NPR Corrections

Corrected on 2010-12-28 00:00:00

In recent weeks, NPR hosts, reporters and guests have incorrectly said or implied that WikiLeaks recently has disclosed or released roughly 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables. Although the website has vowed to publish "251,287 leaked United States embassy cables," as of Dec. 28, 2010, only 1,942 of the cables had been released.

Corrected on 2010-12-21 00:00:00

In the audio version of this story -- and earlier Web text -- we reported that Goodwill Industries nationwide expects to make about $5 million in online sales, The correct number should be "more than $25 million." For Goodwill Industries, that is still a relatively small amount of money, but it represents a growing source of income.

Corrected on 2011-02-08 00:00:00

Our story said a requirement of a loyalty oath called for "all new residents [of Israel] to swear allegiance to a Jewish and democratic state." We should have said that all new citizens of Israel must take the loyalty oath.

Corrected on 2010-12-13 00:00:00

An earlier Web description of this story inaccurately characterized Mercy Corps as "a conservative Christian" organization. Mercy Corps is a non-political and non-religious humanitarian organization.

Corrected on 2010-12-13 00:00:00

An earlier Web version of this story incorrectly said Dallas is the largest city in Texas. Houston is the largest city in Texas.

Corrected on 2010-12-13 00:00:00

An earlier edition of this web story incorrectly stated that in the early days of the Norwood procedure "one in ten babies died." In fact, at the time Jeni had her heart surgery "only one in 10 newborns survived."

Corrected on 2010-12-09 00:00:00

An earlier version of this post stated that the Dougie was invented in Los Angeles. According to a member of the group Cali Swag District, it actually began in Dallas.

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

An earlier version of this story incorrectly paraphrased House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer as saying Democrats had no choice but to accept the tax package.

Corrected on 2010-12-07 00:00:00

The audio and a previous Web version of this story incorrectly identified Carl Tobias as a University of Virginia law professor. Tobias teaches at the University of Richmond.

Corrected on 2010-11-24 00:00:00

The language used suggested that only Native American farmers were to receive payments from the settlement, when that settlement reaches well beyond farmers. It deals with complaints from 300-thousand individual Native Americans of all backgrounds who said the government mismanaged royalty payments for natural resources mined on tribal lands. Meanwhile, Native American farmers who specifically faced discrimination involving farm loans from 1981 to 1999 reached a separate settlement last month that doesn't require action by Congress, but does still require approval from the courts.

Corrected on 2010-11-30 00:00:00

We incorrectly attributed an assertion near the end of this piece to the Environmental Protection Agency's John Senn. He did not suggest that the cleanup work "can last decades — or might never be done."

Corrected on 2010-11-18 00:00:00

The Web version of this review mistakenly described Frances de la Tour as making her first appearance in the Harry Potter franchise with this film. She first appeared in the series' fourth installment.

Corrected on 2010-11-16 00:00:00

Earlier versions of this story incorrectly stated that Louisiana State University is closing campuses. To date, Louisiana State has not closed any campuses.

Corrected on 2012-02-23 00:00:00

Laura Sullivan's use of the phrase "an end run" in the second reference during the live broadcast was imprecise. She did not mean to suggest that CCA violated lobbying law.

Corrected on 2010-11-07 00:00:00

The initial Web version of this story located American Public University in the wrong West Virginia city. The school is based in Charles Town.

Corrected on 2010-11-05 00:00:00

The audio for this story incorrectly identifies the years Dan Coats previously served in the Senate. He served from 1989 to 1999.

Corrected on 2010-11-04 00:00:00

An earlier version of this story suggested that GM required government approval to resume use of private planes. That was incorrect.

Corrected on 2010-11-05 00:00:00

The audio and a previous Web version of this story inaccurately stated that Ringo Starr's brother introduced him to the music of composer John Tavener. It was Tavener's brother Roger, working as a master builder on Ringo's house, who introduced the Beatles' drummer to Tavener's music. Ringo Starr was an only child. In addition, Ringo starred in the film "Candy," not "The Magic Christian," as originally stated.

Corrected on 2010-11-02 00:00:00

A previous Web version of this story incorrectly said that Southwest Airlines is non-unionized. In fact, the airline is approximately 83 percent unionized.

Corrected on 2010-11-01 00:00:00

We incorrectly reported the score of Game 3 of the World Series. The correct score was Texas Rangers 4, San Francisco Giants 2.

Corrected on 2015-05-11 00:00:00

As we reported, Arizona Republican state Sen. Russell Pearce was the originator of the draft legislation that later became the immigration law known as Arizona SB 1070. Although Corrections Corporation of America did have a representative at the American Legislative Exchange Council meeting where model legislation similar to 1070 was drafted, we didn't mean to suggest that CCA wrote the language.

Corrected on 2010-11-02 00:00:00

The audio and a previous Web version of this story incorrectly identified Anthony Leiserowitz as a professor at Yale University. Leiserowitz is a research scientist and director of the Yale Project on Climate Change.

Corrected on 2012-02-22 00:00:00

As we reported, Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce was the originator of the draft legislation that later became Arizona SB 1070. This story did not mean to suggest that the Corrections Corporation of America was the catalyst behind the law or that it took a corporate position in favor of the legislation.

In our 2010 broadcast piece we said: "Last December Arizona Sen. Russell Pearce sat in a hotel conference room with representatives from the Corrections Corporation of America and several dozen others. Together they drafted model legislation that was introduced into the Arizona Legislature two months later, almost word for word."

Although CCA did have a representative at the ALEC meeting where model legislation similar to 1070 was drafted, we didn't mean to suggest that CCA wrote the language.

Nov. 18, 2011 — In the introduction to the radio version of this story, we said that the legislation that became the Arizona immigration law (SB 1070) was drafted at a meeting of the American Legislative Council, or ALEC. The introduction should have made a clearer distinction between drafting the Arizona bill and ALEC's role in turning it into "model" legislation to be submitted in states across the country.

Corrected on 2010-10-27 00:00:00

We mistakenly reported that John Boesel, the CEO of Calstart, said that it can be twice as costly for companies to buy a hybrid truck. According to Boesel, most hybrid trucks are 30 percent to 50 percent more expensive than standard trucks. Other sources said that some hybrid trucks are twice as expensive.

Corrected on 2010-10-29 00:00:00

An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Chris Wilson as Dragonfly de la Luz's boyfriend. He is her friend.

Corrected on 2010-11-15 00:00:00

The earlier web version of this story incorrectly referred to the Medal of Honor as the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Corrected on 2010-10-18 00:00:00

The post initially indicated both candidates refused to shake hands at the end of their debate Sunday. But the Associated Press reports it was Dr. Rand Paul who walked past Jack Conway without offering a handshake or making eye contact.

Corrected on 2010-10-16 00:00:00

An earlier version of this story stated Barbara Billingsley was born in 1922. She was born in 1915.

Corrected on 2010-10-15 00:00:00

We mistakenly reported that the television series Freaks and Geeks was distributed by Fox. Freaks and Geeks was distributed by NBC.

Corrected on 2010-10-14 00:00:00

This piece incorrectly stated that Phillips would be the first in market with 60-watt equivalent LED bulbs. Some companies are already ahead of them. Eco-Smart, for example, already produces a stronger 75 watt bulb available for purchase at Home Depot.

Corrected on 2010-10-15 00:00:00

We mistakenly reported that Fort Hood shooting victim Michael G. Cahill was a doctor. Cahill was a physician assistant.

Corrected on 2010-10-14 00:00:00

The audio and a previous Web version of this story inaccurately stated that Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne first performed together in a concert version of Rossini’s Semiramide. Sutherland and Horne first performed together in Bellini’s Beatrice di Tenda, about a year before they appeared together in Semiramide.

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

In early on-air versions, we said GOP Senate candidate Roy Blunt had once been the governor of Missouri. He was not; he ran once and lost in the primary. It was Blunt’s son, Matt, who was once Missouri’s governor.

Corrected on 2010-10-08 00:00:00

The audio version of this story incorrectly identified Anthony Woods’ rank in the U.S. Army as major. Woods was a captain.

Corrected on 2010-10-05 00:00:00

The audio version of this story (and earlier text versions) incorrectly identified the home county of Parkersburg, which is in Wood County.

Corrected on 2011-04-12 00:00:00

The guest for this report (Tondalah Stroud) was obtained from an original report written by Aisha I. Jefferson for Black Enterprise magazine.

Corrected on 2010-09-30 00:00:00

We credited guest George Barris with creating the DeLorean from Back to the Future. Barris did not create that vehicle.

Corrected on 2010-09-29 00:00:00

This story initially gave an incorrect date for President Nixon's resignation. He resigned in August 1974.

Corrected on 2010-10-01 00:00:00

The audio version of this story incorrectly stated that Million Dollar Quartet, which took place in 1956, happened 44 years ago. We made an arithmetic error; it was 54 years ago.

Corrected on 2010-09-27 00:00:00

This blog post was erroneously based in part on a transcript from the Iranian president's speech from 2009.

Corrected on 2010-09-20 00:00:00

An earlier version of this article suggested that Sarah Palin apppeared at the Values Voter's Summit. She did not.

Corrected on 2010-09-20 00:00:00

We incorrectly reported on the air and previously on our website that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced Gone with the Wind. The movie was produced by Selznick International Pictures, in association with MGM.

Corrected on 2010-09-10 00:00:00

The audio and an earlier Web version of this story contained some incorrect information. Jamye Ford had told NPR that he was 24 years old, entered Columbia University at 16 and graduated with a double major in neuroscience and history. NPR has since learned that Ford is actually 32 years old, entered Columbia at 18 and graduated with a degree in history.

Corrected on 2010-09-05 00:00:00

An earlier version of this story implied all "Kosher-for-Passover" foods are gluten-free, which is incorrect. Many are, but some are not.

Corrected on 2010-09-07 00:00:00

The radio introduction to this report incorrectly said that the price of gold more than tripled in the past decade. The price of gold more than quadrupled in that period.

Corrected on 2010-09-04 00:00:00

This story incorrectly stated that Al Gore went to North Korea recently to get two American prisoners freed. Gore offered to go, but it was Bill Clinton who actually made the trip.

Corrected on 2010-08-26 00:00:00

An earlier Web version of this story incorrectly stated that the Soviet government moved the capital from St. Petersburg to Moscow in the 18th century.

Corrected on 2010-08-26 00:00:00

Earlier versions of this story identified Elizabeth Warren as a former dean of the Harvard Law School. This is incorrect. She is a professor.

Corrected on 2010-08-23 00:00:00

We incorrectly identified the Republican running for U.S. Senate from Florida. His name is Marco Rubio.

Corrected on 2010-08-17 00:00:00

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the firm Compass Security was suspended from its operations escorting convoys between Kabul and Kandahar because of bribery allegations. The temporary suspension resulted from an insurgent attack involving civilian deaths. Compass Security's operations were reinstated after about two weeks, and the Afghan government's investigation of the incident is ongoing. The previous version also incorrectly stated that Ahmad Wali Karzai has interests in two security firms, Watan Rick Management and Asia Security Group. An attorney for Karzai, in a letter to NPR, says there is no evidence that Karzai has any ownership interests in either firm or any other private security businesses in Afghanistan.

Corrected on 2010-08-18 00:00:00

An initial version of this story misspelled Jim Buchen's name. Also, the last line of the story has been edited to reflect the fact that a justice's term is expiring. We incorrectly suggested that the justice is retiring.

Corrected on 2010-08-18 00:00:00

The headline was revised to reflect the article's emphasis on the Palestinian position on direct talks with the Israeli government.

Corrected on 2010-08-04 00:00:00

The initial version of this post misstated the relationship of two of the petitioners. Anita Bova is Anita Hochendoner's daughter -- not her mother.

Corrected on 2017-07-11 00:00:00

A previous version of this story misspelled Johnathan Nader's first name as Jonathan.

Corrected on 2010-08-04 00:00:00

We referred to the first season of "Real Housewives of Washington DC" as falling short, with nine episodes instead of the expected 13. That is an inaccurate characterization. While later seasons of the "Real Housewives" franchise do have 13 or more episodes, the first usually has no more than nine.

Corrected on 2010-08-05 00:00:00

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the party affiliation of Rep. Peter Visclosky, an Indiana Democrat.

Corrected on 2010-07-29 00:00:00

The audio version of this story confused the name of the fictional biker gang with the name of the lead character on the FX television show Sons of Anarchy. SAMCO is the acronym for the biker group; Clarence "Clay" Morrow is its leader.

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

A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. It is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Corrected on 2010-07-21 00:00:00

The audio version of this story quotes Charles Fried of the Harvard Law School talking about voters on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The original text version paraphrased this as a reference to Jewish voters. Fried says he was referring to Upper West Side residents in general and not to Jewish voters in particular.

Corrected on 2010-07-14 00:00:00

The initial version of this post incorrectly called Faith in Public Life blog abortion-rights leaning. It is actually is neutral on abortion.

Corrected on 2010-07-12 00:00:00

In the original radio broadcast, our critic David Edelstein misstated the name of the actress who appeared in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Her name is Katharine Houghton, not Katherine Ross.

Corrected on 2010-07-14 00:00:00

In the audio and video versions of this story, it was incorrectly stated that the Starfish Prime bomb was 1,000 times bigger than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Starfish Prime was 100 times bigger than the Hiroshima bomb.

Corrected on 2010-07-14 00:00:00

This post previously stated that one-third of the Gulf’s waters were closed to fishing. Actually, one-third of federally controlled waters in the Gulf are closed to fishing. State water, such as that nearest coastlines, and international waters do not fall under federal jurisdiction and were not counted.

Corrected on 2010-06-23 00:00:00

The audio version of this story, as well as an earlier Web version, said oil toxins can cause mutations in mice that pass from one generation to another. The mutations in question were not caused by oil toxins, but by toxins from a different source.

Corrected on 2010-06-23 00:00:00

Our guest misstated the year of Hamas' election victory. The elections were held in January 2006, not June 2007.

Corrected on 2014-10-28 00:00:00

A previous Web version of this story was incorrectly attached to an excerpt from The Power and the Glory by Grace MacGowan Cooke instead of the correct excerpt from Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory.

Corrected on 2010-06-16 00:00:00

The audio version of this story incorrectly says, as did a previous Web version, that Steve Fox is an editor at PC Magazine. Fox is actually editorial director for PC World.

Corrected on 2010-06-11 00:00:00

In a previous Web version of this story, a reference was made to the company Transocean being American. Transocean is registered in Switzerland.

Corrected on 2010-06-09 00:00:00

In this story we said the University of Washington Huskies were defending their title as national champions in the NCAA World Series that weekend. The story aired on Sunday, but the Huskies had already played on Saturday and been defeated. The 2010 championship was won by UCLA.

Corrected on 2010-06-28 00:00:00

Earlier versions of this story reported that Israel expelled the families of Turkey's diplomats in the aftermath of Israel's actions against a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. NPR should have reported that Israel recalled the families of its own diplomats from Turkey.

Corrected on 2010-06-25 00:00:00

We said that five ships have made their way into the Gaza Strip and that the last ship was the only one that was stopped. That was during Operation Cast Lead, a year and a half ago. Our report failed to mention a July 2009 attempt to breach the blockade of Gaza. We should have said the boats that have attempted to arrive since Operation Cast Lead were all turned away by the Israeli navy.

Corrected on 2010-06-03 00:00:00

The audio and a previous Web version of this story incorrectly said that Louie Perez was a member of the band Country Fresh. It is Louie Ortega who was a member of Country Fresh, the band that later became known as Louie and the Lovers.

Corrected on 2010-05-28 00:00:00

A previous version of the caption for Image 4 in the photo gallery incorrectly identified the flowers as blue dendrobiums. They are actually blue delphiniums.

Corrected on 2010-05-28 00:00:00

A previous version of this story incorrectly said courts have ruled that the children of visiting diplomats are eligible for U.S. citizenship if they are born in the country. Such children are in fact not granted citizenship.

Corrected on 2010-05-24 00:00:00

A sentence in an earlier version of this story was modified to more clearly paraphrase White House spokesman Robert Gibbs' statements about measuring the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Corrected on 2010-05-20 00:00:00

Some audio versions of this story referred to the White House and two chambers of Congress as "all three branches" of the federal government. They are only the executive and legislative branches. The third branch, the judicial system, is appointed and not elected and is not controlled by either political party.

Corrected on 2010-05-20 00:00:00

The audio version of this story incorrectly refers to the federal agency that handles veterans' affairs as the Veterans Administration. The agency's correct name is the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Corrected on 2010-05-17 00:00:00

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Kentucky GOP primary is open to any registered voter, not just Republicans.

Corrected on 2010-05-13 00:00:00

The audio version of this story incorrectly says, as did a previous Web version, that 4 million barrels of oil have leaked since the April 20 accident. The correct amount is 4 million gallons.

Corrected on 2010-05-12 00:00:00

Constitutional law professor Walter Dellinger misspoke when he said the 1954 Supreme Court "did not have a single justice who had been a judge." In fact, Justice Sherman Minton, a former U.S. senator, had also served eight years on a federal appeals court.

Corrected on 2010-06-07 00:00:00

The original Web version of this story incorrectly stated the number of Jewish settlers estimated to be living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The inaccurate number in the story came from the CIA World Factbook. The Israeli government's Central Bureau of Statistics estimated the Israeli population of the West Bank at 301,000 as of Sept. 1, 2009. It does not provide separate figures for East Jerusalem, but estimates from other sources put the figure at 180,000 to 200,000. The text has been corrected to state that about 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to estimates.

Corrected on 2010-05-15 00:00:00

The audio on this story incorrectly refers to Mitsunaga as a Zen monk. He belongs to the Tendai school, which is a separate denomination.

Corrected on 2010-05-06 00:00:00

An earlier version of this article did not adequately attribute a YouTube video created by pop culture blogger Rich Juzwiak. See the Editor's Note below.

Corrected on 2010-05-04 00:00:00

A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to House Minority Leader John Boehner as speaker of the House.

Corrected on 2010-05-05 00:00:00

Our story incorrectly said that David Brower was the founder of the Sierra Club. John Muir founded the Sierra Club. David Brower was executive director of the Sierra Club from 1952 to 1969. Our story also incorrectly reported that a quote from Brower came from an interview in 2002. Brower died in 2000. The quote was actually from an earlier interview that was included in "Moving Waters," a documentary released in 2002.

Corrected on 2010-04-30 00:00:00

The audio version of this story says, as did a previous Web version, that the law requires legal residents to carry papers at all times. That is actually a long-standing provision of federal law. The new Arizona law allows local law enforcement to demand proof of immigration status.

Corrected on 2010-04-26 00:00:00

New York Times reporter Duff Wilson misspoke when he referred to a government case against American tobacco companies as a criminal conviction. In fact, the tobacco companies were found guilty of violating civil racketeering laws.

Corrected on 2010-04-22 00:00:00

An earlier version of the text on this page noted that Barbie Latza Nadeau is a writer for Tina Brown's Daily Beast but failed to state explicitly (as the on-air story did) that Nadeau's book is being published by Beast Books, the book-publishing arm of Brown's online magazine.

Corrected on 2010-04-12 00:00:00

Early audio versions of this story incorrectly identified a song as the Polish national anthem. The song is a Polish hymn.

Corrected on 2010-04-13 00:00:00

Following broadcast of this essay, the author informed NPR that he had changed the gender of the patient and the gender of one of the relatives for reasons of confidentiality. NPR's policy is to accurately convey and report the identity of all individuals mentioned in stories, unless anonymity is vital to protect the individual’s well-being.

Corrected on 2010-04-12 00:00:00

Early audio versions of this story inaccurately identified the crash site as being in eastern Russia. The crash site is in western Russia.

Corrected on 2010-04-09 00:00:00

Our guest incorrectly stated that the University of Connecticut women's basketball team was the first women's college basketball team to ever have back-to-back undefeated seasons. The women's basketball team at Washington University in St. Louis, playing at the NCAA's Division III level, was undefeated in 1999 and again in 2000. UConn plays Division I basketball. 

Corrected on 2010-04-08 00:00:00

An initial version of the chart entitled "A Shifting Court" contained errors in properly classifying some justices as Protestants. The errors have been corrected.

Corrected on 2010-04-06 00:00:00

Our commentator incorrectly stated that only those taxpayers who make more than $65,000 per year pay federal income taxes. That is inaccurate. The intention was to convey that a significant portion of federal tax revenues comes from people making more than $65,000 per year. In 2007, 86.59 percent of federal taxes paid were paid by people earning more than $65,000 per year.

Corrected on 2010-04-06 00:00:00

We incorrectly identified the court that would be ruling in the case pitting the FCC against Comcast as the 4th Circuit. It is, in fact, the Federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The Web text has been corrected.

Corrected on 2010-03-30 00:00:00

We incorrectly used the term "teva electron volt" in our story about the Large Hadron Collider. We should have used the term "teraelectron volt."

Corrected on 2010-03-22 00:00:00

Earlier editions of this story incorrectly placed Fargo in North Carolina.

Corrected on 2010-03-24 00:00:00

A previous Web version of this story incorrectly stated that Mark Saylor got into his car with his wife and children. In fact, Saylor was in the car with his wife, child and brother-in-law. The story also incorrectly stated that Saylor phoned 911; it was the brother-in-law who made the call.

Corrected on 2010-03-19 00:00:00

The audio and a previous Web version of this story incorrectly reported that the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime says that between 2003 and 2008, income from drug protection and trafficking for al-Qaida and the Taliban reached a combined $18 billion. In fact, $18 billion is the estimated total opium revenue in Afghanistan for the years 2003-2008, according to the UNODC. The Taliban's share is estimated at between $90 and $160 million a year over the past five years, according to the UNODC. There is no separate estimate for al-Qaida.

Corrected on 2010-03-24 00:00:00

In reference to race riots in Tulsa, Okla., we incorrectly stated that they were in 1923. They were in 1921.