Making it right

Readers who notice a similarity between last week’s front page and this week’s version aren’t losing their minds, although there’s some evidence to suggest I might be losing mine.

The front page of the Jan. 9 issue of the Carroll County News featured a large photograph of Mattie Davis, Green Forest High School’s basketball homecoming queen, and her father, Jackie Davis. It was a great photo, courtesy of Southwind Photography, to whom I’m very grateful.

So, I was disappointed when Mattie’s mom, Rachel, called last Wednesday afternoon to tell me that Mattie’s name had been left off the caption. And sure enough, it had.

When something like that happens, and sometimes it does, the first thing I do is acknowledge the error and apologize for it. Rachel Davis could not have been more kind or understanding, and I’d like to publicly thank her for that.

The second thing I do when such a mistake has occurred is try to figure out how it happened so I can keep it from happening again. But this time, I’m stumped. The caption was correct on the final proof (yes, we do proofread the paper) but incorrect on the file that was sent to the press. I don’t know what happened.

I do know how to hopefully make it right, though. Mattie deserves her due and that’s why her photo is on the front page again this week. And you can bet I’ll make sure that the caption is correct this time.

As I said, Rachel Davis couldn’t have been more kind or understanding and I appreciate that more than she knows.

Publishing a weekly newspaper isn’t easy and despite all our best efforts, sometimes we make mistakes. And while some folks react the way Rachel did, others can be less kind.

Last week’s paper also had an error in an anniversary announcement. That announcement is also republished in this week’s paper.

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Scott Loftis is editor and publisher of the Carroll County News. His email address is SLoftis@CarrollCoNews.com.