My monologue about mistakes for Definitely Not The Opera
The most recent edition of the CBC Radio show Definitely Not The Opera focused on mistakes. They rang me up and asked me to come into a studio and talk about how I handled mistakes in my book Regret the Error. They recorded me and then cut my thoughts together into a little monlogue. I think it turned out pretty well and you can listen to it here. You can also download the full show on this page. Or use this link to grab the full audio file.
Ms. Julie and me
The Quebec Writers' Federation has come up with a wonderful campaign to help raise the profile of Quebec's English-language authors. It's called Love Ms. Julie and I was lucky enough to be included.
Ms. Julie is, according to a description of the program by Quill & Quire, a "saucy Quebec librarian with a thing for Quebec writers." The character is featured on a blog and inside a "scrapbook" that includes a listing of recent books by Quebec authors and pictures of Julie hangin' with authors. Here's the two of us (oh what Photoshop can do!):
The shot, taken by Liam Maloney, is also featured in the scrapbook, which was sent out to Canadian literary festivals and other publishing folk. Ms. Julie was also seen cavorting around Book Expo Canada. You can check out the details here.
If you want to take part, grab your copy of my book (you bought it, right?) and snap a fun picture of you reading it. Then send it to me and I'll get it added to the Love Ms. Julie blog.
Regret the Error wins press criticism award; work for ROB mag earns gold medal
Well, it's been a rewarding few weeks for me. Allow me to take a moment and toot my own horn.
On June 6, I shared a gold medal at the Canadian National Magazine Awards for my work on the Corporate Survival Guide published in Report on Business magazine.The award is shared with Mark Schatzker, Sabitri Ghosh, and Lisa Fielding. Here's the full list of winners. Credit also goes to David Fielding, the editor who oversaw the package of stories.
A week or two before that, I received a call from the National Press Club in Washington. I was told that my book, Regret the Error: How Media Mistakes Pollute the Press and Imperil Free Speech, had won the 2008 Arthur Rowse Award for Press Criticism (book) in the Club's annual awards. I had to keep it under my hat until the news went public. That has finally happened, and the announcement is here (and here). It's a great honor. I'm looking forward to traveling to Washington to receive the award at a dinner on July 14.
As a result of these two lovely awards, I've added an awards page to this site. It includes a few other pieces of recognition I've received.
On CBC Radio’s Sounds Like Canada tomorrow
I'm going to be on the CBC Radio program Sounds Like Canada tomorrow morning. The show airs at 10 a.m. local time across the country. (I don't know the exact time my segment will air.) Orato editor Paul Sullivan and I joined host Stephen Quinn for a discussion about citizen journalism.
I was asked to go on the show because of a post I wrote about the Gazette's new hyperlocal/citizen journalism site, and because of my previous involvement with NewsAssignment.net. It was an interesting discussion, and we were given a decent amount of time to talk. Still, as Stephen said to us at the end of the taping, we could have gone on much longer. Give a listen tomorrow and let me know what you think.
Love from Time
Time magazine has named 25 blogs to its First Annual Blog Index and, joy of joys, Regret the Error made the cut. I'm very surprised, not to mention thrilled that my site is listed among personal favorites like Lifehacker, Gawker, Boing Boing, and Radosh. The Regret entry is here, and you can also add your personal rating for the site. Vote for me!
This is the write-up:
Mistakes happen, especially in the media. Everyday, thousands of bonehead mistakes are printed in newspapers and magazines and go out over the airwaves, and only a tiny fraction of the errors are ever corrected. Regret the Error is the media consumer's revenge, a regularly updated compendium of media mistakes big and small. The big mistakes get plenty of coverage elsewhere — the plagiarized newspaper columns, the fabricated news sources, the memoirs that are — how shall we put this — totally made up. Regret the Error covers the big whoppers, but it really shines on highlighting the small stuff that the media gets wrong. Small, that is, unless you're the person being written about. There's a useful yearly roundup of errors, corrections, and plagiarisms, and some of that material has been compiled into a book. Read 'em and weep.
Bloggers rule the Test
We heckled, laughed, screamed, chanted, begged for water, frightened Samantha Bee, annoyed Wendy Mesley and, most importantly, dominated. I speak of last night's performance by the blogger team on Test the Nation. It was a blast.
Over 30 Wordpress monkeys were flown to Toronto to square off against cab drivers, celebrity look-alikes, chefs, backpackers and flight crews. We talked a big game before the show and delivered on every front. The bloggers had the highest team score, the highest individual score, and the highest celebrity score. Samantha Bee wiped the floor with her competition. Then she stayed around afterwards to take photos and generally be nice to everybody. This was especially appreciated after we had relentlessly chanted "Bee, Bee, Bee" at every opportunity. Seriously, we were fucking loud. Even during the test. Wendy Mesley would read out a question and inevitably someone in our section would have a smartass comment to make. We were cracking up the entire time. And getting the answers correct to boot.
On a personal note, it was great to meet some of the folks from Torontoist and Photojunkie in person. I also got to hang with the lovely and talented Lainey, who very nicely took a copy of my book. And I slipped a copy into the hands of Samantha Bee. All in all, a good time. Some pics are below. Oh, and I think I got about 54 or 55 out of 60 correct. Holla!
UPDATE Jan 23: I just received my final score -- 54/60. Not too shabby. Also, this is the best round-up I've read so far. Check it out.
Me and Kiss!
Kiss, Pamela Anderson, Shakira, Paris Hilton. No idea who the woman in between Pam and Shakira is supposed to be.
They gave each team props. Backpackers got flags, cab drivers got steering wheels, chefs got kitchen stuff...we got keyboards and the occasional computer mouse. I often brandished mine like a weapon and screamed "I've got a mouse!" It was funny at the time. Okay, maybe not. But this was my mouse.
A look at the set.
This was the controller used to input answers. Very complicated piece of technology.
Another shot of the studio. The air was very dry and featured a light dusting of fake smoke. We soon became extremely thirsty and begged for water.
Taken shortly after our victory.This is the awesome Andy Nulman holding the trophy.
MTL Gazette on Regret the Error book
Earlier this week I picked up the phone to hear Bill Brownstein, a columnist for The Gazette (Montreal), on the other line. Bill and I have never met, but we share a few friends in common and I've long been a reader of his columns. It was great to speak with him, and especially nice that he called looking to write something about my book. I sent a copy to his house, did a subsequent phone interview, and his column appeared in today's paper. The man works -- and reads -- fast. In true Brownstein fashion, it's an enjoyable read. Check it online here. Excerpt below.
In the world of quirky media corrections, this sharp-eyed author is king
Regret the error, by Craig Silverman
| BILL BROWNSTEIN |
| The Gazette |
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Some kids collect coins. Craig Silverman collected corrections. Newspaper corrections from around the planet, that is. Winters were long for Silverman growing up in Nova Scotia. He had plenty of time on his hands.
Winters proved to be even longer for Silverman when he moved to Montreal 12 years ago to pursue journalism studies at Concordia University. He had less time on his hands, but his interest in collecting corrections remained unabated. So much so he started and became editor of the RegretTheError.com website.
Silverman, though only 30, is now considered to be among the world's foremost authorities on corrections - admittedly, not exactly an overpopulated field. His expertise has been sought by media giants like CNN, the New York Times and the Guardian.
And there's no stopping him now, thanks to the recent publication of Silverman's Regret the Error (Viking, $30), a compendium of more than 300 media corrections as well as a treatise on the subject. The corrections are often hysterically funny, though on occasion rather tragic and/or just plain baffling. The treatise is a historical overview filled with fascinating factoids. The book is a must, not only for zealous copy editors but for everyone obsessed with the business of news gathering and delivery.
In his foreword, Jeff Jarvis makes this stunning observation: "Nobody's perfect - not even journalists ... especially not journalists." Who knew? Kidding aside, Jarvis, who is a journalist, follows with this all-too-sobering point: "The public's trust in news organizations is falling about as fast as their revenues are (and, yes, these facts may be related.)" All by way of saying the faster news organizations admit their mistakes and correct them, the faster the public's trust might be restored.
Silverman reports in a survey conducted in 1985, 84 per cent of Americans believed most of what they had read in newspapers. But by 2004, that number had dipped to 54 per cent. He also cites a 2007 Canadian poll in which only 26 per cent of respondents trusted journalists, just slightly better than those with faith in lawyers, car salesmen, mechanics, CEOs and politicos.
Silverman insists both the book and the website were inspired by a clarification printed on the front page of Kentucky's Lexington Herald-Leader on
July 4, 2004: "It has come to the editor's attention that the Herald-Leader neglected to cover the civil rights movement. We regret the omission."
Alrighty then.
"I began to realize that no one was paying serious attention to corrections and that the issue of accuracy wasn't really being addressed," Silverman explains from his Plateau digs. "I also realized there would be tons of untapped content for a book."
And he knew where to dig it up. "I lead a very exciting life whereby I read between 100 and 200 corrections a day," says the author, also a columnist for the Globe and Mail and Hour. "I find them online and I scan the corrections pages of newspapers and other news organizations to find the content for the book as well as my site. I'm pretty sure there is no one else in the world who has read more corrections than me. I think I've surpassed the 100,000 mark by now. But I have to be honest and admit I'm a poor speller who has made more than my share of errors. Like using 'pubic' instead of 'public.' I guess I do this work with a sense of sympathy for others who make mistakes."
...
Test the bloggers
Do you see the pensive people in this photo? They're what you call bloggers, and I'll be counted among them when the CBC airs the next edition of Test The Nation on January 20th. I've been drafted as part of the team of bloggers who'll be taking the test live on TV that night. We're going up against chefs, cab drivers, celebrity look-alikes, backpackers, and flight crews. Hanging out with the look-alikes is going to be hilarious, though I've now got beef with the Mick Jagger look-alike. In an online Q&A, CBC asked him which team he most wanted to beat.
"Bloggers - all they do is criticize," he said.
Oh snap, fake Mick Jagger offered up some real criticism. It's on!
The list of participating bloggers is online here, and we've got a good Montreal contingent. Hugh McGuire, Julien Smith and Andy Nulman are three of the locals who got picked. Julien also wrote a post about the event, noting that I plan to enjoy some drinks in Toronto with my fellow bloggers. But not on the day of the show, of course.
Tune in on the 20th if you have a chance. I'll do my best to properly embarrass myself.
Regret the Book
Oh boy have I been derelict in making updates to this site. So what's been going on?
My book is out, has received some very nice reviews and media coverage, and led to me appearing on the December 23 edition of CNN's Reliable Sources program. Watch the segment below and marvel at how pale I am. Hey, it's winter in Montreal.
I've also pasted some excerpts of reviews and coverage for the book below. You can also read my latest round-up of the year in media errors and corrections on the Regret the Error website.
Selected reviews and comments:
...a winding journey through the most glaring, damaging and humorous typos, misprints, misidentifications, fuzzy numbers and obiticides in the history of journalism, from the accidental to the malicious. These chapters are chock-full of amusing historical anecdotes, including the story behind the incorrect headline Dewey Defeats Truman, the case of mistaken identity that galvanized Nobel to create his prestigious awards, and the oft-presumed dead but still living Abe Vigoda. Silverman injects plenty of humor, but mostly he is deeply concerned about the science of journalism, and at the heart of this romp is an argument for increased public participation in the news cycle. -- Publishers Weekly
The extensively researched work delves into the history of accuracy and errors in journalism, seeking answers to why errors occur, their impact on the credibility of journalism, and what can be done to both minimize mistakes and learn from them. The book connects the dots between newspaper accuracy, errors and corrections, and media credibility – and ultimately the survival of newspapers in a media-saturated world where trust and credibility are our most important assets. -- Toronto Star
“Regret the Error” is a compendium of published media corrections, many of them hilarious. But Craig Silverman, a journalist who founded the Web site RegretTheError.com, turns what could have been a sudsy little stocking stuffer into a serious study of why journalists fail so often. He also lays out a sensible, brain-driven plan for reform, starting with a “systems approach” to accuracy. -- American Journalism Review
In his new book "Regret the Error," Craig Silverman, a young Montreal journalist, explores this world of press errors and corrections big and small. He laments changes in newspaper finances and production methods that have stretched reporters and editors, and reduced the scrutiny of the printed word. -- The Oregonian
Other comments/reviews:
-"Regret the Error works because of Silverman's incisive but good-natured voice as an advocate for old-fashioned verities like accuracy and honesty (add transparency to the stew as well)...Regret the Error is not an indictment of the media, or an apologia, but a reminder that -- in this age of instantaneous news, citizen publishing and online scoops -- getting it right still counts for something."
-"Silverman’s book also offers a series of recommendations to improve accuracy. Among his useful ideas are better training in interviewing and note-taking; accuracy checklists and a 10-minute fact-checking period before reporters turn in copy; greater use of anti-plagiarism software; increased post-publication surveys of sources to monitor accuracy; and random fact-checking of one story from each section of every issue. These are not only good ideas, they can actually be implemented in any newsroom at little or no cost."
It’s Crunk Week
This week I published my third annual round-up of the year in media errors and corrections at Regret the Error, as well as my second annual plagiarism round-up.
Reaction has thus far been very satisfying. I made this year's Crunks the longest version ever (over 8,000 words) and included some new awards and features. Give it a read.
Below is a sampling of media coverage. I'll also be on CBC Radio's The Current next week, and on NPR's On The Media in a few weeks. More links will be added as they emerge.
- Romenesko
- Gawker
- Fark
- USA Today
- BoingBoing
- Editor & Publisher
- The Times (UK)
- Alternet
- Daily Telegraph (UK)
- Detroit News
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Huffington Post
- Kottke.org
- Jossip
- Metafilter
- Pajamas Media
- AOL
- Daily Kos
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer
UPDATE Jan 11: Okay, I'm not going to go too crazy with the vanity links on this post, but here's a link to an interview on NPR's On the Media, and a link to an Associated Press article.
Welcome
Hey there. Thanks for stopping by. I'm a freelance journalist and author in Montreal, Canada. I serve as an associate editor for PBS MediaShift, a website that reports on trends in new media and journalism. I edit RegretTheError.com and wrote a book of the same name. I'm also the co-author, with Michael Calce, of Mafiaboy: How I Cracked The Internet and Why It's Still Broken. Both books are listed to the right.
I write weekly columns for Hour and Columbia Journalism Review online, and am a former columnist and blogger for The Globe And Mail. Read my bio by clicking on the "About Me" link above, or check out the "Writing Samples" page to read some of my work. If you're interested in speaking with me about an assignment or project, email me at the address listed below.
Recent Writing/Work