Front · From the supplement
When We Get It Wrong
Every publication makes mistakes. Settings move after a software update, a service changes its rules, a step that worked last spring no longer does, or we simply misread something. What matters is how quickly and openly a mistake gets fixed. This page sets out how we handle it.
How to report a mistake
Email us at team@motherearthcoffeeandgifts.com or use the form on our Say Hello page. A helpful report includes:
- which article it is, by headline or link;
- the sentence, step or table row you think is wrong;
- what you believe is correct, and how you know, if you can say.
Certainty is not required. "This step did not work for me" is a perfectly good starting point.
What happens next
- Logged. Briony, who reads every article before it goes up, collects the report and notes which piece it concerns.
- Checked. The writer of the article goes back to the original information, tries the step again where that is possible, or looks for a more current explanation.
- Decided. If the report is right, the article is changed. If we cannot confirm it, we may add a note that details can vary, or keep the text as it is and explain why in our reply.
- Answered. Whenever we can, we let the person who reported it know what we did.
Types of change
| Kind of change | What we do |
|---|---|
| Typos, broken formatting, clumsy wording | Fix quietly; the meaning has not changed. |
| A factual error that changes the meaning | Fix it and add a short, dated correction note at the end of the article. |
| Information that has gone out of date | Refresh the article, update its modified date and mention the refresh if the advice changed. |
| An article that can no longer be made accurate | Rewrite it substantially or, in rare cases, take it down. |
What a correction note looks like
Correction notes are short and specific. They say what was wrong and what it now says, for example: An earlier version of this guide described the wrong order for two setup steps. The steps have been swapped. We do not hide corrections or quietly rewrite history when a mistake mattered.
Keeping guides fresh
Technology and travel articles age faster than most. We revisit older pieces from time to time, starting with the ones readers visit most and the subjects that change quickly, such as streaming technology in the Entertainment section and tools in Technology. When an article is updated, the date shown on the page changes with it.
What we do not change on request
We are happy to fix errors, but we do not change an article simply because a company or reader would prefer a different conclusion. Opinions and judgements stay as written unless they rest on a factual mistake.
The wider rules that shape our articles are explained in our Editorial Policy.
Questions? Write to us.
Suggestions help us plan.