The Free Lance-Star has issued an apology for its Tuesday, June 28, 2016, headline error on their story reporting that the Supreme Court vacated former Gov. Bob McDonnell’s conviction on charges of public corruption.
The headline read “McAuliffe’s Bribery Convictions Tossed,” — referring to current Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
Oh, ouch.World’s biggest Freudian slip? pic.twitter.com/aDRfHdHnDR— A. Barton Hinkle (@ABartonHinkle) June 28, 2016
“There are several factors that can help explain what happened,” said Free Lance-Star Editor Phil Jenkins in the published apology. “We’ve been struggling to adapt to a new software system. And on this particular story, we were making changes to the design of the page and in doing so strayed from our normal process for writing and editing headlines.”
The Washington Post called the error “the best worst headline error ever.” “This is so irresistible — and delicious — though, because of the fact that while McDonnell’s conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court on Monday, McAuliffe is currently under investigation by federal prosecutors for a series of campaign contributions and questionable personal finances.”
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