Getting it right is the job. When we fall short — a wrong figure, a misidentified person, a quote placed in the wrong context, a headline the story does not support — this policy governs what happens next. It applies to every story, video summary, caption, graphic and social post published by Media Rounds, and it binds every desk equally.
What counts as an error
Errors fall into three broad kinds. Factual errors are incorrect names, dates, figures, titles, scores or events. Contextual errors occur when accurate facts are arranged in a way that misleads — a missing qualification, outdated background presented as current, a cause implied where only correlation exists. Material omissions are facts whose absence changes what a reasonable reader would conclude from the story. All three are corrected with the same seriousness, because all three misinform in the same way.
Matters of judgment — which stories we cover, how prominently, how a fair headline is phrased — are not errors under this policy, though we welcome argument about them through the Contact page and label analysis as analysis wherever it appears.
How to report an error
Use our Contact page and choose the corrections option, or write with “Correction” in the subject line. Tell us the article, the specific passage, and — most helpful of all — a source we can check: an official record, a primary document, a statement from the organization involved. Reports from readers, subjects of coverage and other journalists are all reviewed on the evidence. Anonymous correction requests are considered whenever the underlying evidence can be verified independently; anonymous assertions without checkable evidence are noted but cannot drive a correction on their own.
How we respond
A desk editor verifies the claim against primary sources wherever possible. If the error is confirmed, we fix the article and attach a correction note stating what changed and when, in the form: “Correction: An earlier version of this article stated X. The correct information is Y.” For minor typographical slips that do not affect meaning, we correct silently, as most newsrooms do. For anything substantive, the note stays with the article permanently and the corrected passage is never quietly rewritten a second time.
Speed and severity
Errors in live and developing stories are addressed first, ahead of routine updates. If a central claim of an article proves wrong, the article is corrected immediately, the note is placed prominently rather than buried, and in the rare case where an article’s premise itself fails, the article is withdrawn and replaced with an editor’s note explaining why. We do not delete published work silently to hide mistakes; the withdrawal itself is disclosed.
During fast-moving events, initial reports may rest on official statements that later change. When that happens we update the story and note the change; an official’s revision of their own statement is an update, while an error in our reporting of it is a correction — and we treat the two differently on the page so readers can always tell which occurred.
Pre-publication safeguards
Corrections are the last line of defense, not the first. Every Media Rounds news story is checked against at least two reputable sources before publication. Names, figures, scores and dates receive a second read against the source material. Health and science claims are attributed with their evidence level stated in the text. Where sources disagree, the article reports the disagreement instead of silently choosing a side. These steps prevent most errors; this policy exists for the remainder.
Corrections log and review
Substantive corrections are visible on their articles indefinitely. Desk editors review corrections on their beat periodically to identify recurring weaknesses — a source that repeatedly needs revision, a data provider with a pattern of quiet changes — and adjust sourcing accordingly. Readers who believe a correction itself is wrong may challenge it through the same channel; challenges are reviewed by an editor other than the one who issued the original correction where practicable.
Media Rounds is published by 24World Media, 1411 N Sterling Ave, Palatine, IL 60067. This policy is reviewed periodically and applies across all desks, formats and platforms carrying our reporting.
