Mention Monitoring
Part of Brand mention monitoring
Requesting a factual correction without demanding favourable coverage
Identify the exact error, provide evidence and request a correction without seeking control over editorial judgement.
Request a correction when you can identify a specific factual error or materially misleading omission and show the accurate position. Keep the request narrow. A critical angle, accurate but unflattering quotation or lack of company praise is not, by itself, an error.
Verify the issue
Open the current article and retain its address, date and disputed passage in the internal record. Check the source document, calculation or person with direct knowledge. If the claim came from your own study, confirm which version the publication received and whether the study itself needs correction.
Separate a wrong fact from disagreement about emphasis. A wrong date, misattributed statement or calculation error can be identified precisely. Missing context may justify a clarification or correction when it materially changes what readers would understand.
Australian Press Council principles call for correction or other adequate remedial action if material published by a publication under its jurisdiction is significantly inaccurate or misleading. They do not require a publication to adopt a company’s preferred angle.
Key Facts on Factual Corrections in Australia
- Australian Press Council standard
- Requires correction if material is significantly inaccurate or misleading
- ABC corrections policy
- Distinguishes factual correction from clarification of ambiguity
- No obligation for favourable coverage
- Publications are not required to adopt a company’s preferred angle
Make a checkable request
Use the publication’s stated corrections or contact route. Give the article title and address, identify the exact wording, explain the problem and supply the supporting record. Suggest wording that fixes the fact while leaving the editorial decision with the publication.
Explain briefly why the difference matters to readers. If several pages repeat the problem, identify them separately; one change may not update every copy. If the company supplied a wrong figure, disclose that and send the corrected material to recipients of the earlier version.
Follow the result
The ABC’s guidance distinguishes correction of a factual error or significant missing context from clarification of ambiguous or incomplete information. That describes the ABC’s process; other publications may use different procedures.
Record the request, evidence, reply and visible result. Reopen the page after a reported change. If the matter remains unresolved, check the publication’s complaints process and the Australian Press Council’s jurisdiction. If the Council considers a complaint is more appropriately dealt with by another organisation, it may suggest raising the matter there.
