FACTBOX: Michael Phelps v Mark Spitz

Phelps was 19 when he went to his first Olympics, the 2004 Games in Athens. He won six gold and two bronze medals.

Hi. Was reading the factbox on Michael Phelps vs Mark Spitz on reuters.com. It says Phelps’s first Olympics was Athens 2004. Wrong. He also swam as a 15-year-old at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, in the 200m butterfly.

R.K.

A number of readers noticed this one. We corrected: GBU Editor

 REUTERS photo by Wolfgang Rattay

Study says most corporations pay no U.S. income taxes

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most U.S. and foreign corporations doing business in the United States avoid paying any federal income taxes, despite trillions of dollars worth of sales, a government study released on Tuesday said.

The Government Accountability Office said 72 percent of all foreign corporations and about 57 percent of U.S. companies doing business in the United States paid no federal income taxes for at least one year between 1998 and 2005.

Poor reporting and choice of headlines. If you read the article it is obvious your headline is not true, as the article says “paid no federal income taxes for AT LEAST ONE YEAR BETWEEN 1998 and 2005.”

D.D. .

The headline uses present tense, as if right now this is the case. But within just two lines it becomes clear that the actual story is that most corporations have had one or more years from ‘99-’05 for which they reported zero or negative income, meaning they paid no U.S. income tax that year. And for about half those companies, this happened two or more years during that period.

Using present tense (”pay” not “paid”) unambiguously implies that it’s currently happening. But the stats show this no-income situation applies to between 25% and 30% of corporations in any given year. That’s a VERY FAR cry from “most corporations”.

Ezekiel

Several readers felt this headline did not fairly represent the results of the study: GBU Editor 

 REUTERS photo by Kevin Lamarque

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(R-L) Tom James, Steve Williams, Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge of Britain prepare to compete before the men’s four semifinal rowing competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Shunyi Rowing-Canoeing Park August 13, 2008. REUTERS/Aly Song

The photograph published is of the French coxless four and not the British as stated.

J.M.Q.

Yes, the blades of the oars should have been a tip-off. We corrected: GBU Editor

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Hi, I just wanted to commend you guys for your excellent coverage of the South Ossetia conflict. Compared to other sources, your presentation has been very balanced, accurate, and not sensationalist.

You’ve presented the points of view of both sides, unlike many other outlets. Well done, keep it up.

O.S.

Thank you: GBU Editor

Photo: A female Georgian refugee cries in Gori, about 80 km (50 miles) from Tbilisi, August 11, 2008. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

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U.S. shield negotiator to visit Warsaw this week

Tusk, holding a presser later on Monday, said this condition became even tougher after the Russian-Georgian fights started four days ago.

Hello — I’m glad that NYTimes.com carries news from Reuters. Tonight I read an article that said, “Tusk, holding a presser later on Monday…”

I don’t know what a “presser” is, and I can’t be sure of it from the context. Is Mr. Tusk pressing other people to agree with him? Is the article describing a press conference? I just wanted to tell you about my confusion in case it’s helpful in your story editing.

Jerry P.

Yes, journalists sometimes shorten “press conference” to “presser,” but it’s not a word we should be using in stories. Thanks for pointing it out: GBU Editor

Photo: Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk gestures as he speaks during a media conference on the hosting of a U.S. missile shield, in front of the Prime Minister Chancellery in Warsaw August 11, 2008. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

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Arkansas Democratic chairman shot at HQ dies  

Former U.S. President and Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and his wife Sen. Hillary Hillary mourned the loss of Gwatney in a statement.
I’ve been using Reuters as my main online news source for a few years now and I have to say I’m increasingly disappointed with the proofreading prowess of your editors. Today brought us this gem, … Sen. Hillary Hillary mourned the loss…

Senator Hillary Hillary? Really? There are constantly errors like this throughout the articles.

A.S.

A number of readers called this one to our attention. We corrected: GBU Editor

 REUTERS photo by Jim Young

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Jeff Holguin of the U.S. unloads his rifle during a shooting practice ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 7, 2008. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz

Your caption calls this a a rifle. In fact, it is a shotgun.

John

Several readers noticed this one. We corrected: GBU Editor

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A woman wears a scarf to protect herself from pollution in Beijing April 18, 2008. Beijing will close factories and force 19 heavy polluters to reduce emissions by 30 percent for two months around the Olympics and Paralympics to improve air quality for athletes, a Beijing official said on Monday. REUTERS/Victor Fraile

To whom may I express an opinion about the photo by Victor Fraile/Reuters, which appeared on the front page of the NEW YORK TIMES “Week in Review” section on Sunday, August 3, 2008? Does your organization take input from readers about photos that they deem to be outstanding and — in the readers’ opinions — should be submitted as an entry for an award ?

Maggie

Yes, we love hearing from readers, which is what this blog is all about.  Your e-mail means a whole new batch of people will see this photo, and after that, who knows? GBU Editor

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Hosts China fail to qualify for final

BEIJING, Aug 10 (Reuters) - China, one of the favourites for the gold medal, failed to qualify for the women’s gymnastics team final at the Olympics on Sunday.

The 2006 world champions were expected to battle it out with the United States for the top prize but a series of errors meant they failed to reach Wednesday’s final.

Did your reporter actually attend the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Team Qualification event at the Beijing Olympics? Did your editor check facts based on the Ouija board school of journalism?

This story could not be further from the truth. Not only did the Chinese women qualify for the eight nation team final, but they qualified in first place.

Christopher C.

Not only is this story entirely false, but was it was posted at 10pm LAST night before the team qualifying competition even started.

V.K.

This story was transmitted in error, and was withdrawn immediately: GBU Editor

REUTERS photo by Hans Deryk

Why don’t your rename your site the Obama’s election site? I did not know who to vote for but all the news media is pushing Obama so I will vote for McCain.

Mick I.

I visit your site many times every day and hace been doing so for several years. It is clear that you have decided to back the Republican candidate for President. My question is why would you drive millions of users away from your site and the many products & services it features?  

Robert Q. 

Hang on. Maybe you guys should talk to each other. These e-mails arrived about an hour apart: GBU Editor

Barack Obama photo: REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

John McCain photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder