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How can newspapers keep a clear correction process for local listings?

An inaccurate telephone number or outdated event detail can send a reader to the wrong place. A useful correction process makes it easy to report a problem while keeping a record of what changed and why.

What should an error report include?

Ask for the page address, the detail believed to be wrong and a contact or source that can help verify the correction. Avoid requiring people to explain unrelated personal circumstances just to report a simple listing error.

Who should approve a change?

Assign a person or team to review reports and clarify when a business needs to confirm its own public information. Record the evidence and date of a change. Distinguish a factual correction from a request for favourable wording or removal of legitimate editorial material.

How can a reader see that information is current?

Use update dates where they help explain a material correction, and apply your publication's corrections policy consistently. Keep contact details for reporting problems easy to find. The process should work for both a single directory entry and an article that links to it.

Email Dan: Dano@GoListNews.com