We made a lot of mistakes during 2005. There’s no simpler way to put it.

We published 519 corrections and clarifications in 2005, a figure that represents a considerable number of errors. Such an admission to our readers is painful but critically necessary.

Accuracy is one the fundamental values of newspaper journalism. Our reporters, editors, photographers and editorial assistants know that it’s our responsibility to get the facts straight the first time, every time.

Unfortunately, we’re not always successful in getting every name, statistic, fact, time or date spelled or stated accurately.

There are a number of reasons we make mistakes, including daily deadlines, the large volume of information we review and publish each day, miscommunication and inattention to detail.

We publish corrections because it’s the right thing to do. We have an obligation to set the record straight and readers expect us to own up to our mistakes. Readership studies have shown that readers actually give us some credit for admitting our mistakes and that by publishing them we help our credibility with our audience.

We absolutely hate it when we make a mistake. Errors are embarrassing, both to us and the people we are writing about.

For many people, getting their names or their story published in The Spokesman-Review is a time of joy, accomplishment and pride. The satisfaction that a person might feel from appearing in some fashion in our news pages can quickly be diminished by an incorrect fact, misspelling or mischaracterization.

In many instances, a person’s name or story appears because of unflattering circumstances, so it becomes even more painful or embarrassing for them if we have misstated a fact or misunderstood a sequence of events.

The Spokesman-Review is very aggressive about responding to its errors. We publish corrections prominently on the front page of the local news section as quickly as possible after we have discovered an error. Our readers and frequent critics are quick to point out our errors and sometimes they mock us for the number of corrections we publish. We understand that. My defensive side wants to ask our critics, “When’s the last time you saw a correction broadcast on your favorite local television news program?”

The undeniable fact is that America’s newspapers are far better at owning up to their mistakes than any of their electronic competitors.

In a perfect world, we would never publish an error. The unpleasant fact is we’re going to make mistakes but they will never be intentional or calculated to embarrass someone.

In reviewing the published corrections for last year, we noticed a few themes. In more than 60 instances, we misspelled someone’s first or last name. In another 70 instances, we misidentified someone’s title, standing or relationship. In another category, 45 errors were the direct result of a news source, public relations specialist, agency or business entity providing us inaccurate information.

As I told our staff recently, one of the unfortunate trends I’ve noticed in the past decade is that all of us, including journalists, retail clerks, hotel desk staffs, secretaries and restaurant staff, have gotten sloppy. We all simply need to pay more attention to details no matter what our responsibilities.

Our staffers are required to fill out a brief form when they are responsible for creating an error. One of the questions on the form asks how the mistake happened and what could have been done to avoid it. The most common responses are “I should have double-checked” the name or fact.

Other frequent explanations are, “I shouldn’t have assumed someone else’s math was correct” and “I misread my notes.” Of course, the lack of time or the deadline pressure is often cited as a mitigating factor as well.

We take our mistakes seriously. One of our goals this year is to reduce the number of errors. We’re confident that we can improve and we’ll report back to you in 2007 on this issue.

Last year, we published more than 51,000 stories of varying length and detail. Getting the story right is a tough and important job, but we wouldn’t want it any other way.

If you think we have made an error of fact, call (509) 459-5430.