Corrections from the past week.

Corrections from the past week.

Corrections from the past week.

Slate's mistakes.
Sept. 19 2003 5:47 PM

Corrections

A Sept. 18 "Ballot Box"  article by William Saletan and Avi Zenilman originally and incorrectly said that in October 1998, Rep. Dennis Kucinich voted to impeach President Bill Clinton and force a Senate trial. That vote was not for impeachment and a Senate trial. It was for an unlimited impeachment inquiry in the House. The confusion evidently arose because both votes were for impeachment-related proceedings, and Democrats who voted for the unlimited impeachment inquiry were regarded as defectors. However, the difference in significance is enormous. Slate apologizes to Kucinich and our readers for this serious error.

In a Sept. 19 "Sports Nut," Josh Levin incorrectly asserted that Gilbert Brown, the defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers, had been sidelined for the year with a biceps injury. While that was the initial diagnosis, Brown has since played in Green Bay's first two games.

In the Sept. 19 "Today's Papers," Caroline Brenner originally reported that Iraqi fighters killed three American soldiers with small-arms fire. In fact, only one of the major newspapers identified the fighters as Iraqis; most papers did not report their nationality definitively.

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In a Sept. 18 "Today's Papers" column, Eric Umansky originally stated that the New York Stock Exchange board accepted Richard Grasso's resignation by a vote of 13-to-20. In fact, the vote was 13-to-7.

The Sept. 17 "Faith-Based" originally stated that the Gospel of Mark was written around the year 70 B.C. That Gospel is actually estimated to have been written around A.D. 70.

In a Sept. 17 "Culturebox," Adam Kirsch originally stated that the issue of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary coincided with Johnson's 194th birthday. In fact, Johnson would have been 294 this year.

In a Sept. 17 "Today's Papers" column, Eric Umansky suggested that New York Times correspondent John Burns co-wrote the book Embedded: The Media at War in Iraq. The excerpt quoted in the column was actually taken from an oral interview Burns gave to the book's co-authors.

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A Sept. 15 "Moneybox" on the Atkins diet referred to Virginia Tech University. In fact, the school is officially named "Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University" and known casually as "Virginia Tech."

In a Sept. 15 "Ballot Box," William Saletan originally and incorrectly said that 11 Democratic state senators from Texas "fled to Oklahoma and then New Mexico to prevent the majority from gathering a quorum." The state senators fled to New Mexico. The Democratic legislators who previously fled to Oklahoma were state representatives, not senators.

In a Sept. 12"Culturebox," Adelle Waldman misstated the circulation of Publishers Weekly. The magazine has over 26,000 subscribers. She also incorrectly described Dave Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius as a novel. It is a memoir.

In a Sept. 12 "International Papers" column, Ed Finn wrote that the Jerusalem Post ran two contradictory editorials on Arafat's potential expulsion.  In fact, one was an op-ed.

In a Sept. 12 "War Stories" column, Fred Kaplan originally reported that the Navy has 11 Trident submarines and that 50,000 Americans died in the Korean War. In fact, the Navy has 18 Trident submarines. Although the 50,000 figure was accepted for many years, in 2000 the U.S. government revised it to roughly 37,000. Finally, the article wrongly reported that the U.S. Air Force has more than 100 stealth aircraft; the correct number is 75.

In a Sept. 11 "Explainer," Ed Finn incorrectly implied that administrative subpoenas carry the direct threat of punishment if they are not obeyed. In fact, investigators must get a court order for any penalties to be brought against recalcitrant parties.

In a Sept. 11 "Chatterbox" column, Timothy Noah stated that a chart he prepared based on deficit projections from the Congressional Budget Office made "the improbable assumption that Iraq will be entirely self-governing by this time next year." In fact, the CBO projections, and therefore the chart, assumed that Iraq reconstruction costs would increase by 7.7 percent each year. (The CBO baseline did not, however, include the $87 billion recently requested by President Bush.)

If you believe you have found an inaccuracy in a Slate story, please send an e-mail to corrections@slate.com, and we will investigate. General comments should be posted in "The Fray," our reader discussion forum.