Poynter Lauds Columbia Missourian’s ‘Show Me the Errors’ Feature
The Contest Creates a Great Connection to the Community, the Article Says
Los Angeles (Aug. 26, 2015) — Poynter, a global leader in journalism, praised the Show Me the Errors feature in the Columbia Missourian in an Aug. 25 article on online corrections.
The story, “L.A. Times op-ed on online corrections: ‘There’s a stunning lack of transparency,'” said most digital publications struggle with how to note post-publication changes to articles.
The Missourian stands out as an exemplary exception, the Poynter article pointed out. It asks readers to help spot needed factual corrections – whether they be a subject-verb agreement mistake, a misspelling or an erroneous pronoun usage. The newspaper holds a monthly contest to reward people who participate.
Noted Craig Silverman, editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed Canada, “It’s a wonderful way to show that, yes, we do make mistakes. You can help us correct them and we’ll reward you for doing that. A really simple, easy way to do it, but it creates a great connection with the community.”
Show Me the Errors contest has operated since October 2010. It grew out of conversations with faculty and students to imagine the digital Missourian if it were built from scratch.
The Missourian is a multi-platform community newspaper managed by professionals with writing, editing, graphics, design and photography by students at the Missouri School of Journalism. Some of the world’s best journalists have learned their profession through the Missouri Method, which provides hands-on training in real-world news media and strategic communication agencies. The first issue of the Missourian was published on the School’s first day of class on Sept. 14, 1908.
Updated: September 10, 2020