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Now THIS is how you know you messed up!
The New York Times just got hit with a $9.25 MILLION bill after an Alabama jury decided the newspaper defamed former Alabama basketball player Kai Spears.
And let me tell you something — $9.25 million is one hell of an editor’s note!
The Times reported that Spears was a passenger in a car connected to a fatal shooting in Tuscaloosa back in January 2023.
Only one problem…
HE WASN’T.
Oops!
Not “oops, we spelled Alabama wrong.”
Not “oops, we used the wrong picture.”
We’re talking about “Hey, America, this basketball player might have been involved in a murder” OOPS!
THAT is a completely different level of journalism!
The Times said its information came from an anonymous person familiar with the investigation.
And then, a few days later, the newspaper basically said:
“Uhhhh… our bad.”
They corrected the story and added an editor’s note acknowledging the mistake.
But here’s the problem with reputation:
You can correct the article. You can’t correct everybody who already read it!
Once somebody sees your name connected to a murder investigation, that information doesn’t magically disappear because The New York Times comes back three days later with a digital eraser.
That’s like me walking into a restaurant and yelling:
“ERROL MARKS HAS BEEN KICKED OUT OF THE RESTAURANT FOR STEALING THE CHEF’S CAR!”
Then five minutes later I say:
“Correction: Errol did NOT steal the car.”
Well, THANK YOU!
But now the guy sitting at the bar is looking at me like:
“Wasn’t that the car thief?”
THAT’S THE PROBLEM!
Spears sued the Times, saying the report caused him emotional distress and permanently connected his name to a murder he had nothing to do with.
And after a nine-day trial, an eight-person jury came back and basically said:
“Yeah… $9.25 million ought to get somebody’s attention.”
And I LOVE the Times’ response.
They said they were disappointed the jury found them liable for what they called an “honest mistake.”
AN HONEST MISTAKE?!
Listen, if I order a cheeseburger and you give me a hamburger, that’s an honest mistake.
If I call somebody the wrong name on my radio show, that’s an honest mistake.
If The New York Times mistakenly links a COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYER to a FATAL SHOOTING…
THAT’S AN HONEST MISTAKE WITH A LAWYER ATTACHED TO IT!
And here’s the wildest part:
The Times says it hadn’t lost a defamation lawsuit brought in the United States over one of its articles in more than 50 years.
Well…
CONGRATULATIONS, NEW YORK TIMES!
You made it to 51!
Then Alabama walked in and said:
“Hold my sweet tea.”
And I don’t care whether you’re a newspaper, a television network, a podcast, a radio show or some guy with 14 followers posting from his mother’s basement:
YOU BETTER GET THE STORY RIGHT!
Because when you attach somebody’s name to something as serious as murder, you can’t just hit EDIT and pretend everything is okay.
The internet doesn’t work that way.
The internet remembers EVERYTHING.
You could correct the story 10 minutes later and somebody has already taken a screenshot, posted it on social media, sent it to 400 people and created a conspiracy theory before you finish typing:
“We regret the error.”
And now the Times is reviewing its legal options.
Translation:
THE CHECK IS IN THE MAIL… MAYBE!
Look, journalism matters.
Accuracy matters.
And if you’re going to put someone’s name next to a murder investigation, you better be DARN SURE you’ve got the right person.
Because apparently in Alabama…
THE NEW YORK TIMES JUST LEARNED THAT “MY BAD” CAN COST $9.25 MILLION!
And THAT, my friends, is what we call… EXPENSIVE EDITING!
Twitter: @ErrolMarks34
LinkedIn: Errol Marks
Instagram: @rollothamouth34
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My name is Errol Marks and I’d like to tell you why I believe I can be a major asset to your station. I’m from a small town in Long Island, NY and from a very young age I’ve always had a love for sports talk radio. Growing up, I would listen religiously to shows like Mike and the Mad Dog, Mike and Mike, and Imus in the Morning and studied what made those shows so great. I’ve made it my goal to be as influential as the hosts I grew up listening to, and with my knowledge of all major sports, enthusiastic and fearless personality, and my preparation skills, I know I can get to that level. This is an art and a medium that I’m passionate about and one that I feel can never be replaced.
What makes my story so unique goes beyond my 10+ years of experience in sports media. In addition to over ten years of creating and hosting sports talk radio shows, I created the World Wide Sports Radio Network - one of the first ever digital sports radio networks - in 2012. Since the network began, we have had some of the best content in digital sports media. We have six quality shows on our network covering all sports and sports betting. I’m currently hosting New York’s Sports Loud Mouth, and you can find that show and the rest of our great shows at https://worldwidesportsradio.com/.
Our network’s content and listenership has grown significantly year to year and, in the past year, we’ve achieved 3.6 million minutes listened on our audio stream, over 29k followers on tik tok, 500k viewed on YouTube, 1.7 million downloads on Apple Podcasts, and 906,917 plays on Spotify. While we are enjoying a continued increase in growth, I feel that we can take this to a new level and a new audience with your help.
My goal since the day I started is to become the greatest and most recognizable sports radio show host in the country. I can guarantee that nobody in this industry currently has my passion, personality or ability to shape the future of sports broadcasting and entertainment like I do. If given the opportunity, I hope to further share my story and many talents with you and your station.
Twitter: @ErrolMarks34
LinkedIn: Errol Marks
Instagram: @rollothamouth34
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