In 1999, the major conclusion of research tracking accuracy initiatives at Florida Today, Melbourne, and the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune was that while mistakes hurt credibility, corrections – handled in a consistent manner and placed where they are easily found – help heal the public’s misgivings.

The first, and most fundamental, finding of the 1998 baseline national research on journalism credibility was that the public sees too many factual errors and spelling or grammar mistakes in newspapers. Thirty-five percent of the public said they spotted spelling or grammar mistakes in their newspaper more than once a week, with 21 percent saying they spotted such errors daily. Twenty-three percent said they found factual errors in stories at least once a week.

Along with 1999 follow-up research findings presented here, other data and information can be found in the following question-and-answer segments with editors at Florida Today, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News. While the Mercury News also embarked on an accuracy initiative, that experiment was internally focused and not readily visible to readers. Therefore, we did not conduct specific follow-up research in this market.

We learned that while only about half of a newspaper’s audience actually reads content such as Florida Today’s corrections box (47 percent) and Sarasota’s reader advocate column (40 percent), the fact that they exist is an important signal to all.

Ninety-three percent of Sarasota Herald-Tribune readers said they notice corrections and 60 percent “feel better” about the accuracy of what they read in the paper because corrections do run. This is in line with the 1998 national research, which showed that 78 percent of those who see corrections “feel better” about their newspaper.

There’s almost universal public acceptance of the belief that these kinds of remedies will not only help newspapers correct their mistakes, but ensure that reporters and editors remain alert to them.

We learned that there’s strong public sentiment for prominent display of corrections. In Brevard County, home of Florida Today, 47 percent of market residents surveyed said corrections should run in a central location (such as Page 2), 25 percent preferred section fronts and 24 percent thought corrections should run approximately where the original story was placed.

The public expects more than just talk about accuracy; they want to know that efforts are in place to try to be more accurate. Besides the obvious (correct grammar and spelling), they expect journalists to get the facts right, to have the right facts, and to correct the record when they err. In short, errors can be forgiven, but confession is required first.

Newspapers seem to have a mandate to give consistent attention to correcting errors, whether that means a prominent daily corrections box, a weekly reader advocate column or an editors’ apology when a factual error causes harm. Doing this is not only intellectually honest, but because a majority of adults “feel better” about newspaper credibility when they see corrections, it’s in the paper’s self-interest as well.

Finally, the tracking research reaffirmed that while a large proportion of newspaper readers may notice mistakes and errors, only a tiny proportion are actively in contact with newspapers to complain, to suggest, or to participate in the “fix” as proofreaders. For example, only 5 percent of residents surveyed in the Herald-Tribune’s market area said they wrote to or contacted the newspaper in a three-month period to point out errors or mistakes they spotted. Likewise in Brevard County, just 3 percent contacted Florida Today to point out such problems. Of those who did contact the paper to point out an error or mistake, 47 percent said that Florida Today followed up with a correction, and almost all said the editors did a good job of representing their comments and explaining the error.

Seven percent of Brevard County residents surveyed were aware of Florida Today’s citizen proofreader program, and 13 percent knew of the paper’s efforts to improve accuracy. In Sarasota, 28 percent of market residents say they were aware of the Herald-Tribune’s efforts to improve accuracy.

The seemingly small number of Brevard County and Sarasota readers who were aware of the accuracy efforts might, at first glance, seem disheartening, but the context is more hopeful. The results actually provide a positive foundation for the newspapers, particularly in light of the initiatives’ short time frame, relatively little fanfare by the newspapers about the project and a requirement at Florida Today that participants in the proofreading program take the time to come in and learn how a newspaper is put together.

The number of people who said they were willing to participate in such efforts was also encouraging. A solid 28 percent of the public surveyed in Brevard County said they would be interested in taking part in the citizen proofreading program in the future (8 percent were very interested). In Sarasota, 40 percent said they read the reader advocate column – 20 percent four or more times a week and 20 percent one to three times a week. An encouraging 74 percent said publishing the column will accomplish the goal of telling readers about efforts to improve accuracy and credibility and also will ensure that newsroom staffers are always alert to potential mistakes and errors.

In summary, to get ahead of the accuracy problem, newspapers must take direct action, must be quick to correct errors and must listen and respond to readers’ complaints. There need to be processes in place for preventing errors on the front end and for correcting them when they occur. Programs like the ones taken on by the Herald-Tribune, Florida Today and the San Jose Mercury News can help build reader trust.