NPR Corrections

Corrected on 2009-12-24 00:00:00

The audio and an earlier Web version of this story incorrectly referred to Army Capt. Max Hynton. His name is Max Hanlin.

Corrected on 2009-12-21 00:00:00

Our guest incorrectly referred to May 23, 1998, as a Friday. In 1998, May 23 fell on a Saturday.

Corrected on 2009-12-21 00:00:00

This review initially confused Leopold I, King of the Belgians, with his son Leopold II. The text has been amended.

Corrected on 2021-04-06 00:00:00

A previous Web introduction to this report incorrectly spelled Dan Aykroyd's last name as Ackroyd. The reference has been removed.

Corrected on 2009-12-08 00:00:00

In an earlier version of this story the reviewer stated that the song "Nefertiti" was written by Miles Davis. It was actually composed by Wayne Shorter.

Corrected on 2009-12-08 00:00:00

We referred to Dave Brubeck's "Take Five," giving the impression that Brubeck composed the music. The composer was Paul Desmond.

Corrected on 2009-12-08 00:00:00

In our story, Marcel Cerdan was incorrectly referred to as a heavyweight boxer. Cerdan fought in the middleweight division.

Corrected on 2009-12-02 00:00:00

In earlier versions of this story we said the prize bull Trail Dust was owned by Doug Hunt. That is incorrect. Trail Dust is owned by Joyce and Joshua Cashman. Hunt owns Trail Dust's father, a bull named Hunt's Command Respect.

Corrected on 2009-11-30 00:00:00

An earlier version of this review made reference to "Polish concentration camps." The camps in question, while located within Poland, were established and operated by occupying forces as part of Nazi Germany's systematic genocide targeting European Jews.

Corrected on 2009-11-13 00:00:00

An earlier version of this review incorrectly attributed the authorship of "So Long, Marianne." The song was written and performed by Leonard Cohen.

Corrected on 2009-11-11 11:21:33

We incorrectly reported that former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling is currently at the Federal Correctional Institute in Waseca, Minn. Skilling is an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Littleton, Colo.

Corrected on 2009-11-10 17:28:51

We incorrectly said that the two Northwest Airline pilots who overshot their destination by 150 miles had their licenses revoked by the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB investigates and recommends the revocation of licenses. The Federal Aviation Administration is responsible for revoking licenses.

Corrected on 2009-11-13 20:01:10

This story inaccurately described the housing market in China by suggesting that people there don't use mortgages. Many Chinese do buy homes with borrowed money, though they're not borrowing on the scale that helped trigger the subprime crisis. China's central bank sets minimum down-payment levels, often 20 percent of a home's value.

Corrected on 2009-11-05 13:53:57

An early version of this story said that Barack Obama is an American citizen because his mother was an American citizen. Obama is an American citizen because he was born on American soil.

Corrected on 2009-11-05 10:57:24

An earlier version referred to an incomplete analysis of poll results about AARP and political parties. The reference has been deleted.

Corrected on 2009-11-05 15:07:41

In our story, we characterized Jasmin Ceric as having used the term "ethnic cleansing" in reference to crimes committed in Bosnia. Ceric did not use that term. He described mass killings in Bosnia as "genocide."

Corrected on 2009-11-04 12:57:33

A letter from a listener regarding ghost stories referred to Nellie Bly as a serial killer. That is incorrect. Nellie Bly was the pen name of Elizabeth Jane Cochran, an American journalist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries who is widely credited with inventing investigative journalism.

Corrected on 2009-11-03 18:52:18

We referred to a network called Pownce, which actually went out of business last year. Also, we said microblogging sites "used to be mostly used by youngsters, but life on Twitter has changed." In fact, according to the social media guide mashable.com, Twitter is "aging in reverse" -- it was first popular among older users, but now those under 25 are flocking to the network.

Corrected on 2009-11-01 22:06:59

In an earlier version of this conversation, we said Charlotte, N.C., may be on the verge of electing its first African-American mayor. In fact, Harvey Gantt was elected Charlotte's first black mayor and served from 1983 to 1987.

Corrected on 2009-11-02 15:05:24

A previous Web version of this story said that a sentence is doubled for a second strike if that crime is violent or serious. In fact the second strike does not have to be violent or serious if the first strike was.

Corrected on 2009-10-30 13:22:08

We reported that no members of the NFL medical committee on concussions attended a House committee hearing on football-related injuries. That was incorrect. Andrew Tucker, the team doctor for the Baltimore Ravens, testified. Tucker is also a member of the NFL's Mild Traumatic Brain Injury committee. Several members of that committee have generated controversy with public statements discounting research that indicates a link between football head injuries and later brain illness. None of those other committee members testified before the hearing.

Corrected on 2009-10-28 06:17:16

In early on-air versions of this story, we described the dispute as a copyright dispute. That is incorrect. It is a trademark dispute.

Corrected on 2009-11-03 14:37:42

In referring to the War of the Worlds hoax, Daniel Schorr said it was broadcast in 1934. The broadcast was in 1938. The Web text has been corrected.

Corrected on 2009-10-21 19:31:32

We reported that the Phoenix Coyotes were in first place in their division. But owing to a win by the San Jose Sharks, the Coyotes were in second place at the time our story aired.

Corrected on 2009-10-21 17:29:16

In the original on-air version of our story we said: "Pennsylvania Democrat John Murtha is under federal investigation for allegedly trading government earmarks for campaign contributions." There has been no public announcement of a federal investigation of Rep. Murtha. Later versions of the story reported that Murtha is closely tied to several officials and defense contractors who are under federal investigation.

Corrected on 2009-10-21 18:34:07

We reported that San Francisco's new city law requiring residents to compost food waste is the first program of its kind in the nation. Seattle was actually the first city to require all households to compost food waste. The Seattle law went into effect last April, but Seattle exempts businesses, restaurants and apartment buildings from the law. San Francisco is the first to mandate that all residents, plus businesses, restaurants and multidwelling units like apartment houses compost waste.

Corrected on 2009-10-21 14:59:02

In our conversation about media hoaxes, a guest referred to the Bhopal chemical disaster and said the company that owned the plant was Dow Chemical. That is incorrect. The plant in Bhopal was owned at the time of the accident by Union Carbide.

Corrected on 2009-10-22 12:07:56

The audio and previous Web versions of this story said that the biblical prophet Nehemiah rebuilt the Temple of Jerusalem. Nehemiah is actually credited with rebuilding Jerusalem's walls.

Corrected on 2009-10-22 12:24:29

Host Guy Raz said that taxpayers sent $700 billion to large banks as part of the federal government bailout of the financial industry. That is incorrect. The total bailout was approximately $700 billion; banks received about $200 billion of that amount.

Corrected on 2009-10-28 13:01:56

We reported that John Brown captured "one of George Washington's sons." Brown actually captured Col. Lewis Washington, the great-grandnephew of the first president.

Corrected on 2009-10-21 19:23:01

In the audio and previous Web versions of the story, Sarah Scholl was incorrectly referred to as a physician. Scholl is actually a physician's assistant.

Corrected on 2009-10-22 12:04:07

The audio and previous Web versions of this story reported that Irene Morningstar, a woman attending a rally about health care, identified herself as a lifelong Democrat. Morningstar was a registered Democrat until 2008, when she changed her party registration to Republican.

Corrected on 2009-10-13 14:10:10

The audio and a previous Web version of this story mistakenly said that between 1992 and 2008 the average number of prescriptions that Americans get increased by 58 percent. The actual increase was 71 percent.

Corrected on 2009-10-19 00:00:00

In the original version of this story, the ellipses in the excerpt for After, by Amy Efaw, did not appear to due to a formatting error. This error has been corrected.

Corrected on 2009-10-18 01:00:04

An early version of the audio for this story incorrectly identiifed Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland. He is the House majority leader.

Corrected on 2009-10-06 00:00:00

In a conversation with host Steve Inskeep, Gordon Goldstein referred to McGeorge Bundy as the former "dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences." Bundy was the dean of the faculty of arts and sciences at Harvard University.

Corrected on 2009-11-01 21:57:16

In the audio version of this story, Howard Berkes said that Elizabeth Smart gave her testimony 6,659 days after she had been abducted. He actually had calculated the correct number as 2,659 days but misspoke when he recorded the radio story.

Corrected on 2009-09-30 16:58:10

A previous version of this story quoted Jennie Litvack as saying Dizzy Gillespie "never had children of his own." Gillespie did, in fact, have a daughter in 1958, but he never mentioned her to the public or to Litvack. Also, shofars are not usually 3 1/2 feet long; they typically range between 6 inches and 4 feet.

Corrected on 2009-10-05 00:00:00

A caller in this segment misspoke when she said George Washington named her town during the Civil War. Washington fought in the War of Independence, not the Civil War.

Corrected on 2009-09-29 12:12:56

The original broadcast version of this story incorrectly referred to Hosam Smadi, the suspect in an alleged plot to bomb a bank building in Dallas, as being Palestinian. Smadi is Jordanian.

Corrected on 2009-09-25 17:27:56

In his review of the Rhino Records box set Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets, rock historian Ed Ward referred to Alec Palao as the curator. Palao is one of the producers along with Andrew Sandoval, who was the sole compiler and curator of the collection. The Web text has been corrected.

Corrected on 2009-09-24 17:47:06

It was stated that the Obama Administration has proposed eliminating the Office of Thrift Supervision and keeping the Office of the Controller of the Currency. The Obama administration is actually calling for a merger of the two federal bodies into one called the National Bank Supervisor.

Corrected on 2009-09-24 16:01:37

The audio and a previous Web version of this story incorrectly identified President Bush's aide at the December G-20 summit as Dan Prince. His name is Dan Price.

Corrected on 2009-09-24 17:10:04

In the story it was said that the Indian Health Service was established in the year 1959. The service was established in 1955.

Corrected on 2009-09-22 14:44:37

In the audio version of this story, Ouachita is pronounced incorrectly. The correct pronunciation is WAH-shih-taw.

Corrected on 2009-09-23 00:00:00

An interview with poet Heather McHugh closes with the quote, "The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind." The quote is attributed to Gen. Joe Stilwell (1883-1946), but it was first written by St. Bonaventure (ca. 1221-1274) in his book Conferences On the Gospel of John.

Corrected on 2009-09-29 15:16:12

In the audio, we mistakenly called Lorrie Moore's novel A Very Crowded Life. In fact, the novel is called A Gate At The Stairs.

Corrected on 2009-09-21 00:00:00

The original on-air version of this story referred to Rep. Joe Wilson as being from Louisiana. Wilson is from South Carolina.

Corrected on 2009-09-18 16:51:42

Our report referred to some small airports that cater to recreational planes and corporate jets as "private" airports. That is an inaccurate characterization. Private airports are just that: airports that belong to private individuals or companies that restrict traffic. The airports being referred to in our report are open to public use.

Corrected on 2009-09-16 16:44:35

Our story reported that Patrick Swayze's first movie role was in The Outsiders in 1983. That was incorrect. Swayze's first film role came in Skatetown USA in 1979. Also, in a reference to the film Point Break, it was said that Patrick Swayze wore a mask with the likeness of President Richard Nixon while robbing banks. He actually wore a mask depicting the likeness of President Ronald Reagan.

Corrected on 2009-09-22 00:00:00

In the audio portion of Part 1 of the interactive graphic 'Stories From the Amazon Road,' we referred to Sao Paulo as Brazil's capital. In fact, Brasilia is the capital of Brazil. The audio has been corrected.

Corrected on 2009-09-15 00:00:00

In the discussion about cupcakes, a reference was made to the coffee shop Peet's being an imitator of Starbucks. Starbucks actually came after Peet's. Peet's was founded in 1966 and Starbucks was founded in 1971.

Corrected on 2009-09-14 16:19:17

In the audio story, guest April Englebert refers to a site that does not exist. There is a functioning site called http://krazycouponlady.blogspot.com/

Corrected on 2021-03-01 00:00:00

An earlier Web version of this story incorrectly said Mongolia became independent from the Soviet Union in 1990. In fact, Mongolia was never part of the Soviet Union.

Corrected on 2009-09-14 15:18:24

In response to a question about egg allergy and the flu vaccine, NPR science editor Joe Neel misspoke. Chicken eggs are also used in manufacturing the inhaled flu vaccine, and it is not an alternative to a flu shot for people with egg allergy.

Corrected on 2010-12-10 00:00:00

An earlier headline on this story misdated the Tate-LaBianca murders. They took place in August 1969.

Corrected on 2009-09-09 13:11:10

Frank Deford misspoke when he said New York University is "authorized to do a definitive study" on early-onset dementia. NYU proposed the study to the National Football League, but it has not been officially approved. The Web text has been corrected.

Corrected on 2009-09-14 17:15:30

On air and in an earlier Web version of the story, we said the House had passed a bill to expand Medicaid coverage. The full House has yet to vote on the legislation.

Corrected on 2009-08-24 13:02:01

The original version of this story mistakenly identified Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern as Chris Redford.

Corrected on 2009-08-19 17:05:51

The broadcast version of this story incorrectly identified one of the dancers as Rachel Johnson. Her correct name is Rebecca Johnson.

Corrected on 2009-09-24 00:00:00

In our interview, Erin Arvedlund said that many so-called feeder funds that invested with Bernie Madoff did not reveal that Madoff was the manager, so many retirees never knew they were exposed. This was not true of one company she mentioned. Fairfield Greenwich Group, believing Madoff to be a selling point, did list him as the portfolio manager in many of their funds.

Corrected on 2019-01-11 00:00:00

In a previous version of the Web intro to this story, we incorrectly called the TSA the Transportation Safety Administration. It is the Transportation Security Administration.

Corrected on 2009-10-08 00:00:00

An earlier version of this story said that California spends as much money on corrections as its entire education system. The story should have said that the state spends as much money on corrections as its higher education system.

Corrected on 2009-08-19 11:44:03

In original versions of this story, we said that cocaine is classified by the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule I drug. That is incorrect. Cocaine is classified as a Schedule II drug.

Corrected on 2009-08-11 15:55:11

In our swine flu update, NPR reporter Joanne Silberner said that previous seasonal flu vaccines have all been safe. As she and other NPR reporters have noted in other stories, there are questions about the safety of a flu vaccine used in 1976. After an unexpected outbreak of swine flu that year, a new vaccine was developed and used in 40 million people. Several hundred cases of a neurological condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome developed among those vaccinated, including 25 deaths. Researchers who studied the incident still are not sure whether it was the vaccine that caused the syndrome or if some viral infection or other cause was responsible for those cases of GB.

Corrected on 2009-08-11 00:00:00

A previous Web version of this story incorrectly stated that aircraft flying in the Hudson River corridor could be doing so without electronic transponders. In fact, transponders are required in the area.

Corrected on 2009-08-11 15:42:33

A previous Web version of this story incorrectly stated that aircraft flying in the Hudson River corridor could be doing so without electronic transponders. In fact, transponders are required in the area.

Corrected on 2009-08-18 14:40:32

We said that Dr. Sam Gandy is a neurologist who heads Alzheimer's research at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In fact, Gandy is associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Corrected on 2009-09-18 16:01:32

In a response to the question, what's your favorite film about food, a caller answers "Last Supper, starring Wesley Snipes." Wesley Snipes did not star in Last Supper. Courtney B. Vance was the movie's star.

Corrected on 2009-08-07 00:00:00

We said material seized by government investigators during a search of Rep. Jefferson's congressional office was ruled inadmissible in its entirety. In fact, some of the documents were not included in the congressman's constitutional challenge, and 46 of them were entered into evidence against him.

Corrected on 2009-08-09 09:03:21

In early Web versions of this story, we misspelled the last name of food historian Gary Nabhan.

Corrected on 2009-09-30 11:39:08

We incorrectly stated that Israel had been attacked by Syria and other Arab states in the 1967 war. In fact, Israel attacked first after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser expelled United Nations troops from the Sinai and closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping.

Corrected on 2009-08-19 17:04:22

A previous Web version of this story incorrectly referred to "Caltech University." The correct name is California Institute of Technology.

Corrected on 2009-07-31 14:06:47

A previous Web version of this story said that Sen. Daniel Akaka is from Alaska. The senator is actually from Hawaii.

Corrected on 2009-07-24 11:42:37

In some broadcasts, we incorrectly said that the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is based in Dallas, Texas. The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is based in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Corrected on 2009-09-30 11:35:38

The original broadcast of this story said that "millions of Palestinians became refugees at the end of the 1948 war." That is incorrect. While millions of Palestinians are now considered refugees, the actual number who became refugees because of the war has been estimated at about 750,000, according to the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency.

Corrected on 2009-07-28 14:32:08

In the audio version of this story, a student who was quoted as being Zack Harner was actually Brandon Muncy. A previous Web version's photo caption incorrectly identified a student as Brenden Muncie. He is actually Michael Essex. The text has been corrected.

Corrected on 2009-07-23 11:31:07

Our story identified Richard Naimark as the vice president of the National Arbitration Forum. That is incorrect. Mr. Naimark is senior vice president of the American Arbitration Association.

Corrected on 2009-07-22 22:30:13

In an early version of this story, we reported that Iowa was one of two states that do not issue permits for concealed weapons. That is incorrect. The two states that do not issue permits for concealed weapons are Illinois and Wisconsin.

Corrected on 2009-07-23 17:00:25

In the audio version of this story and in a previously published text version, we said 13 percent of Sen. Max Baucus' re-election funds came from Montana donors. That number should have been 5 percent.

Corrected on 2009-07-22 12:17:32

The audio report says Amazon's e-books are only readable on the Kindle. This is incorrect. Amazon e-books downloadable on the Kindle can also be downloaded and read on the Apple iPhone and Apple iPod touch using the Amazon Kindle for iPhone application.

Corrected on 2009-07-17 20:36:32

Some versions of this story heard on air attributed "Bittersweet Symphony" to The Rolling Stones. In fact, the song was recorded by The Verve.

Corrected on 2009-07-17 14:56:20

Our report said the U.S. sent two carrier battle groups into the Strait of Taiwan in 1995. In fact, that action was taken in 1996.

Corrected on 2009-07-15 17:12:04

While Janis Joplin recorded a much-played version of "Me and Bobby McGee," a song quoted in this story, the song was written and recorded by Kris Kristofferson.

Corrected on 2009-07-12 17:22:22

Previous versions of this story incorrectly said that the firefighters who filed the lawsuit over a promotion exam were African-American. In fact, the firefighters were white.

Corrected on 2009-07-10 14:36:28

A previous Web version of this story said BP closed its alternative energy division. This is not the case; the company is reducing the size of the division.

Corrected on 2009-08-04 01:00:11

A previous version of this story said that the legendary American humorist Will Rogers served in the House from Oklahoma. Will Rogers did not serve in Congress, though his son did, as a representative from California. The Will Rogers who represented part of Oklahoma was unrelated.

Corrected on 2009-07-14 17:02:52

Our report said that this year's graduating class at Daewon included seven students at Cornell and five at Stanford. Those are actually the number of students that will be attending those schools. Twelve students were admitted to Cornell and seven to Stanford.

Corrected on 2009-07-02 12:45:18

The broadcast version of this story mistakenly said that an ice age "marked the death of the dinosaurs." The text on this page has been updated.

Corrected on 2009-07-02 16:42:34

We incorrectly said that NPR makes a payment every time a brief piece of music is played in a news story. In fact, fair use rules permit the journalistic use of short pieces of music in news stories without any payment being made.

Corrected on 2009-06-30 00:00:00

This review initially misstated the name of a supporting character. The text has been corrected.

Corrected on 2009-06-26 16:17:18

In his conversation with Robert Siegel, reporter Mark Zdechlik incorrectly said former Sen. Norm Coleman took a job with the National Jewish Democratic Council. In fact Coleman is serving as a consultant and strategic adviser to the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Corrected on 2009-06-26 00:00:00

In broadcast versions of this story, Donald Rumsfeld was identified as a former Secretary of State. The archived audio here has been updated.

Corrected on 2017-07-25 00:00:00

This piece linked to a copy of Orwell's essay which contained many transcription errors. The link has been updated to a correct version.

Corrected on 2009-06-19 11:46:19

In this report, listeners heard a clip of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. We should have mentioned that the clip was courtesy of Al-Jazeera.

Corrected on 2009-09-15 11:57:29

An earlier version of this story referred to a 2001 interview with Morant, but this interview took place in 2006.

Corrected on 2009-06-17 09:28:18

We said that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is announcing a $20 billion initiative to support women in developing countries whose health has been jeopardized by the global economic crisis. There is no new initiative. At the secretary-general’s June 15 forum on global health, Ban called on donors to honor existing commitments to the Millennium Development Goals, pledges that amount to $20 billion between 2007 and 2015.

Corrected on 2009-09-15 12:11:40

The audio and a previous Web version of this story said that Larry Harbour and his wife were uninsured because of insurance plans requiring from $24,000 to $40,000 a year in premium payments alone. Harbour now says he misspoke and that the premiums he referred to were actually half that amount, from $12,000 to $20,000 a year.

Corrected on 2009-07-12 13:04:06

The Web version of this story incorrectly stated the number of Jewish settlers estimated to be living in territory captured by Israel in the 1967 war. The number of settlers living in the West Bank exceeds 270,000, according to Israel’s census of 2007. The number of Jews living in all lands captured by Israel in 1967 — the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem — was estimated to be 460,000 to 480,000 in 2007. The text has been corrected to specify the estimate relevant to the West Bank, which was the focus of the story.

Corrected on 2009-06-12 11:44:37

We said that the headquarters of Aryan Nations is located in Idaho. According to the Web site of Aryan Nations, the organization's mailing address is in South Carolina.