Why Don't Readers Report Errors?

By: Joe Strupp One question raised by the Jayson Blair scandal was: why did so few of the people in his stories complain to his paper? A new study takes a few stabs at an answer.

The Associated Press Managing Editors (APME) conducted an informal survey, between May 15-20, asking nearly 350 newspaper readers why a reader or a source in a story would not alert a paper to inaccuracies. Responses from readers of 16 newspapers are still being tabulated, but Carol Nunnelley, director of APME's National Credibility Round-table, said the most popular reasons for not reporting errors included: doubt that the newspaper cared; belief that someone else would alert editors; lack of knowledge about whom to contact, and cynicism that the inaccuracies were intentional.