Looks like we need to go back to school
We screwed up an advertising insert from the Guilford County school system in this morning's paper, and our mistake makes the school system look bad. I regret that.
The one-page advertising flier, involving Carolina Kia and Carolina Hyundai, Oldies 93, Guilford schools and the newspaper, promotes "Safe Drives, Safe Buses, Safe Kids," a student safety program.
The flier is written as a letter under Superintendent Terry Grier's signature. Unfortunately, when someone in our advertising department reproduced the letter, he introduced grammatical and typographical errors into the text. We made those mistakes, not Dr. Grier. He shouldn't shoulder the blame for them.
We're planning to run a correction in Saturday's paper and publishing the correct letter next Wednesday. We're in the process -- may be finished by now -- of pulling the inserts out of single copy racks now. (Update: that should read pull the inserts out of the copies at the car dealerships.)
Comments (4)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
I know you hate screwing up, but I think apologies like this one make a difference. It communicates that everyone cares about getting it right.
Posted on August 19, 2005 2:16 PM
It would be most enlightening to learn how someone in your employ could take a memo composed by Terry Grier and "introduce typgraphical and grammatical errors into the text". How does that happen? Also, it was not written under his signature as you said, it was written "over" his signature on Guilford County Schools letterhead.
My senses say to me that Terry Grier, representing Guilford County Schools, is treading on thin ethical ground by entering a business relationship with a car dealership and using the schools as a tool for it. Is using our public school system as a marketing tool for a business ethical? I an uncomfortable with such close profit relationships between our schools and outside businesses. I know that this school system deals free and easy with business, but this seems to be crossing ethical lines.
Finally, if this "someone in your advertising department" butchered this paid advertisement so badly, and no one proofed their work before it went out to your readership, I would assume that person is now looking for another job. It's interesting that the slogan on the letter was about "Building Futures". The "someone" now should likely be looking for a new future.
Posted on August 19, 2005 9:07 PM
It's obviously a serious error.
Just thinking about the time and care I put into trying to make my letters to the editor read "perfectly," I know it would bother me to have one printed with errors I had not made on my own. (I'd be mad at myself, of course, if I realized I had made the errors strictly on my own.)
That said, I strongly agree with Chip (Christspeak): this apology speaks volumes about the level of concern you have for getting it right, and it does make a difference.
At least it should.
No human being is capable of perfection.
If anyone momentarily forgets that, he/she should prepare mightily for a fall.
That applies to people at all levels who seem unwilling and unable to apologize when it becomes obvious that mistakes have been made.
I think some people feel like it is a sign of weakness to admit to making mistakes.
I would argue that it is a far greater sign of weakness when someone refuses to admit to or apologize for mistakes.
Posted on August 19, 2005 9:17 PM
The person from the advertising department must be a graduate of Guilford County Schools.
Posted on August 19, 2005 9:20 PM