The 11 funniest New York Times corrections of 2015
The Grey Lady needs to brush up on Mariah Carey's Bianca and Mimi alter egos
The New York Times is the gold standard of American journalism. But even after 164 years in the business, the nation's paper of record is far from flawless. In 2015, the Times referenced a country that doesn't exist, botched the name of Han Solo's spacecraft, and misstated Modern Farmer's "it" grain of the year. Here's a look back at some of the funniest corrections of the year — and a big reminder that when your mom told you that nobody's perfect, she wasn't just saying it to make you feel better about yourself.
1. "Abduction. Lost Finger. Now, a Rock Climber's Tallest Hurdle."
Correction: "An earlier version of this article misstated the name of the country whose army chased Tommy Caldwell's kidnappers. As the article correctly noted elsewhere, Caldwell was in Kyrgyzstan, not Kyrzbekistan, which does not exist."
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2. "Review: Adele Holds Firm on '25,' Even as Pop Shifts"
Correction: "The New Music column on Thursday, which included a review of Adele's album '25,' misstated part of a lyric from the song 'Hello.' Adele sings 'Hello from the other siiiiiide, I must have called a thousand tiiiiiiimes'; 'Hello from the outsiiiiiide' appears later in the song."
3. "'Star Wars': Coming to a Theme Park Near You"
Correction: "A report in the In Transit column last Sunday about new 'Star Wars' theme park attractions misstated part of the name of a starship from the 'Star Wars' films. It is the Millennium Falcon, not the Millennium Force."
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4. "For Nice Jewish Guys, Swipe Right"
Correction: "An earlier version of this article described incorrectly what Jordan Rodman was doing at a shiva. She was paying her respects to a family in mourning; she herself was not sitting shiva. Also, an earlier version of this article and its accompanying headline incorrectly compared JSwipe users to yentas. Yentas are busybodies, not matchmakers."
5. "New U.S.-Backed Alliance to Counter ISIS in Syria Falters"
Correction: "An article on Tuesday about challenges facing a new alliance of ground forces in Syria, backed by the United States, to combat the Islamic State misstated, in some editions, part of a slogan on the sweatshirt of an alliance fighter in broken boots and tattered fatigues who was held out by an Arab commander as an example of the sorry state of his men. The slogan was 'Skateboarding ruined my life,' not 'Skateboarding ruined by life.'"
6. "Russia Carries Out Airstrikes in Syria for 2nd Day"
Correction: "Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to Sergey V. Lavrov. He is the Russian foreign minister, not, of course, the Soviet one (since the Soviet Union ceased to exist long ago)."
7. "Fur Is Back in Fashion and Debate"
Correction: "Because of an editing error, an article on July 5 about the return of fur to fashion runways rendered incorrectly the name of a coat with a coyote-trimmed hood. It is made by the company Canada Goose; it is not a Canada goose coat."
8. "Carol Leifer Proves You Don't Have to Be Unhappy to Be Funny"
Correction: "An earlier version of this article misidentified one of the guests at Ms. Leifer and Ms. Wolf's wedding reception. He is Garry Shandling — not Larry Sanders, a character played by Mr. Shandling."
9. "Mariah Carey's List Is Short: All She Wants Is Immortality"
Correction: "A Critic's Notebook article on Wednesday about Mariah Carey misstated how long ago her song "All I Want for Christmas Is You" was released. It was 21 years ago, not 19. The article also misstated the name of Ms. Carey's spoiled-brat alter ego. She is Bianca — not Mimi, who is her good alter ego."
10. "Koch Brothers Brave Spotlight to Try to Alter Their Image"
Correction: "An earlier version of this article misstated part of the name of a television show. It is 'The Big Bang Theory,' not 'The Bang Bang Theory.'"
11. "Modern Farmer Tries a New Approach"
Correction: "An earlier version of this article misstated Modern Farmer’s new "it" grain. It is sorghum, not quinoa."
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