How did a perfunctory old story like “Obama’s Back Fund-Raising in New York, Not Quietly” end up with a correction this sublime?
An article on Saturday about fund-raising efforts in New York by Senator Barack Obama misspelled the surname of one of President John F. Kennedy’s closest advisers, who introduced Mr. Obama at a fund-raiser. He is Theodore C. Sorensen, not Sorenson. The error also appeared in an article in The Arts on Feb. 22 about books written by candidates, including “Profiles in Courage,” which then-Senator Kennedy wrote with guidance [!!!] from Mr. Sorensen. (The Times has misspelled Mr. Sorensen’s surname more than 135 [!!!] times in headlines and articles during the 50-plus years he has been a Democratic adviser and well-known author.)
Gregg Easterbrook’s recent Tuesday Morning Quarterback column included a sampling of other great NYT corrections. I remain partial to Sorenso/en, myself.
Craig Fehrman 