CALIFORNIA
Regret the Error
The San Francisco Chronicle has published a lengthy correction after it apparently "mischaracterized" comments by a judge in a case against the Catholic Church. "Sensationalized" may be a better description.
A March 11 story about a lawsuit filed against the Catholic Church in Oakland, alleging the diocese allowed two brothers to be molested by a priest the church knew to be a child molester, mischaracterized comments made by the judge in the case.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Harry Sheppard did not "rip" the actions of the church, as stated in the headline.
The story also mischaracterized Judge Sheppard's comments when it stated: "Calling the Catholic Church's conduct 'outrageous, oppressive and malicious,' an East Bay judge ruled Thursday that two alleged sexual abuse victims may seek punitive damages against the Diocese of Oakland." The judge's full remark was: "The conduct of the church as alleged text: and I'm not saying what's going to be proven, because I don't know what's going to be proven text: but as alleged, the conduct is outrageous, oppressive and malicious as alleged, and it was done with a conscious disregard for persons that they were entrusted to protect, being children."
Posted by kshaw at March 30, 2005 07:31 AM