Errors Or Inaccuracies
Another problem area is to do with mistakes. Some common mistakes are:
- typing or spelling mistakes (for example getting a contributor’s name wrong, or printing an incorrect date for an event)
- factual mistakes (for example, quoting incorrect statistics or crediting the wrong person as a source)
- omissions (for example, leaving contact details out of an advertisement or leaving a diagram out of an article), and so on.
Not only are errors and inaccuracies misleading, they can result in embarrassment or loss of income for the people on whose behalf the information has been printed; in extreme circumstances it could lead to you being sued, so it is vital to avoid mistakes wherever possible.
Unauthorised Use Of Material
It is possible to find that material you have printed legally ‘belongs’; to another person. Often when this happens it is purely in error, but sometimes it arises from direct plagiarism (effectively stealing) of another person’s material. Even failing to credit a source of information could result in what you print being regarded as unauthorised. It is not always practical to check every item contained in every contribution for prior ownership, but you should at least ensure that contributors know they should credit where relevant and avoid unauthorised use of another person’;s work.
Offence
Sometimes people take offence at items contained in a magazine. There can be a number of reasons for this, for example:
- language used
- pictures printed
- opinions expressed
- lack of balance
And, at the extreme, people may consider they have been libelled because of something printed about them, possibly resulting in litigation. So it is important to think through the possible implications of items you publish.
Unwanted Communications
Another problem area is when people are contacted without their permission. This results in ‘junk’, which is a term that applies to posted items, faxes or electronically transmitted material (in the latter case it is referred to as ‘spam’). In some countries it is illegal to transmit information that has not been requested, so do take as much care as possible only to circulate people with information they actually want to receive.
In the UK there is a range of ‘preference services’; that people can register with if they do not wish to be sent unsolicited communications, and the law regarding this kind of correspondence has recently changed so that unsolicited electronic messages to private individuals (although not businesses) have been made illegal. Also, at the time of writing, there are serious concerns that the Internet could well be totally incapacitated by the growing use of spam, to the detriment of users worldwide, so this is a major area of potential problems.
Some Ways Of Dealing With Problems
If problems have occurred, involving other people, there are a number of steps that can be taken. Some are set out below.
Apologise
If others are involved, apologising, directly to the person concerned and/or in print, can help. An apology does not change the original situation, but may well alleviate discontent and prevent further aggravation from occurring.
Rectify
Correcting a mistake also helps. For example, spotting errors in time to rectify them and printing corrections where an error has occurred, will be beneficial. Not all readers will see the correct information when it is reprinted, but it is better than leaving the original mistake totally uncorrected.
Compensate
In some cases it may be necessary to compensate people for errors and omissions. Some ways in which this can be done are:
- re-printing an incorrect advertisement free of charge, or at a reduced rate
- refunding charges for incorrect advertisements
- giving additional free copies of the magazine to anyone whose work has been subjected to an error
It is always worth offering compensation that is worth more to the recipient than to you; for example, putting an advertisement again in free of charge is likely to be less costly to you than refunding the original payment.