The Sincerest, Humblest Apology of 1/8/2008

I goofed up. I made a mistake.

While writing my column on Obama in Iowa, I hadn't decided how I was going to word Rev. Jesse Jackson winning primaries during his Presidential bids, so I skipped the parts where I'd refer to Jackson and wrote everything else.

The problem is that the version I completed, which acknowledges Jackson's accomplishments, was not the one I happened to turn in. In essence, I turned in an incomplete draft.

I turned the column in Friday morning but did not realize the blunder until late Friday evening, when it was too late to switch the stories. I agonized over it all weekend and hoped that I would be able to make changes before it ran, but when I saw in Sunday's paper that it was running Monday, I gave up hope.

I have no problems admitting that I made a mistake and that I’ll make a few more before it’s all said and done.

My biggest regret is that some people take everything that's written in the paper, or said on the news as the ultimate truth. I know that Obama wasn't the first person of color to win a primary, the fact that I know isn't that important. What's important is making sure the people who read my pieces aren't mislead or given inaccurate information.

I stand by my opinions, but I form those on truths and those are the same truths I aim to share with the people who read what I write.

I take full responsibility for my actions and I look at this as a learning experience. I hope that this reminds people that "the media" isn't always 100% accurate but we (I guess it's we and not they) are 100% human. Well, maybe most of us, I think a number of people would dispute Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh or Pat Robertson being human but for the sake of this argument, let’s assume they’re people.

~Katrina L. Rogers