After the interview: follow-up, errors and corrections
Send what you promised, read the story, sort each problem, ask for a correction with the evidence, and log one change for next time.
Start here Essentials
At minimum, send what you promised, check the story for factual errors, and log the interview. If the story has not run yet, do the first step now and come back for the rest.
- Send anything you promised: a spelling, a number with its source, a date (sending what you promised).
- Read, hear or watch the story when it runs, with your fact sheet beside you, and save the link (when the story runs).
- Sort each problem as a factual error, missing context or a choice you dislike (sorting problems).
- For a factual error, send the reporter one short message with the wrong text, the correct fact and its source (asking for a correction).
- Log the interview and write one thing to do differently (the interview log).
Minimum time: about 30 minutes, plus waiting for the story to run. Done when: the interview log shows the story link, whether it was accurate, and any correction request with its date.
1. Follow up, then wait for the story Understand
The interview ends before the work does. Two things remain: finishing what you promised, and finding out what the outlet made of what you said. The rest of this chapter covers what to do if the story gets something wrong.
Send what you promised
During an interview, you may have said you would check a number, send a spelling or point the reporter to a document. SciLine, a service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, advises that when you do not know an answer you say so and offer to follow up (SciLine, "Five tips for scientists speaking to reporters"). A follow-up is only useful if it arrives before the reporter files, so send it the same day if you can. Convention
Keep the message short: one item, its source, nothing else. Reporters and editors check names, titles and numbers before publication, and larger outlets employ fact-checkers (SciLine, "Ask a Reporter Anything"). A source with a document makes that check easier.
| You promised | Send | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| The spelling of a name, title or place | The exact text, each on its own line | Your facts sheet says the same |
| A number | The number, what it counts, the date it was counted and where it comes from | It is still current; if you counted a week ago, count again |
| A document or link | The link, or the page and section | It is public, and it says what you said it says |
| Another person to talk to | Their name and role, only after they have agreed | You asked them first. SciLine advises asking a colleague before giving their contact details (SciLine, "Five tips for scientists handling media requests"). |
| A time for a photographer or a visit | The day, the time and what you will allow | Your request sheet; the outlet decides the rest |
Do not add new claims in a follow-up. If you realize you said something wrong in the interview, say so briefly, give the right fact and its source, and ask the reporter whether it arrives in time.
When the story runs
Expect no date. NC State's guidance says most reporters do not know when a story will run, because editors decide (NC State News Services). Ask the reporter whether they can tell you when it posts, but do not rely on it; check the outlet's site, and for a broadcast, ask for the link or the air time.
When it runs, read it once for the whole, then again against your facts sheet. Mark every sentence that names you, quotes you or states a fact you gave. For a broadcast, watch or listen to the whole segment; the American Association for the Advancement of Science's communication toolkit, last updated in 2022, lists reviewing the broadcast as a step after TV and radio interviews (AAAS Communication Toolkit, "TV and Radio Media Tips"). Save the link and the date in the interviews sheet.
Many of the problems you find will be small. The CDC's media chapter observes that reporters generally get crisis facts right and that errors usually correct themselves, though sometimes not quickly enough (CDC, CERC: Working with the Media). That is an agency's observation about emergencies, not a measure of any outlet.
2. Sort each problem Understand
Before you contact anyone, sort what you found. The CDC's advice is to stay calm and then analyze: is it truly inaccurate, or is it a negative slant? Correcting a factual error is simple; a difference of opinion is harder to counter (CDC, CERC: Working with the Media). The table extends that into five kinds of problem.
| Kind | Example | What you can do | Who decides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factual error | A wrong number, name, title, date or place | Ask for a correction, with the evidence | The outlet |
| Missing context | A true statement that leaves out a qualifier you gave | Tell the reporter what was left out; ask whether it can be added | The reporter and editor |
| A choice you dislike | A word, an angle, a photo, a quote you wish were different | Usually let it go; tell the reporter calmly if it matters to you | The reporter and editor |
| A difference of opinion | The story reaches a conclusion you disagree with | No correction applies; say your view in a reply or letter if the outlet takes them | The outlet |
| A fact that changed after publication | A count that rose, a date that moved | Ask for an update if the outlet offers them | The outlet |
A headline needs its own note. SciLine's panel of working journalists reported that editors usually write headlines, not reporters, and that a misleading headline can be changed if you raise it (SciLine, "Ask a Reporter Anything"). If the problem is a headline, tell the reporter that you understand editors write them and ask who can look at it.
How much is worth raising
NC State's guidance is to let minor mistakes go and bring serious mistakes and unbalanced stories to the reporter. The Washington Post, by contrast, says it corrects all errors, however small. Outlets differ, so our default is NC State's: raise what changes what a reader would believe or do, or what is wrong about you in a way you care about. Your threshold is your own. Preference The side-by-side is under Go deeper below.
This manual helps you ask for a correction. It does not cover defamation or legal remedies, and it does not say whether a story is libelous. A media lawyer settles that. The outlet decides whether an error gets a correction, a clarification or an update, and how it is worded. Ask the authority
3. Ask for a correction Understand
Move quickly, and write once
Contact the reporter soon after you find a factual error. SciLine's panel said online stories can be fixed quickly and print corrections take longer, and that if an edit changed what your quote means, you should contact the reporter right away (SciLine, "Ask a Reporter Anything"). Send one message. A calm, specific message does the most work. Reuters tells its own staff that complaints from any source, sources included, must be investigated promptly and should be treated as feedback (Reuters Journalistic Standards). That is one outlet's policy for its own staff, but it shows what a reporter is trained to expect.
The three parts of a request
A correction request has three parts: the wrong text, the correct fact and its source. The CDC's media chapter describes the same approach, which is to analyze whether the item is a factual error and then supply the corrected information (CDC, CERC: Working with the Media).
- The wrong text. Quote the sentence exactly and say where it appears: the story's headline or title, the paragraph, and the link.
- The correct fact. Say it in one sentence, with the number or name exactly.
- The source. Name a record the reporter can check, and offer to show or read it. If the record lists other people's names, offer to read the count and leave the names out.
- The request. One line: "Could this be corrected?" Add a time if one matters, and say you can answer questions today.
Leave your opinions out of the same message. If you also dislike the angle, send that separately, or leave it out. Do not ask to see future stories before they run; the CDC's spokesperson chapter says not to ask to review articles, and offers to clarify instead (CDC, CERC: Spokesperson). Reuters does not send stories to sources to vet before publication, and says doing so would breach its independence. A correction after publication is a different request from approval before.
A correction, a clarification or an update
An article from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Journalism Ethics reports that researchers separate an update, which is for facts that changed after publication, from a correction, which is for something the newsroom got wrong. Something accurate when published may get an update and not a correction (University of Wisconsin Center for Journalism Ethics, Correcting the record). A clarification adds context to something that was not wrong. Outlets use the words differently, and policies vary by newsroom. The Associated Press says corrections must be labeled as corrections, visible to readers, and it asks subscribers that ran an error to run the correction too (Associated Press, Telling the Story). Journalists' own codes ask for the same: the Society of Professional Journalists' code says to correct mistakes promptly and prominently, and the Radio Television Digital News Association's code asks that a correction be as prominent as the error and that archived versions be amended when facts change (RTDNA Code of Ethics). Both codes are voluntary. Convention
Write your outcome in the corrections sheet in the outlet's own terms: corrected, updated, clarified, no change or no reply.
4. Beyond the reporter, and your rights Understand
Most requests end with the reporter. If you have no reply by the time you gave, follow up once. If that fails, look for the outlet's corrections page, then ask the reporter or the desk who handles corrections. Outlets publish different routes:
- NPR corrects significant errors in broadcast and online reports and takes error reports through its corrections form (NPR Corrections).
- NPR also has a public editor, described as the public's representative to NPR (NPR Public Editor).
- The Washington Post publishes a corrections email address and a desk phone number in its policies and standards page (Washington Post, "Policies and Standards," page updated March 2025).
A local outlet may have none of these. Ask. The outlet decides what a correction looks like, and a reporter who does not know the policy is not unusual (see Go deeper).
If you were a source in a painful story
Victim-facing guides say you can demand a correction. The Justice Solutions guide hosted by North Carolina lists a correction among a victim's options (A News Media Guide for Victims and Survivors of Crime), and the Voices Center for Resilience advises that if you are misquoted you can demand a correction or file a complaint (Voices Center for Resilience, Considerations for Speaking with the Media). Journalists' codes are voluntary, so a complaint goes to the outlet; we found no regulator to name. If you set conditions in Bad news and personal stories and the story ignores them, keep the written confirmation from before the interview and attach it. Convention
Corrections policies compared
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Washington Post | Corrects all errors, however small or quickly fixed; email and desk phone listed |
| NPR | Corrects significant errors in broadcast and online reports; corrections form |
| NC State News Services | Advice to sources: let minor mistakes go; bring serious ones to the reporter |
| Reuters | Corrects errors promptly, clearly and comprehensively; investigates complaints promptly |
| Associated Press | Labels corrections as corrections; asks subscribers that ran the error to run the correction |
The Post says all errors; NPR says significant ones; NC State advises sources to let small ones go. They apply to different things (what an outlet corrects versus what a source raises), so they do not conflict, but they set different thresholds. No fetched source covers how podcasts, small local outlets or social media posts handle corrections; ask the host or the editor.
Going above the reporter
If the reporter does not reply, the next route is the editor or the outlet's corrections address. NPR's public editor is one example of a role that sits outside the newsroom. We did not find a source that says how common that role is, so do not assume your outlet has one.
Why some reporters do not know their own policy
The Wisconsin center's article notes that some reporters do not know their newsroom's corrections policy and that it may not be applied consistently. Trusting News publishes a kit to help newsrooms write corrections policies. If you get a vague answer, ask who owns corrections, and send the three parts to that person.
If coverage brings unwanted attention
A story can bring unwanted messages or attention. We found no source that teaches how to handle it, so this manual gives no method. Keep dated copies of what you receive and tell the outlet and, if you have one, your organization. If anyone threatens you, contact the police.
5. Log the interview and one change Understand
The interview log has three sheets. The interviews sheet records the date, outlet, format, link, whether the story was accurate (yes, minor errors, factual error, missing context) and notes. The corrections sheet records each request: date sent, what the story said, the correct fact, the source, whom you sent it to, and the outcome. The debrief sheet asks three things: what worked, one thing to change, and questions you did not expect.
Fill the debrief the day of the interview, while you remember it, and again when the story runs. Add each question you did not expect to your practice answers sheet, so the next round of practice includes it. Your media kit uses these notes to set up a mock interview.
The log is for you. This manual does not read it, and it is not a record you can hand to an outlet. If you share the media kit, check first that the log holds nothing you want kept private.
6. See it See it
Dana Ruiz's correction request. Dana runs the Eastside Tool Library from her garage in Dayton, Ohio: 410 tools, 260 registered members, open Saturday mornings for three years. Jen Albrecht of the Miami Valley Courier interviewed her by phone on Thursday. The story runs the following week on the paper's website and says the library has "140 members." Every name, outlet, sentence and number here is invented.
Known: the story states 140; Dana's sign-up sheet, counted before the call, gave 260. Assumed: that the error came from the reporter's notes or typing, not from something Dana said (Dana's assumption; the reporter's notes settle it); that 260 is still right on the day she writes (her assumption; a recount settles it). Open: whether the Courier will issue a correction, a clarification or an update (the paper's editors); how soon (not known; the paper has a website, so an online fix may be fast). Privacy: the sign-up sheet has neighbors' names on it, so she will offer to read the count and not send the sheet.
Dana reads the story against her facts sheet and sorts what she finds.
| What she found | Kind | What she does |
|---|---|---|
| "140 members" where her count is 260 | Factual error | Sends a correction request |
| The story does not say that loans are free | Missing context | Mentions it in one line in the same message, as something she would welcome, not a demand |
| The story calls her garage "crowded" | A choice she dislikes | Lets it go |
Subject: Correction request: member count in your story on the Eastside Tool Library
Hello Jen,
Thank you for the story. One factual error: the third paragraph says the library "has 140 members." The library has 260 registered members, counted from our sign-up sheet on the Wednesday before we spoke. I can read you the count and the date; the sheet has neighbors' names, so I would rather not send it. Could this be corrected online? I can answer questions today.
Separately, if there is room: loans are free to members.
Dana Ruiz
Dana sends this once, to the reporter, two days after the story runs. She writes the date in the corrections sheet, marks the interview "factual error" in the interviews sheet, and writes one debrief line: "Give the number and its date twice in the interview, once early and once at the end." If, two weeks later, 15 more people have joined, 275 is not a correction. It is a change in the facts after publication, and she would not ask for an update unless the outlet offers them.
7. Practice Practice
Minimum: one log entry for the story, and a correction request only if you found a factual error. Time: about 30 minutes, plus the wait for the story. Materials: the story link or recording, your facts sheet, and the interview log. The log is the sheet that receives your work. The interviews and debrief sheets are essential; the corrections sheet is essential only if you send a request.
- Send what you promised, if you have not. One item and its source per line.
- Read or listen to the whole story with your facts sheet open. Mark each sentence that names you, quotes you or states a number.
- Sort each mark using the table in sorting problems. Write the kind beside it.
- For each factual error, write the three parts. Read the message aloud and remove any opinion. Send it to the reporter and write the date in the corrections sheet.
- Fill the interviews sheet with the link and your accuracy rating, and the debrief sheet with one thing to change.
- Add each unexpected question to the practice answers sheet.
8. Your interview Your interview
9. Check your work Check your work
Criteria
- Did you send every promised item, each with its source?
- Did you check every sentence that names you, quotes you or states a number against your facts sheet?
- Is each problem sorted, and is only a factual error (or an update, when facts changed) in a correction request?
- Does each request quote the wrong text, state the correct fact and name a source?
- Does the interviews sheet show the link, the accuracy rating and the date?
- Does the debrief name one thing to change?
Worked example
Dana's request quotes the sentence, gives 260 and the date of the count, offers the count but not the neighbors' names, and asks for one thing. Her second line about free loans is clearly separate. Her sort leaves the "crowded" garage alone. Under these assumptions the request is ready: it still rests on 260 being right on the day she writes, which a recount settles, and on the editors deciding what to call the fix.
Common mistakes
- Sending the request angry or in several messages. Fix: draft it, read it aloud and send once.
- Mixing an opinion with the fact. Fix: send the fact; send the opinion separately or leave it out.
- Attaching a record that lists other people's names. Fix: offer to read the count.
- Asking for a correction of something that changed after publication. Fix: ask for an update, if the outlet offers them.
- Not logging a story that went well. Fix: a good story is a record too.
What is still unresolved
This chapter cannot tell you whether the outlet will correct, how it will word the change, or whether a story is libelous. The outlet settles the first two; a media lawyer settles the third. It also cannot tell you whether your number was right, only how to show it.