AN EDITED VERSION OF THIS POST APPEARS IN THE NY TIMES ON JULY 10
("On NYTimes.com, Now You See It, Now You Don't")
What if "Dewey Beats Truman" never happened?
We are in an age of the instantaneous news cycle. Competing for readers on the web allows for less review and reflection. I well recall the .com headline of the death of Gabrielle Giffords. It emanated from a story circulated by NPR. A well respected news source was enough for the Times, and many others. Later, that story disappeared into the thin air of an online unnoted correction.
I do think it of import that the Times and others chronicle this turbulent moment in journalistic history. Not only should the mistakes and omissions be part of the public record because they are part of that record, but they should be there to demonstrate the trials and tribulations associated with the learning curve of getting information out to the public in the 21st century.
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