To Cut Down On Mistakes, Let's First Concentrate On Names

By Mark Memmott

Published July 13, 2018 at 1:54 PM CDT

Five weeks of data show our corrections pace has not slowed. We're still on a 100-a-month pace.

The basic message today is a repeat: "We must start CQ'ing." Reread that "Memmo" for more about how to do that.

Then do this: Commit to getting names right from the first time you put them in the draft of a script or story through to when a piece goes on the air on or the Web. About one-quarter of our mistakes concern names of people and organizations. They're either just flat wrong ("Dean" instead of "Don") or they are misspelled.

We can't ignore the other things on the NPR Accuracy Checklist. They, too, need to be double-checked. But how about we aim to take names and kick those mistakes aside?

(Did you know? "Memmos" are now posted here.)

Mark Memmott

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.

See stories by Mark Memmott