How to write a stronger correction request

Editors correct errors when the request is specific, sourced, and easy to verify.

Quote the exact statement

Give the headline, the date, the link, and the sentence word for word. Editors cannot act on "your article is wrong about the budget." They can act on one quoted sentence.

Show the evidence

Link the primary document that contradicts the statement: the permit, the dataset, the lab report, the official decision. Point to the page and the line. One strong primary source is worth more than five opinion pieces that agree with you.

Ask for one specific change

Say exactly what you want: a corrected figure, an added clarification, or an editor's note. Offer the accurate wording if it helps. A clear, small ask is far more likely to be granted than a demand to retract an entire story.

Separate fact from opinion

Publishers will not correct a columnist's opinion, and asking them to makes the rest of your request easier to dismiss. Limit the request to statements of fact. If the piece mixes the two, address only the factual part.

Keep the tone calm and the length short

A few paragraphs. No accusations about motives, no threats. The goal is to make it easy for an editor to say yes.

Keep a record

Capture the page privately before you send anything, keep a copy of what you sent and when, and check the page afterward. TruthRanking tracks the source page and search results after a correction goes out, so you can see whether it changed.

A simple structure

1. Who you are and the article you are writing about (link, headline, date).
2. The exact sentence at issue, quoted.
3. What the record shows, with links to the primary documents.
4. The specific correction you are requesting.
5. How to reach you for any questions.