Readers' Representative

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at 877-554-4000, by fax to (213) 237-3535 or by mail to 202 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

The Readers' Representative Journal -- a blog about newsroom practices and standards at the Los Angeles Times -- can be reached by clicking here.


April 7, 2008
April 7, 2008.

For the record

The Times retracts Shakur story

An article and related materials published on the Los Angeles Times website on March 17 have been removed from the site because they relied heavily on information that The Times no longer believes to be credible.

The article, titled "An Attack on Tupac Shakur Launched a Hip-Hop War" and written by Times staff writer Chuck Philips, purported to relate "new" information about a 1994 assault on rap star Tupac Shakur, including a description of events contained in FBI reports.

The Times has since concluded that the FBI reports were fabricated and that some of the other sources relied on -- including the person Philips previously believed to be the "confidential source" cited in the FBI reports -- do not support major elements of the story.

Consequently, The Times is retracting the March 17 Web publications as well as a shorter version of the article that appeared on Page E1 in the March 19 Calendar section of the newspaper. Statements that Philips made in two online chats, on March 18 and 25, and on The Times' Soundboard blog on March 21 also are being retracted.

Among other things, the March 17 article and related Times publications reported that newly discovered information supported Shakur's claims that associates of music executive Sean "Diddy" Combs orchestrated an attack in which Shakur was injured at the Quad Recording Studios in New York on Nov. 30, 1994.

The information, which came from the purported FBI reports and other sources, said that James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond, a talent manager; Jacques "Haitian Jack" Agnant, a figure on the New York hip-hop scene; and James Sabatino, purportedly one of Combs' associates, arranged the assault on Shakur because they were angry that he had rejected overtures to sign with Combs' Bad Boy Records.

The Times now believes that Sabatino fabricated the FBI reports and concocted his role in the assault as well as his supposed relationships with Combs, Rosemond and Agnant.

Consequently, The Times specifically retracts all statements in the article, and in its related publications, that state or suggest in any way that Rosemond, Agnant and Sabatino orchestrated or played any role in the assault on Shakur or that they lured him into an ambush at the Quad studios.

To the extent these publications could be interpreted as creating the impression that Combs was involved in arranging the attack, The Times wishes to correct that misimpression, which was neither stated in the article nor intended.

The Times also reported that Sabatino told Combs in advance that Shakur was going to be attacked. The Times now believes that Sabatino had no involvement in the attack and that he never spoke to Combs about it. Any statements or implications suggesting that Combs was given advance knowledge of the assault on Shakur, or played any role in it, are specifically retracted.

In addition, The Times was mistaken in reporting that Rosemond has served prison time for drug dealing and was convicted in 1996 of drug offenses. The Times specifically retracts those statements.

The Times began investigating the accuracy of its reporting after William Bastone, editor of The SmokingGun.com, called Philips on March 25 to say he believed the purported FBI documents posted at LATimes.com were fabricated.

A report posted on TheSmoking Gun.com the following day provided a detailed analysis of the documents, including a comparison with other papers Sabatino had filed in court, and strongly suggested that Sabatino had manufactured them with a typewriter, photocopier and other materials.

Later that day, The Times posted an article on its website saying that the authenticity of the documents and Philips' story had been challenged. The next day, March 27, The Times published a front-page story reporting that the newspaper had been the victim of a hoax and apologizing for its error. The Times reiterates that apology here.

----------------------------------


March 27, 2008.

For the record

The Times apologizes over article on rapper

By James Rainey Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

A Los Angeles Times story about a brutal 1994 attack on rap superstar Tupac Shakur was partially based on documents that appear to have been fabricated, the reporter and editor responsible for the story said Wednesday.
FOR THE RECORD:
Tupac Shakur: An article in Thursday's Section A on The Times' plan to investigate its March 17 report on rapper Tupac Shakur gave the wrong first name for the lawyer for rap talent manager James Rosemond. He is Jeffrey Lichtman, not Marc.

Reporter Chuck Philips and his supervisor, Deputy Managing Editor Marc Duvoisin, issued statements of apology Wednesday afternoon. The statements came after The Times took withering criticism for the Shakur article, which appeared on latimes.com last week and two days later in the paper's Calendar section.

The criticism came first from The Smoking Gun website, which said the newspaper had been the victim of a hoax, and then from subjects of the story, who said they had been defamed.

"In relying on documents that I now believe were fake, I failed to do my job," Philips said in a statement Wednesday. "I'm sorry."

In his statement, Duvoisin added: "We should not have let ourselves be fooled. That we were is as much my fault as Chuck's. I deeply regret that we let our readers down."

Times Editor Russ Stanton announced that the newspaper would launch an internal review of the documents and the reporting surrounding the story. Stanton said he took the criticisms of the March 17 report "very seriously."

"We published this story with the sincere belief that the documents were genuine, but our good intentions are beside the point," Stanton said in a statement.

"The bottom line is that the documents we relied on should not have been used. We apologize both to our readers and to those referenced in the documents and, as a result, in the story. We are continuing to investigate this matter and will fulfill our journalistic responsibility for critical self-examination."

The story first appeared March 17 on latimes.com under the headline "An Attack on Tupac Shakur Launched a Hip-Hop War." The article described a Nov. 30, 1994, ambush at Quad Recording Studios in New York, where the rap singer was pistol-whipped and shot several times by three men. No one has been charged in the crime, but before his death two years later, Shakur said repeatedly that he suspected allies of rap impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs.

The assault touched off a bicoastal war between Shakur and fellow adherents of West Coast rap and their East Coast rivals, most famously represented by Christopher Wallace, better known as Notorious B.I.G. Both Shakur and Wallace ultimately died violently.

The Times story said the paper had obtained "FBI records" in which a confidential informant accused two men of helping to set up the attack on Shakur -- James Rosemond, a prominent rap talent manager, and James Sabatino, identified in the story as a promoter. The story said the two allegedly wanted to curry favor with Combs and believed Shakur had disrespected them.

The purported FBI records are the documents Philips and Duvoisin now believe were faked.

The story provoked vehement denials from lawyers for Combs and Rosemond, both before and after publication.

Rosemond said in a statement Wednesday that the Times article created "a potentially violent climate in the hip-hop community." His attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, added: "I would suggest to Mr. Philips and his editors that they immediately print an apology and take out their checkbooks -- or brace themselves for an epic lawsuit."

Although The Times has not identified the source of the purported FBI reports, The Smoking Gun (www.the smokinggun.com) asserted that the documents were forged by Sabatino. The website identified him as a convicted con man with a history of elaborate fantasies designed to exaggerate his place in the rap music firmament. He is currently in federal prison on fraud charges.

"The Times appears to have been hoaxed by an imprisoned con man and accomplished document forger, an audacious swindler who has created a fantasy world in which he managed hip-hop luminaries," the Smoking Gun reported.

Combs' lawyer Howard Weitzman, in a letter to Times Publisher David Hiller, called the story inaccurate. He expanded an earlier demand for a retraction and said he believed that The Times' conduct met the legal standard for "actual malice," which would allow a public figure such as Combs to obtain damages in a libel suit.

The purported FBI reports were filed by Sabatino with a federal court in Miami four months ago in connection with a lawsuit against Combs in which he claimed he was never paid for rap recordings in which he said he was involved. Sabatino, 31, said he had obtained the documents to help him prepare his defense in a criminal case against him in 2002, according to the Smoking Gun.

Philips, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, said he believed in the authenticity of the documents in part because they had been filed in court. But the Smoking Gun's sharply critical review said The Times had overlooked numerous misspellings and unusual acronyms and redactions that could have cast doubt on the documents' authenticity.

Moreover, the documents appeared to have been prepared on a typewriter, the Smoking Gun account noted, adding that a former FBI supervisor estimated that the bureau ceased using typewriters about 30 years ago. The website said its reporters had learned that the documents could not be found in an FBI database.

The website also described unexplained coincidences that made it appear Sabatino had composed the documents from prison. The Smoking Gun showed that Sabatino had filed court papers on his own behalf that had "obvious similarities" in typography and "remarkably similar spelling deficiencies" to those in the purported FBI documents.

The Smoking Gun used a report from Sabatino's sentencing in 2003 for fraud and identity theft to suggest that his history of lying began in childhood. When the boy's mother left home at 11, he told a teacher that his mother had died in an accident, rather than acknowledge the truth, said his father, Peter Sabatino, according to the website. It posted what it said was a letter that the father wrote to the judge.

At the sentencing, the younger Sabatino told the judge that he had been battling a "demon for a very long time" and that his motivation for committing fraud was "to make attention to myself," according to another court document posted by the website. The headline on the Smoking Gun story, over a picture of the picture of the portly Sabatino: "Big Phat Liar."

Philips said in an interview that he had believed the documents were legitimate because, in the reporting he had already done on the story, he had heard many of the same details.

He said a source had led him to three prison inmates who purportedly carried out the attack on Shakur. One of those inmates implicated the planners of the attack and another implied who was involved, Philips said. Two others who said they witnessed the attack corroborated portions of the scenario described in the article, he said. None of the sources were named in the story.

Philips also said the events the sources described fit with previous accounts in the media and even in Shakur's songs.

Still, Philips said he wished he had done more.

Philips said he sought to check the authenticity of the documents with the U.S. attorney's office in New York, which had handled the investigation of the attack on Shakur, and with a retired FBI agent, but did not directly ask the FBI about them. The U.S. attorney's office declined to comment, while the former FBI agent said the documents appeared legitimate, Philips said.

His statement said he "approached this article the same way I've approached every article I've ever written: in pursuit of the truth. I now believe the truth here is that I got duped. For this, I take full responsibility and I apologize."

Philips has spent years digging into the rap music business and had won a reputation as a dogged streetwise reporter. He and Times reporter Michael Hiltzik shared a Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for beat reporting for their accounts of entertainment industry corruption, including illegal detoxification programs for celebrities.

Duvoisin has overseen many of The Times' most notable investigative projects in recent years.

The first significant tip that led to the Shakur story came nearly a year ago, Philips said. He conducted interviews and reported the story in the interim, then focused on the piece more intensively beginning in January.

The story was reviewed by Duvoisin and two editors on the copy desk.

Other investigative stories published by The Times in recent years have in some cases received the scrutiny of at least one more editor and often of the managing editor or editor of the newspaper. The Shakur piece did not receive that many layers of review.

Bob Steele, a journalism values scholar at the Poynter Institute, said he would not pass judgment on The Times' editing process.

"But any time you have a substantive investigative project you need multiple levels of quality control," Steele said. "You need contrarians within the organization who are going to be very skeptical."

The editor of Smoking Gun, Bill Bastone, who shepherded the website's critique, had been an acquaintance of Philips before the Shakur investigation. The two met not long ago for lunch, discussing their mutual passion for investigative reporting and other matters.

Bastone knew The Times would publish a story related to the attack on Shakur, and he said he had immediate misgivings when he saw the piece last week.

He said he called Philips to say "things just don't feel right about this."

Bastone said he "took no joy in doing this," adding, "We greatly respect your paper and Chuck and Chuck's work. . . . But I think what happened here is that this guy Sabatino is a master con man, and they got caught up with him."


In-flight calling: An article in Business on Thursday about new European rules on cellphone use in airplanes referred to British Airlines. The company's name is British Airways.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep



April 17, 2008
Polygamist sect: An article in the April 10 Section A, about the discovery of a bed inside a temple of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, said the sect broke away from the Mormon Church in the 1930s after the latter banned polygamy. The Mormon Church outlawed polygamy in 1890. The FLDS was later founded by former Mormons who had been excommunicated for continuing to practice polygamy after the 1890 ban. The sect's founders believed polygamy was a core principle in the teachings of Mormonism founder Joseph Smith.

'Dexter': The Channel Island column in Monday's Calendar section reported that HBO had passed on the opportunity to develop "Dexter." The series was in fact brought to Showtime first, which bought it. HBO did not pass on "Dexter."

MyNetworkTV: An article in Wednesday's Calendar section about MyNetworkTV's "Under One Roof" series said that the network is a little more than two years old. The network launched in September 2006.

Car review: A story on the Nissan GT-R in Wednesday's edition of Highway 1 said the vehicle's lap time at Germany's Nürburgring track was 7.38 seconds. The correct time is 7 minutes 38 seconds. The review also referred to the Japanese battleship Yamato as Yamamoto. And in some editions, it misspelled the name of wheel-manufacturer Rays Engineering as Reys Engineering.

Golf: A chart with an article on Tiger Woods' showing in the Masters in Tuesday's Sports section said the site of the PGA Championship, Oakland Hills Country Club, is in Greensboro, N.C. Oakland Hills is in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Also, in some editions of Wednesday's Sports section, the secondary headline over a story on Woods' knee surgery said he had finished third in the Masters. He finished second.

Heston obituary: The obituary of Charlton Heston in the April 6 A section reported that Yakima Canutt directed the chariot race scene in the film "Ben-Hur," and a subsequent correction said Andrew Marton was the director. Both men were second-unit directors on the film, according to the on-screen credits and the Directors Guild of America. According to the American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films, "Contemporary information . . . and modern interviews suggest that, while Marton was responsible for the overall staging and shooting of the sequence, Canutt was responsible for coordinating the actors, stuntmen, horses and chariots for the race itself."

Glinn obituary: The obituary of photographer Burt Glinn in Sunday's California section misspelled the last name of photographer Dennis Stock as Strock.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep


April 16, 2008
Airport: An article in Sunday's California section about a plane crash in Compton said the site of the crash was about a mile and a half from Compton/Woodley Airport. The site is about half a mile from the airport. Also, a follow-up article in Monday's California section said two people were injured on the ground and two aboard the plane. Two people were injured in the plane and three on the ground.

UC admissions: A headline on an article in Tuesday's California section about freshman admission to the University of California said, "As more applied to UCs, fewer got in." In fact, as the story said, a record number of California applicants were offered freshman admission to the University of California, although the percentage of applicants who were admitted declined.

'Suckerpunch' author: In the April 13 Book Review section, "Suckerpunch" novelist David Hernandez was misidentified as a "Puerto Rican-born, Chicago-reared poet now living in Long Beach." Hernandez, who does live in Long Beach and is a poet, is half Chilean and half Colombian. Another poet by the same name was born in Puerto Rico and still lives and writes in Chicago.

'Jack and Jill vs. the World': The movies list in Sunday's Calendar section said that "Jack and Jill vs. the World" was scheduled to open Friday. The film has been pulled, with no new release date announced yet.

Retail sales: A chart accompanying an article in Friday's Business section about March retail sales said Costco Wholesale Corp.'s comparable-store sales rose 0.7%. They rose 7%.

Libido drug: The People's Pharmacy column in Monday's Health section gave an incorrect brand name for the experimental drug flibanserin, a possible libido enhancer. The column referred to it by the name Ectris, but flibanserin currently has no brand name.

Sushi restaurant: Some editions of today's Food section review of Bond Street restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills had the wrong cross street. It should have said Crescent Drive.

Weather page: On Monday's weather page, the satellite image labeled "Taken at 3 p.m. Sunday" was actually taken at 3 p.m. Saturday.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep


April 15, 2008
Hot Property: The column in the April 6 Real Estate section said Nicole Kidman had agreed to star in a movie as Valerie Plame and described Plame as having been illegally identified as a CIA agent by the White House. Although some Bush administration figures have acknowledged speaking with reporters about Plame, none have been charged with leaking her identity.

Shangri-La Music: An article in the April 8 Calendar section about Shangri-La Music said the indie rock band the Duke Spirit had signed with the record label after "misfires" with several other imprints, including You Are Here Records. A clarification on Thursday said that You Are Here signed a contract with the group in 2007 and continues to distribute its music outside North America but failed to note that You Are Here has had a good working relationship with the Duke Spirit and should not have been among those listed.

Broadway/L.A. Series: An article in Friday's Calendar section about the 2009 Broadway/L.A. theater series at the Pantages Theatre referred to "Dirty Dancing -- The Classic Story Onstage" as a Broadway show. The musical has not been presented on Broadway.

China: An April 13 Travel section article about taking a Mao-related tour of China included an incorrect Web address for the Huatian Hotel in Changsha, China. The correct website for the hotel is www.huatian-hotel.com/ about/about_en.jsp.

Veterinary fees: An article in the Business Section on Sunday about the rising cost of veterinary medicine misspelled the last name of American Veterinary Medical Assn. marketing director Jim Flanigan as Flannagan.

'The First Saturday in May': An article in Monday's Calendar section about "The First Saturday in May" misspelled the last name of the documentary's directors, John and Brad Hennegan, as Hennegen.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep


April 14, 2008
El Segundo police: An article in Sunday's California section about the shooting injuries of two El Segundo police officers at a movie theater said the shootings Friday night were the first of officers in that department since 1957. They were not. El Segundo Officer Chris Barrett was shot and paralyzed in May 1979 while responding to a disturbance at a bar, Sgt. Jaime Bermudez said Sunday.

Angels: Gary Matthews Jr. on Saturday night became the third player in franchise history to hit into three double plays in one game, not the second, as was announced by the Angels and reported in Sunday's Sports section. In addition to Matthews and Chad Curtis, Jim Fregosi hit into three double plays against the Boston Red Sox on July 14, 1963.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep


April 13, 2008
Orange County Sheriff's Dept.: An article in Wednesday's California section about the suspension of Orange County Sheriff's Department personnel stemming from a grand jury investigation said transcripts from the proceeding showed that deputies and high-ranking officials "tampered with evidence." According to the grand jury transcript, a sheriff's special officer made an addition to a jail log and an undersheriff altered a memo. However, those documents had not been submitted to the grand jury as evidence when the changes were made.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep


April 12, 2008
Bid for Yahoo: An article in Friday's Business section about consolidation among Internet giants said Capital Research & Management Co. had raised its stake in Yahoo Inc. to 10.1% as of March 31. Capital World Investors, one of the Los Angeles-based investment firm's two units, had done so. The other, Capital Research Global Investors, has reported owning 6.4% of Yahoo's shares as of Dec. 31.

Lakers chart: A chart in Friday's Sports section listed some Lakers statistics as being those with Andrew Bynum in the lineup this season. In fact, those statistics referred to the team's performance since Bynum was injured in January, through April 9. Here is the corrected chart: .

Lakers without Bynum

Record ... 28-14

Scoring average ... 109.4

Points given up ... 102.6

For the season

Record ... 54-25

Scoring average ...108.5*

Points given up ... 101.8*

* Through April 9

Youngest woman in space: A news brief in Wednesday's Section A identified South Korean astronaut Yi So-yeon, 29, as the world's youngest female astronaut. Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was 26 when she became the world's first woman to fly to space on June 16, 1963.

KABC-AM: The radio highlights in Tuesday's Calendar section listed Peter Tilden as the host of a show on talk radio station KABC-AM (790) from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tilden is no longer at the station. Those hours are now covered by Mark Levin and the Midnight Radio Network.

Dodgers-Padres: In Monday's Sports section, an article in which San Diego pitcher Jake Peavy denied he is using pine tar referred to a still image taken from Fox's national broadcast on Saturday that purportedly showed a substance on parts of his right hand. That broadcast was a regional one.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep


April 11, 2008
'The Visitor': The movie listings in Thursday's The Guide said Tom McCarthy's new film, "The Visitor," would be screened at 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the ArcLight Sherman Oaks. "The Visitor" will be screened at 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the ArcLight Hollywood, 6360 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 464-4226.

Griffith Park Night Hike: In Thursday's The Guide, the phone number given for the Griffith Park Night Hike was incorrect. The number is (213) 387-4287.

Kime Buzzelli: Sunday's Image article about the reopening of the Show Pony boutique in Echo Park gave the age of store owner Kime Buzzelli as 39. She is 38. The article also said Buzzelli painted a self-portrait for posters announcing the reopening. She was the artist, but it was not a self-portrait.

'Old Times': In Thursday's The Guide, the Last Call article about the closing production of "Old Times" at the Lost Studio featured an outdated photograph of the cast. The current cast has Cecelia Specht in the role of Kate rather than Siobhan Flynn, who was pictured.

Lautner photo: An article in Thursday's Home section about architect John Lautner's career failed to credit Lautner for the photo of the Marbrisa house in Acapulco.

X: In Thursday's The Guide, a photo accompanying an article about the band X was credited to Slash Records. The photo was taken by Frank Gargani.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep


April 10, 2008
Culver City: In Monday's Section A, a photo caption with an article about the renaissance in the cultural and commercial life of Culver City said the Tennis Channel building would be part of the Hayden Tract, and it referred to the area as a largely abandoned industrial sector. The Tennis Channel building is already part of the Hayden Tract. Although the area was largely abandoned in the early 1990s, it has now attracted post-production companies, Internet-related firms and cafes.

Shangri-La Music: An article in Tuesday's Calendar section about Shangri-La Music said that the indie rock band the Duke Spirit had signed with the record label after "misfires" with several other imprints, including You Are Here Records. You Are Here signed a contract with the group in 2007 and continues to distribute its music outside North America.

High school sports: It was incorrectly reported in Eric Sondheimer's column in Wednesday's Sports section that Corona del Mar defeated Valencia in last year's Southern Section Division II final. The Sea Kings defeated Santa Barbara.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep


April 9, 2008
Hot Property: The April 6 column reported that Nicole Kidman had purchased a Brentwood home for $7 million. Kidman looked at the home a few months ago but did not purchase it, according to her publicist Catherine Olim of PMK/HBH. She is still looking for a home, Olim reports.

Harry's Bar: A news brief in Tuesday's Section A about a discount offered at Ernest Hemingway's old haunt, Harry's Bar, said it was in Rome. There is a bar by that name in Rome, but the one frequented by Hemingway and offering the discount is in Venice.

Movie opening dates: The movies list in Sunday's Calendar section said that the films "College" and "Shotgun Stories" were opening this Friday. They aren't. "College" now has no release date, and "Shotgun Stories" is opening April 25. Also, "Brick Lane," which was listed as having already opened, is not scheduled to open until June 20.

Hawaii: An article in the April 6 Travel section about changes at some businesses in Hawaii popular with tourists listed an incorrect website for the Royal Hawaiian hotel. The website is www.royal-hawaiian.com.

Pulitzer Prizes: A photograph in Section A on Tuesday that accompanied an article announcing winners of the 92nd Pulitzer Prizes identified Leonard Downie Jr. as managing editor of the Washington Post. Downie is the newspaper's executive editor.

Capsule: In Monday's Health section article about people who have a normal body-mass index yet have too much body fat, Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez was named as the lead author of a study. He was the senior author; Dr. Abel Romero-Corral was the lead author.

Heston obituary: The obituary of actor Charlton Heston in Section A on Sunday said the chariot race in the film "Ben-Hur" was directed by Yakima Canutt. In fact, the sequence was filmed and directed by Andrew Marton.

Newsom obituary: The obituary of diplomat David D. Newsom in Monday's California section incorrectly reported the year he received a master's degree from Columbia University. It was 1940, not 1950.

Elephant show: An article in Sunday's California section about the closing of the elephant show at San Diego's Wild Animal Park suggested that it was akin to popular musicals such as "Oklahoma!", "Cats" and "The Lion King," which "dazzled Broadway for years and then departed. "The Lion King" has played on Broadway since 1997, though it switched theaters in 2006.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep


April 8, 2008
UCLA: A Section A article Monday on breaches of the private files of UCLA patients said Dr. David Feinberg joined UCLA in July. He became chief executive of the UCLA Hospital System in July; before that he was medical director of UCLA's neuropsychiatric hospital.

Obama's law career: An article in Sunday's Section A about Sen. Barack Obama's career as a lawyer said he was hired as a junior lawyer at the firm then known as Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Gallard and now known as Miner, Barnhill & Gallard. The correct spelling of the final surname is Galland.

Strip club fees: An article in Monday's Section A about a strip club fee in Texas described Dawn Rizos as the co-owner of the Lodge in Dallas. Rizos is the sole owner.

Sudan census: An article in Monday's Section A about an upcoming census in Sudan said the number of refugees returning to southern Sudan from Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and other countries was expected to reach 6,000 this month. The 6,000 figure is not a monthly total; it is an estimate of weekly arrivals during the month.

Chris Daughtry: In a review of the Bon Jovi concert in Monday's Calendar Section, Chris Daughtry was incorrectly identified as a runner-up on "American Idol." He came in fourth in the 2006 competition.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep


April 7, 2008
Final Four tickets: An article in Sunday's Sports section said each of the four schools that competed in the men's Final Four received 3,750 tickets, most in the upper level of San Antonio's Alamodome. UCLA said each school received 3,250 tickets, and the UCLA allotment included 1,800 in the lower level and 1,450 in the upper level.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep


April 6, 2008
Ken Nelson obituary: A photo with an obituary of Capitol Records producer Ken Nelson in the Jan. 8 California section showed Nelson with three others at Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Ray Walker, shown in a portion of the published photo, was wrongly identified in the caption as Gordon Stoker.

Stock table: The "25 other widely held" table that appears on the Weekend Market Roundup page in Business on Sundays, listing trading data about stocks of wide interest that are not members of the Dow Jones industrial average, incorrectly included Bank of America Corp. and Chevron Corp. on five Sundays from Feb. 24 to March 23. Bank of America and Chevron were added to the Dow on Feb. 19.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep


April 5, 2008
Guantanamo Bay: An article March 28 in Section A about a typical day in the life of a prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center, as gleaned from reporting trips over the last three years, made several observations that Pentagon officials and officers of the Joint Task Force at Guantanamo say are outdated or erroneous. The article said that reveille was at 5 a.m., when guards collect the bedsheet from each detainee. There is no reveille sounded at Guantanamo, and officials say the practice of collecting bedsheets ended in late 2006 for compliant detainees and last May for everyone else. The article said that lights were kept on in the cells 24 hours a day for security reasons, and that some prisoners grew their hair long to shield their eyes to sleep. Since September, all detainees have been issued sleep masks. The article said that detainees at Camps 5 and 6 could see each other only during prayer time when an aperture in their cell doors was opened. The prisoners can also see each other when being escorted to showers or interrogation, during recreation time and when the aperture is opened for meal delivery. The article referred to "the hour for rec time"; in fact, prisoners are allowed at least two hours of recreation daily. The article said the prison library had 2,000 books and magazines; it has 5,000, including multiple copies of many titles. The article said that once a prisoner had skipped nine meals he was considered to be on a hunger strike and taken to the medical center where he was force-fed. Medical officials say hunger strikers are force-fed only when their weight has fallen to 85% of their ideal body weight and a doctor recommends it. The article said that prisoners at Camp 4, a communal compound, were awaiting transfer home. Camp 4 holds prisoners judged to be compliant with camp rules.

Television lineup: An article in Thursday's Business section about NBC's upcoming TV programs gave an incorrect title for a series based on the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It is called "My Own Worst Enemy," not "My Worst Enemy."

Dodgers: An article in Thursday's Sports section on the Dodgers game said the Giants' Eugenio Velez scored the winning run. Tim Lincecum scored the game winner.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times' journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Jamie Gold, readers' representative, by e-mail at readers.rep@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers' representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep


April 4, 2008
Puerling obituary: The caption accompanying the above photo of the Hi-Lo's quartet that ran with the obituary of Gene Puerling in Wednesday's California section contained two errors. The person at the top of the photo is Clark Burroughs, not Bob Strasen. The person at the bottom is Don Shelton, not Burroughs.






Local Ads