Reporters err. Media makers muff up much more than we care to admit.
From time to time we have to decide if we need to issue a "correction" to a story. Newspapers are the most visible sources. I don't know if it's because papers are passionate about ethical reporting, or if it's because people like to cut out mistakes and pin them on their cubicle wall (which I have done myself).
In radio we are much more likely to acknowledge a mistake immediately. But if I don't say, "I mean First Lady Michelle Obama, not Mitchell" (or "Sorry, I normally don't sneeze eight times in a row like that"), then it's very unlikely I'll ever mention the mistake openly on air again.
Today was one of those rare exceptions. Jim Lovell, the real-life Apollo 13 guy and the man Tom Hanks played on not-real-life "Apollo 13," is supposed to speak next Tuesday. My station plans to carry it, with moderate forward promotion.
It's too bad I made a boo-boo and said he spoke today. Oops!
So, for your listening pleasure, me having to look five-thousand people straight in the ear and literally say, "I was wrong."
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