Correction!! Correction!!

We work fast, and every once in a while we make mistakes. Usually they are minor, but if we become aware of an error, we try to correct it promptly. Still, now and then–very rarely–we make a really serious mistake. Something that goes to the heart of a post, and could endanger our credibility with readers. On those extraordinary occasions–I can think of two–we do the equivalent of Drudge’s rotating red light. We want the largest possible number of our readers to be aware of the correction, immediately.

It happened last night, unfortunately, in my post on this year’s Miss World competition. After criticizing the Miss World web site’s photography, which really is grossly inadequate, I did a Google search for some of this year’s strong contenders–“Miss World 2011” was the search–and posted their pictures. Including this one of Miss Brazil–a worthy contestant, as I am sure you will agree:

But a reader emailed a correction: the photo is of Miss Brazil 2010, not 2011. I am afraid he is right. All I can say is, mea culpa. That is what happens when you do a Google search for Miss World 2011, and Google returns a picture of a 2010 contestant. And all, in the first instance, because the Miss World site is so lousy! But, hey, I take full responsibility. And I take no solace from comments by other readers to the effect that one Miss Brazil looks much like another.

So here is Miss World/Brazil 2011, Juceila Graziele Bueno, in a smallish photo that it took me four attempts to capture via screen shot on Miss World’s rather pathetic site:

OK, that was hardly an adequate picture, but it is the best that Miss World has to offer. We do research so you won’t have to; it’s our job. So here is Ms. Bueno, via a more carefully executed Google Images search:

For what it’s worth, I prefer the 2010 edition. But a correction is a correction. Let’s hope we never make a mistake like this again!

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