NPR Corrections

Corrected on December 28, 2010

In recent weeks, NPR hosts, reporters and guests have incorrectly said or implied that WikiLeaks recently has disclosed or released roughly 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables. Although the website has vowed to publish "251,287 leaked United States embassy cables," as of Dec. 28, 2010, only 1,942 of the cables had been released.

Corrected on December 21, 2010

In the audio version of this story -- and earlier Web text -- we reported that Goodwill Industries nationwide expects to make about $5 million in online sales, The correct number should be "more than $25 million." For Goodwill Industries, that is still a relatively small amount of money, but it represents a growing source of income.

Corrected on December 13, 2010

An earlier Web description of this story inaccurately characterized Mercy Corps as "a conservative Christian" organization. Mercy Corps is a non-political and non-religious humanitarian organization.

Corrected on December 13, 2010

An earlier edition of this web story incorrectly stated that in the early days of the Norwood procedure "one in ten babies died." In fact, at the time Jeni had her heart surgery "only one in 10 newborns survived."

Corrected on December 13, 2010

An earlier Web version of this story incorrectly said Dallas is the largest city in Texas. Houston is the largest city in Texas.

Corrected on December 10, 2010

An earlier version of this story incorrectly paraphrased House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer as saying Democrats had no choice but to accept the tax package.

Corrected on December 10, 2010

An earlier headline on this story misdated the Tate-LaBianca murders. They took place in August 1969.

Corrected on December 9, 2010

An earlier version of this post stated that the Dougie was invented in Los Angeles. According to a member of the group Cali Swag District, it actually began in Dallas.

Corrected on December 9, 2010

The original Rebecca Lancefield recipe calls for 1 quart bourbon and 1 pint rum. Vince Fischetti modified the recipe (for taste) to 1 quart rum and 1 pint bourbon.

Corrected on December 7, 2010

The audio and a previous Web version of this story incorrectly identified Carl Tobias as a University of Virginia law professor. Tobias teaches at the University of Richmond.

Corrected on November 30, 2010

We incorrectly attributed an assertion near the end of this piece to the Environmental Protection Agency's John Senn. He did not suggest that the cleanup work "can last decades — or might never be done."

Corrected on November 24, 2010

The language used suggested that only Native American farmers were to receive payments from the settlement, when that settlement reaches well beyond farmers. It deals with complaints from 300-thousand individual Native Americans of all backgrounds who said the government mismanaged royalty payments for natural resources mined on tribal lands. Meanwhile, Native American farmers who specifically faced discrimination involving farm loans from 1981 to 1999 reached a separate settlement last month that doesn't require action by Congress, but does still require approval from the courts.

Corrected on November 18, 2010

The Web version of this review mistakenly described Frances de la Tour as making her first appearance in the Harry Potter franchise with this film. She first appeared in the series' fourth installment.

Corrected on November 16, 2010

Earlier versions of this story incorrectly stated that Louisiana State University is closing campuses. To date, Louisiana State has not closed any campuses.

Corrected on November 15, 2010

The earlier web version of this story incorrectly referred to the Medal of Honor as the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Corrected on November 7, 2010

The initial Web version of this story located American Public University in the wrong West Virginia city. The school is based in Charles Town.

Corrected on November 5, 2010

The audio for this story incorrectly identifies the years Dan Coats previously served in the Senate. He served from 1989 to 1999.

Corrected on November 5, 2010

The audio and a previous Web version of this story inaccurately stated that Ringo Starr's brother introduced him to the music of composer John Tavener. It was Tavener's brother Roger, working as a master builder on Ringo's house, who introduced the Beatles' drummer to Tavener's music. Ringo Starr was an only child. In addition, Ringo starred in the film "Candy," not "The Magic Christian," as originally stated.

Corrected on November 4, 2010

An earlier version of this story suggested that GM required government approval to resume use of private planes. That was incorrect.

Corrected on November 2, 2010

A previous Web version of this story incorrectly said that Southwest Airlines is non-unionized. In fact, the airline is approximately 83 percent unionized.

Corrected on November 2, 2010

The audio and a previous Web version of this story incorrectly identified Anthony Leiserowitz as a professor at Yale University. Leiserowitz is a research scientist and director of the Yale Project on Climate Change.

Corrected on November 1, 2010

We incorrectly reported the score of Game 3 of the World Series. The correct score was Texas Rangers 4, San Francisco Giants 2.

Corrected on October 29, 2010

An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Chris Wilson as Dragonfly de la Luz's boyfriend. He is her friend.

Corrected on October 27, 2010

We mistakenly reported that John Boesel, the CEO of Calstart, said that it can be twice as costly for companies to buy a hybrid truck. According to Boesel, most hybrid trucks are 30 percent to 50 percent more expensive than standard trucks. Other sources said that some hybrid trucks are twice as expensive.

Corrected on October 18, 2010

The post initially indicated both candidates refused to shake hands at the end of their debate Sunday. But the Associated Press reports it was Dr. Rand Paul who walked past Jack Conway without offering a handshake or making eye contact.

Corrected on October 16, 2010

An earlier version of this story stated Barbara Billingsley was born in 1922. She was born in 1915.

Corrected on October 15, 2010

We mistakenly reported that the television series Freaks and Geeks was distributed by Fox. Freaks and Geeks was distributed by NBC.

Corrected on October 15, 2010

We mistakenly reported that Fort Hood shooting victim Michael G. Cahill was a doctor. Cahill was a physician assistant.

Corrected on October 14, 2010

This piece incorrectly stated that Phillips would be the first in market with 60-watt equivalent LED bulbs. Some companies are already ahead of them. Eco-Smart, for example, already produces a stronger 75 watt bulb available for purchase at Home Depot.

Corrected on October 14, 2010

The audio and a previous Web version of this story inaccurately stated that Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne first performed together in a concert version of Rossini’s Semiramide. Sutherland and Horne first performed together in Bellini’s Beatrice di Tenda, about a year before they appeared together in Semiramide.

Corrected on October 12, 2010

In early on-air versions, we said GOP Senate candidate Roy Blunt had once been the governor of Missouri. He was not; he ran once and lost in the primary. It was Blunt’s son, Matt, who was once Missouri’s governor.

Corrected on October 8, 2010

The audio version of this story incorrectly identified Anthony Woods’ rank in the U.S. Army as major. Woods was a captain.

Corrected on October 5, 2010

The audio version of this story (and earlier text versions) incorrectly identified the home county of Parkersburg, which is in Wood County.

Corrected on October 1, 2010

The audio version of this story incorrectly stated that Million Dollar Quartet, which took place in 1956, happened 44 years ago. We made an arithmetic error; it was 54 years ago.

Corrected on September 30, 2010

We credited guest George Barris with creating the DeLorean from Back to the Future. Barris did not create that vehicle.

Corrected on September 29, 2010

This story initially gave an incorrect date for President Nixon's resignation. He resigned in August 1974.

Corrected on September 27, 2010

This blog post was erroneously based in part on a transcript from the Iranian president's speech from 2009.

Corrected on September 20, 2010

An earlier version of this article suggested that Sarah Palin apppeared at the Values Voter's Summit. She did not.

Corrected on September 20, 2010

We incorrectly reported on the air and previously on our website that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced Gone with the Wind. The movie was produced by Selznick International Pictures, in association with MGM.

Corrected on September 10, 2010

The audio and an earlier Web version of this story contained some incorrect information. Jamye Ford had told NPR that he was 24 years old, entered Columbia University at 16 and graduated with a double major in neuroscience and history. NPR has since learned that Ford is actually 32 years old, entered Columbia at 18 and graduated with a degree in history.

Corrected on September 7, 2010

The radio introduction to this report incorrectly said that the price of gold more than tripled in the past decade. The price of gold more than quadrupled in that period.

Corrected on September 5, 2010

An earlier version of this story implied all "Kosher-for-Passover" foods are gluten-free, which is incorrect. Many are, but some are not.

Corrected on September 4, 2010

This story incorrectly stated that Al Gore went to North Korea recently to get two American prisoners freed. Gore offered to go, but it was Bill Clinton who actually made the trip.

Corrected on August 26, 2010

An earlier Web version of this story incorrectly stated that the Soviet government moved the capital from St. Petersburg to Moscow in the 18th century.

Corrected on August 26, 2010

Earlier versions of this story identified Elizabeth Warren as a former dean of the Harvard Law School. This is incorrect. She is a professor.

Corrected on August 23, 2010

We incorrectly identified the Republican running for U.S. Senate from Florida. His name is Marco Rubio.

Corrected on August 18, 2010

An initial version of this story misspelled Jim Buchen's name. Also, the last line of the story has been edited to reflect the fact that a justice's term is expiring. We incorrectly suggested that the justice is retiring.

Corrected on August 18, 2010

The headline was revised to reflect the article's emphasis on the Palestinian position on direct talks with the Israeli government.

Corrected on August 17, 2010

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the firm Compass Security was suspended from its operations escorting convoys between Kabul and Kandahar because of bribery allegations. The temporary suspension resulted from an insurgent attack involving civilian deaths. Compass Security's operations were reinstated after about two weeks, and the Afghan government's investigation of the incident is ongoing. The previous version also incorrectly stated that Ahmad Wali Karzai has interests in two security firms, Watan Rick Management and Asia Security Group. An attorney for Karzai, in a letter to NPR, says there is no evidence that Karzai has any ownership interests in either firm or any other private security businesses in Afghanistan.

Corrected on August 5, 2010

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the party affiliation of Rep. Peter Visclosky, an Indiana Democrat.

Corrected on August 4, 2010

The initial version of this post misstated the relationship of two of the petitioners. Anita Bova is Anita Hochendoner's daughter -- not her mother.

Corrected on August 4, 2010

We referred to the first season of "Real Housewives of Washington DC" as falling short, with nine episodes instead of the expected 13. That is an inaccurate characterization. While later seasons of the "Real Housewives" franchise do have 13 or more episodes, the first usually has no more than nine.

Corrected on July 29, 2010

The audio version of this story confused the name of the fictional biker gang with the name of the lead character on the FX television show Sons of Anarchy. SAMCO is the acronym for the biker group; Clarence "Clay" Morrow is its leader.

Corrected on July 21, 2010

The audio version of this story quotes Charles Fried of the Harvard Law School talking about voters on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The original text version paraphrased this as a reference to Jewish voters. Fried says he was referring to Upper West Side residents in general and not to Jewish voters in particular.

Corrected on July 14, 2010

The initial version of this post incorrectly called Faith in Public Life blog abortion-rights leaning. It is actually is neutral on abortion.

Corrected on July 14, 2010

This post previously stated that one-third of the Gulf’s waters were closed to fishing. Actually, one-third of federally controlled waters in the Gulf are closed to fishing. State water, such as that nearest coastlines, and international waters do not fall under federal jurisdiction and were not counted.

Corrected on July 14, 2010

In the audio and video versions of this story, it was incorrectly stated that the Starfish Prime bomb was 1,000 times bigger than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Starfish Prime was 100 times bigger than the Hiroshima bomb.

Corrected on July 12, 2010

In the original radio broadcast, our critic David Edelstein misstated the name of the actress who appeared in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Her name is Katharine Houghton, not Katherine Ross.

Corrected on July 2, 2010

An earlier version of this posting incorrectly explained how Hamas came to control the Gaza Strip. The Islamist group seized power there in 2007 after violent clashes with militia and security forces from the rival Fatah party. Hamas had won a strong majority in Palestinian parliamentary elections the previous year, but political disagreements and the Gaza violence derailed efforts to form a working unity government.

Corrected on June 28, 2010

Earlier versions of this story reported that Israel expelled the families of Turkey's diplomats in the aftermath of Israel's actions against a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. NPR should have reported that Israel recalled the families of its own diplomats from Turkey.

Corrected on June 25, 2010

We said that five ships have made their way into the Gaza Strip and that the last ship was the only one that was stopped. That was during Operation Cast Lead, a year and a half ago. Our report failed to mention a July 2009 attempt to breach the blockade of Gaza. We should have said the boats that have attempted to arrive since Operation Cast Lead were all turned away by the Israeli navy.

Corrected on June 23, 2010

The audio version of this story, as well as an earlier Web version, said oil toxins can cause mutations in mice that pass from one generation to another. The mutations in question were not caused by oil toxins, but by toxins from a different source.

Corrected on June 23, 2010

Our guest misstated the year of Hamas' election victory. The elections were held in January 2006, not June 2007.

Corrected on June 16, 2010

The audio version of this story incorrectly says, as did a previous Web version, that Steve Fox is an editor at PC Magazine. Fox is actually editorial director for PC World.

Corrected on June 11, 2010

In a previous Web version of this story, a reference was made to the company Transocean being American. Transocean is registered in Switzerland.

Corrected on June 9, 2010

In this story we said the University of Washington Huskies were defending their title as national champions in the NCAA World Series that weekend. The story aired on Sunday, but the Huskies had already played on Saturday and been defeated. The 2010 championship was won by UCLA.

Corrected on June 7, 2010

The original Web version of this story incorrectly stated the number of Jewish settlers estimated to be living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The inaccurate number in the story came from the CIA World Factbook. The Israeli government's Central Bureau of Statistics estimated the Israeli population of the West Bank at 301,000 as of Sept. 1, 2009. It does not provide separate figures for East Jerusalem, but estimates from other sources put the figure at 180,000 to 200,000. The text has been corrected to state that about 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to estimates.

Corrected on June 3, 2010

The audio and a previous Web version of this story incorrectly said that Louie Perez was a member of the band Country Fresh. It is Louie Ortega who was a member of Country Fresh, the band that later became known as Louie and the Lovers.

Corrected on May 28, 2010

A previous version of the caption for Image 4 in the photo gallery incorrectly identified the flowers as blue dendrobiums. They are actually blue delphiniums.

Corrected on May 28, 2010

A previous version of this story incorrectly said courts have ruled that the children of visiting diplomats are eligible for U.S. citizenship if they are born in the country. Such children are in fact not granted citizenship.

Corrected on May 24, 2010

A sentence in an earlier version of this story was modified to more clearly paraphrase White House spokesman Robert Gibbs' statements about measuring the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Corrected on May 20, 2010

Some audio versions of this story referred to the White House and two chambers of Congress as "all three branches" of the federal government. They are only the executive and legislative branches. The third branch, the judicial system, is appointed and not elected and is not controlled by either political party.

Corrected on May 20, 2010

The audio version of this story incorrectly refers to the federal agency that handles veterans' affairs as the Veterans Administration. The agency's correct name is the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Corrected on May 17, 2010

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Kentucky GOP primary is open to any registered voter, not just Republicans.

Corrected on May 15, 2010

The audio on this story incorrectly refers to Mitsunaga as a Zen monk. He belongs to the Tendai school, which is a separate denomination.

Corrected on May 13, 2010

The audio version of this story incorrectly says, as did a previous Web version, that 4 million barrels of oil have leaked since the April 20 accident. The correct amount is 4 million gallons.

Corrected on May 12, 2010

Constitutional law professor Walter Dellinger misspoke when he said the 1954 Supreme Court "did not have a single justice who had been a judge." In fact, Justice Sherman Minton, a former U.S. senator, had also served eight years on a federal appeals court.

Corrected on May 6, 2010

An earlier version of this article did not adequately attribute a YouTube video created by pop culture blogger Rich Juzwiak. See the Editor's Note below.

Corrected on May 5, 2010

Our story incorrectly said that David Brower was the founder of the Sierra Club. John Muir founded the Sierra Club. David Brower was executive director of the Sierra Club from 1952 to 1969. Our story also incorrectly reported that a quote from Brower came from an interview in 2002. Brower died in 2000. The quote was actually from an earlier interview that was included in "Moving Waters," a documentary released in 2002.

Corrected on May 4, 2010

A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to House Minority Leader John Boehner as speaker of the House.

Corrected on April 30, 2010

The audio version of this story says, as did a previous Web version, that the law requires legal residents to carry papers at all times. That is actually a long-standing provision of federal law. The new Arizona law allows local law enforcement to demand proof of immigration status.

Corrected on April 26, 2010

New York Times reporter Duff Wilson misspoke when he referred to a government case against American tobacco companies as a criminal conviction. In fact, the tobacco companies were found guilty of violating civil racketeering laws.

Corrected on April 22, 2010

An earlier version of the text on this page noted that Barbie Latza Nadeau is a writer for Tina Brown's Daily Beast but failed to state explicitly (as the on-air story did) that Nadeau's book is being published by Beast Books, the book-publishing arm of Brown's online magazine.

Corrected on April 13, 2010

Following broadcast of this essay, the author informed NPR that he had changed the gender of the patient and the gender of one of the relatives for reasons of confidentiality. NPR's policy is to accurately convey and report the identity of all individuals mentioned in stories, unless anonymity is vital to protect the individual’s well-being.

Corrected on April 12, 2010

Early audio versions of this story incorrectly identified a song as the Polish national anthem. The song is a Polish hymn.

Corrected on April 12, 2010

Early audio versions of this story inaccurately identified the crash site as being in eastern Russia. The crash site is in western Russia.

Corrected on April 9, 2010

Our guest incorrectly stated that the University of Connecticut women's basketball team was the first women's college basketball team to ever have back-to-back undefeated seasons. The women's basketball team at Washington University in St. Louis, playing at the NCAA's Division III level, was undefeated in 1999 and again in 2000. UConn plays Division I basketball. 

Corrected on April 9, 2010

An earlier summary of this story that appeared online incorrectly identified the birthplace of Barack Obama. The audio correctly states that Obama's father was born in Kenya.

Corrected on April 8, 2010

An initial version of the chart entitled "A Shifting Court" contained errors in properly classifying some justices as Protestants. The errors have been corrected.

Corrected on April 6, 2010

We incorrectly identified the court that would be ruling in the case pitting the FCC against Comcast as the 4th Circuit. It is, in fact, the Federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The Web text has been corrected.

Corrected on April 6, 2010

Our commentator incorrectly stated that only those taxpayers who make more than $65,000 per year pay federal income taxes. That is inaccurate. The intention was to convey that a significant portion of federal tax revenues comes from people making more than $65,000 per year. In 2007, 86.59 percent of federal taxes paid were paid by people earning more than $65,000 per year.

Corrected on March 30, 2010

We incorrectly used the term "teva electron volt" in our story about the Large Hadron Collider. We should have used the term "teraelectron volt."

Corrected on March 24, 2010

In reference to race riots in Tulsa, Okla., we incorrectly stated that they were in 1923. They were in 1921.

Corrected on March 24, 2010

A previous Web version of this story incorrectly stated that Mark Saylor got into his car with his wife and children. In fact, Saylor was in the car with his wife, child and brother-in-law. The story also incorrectly stated that Saylor phoned 911; it was the brother-in-law who made the call.

Corrected on March 22, 2010

Earlier editions of this story incorrectly placed Fargo in North Carolina.

Corrected on March 19, 2010

The audio and a previous Web version of this story incorrectly reported that the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime says that between 2003 and 2008, income from drug protection and trafficking for al-Qaida and the Taliban reached a combined $18 billion. In fact, $18 billion is the estimated total opium revenue in Afghanistan for the years 2003-2008, according to the UNODC. The Taliban's share is estimated at between $90 and $160 million a year over the past five years, according to the UNODC. There is no separate estimate for al-Qaida.

Corrected on March 18, 2010

Earlier versions of this story incorrectly stated that the share of Americans in multigenerational households has tripled since 1980. It has grown by one-third.

Corrected on March 17, 2010

We incorrectly said that Charles Moore appeared in a 1995 documentary. The actual date of the documentary is 2005

Corrected on March 16, 2010

In the audio version of this story, we reported that one of the men involved in the 2007 attack on Glasgow's airport was a member of an Islamist group called Hizb ut-Tahrir. While that man did spend time with the group and attended its recruiting sessions, he was not a formal member. In an e-mail, Hizb ut-Tahrir told NPR that it does not condone violence in any way.

Corrected on March 15, 2010

The audio and an earlier Web version of this story contained an incorrect first name for professor Tichenor. His correct first name is Daniel.

Corrected on March 9, 2010

The audio and a previous Web version of this story incorrectly stated the age of the youngest victim of the January slayings. The youngest victim was 15.

Corrected on March 5, 2010

During this interview, it was stated that in the last 20 years, at least 20,000 square kilometers of ice have been lost, an area, it was stated, somewhere between the size of Texas and Alaska. That is incorrect. 20,000 square kilometers is roughly the size of New Jersey. The United States Geological Survey says that it is the Antarctic Peninsula, the source of the ice loss, that is larger than the state of Texas but smaller than Alaska.

Corrected on February 23, 2010

We incorrectly identified the relationship between Whitechapel Road and Finsbury Park in London. Whitechapel Road is not in the Finsbury Park district. Finsbury Park is in North London. Whitechapel Road is in East London.

Corrected on February 22, 2010

The audio for this story incorrectly identifies the grade of the students involved; they are sixth-graders.

Corrected on February 18, 2010

In an early audio version of this story we incorrectly referred to Cardinal Bernardin Law. His name is Cardinal Bernard Law.

Corrected on February 18, 2010

Earlier audio and Web versions of this story misidentified the minivan model driven by Yu Guomin. He drives a Wuling Rongguang, not a Wuling Sunshine. The Rongguang is a similar, newer version of the Sunshine.

Corrected on February 10, 2010

We incorrectly identified Robert Gates as the secretary of state. Gates is the secretary of defense.

Corrected on February 9, 2010

The audio and a previous Web version of this story incorrectly named Stevie Long as the director of the movie. While Long wrote and acted in the film, the director was Joel Viertel.

Corrected on February 4, 2010

We incorrectly referred to Leon Panetta as the FBI director. Panetta is actually the director of the CIA.

Corrected on February 2, 2010

An earlier Web version of this story incorrectly referred to Hakimullah Mehsud and Baitullah Mehsud as brothers. In fact, while both men were from the same tribe, they were not otherwise related.

Corrected on January 27, 2010

The audio version of this story refers to Lewis Carroll as "Arthur Dodgson." Carroll's given name was Charles Dodgson.

Corrected on January 14, 2010

The audio and a previous Web version of this story incorrectly said that Monsanto will soon market a soybean seed combining eight separate genetically engineered traits. The seed is actually a corn seed.

Corrected on January 8, 2010

A previous Web version of this story incorrectly said that 150 more full-body scanners will be put into service. The actual number is 300.