Friday, April 29, 2011

Slate Corrections scorecard

Week 17 of 2011
http://www.slate.com/id/2292400/

In the April 28 "War Stories," Fred Kaplan wrote that Gen. David Petraeus would soon resign from the military. Petraeus will soon retire from the military.
Doofometer score: 3/10 He's leaving, and that's what's important.

In an April 27 "Politics," David Weigel referred to big Republican wins "in 2011." The party's gains were in the 2010 election.
Doofometer score: 4/10 Weigel's a political commentator, so he knows when elections take place. But the effect of those elections was in 2011, and I don't see much harm.

In the April 26 "Green Room," Matthew Fuhrmann mistakenly stated that an accident at India's Rajasthan Atomic Power Station released radioactive helium. The helium was not radioactive, though the accident did release heavy water.
Doofometer score: 9/10 Radioactive isotopes of helium decay instantly. There is no connection between heavy water and radioactive helium. Lame, wrong, and kind of pertinent.

In the April 26 "Project Syndicate," Simon Johnson misspelled the last name of former Citigroup chairman Sandy Weill.
Doofometer score: 2/10 Weil, Wyle, Weill...

In an April 26 "Slatest" item, Josh Voorhees stated that Tim Pawlenty is the former governor of Pennsylvania. He is the former governor of Minnesota.
Doofometer score: 6/10 Kind of basic info.

In the April 25 "Politics," David Weigel misstated the university that hosts the Scripps Survey Research Center. It is Ohio University, not Ohio State.
Doofometer score: 4/10 Significant, but Ohio shares the blame: normal states (like their neighbor to the north) have University of X and X State University.

In the April 20 "Technology," Steven I. Weiss incorrectly stated that David Hobby's cross-country tour was sold out. It was nearly sold out.
Doofometer score: 1/10 Not important, and not a big mistake.

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