UPDATE 2
It took multiple requests and, eventually, the lodging of a complaint with the Australian Press Council before the Sydney Morning Herald finally addressed the inaccuracy in its republished LA Times story.
SMH editors wished to make it clear that they have no capacity, as the LA Times does, to produce a correction that sits beside the original story but were able to amend the text to remove the word “all” from the sentence in question.
While the SMH did not pen the story, it is still, nonetheless, responsible for that story when it appears on its own website. HonestReporting’s actions are important in holding that media outlet accountable.
UPDATE
Within hours of the publication of this post and the added pressure of our readers adding their calls for a correction, the LA Times responded in its corrections page and in a sidebar on the original story:
We will continue to pressure the SMH for its own correction.
On January 21, LA Times White House correspondent Brian Bennett covered US Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to Israel in an article that includes the following:
We contacted the LA Times and Bennett himself pointing out that, in fact, there are 18 Arab Knesset members spread among a number of different parties, including members of the governing coalition.
The 12 Arab members and one Jew whom the story refer to are the members of the Joint List, just one party grouping. Therefore, in addition to a factual error, the LA Times gives the incorrect impression that all Arab MKs were to boycott the Pence speech, which was not the case.
.@latimes @ByBrianBennett – there r actually 18 Arab MKs spread across different parties including within governing coalition. The 12 u mention r only those who belong 2 the Joint List. Pls don’t mislead that all Arab MKs planned 2 boycott Pence speech. https://t.co/u8pVnPUCiV pic.twitter.com/aQRu1zIBKO
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 23, 2018
With no correction issued, we contacted the LA Times Readers’ Representative, Deirdre Edgar.
But there’s still been no response.
In addition, we were also in contact with the Sydney Morning Herald, which reprinted the LA Times story on its own website. That the SMH has also failed to respond is indicative of a wider media attitude that refuses to take responsibility for stories that have been taken from external sources.
Clearly the SMH will have no excuse if the LA Times corrects the original story.
While it could be argued that the story has been and gone, it is unacceptable that mainstream media outlets prefer to ignore a clear factual error in their reporting rather than issue a simple correction.
The LA Times and SMH should be held to account. Please help us to do so by sending your requests for a correction to the LA Times Readers’ Representative through its online contact form and to the SMH’s feedback form.
