: “Challenge to Indiscriminate Ga. Sex Offender Law Validated*

The headline of this article originally appeared with the abbreviation Fla. (Florida) instead of Ga. (Georgia). This was simply an editor's error -- the story does not refer to Florida in any way.


July 02, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Youth Rights Activists Defend MySpace Access*

Geoffrey Bell's last name was misspelled in the original posting.


June 23, 2006 | Major Change

Correcting: “Congress May Bestow Unchecked Spying Powers on President*

The quote that now reads "It would, like the Specter bill, authorize the president to do what he’s doing, which is spy on people who are suspected of no wrongdoing, without a court order..." appeared on this site for a few hours with the word no missing. The actual quote by Brittany Benowitz is now reflected. The problem was caused by a transcription error.


June 13, 2006 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “As Feds Trample ‘Roadless’ Areas, Activists Defend Oregon Forest

Due to a typographical error, in the sentence describing Idaho's petition process, the word "not" appeared as "now" immediately after publishing, but was then corrected.


June 13, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Consumer Advocates Challenge ‘Misuse’ of ‘Organic’ Label

In the original version of this article, an item on the permitted synthetics list was incorrectly written as "sodium acid pyrophosphate" instead of "sodium phosphates."


June 08, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Cheney’s Office Declares Exemption from Secrecy Oversight

In the original version of this article, the Federation of American Scientists was incorrectly written American Federation of Scientists.


May 23, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Work News for Week Ending May 23

The Industrial Workers of the World was incorrectly identified as the International Workers of the World in the original posting of this digest.


May 23, 2006 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “Navy Ship ‘Reefing’ May Have Down Side, Environmentalists Say

The original version of this story excluded the word "nautical" from this sentence: The Oriskany now sits 22.5 nautical miles Southeast of Pensacola, Florida.


May 23, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Oil Co. Investors Crush Proposal to Consider Environment

The lead sentence of this brief originally read "The overwhelming majority of ConocoPhillips shareholders rejected..." In fact, since one share equals one vote, we cannot say how many shareholders voted in favor of the proposal. Instead, it was shareholders in control of the overwhelming majority of the company's stock. We should not have assumed that because a partial source stated that a quarter of the shareholders had voted a certain way, that such was necessarily the case. It could well have been more or less.


May 18, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Fuel Subsidies ‘Undermine’ Small Farmers, Favor Agribusiness

This article originally stated that Representatives Gil Gutknecht (R-Minn.) and Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) are on the House Appropriations Committee. In fact, they are on the House Agriculture Committee, as the article now reflects, which is how their districts were set up to receive windfalls from the energy subsidy program, which is based on standard agriculture subsidies already in place.


May 05, 2006 | Major Change

Correcting: “Radio ID Technology Spreads; Privacy Activists Dig In*

In the original version of the sentence that now reads, "Last week, lawmakers in Wisconsin approved a bill that prohibits requiring a person be implanted with an RFID chip," said that the law prohibits anyone from being implanted with an RFID chip. This error was introduced by the editors.


May 03, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Hotel Housekeepers Report Staggering Job Injury Rate

In the original version of this article, Eric Frumin's name was incorrectly spelled "Fruman."


May 02, 2006 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “Immigrants Demonstrate Power through Strike, Boycott, Protests

The words "with a note from a guardian" were added to the sentence, "Chicago schools allowed students to attend with a note from a guardian, and many teachers took personal days for the march" in order to make it clear under what circumstances students were allowed to leave school for the march.  


April 27, 2006 | Major Change

Correcting: “OfficeMax Tops Forest Campaigners’ List*

The original version of this article incorrectly said the Paper Campaign had been ongoing for six months, instead of six years. The error was intruduced during editing. The original version also incorrectly stated that Canada's boreal forest is six times the size of California instead of twelve.


April 24, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Medical Marijuana Advocates Slam ‘Politicized’ FDA Report*

The originally published version of this article referred to Rep. Barney Frank as a (R-New York) rather than (D-Massachusetts).


April 13, 2006 | Major Change

Correcting: “Proposed Pension Bill Opens Escape Hatch for Reluctant Providers*

The sentence that now reads: "The agency estimated last fall that the private sector pensions it backs were underfunded by $450 billion" was corrected because the word "billion" was originally left out and to clarify that the pensions themselves are underfunded, not the agency.


April 03, 2006 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “Healthcare Advocates Unimpressed by Arkansas Initiative*

We have slightly modified the description of the association Community Health Centers of Arkansas to eliminate ambiguity and the risk of misperception.


March 31, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Cali. Students Defy Lockdown, Walk Out for Immigrant Rights*

In the original version of this story, the state affiliations for Senators John McCain and Edward Kennedy were switched.


March 29, 2006 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “Abortion Protest Ruling Gets Mixed Response on Left*

The sentence describing the Consistent Life coalition has been modified with the addition of the word "mostly" to clarify that while the vast majority of its member groups are faith-based, the mission of the coalition as a whole is not religious, and it does not characterize itself as a religious organization.


March 23, 2006 | Appending Note

Correcting: “Fight over Unionization Methods Stirred by Both Sides*

For a brief period, the wrong draft of this article was posted instead of the final, edited version.


March 06, 2006 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “Poor Pay Biggest Income Share in State, Local Taxes*

The original headline of this article was "Poor Pay Biggest Share of State, Local Taxes." That headline was unintentionally misleading. Nothing in the body of the article suggests that poor people pay the largest total share of overall taxes; rather, as is made clear by the text and graphical representation, the poor pay the biggest share of their income in taxes.


March 02, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “AIDS Patient Advocates Seek More Money Under Expired Act*

The lead of this article initially implied that the average income of people on Alabama's waiting list for HIV/AIDS medication was nearly $8,000. That income is instead the average for people in Alabama with HIV/AIDS. This error was introduced by the editors.


February 26, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Govt. Reluctance to Help Leaves Salmon in Lurch*

In the original article, we incorrectly stated that hydro-electric turbines were responsible for killing adult salmon returning to their natal waters to spawn. The turbines actually only kill the juvenile salmon, who must contend with the blades while migrating to the ocean. The height of the dams impedes adult fish on their way upstream, though many have been outfitted with fish ladders and passages to aid their passage. The reservoirs behind dams can harm both juveniles and adults.


February 24, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Fastest-growing Jobs Losing Real Value*

In the original version of this article we misstated the year the federal minimum wage was enacted. It was 1938, not 1947.

The sentence that read: "At the same time, the minimum wage is, in real dollar terms, the lowest it has been since its enactment in 1947," now reads: "At the same time, the minimum wage is, in real dollar terms, the lowest it has been since the law establishing a federal minimum wage, the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act, was amended in 1947."


February 23, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Fight Continues over New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward*

In the original version of this article Ishmael Muhammad's name was incorrectly written as Ishmael Reed. We regret the error. 


February 09, 2006 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Vilified as ‘Terrorists,’ Eco-activists Face New Offensive by Busin

In the original version of this article, Representative Chris Chocola was incorrectly said to be from Ohio instead of Indiana.


December 21, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Chicago Case Highlights Broader Clash over Immigration*

The source originally identified as Rosa Pullido has informed us she prefers that we refer to her as Rosanna Pullido.


December 20, 2005 | Major Change

Correcting: “Chicago Case Highlights Broader Clash over Immigration*

In the original version of this article, the contractor hired by Oberweis Daries was incorrectly identified as Coverall Cleaning Concepts because that is the company Oberweis said he hired in a press statement. The actual company named in the complaint is Patmar Janitorial Services. We regret this error.


December 15, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Challenges re-filed on Torture, ‘Black Sites’*

The original version of this story referred to Veterans for Common sense as "anti-war." We are told the group takes no such position on war, per se.


December 13, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Groups Urge 11th Hour Rally Against Patriot Act Renewal*

The original version of this piece was missing source attribution for the final sentence, which stood as " Federal agents issued about 30,000 of them last year alone." Attribution and a link have now been added.


December 01, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Ohio Grocery Workers Approve Strike*

When this story was originally published, the grocery store chains were referred to as the five largest (rather than five of the largest) in Ohio.


November 18, 2005 | Major Change

Correcting: “Mountaintop Removal Meets Fresh Resistance in Tennessee*

The mountains addressed in this story are technically part of the North Cumberland Mountains, not the Smoky Mountains as our original headline and body text stated. As best we can tell, the reporter's impression that it was the Smoky Mountains derived from the fact that the Smokies are also in Tennessee and that there is a peak in the North Cumberland range called Smoky Mountain. Editors failed to verify the name of the range.


November 18, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Free Speech at Issue in Wisconsin Right to Life Ad Case*

The original version of this article indicated that the BCRA banned ads by "all groups" identifying candidates within certain parameters. In fact, it only bans ads by tax-exempt nonprofit organizations.


November 03, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Religion, Drug Laws Meet in Supreme Court Case*

In the original version, the editors accidentally deleted the name of the illegal substance in question, DMT, from the text.


November 03, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Cervical Cancer Vaccine Raises ‘Promiscuity’ Controversy*

The editors have removed the following sentence from the brief: "In a statement yesterday, Glaxo announced that it had tweaked the formula for its vaccine, Cervarix, enough to extend the length of time it remains effective." The company tells us the vaccine always had these qualities.


October 27, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “New York Firefighters to Sue over 9/11-related Disability Decision*

In the second paragraph of this brief, the editors have added the words "to be" in the sentence that now readers "The lawsuit, to be filed on behalf of Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94 members..."  The initial omission was likely made during the editing process.


October 19, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “America’s Income Gap Continues to Grow*

The sentence that now begins:

The average after-tax takings of the top percent of the population jumped from $298,900 to $631,700 between 1979 and 2003...

Originally read:

The average after-tax takings of the top percent of the population jumped from $298,900 to $631,700 between 2002 and 2003...


October 19, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Bankruptcy Bill’s Implementation Swamps Courts*

In this story's original headline, the word "State" preceded the word "Courts," wrongly implying that the bankruptcy courts -- which are in fact all federal entities -- were state-level entities.


October 17, 2005 | Clarifying Note

Correcting: “Supreme Court Allows Missouri Inmate’s Abortion*

News of the Supreme Court's decision on Monday (today) to uphold the district court's decision came shortly after this brief was posted, so it has been updated to reflect the changed information. The original version of this brief did not include the Court's final decision.


October 12, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Katrina’s Displaced Move to Defend New Orleans from Elite Visionaries

The original version of this article stated that the New Orleans mayoral election had been postponed until early next year. In fact, the election remains on its original schedule, slated for early next year. The state government, however, has enacted its authority to postpone local elections due to the disaster and has pushed back the city's upcoming fall elections.


October 02, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Scalia Defends Censorship of Fed-funded Art*

Justice Scalia's first name is Antonin, not Anthony.


September 23, 2005 | Major Change

Correcting: “Feds, Firms Move Forward with Utah Nuke Storage Plan*

The original version of this brief stated that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (it actually said the Dept. of Energy, which is NRC's parent body) had provided a controversial Skull Valley dump site "contract" to Private Fuel Storage. In fact, as the brief now states, the NRC merely permitted PFS to go ahead with its plans. This was due to a mistaken juxtaposition of terms and was not an intentional distortion. We regret the oversight and any misunderstanding it caused. It is the case that some suspect the Dept. of Energy is eyeing the PFS dump for its own waste.


September 21, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Two Sides Fight Endangered Species Act Changes*

In the original version of this article, the representatives who introduced the bill were mistakenly referred to as senators..


August 26, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “ACLU Seeks to Unseal Library Search Court Records, Open Case to Public*

When this piece was originally published, the sentence that now reads:

In a statement yesterday, the ACLU said its client is a member of the American Library Association and holds library patrons’ borrowing and Internet usage records.

...was written:

In a statement yesterday, the ACLU said it was acting on behalf of a library that belongs to the American Library Association and that holds library patrons’ borrowing and Internet usage records

The ACLU has not in fact revealed that its client is a library.


August 16, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Greenpeace Reportedly Thwarts Factory Fishing in Chesapeake Bay*

The original version of this piece reported that "over 100,000 of the fish are pulled from the Chesapeake each year," when in fact the figure is 100,000 metric tons of menhaden.


August 15, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Virginia’s Compulsory Pledge Law Upheld**

The following sentence appeared in the original version of this story:

Myers told the court his two children had been forced to participate at times by substitute teachers and others.

Mr. Myers has informed TNS that he told this to reporters only and the fact did not come up, nor did the court consider it, in the course of the hearings. We have removed it simply to avoid confusion over what the court was considering.


August 12, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Virginia’s Compulsory Pledge Law Upheld**

In the original version of this article, the plaintiff's name was misspelled Meyers. The correct spelling is Myers.


August 12, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “California Power Plant May Skirt EPA Rules, Continue Fish Kills*

*The quote from Andrew Christie about the proposed fishing ban misstated the background of that initiative, which does not pertain to Duke's plant. This restoration measure in fact relates to a neighboring plant owned by PG&E, which has similar impacts on the habitat. The reference to Duke has been removed.

Also, the description of Tom Laurie as general contractor has been corrected from the original.


August 01, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Despite Broad Opposition, House Passes Free Trade Deal*

In fact, 202 Republicans -- not 212 Republicans -- voted for CAFTA. Also, NAM stands for National Association of Manufacturers, which was not clear in the original.


July 29, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Border Patrol Seizes Humanitarian Aid Destined for Cuba*

The US Border Patrol personnel involved in this story were officers, not agents. In the original version, those terms were used interchangably. In fact, officers work at official ports of entry while agents patrol between those points.


July 28, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Conservative Survey Finds, Analyzes 25,000 Civilian Deaths in Iraq*

This report originally contained a regretable misspelling of Peter Bengall's name. It also mis-stated the number of Iraqi dead counted as 24,867 -- the correct number reported by Iraq Body Count is 24,865.


July 18, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Alaska Drilling Lobby Paid for State Employee to Push Agenda*

This brief originally reported that 8,000 -- rather than 8 million -- acres of the Actic National Wildlife Refuge are considered "wilderness." The correct number is 8 million acres.


July 15, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Feds Seek to Eavesdrop on Emails of Air Passengers*

CableLabs was incorrectly identified as a "private company." It is a research and design consortium made up of private companies. CableLabs in fact transfers technology to a number of member companies.


July 12, 2005 | Major Change

Correcting: “Departing Afghanistan Envoy Pledges to Use Same Approach in Iraq*

The paragraph that presently reads:

As for Iraqi industry, Paul Bremer, the top administrator with the now defunct US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), signed a series of orders to privatize much of Iraq’s state-owned industrial sector, with the exception of the banking, insurance and oil industries. Although Bremer’s assignment ended nearly a year ago, his orders are binding on Iraq’s transitional government.

...originally read:

As for Iraq’s oil resources, Paul Bremer, the top administrator with the now defunct US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), signed a series of orders to privatize Iraq’s state-owned industries, including the oil sector. Although Bremer’s assignment ended nearly a year ago, his orders are binding on Iraq’s transitional government.

Paul Bremer did not order the privatization of the Iraqi oil industry -- in fact, his order explicitly excluded it. This was an unfortunate oversight on our part.


July 09, 2005 | Major Change

Correcting: “School Violating Terms of Gay Rights Settlement, ACLU Charges*

A sentence in the original version of this brief -- written by an editor (not reporter Brendan Coyne) -- has been removed. It indicated that the Alliance Defense Fund advocates some forms of compulsory moral

curricula. The ADF contests that notion, maintaining that it only supports "opt-out" moral curricula. The editors believe the sentence added minimal value to the story. Rather than add several sentences to

clarify the nuances of their position and an objective assessment of it, we have opted to remove the statement.


June 13, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “White House Aide Resigns Following Whistle Blower’s Charges

In the original version of this news brief, the first name of the White House official accused on changing the wording of the reports was incorrectly reported as Roger. The correct name is Philip.


June 01, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “College Loan Rates to Rise as Aid Drops

In the original version of this brief, it was improperly reported that the Stafford Loan interest rate will rise from 2.77 percent to 4 percent. In fact, the rate is expected to rise to 4.7 percent.


April 25, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Artists Experience Déjà vu in ‘Bioterror’ Case That Won’t Go Aw

The name of the Critical Art Ensemble in this article has been corrected from Critical Arts Ensemble. Additionally, this article originally stated that "Ferrell is undergoing cancer treatment and has yet to be arraigned." In fact, Ferrel was arraigned by telephone.


April 19, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Asbestos Sufferers’ Advocates Still Fighting Industry for Fair Redres

The company Tillinghast was previously referred to as an "accounting firm," which is an inaccurate description of Tillinghast's specialty, which is now more accurately indicated as "insurance industry consultancy." Tillinghast's complete name is Tillinghast business of Towers Perrin, and it describes itself as a "global actuarial and consulting" provider.


April 15, 2005 | Minor Change

Correcting: “Law to Force Mental Illness Treatment Raises Ire of Civil Libertarians

The quote presently attributed to J. David Seay was originally mis-attributed to Ione Christian, who is the president of NAMI-NYS, while Seay is the executive director.


The NewStandard ceased publishing on April 27, 2007.