To The Editor:
I’m truly shocked by poor reporting on a press release typo by Banker & Tradesman in its column “The Teller” published on Jan. 31, 2011.
By not checking facts, especially when Banker & Tradesman knew the flawed press release was corrected immediately (just after eight minutes), and running instead a column based entirely on negative speculation about NAI Hunneman, Banker & Tradesman willfully damaged the reputation of NAI Hunneman in the marketplace. Please see below the chronology of errors in your column:
- On Jan. 29, our software program sent out a NAI Hunneman press release at 10:10:15 a.m. Due to a glitch in its spell check, it converted NAI to NAZI throughout the press release. The company was not determined to change the name 13 times as your column claims. It was a software glitch.
- Once we received an error notice, we immediately corrected the press release and sent it to you again eight minutes later at 10:18:09 am, with a note in red bold letters, saying PLEASE USE THIS VERSION: CORRECTING TYPO IN THE NAME: NAI Hunneman. If your intention was only to make fun of spelling mistakes and not damaging NAI Hunneman’s reputation, you should have also mentioned in your column that you did receive a corrected version eight minutes later.
- The typo was not typed 13 times. If your columnist had called the contact name on the press release, you would have had your facts correct, and known that it was a software glitch.
- Regarding your preaching that the NAI Hunneman team needs a serious lesson in proofreading, please note that all press releases of NAI Hunneman are written and distributed by The Mishra Group. You know this and all of your reporters know this. Again if your columnist had just called the contact person on the press release to find out what really happened in order to get all of the facts correct, this error could have been avoided.
- Your column speculates that a “very disgruntled employee or intern pulled off a prank that no one will soon forget.” Again, if you had just done your work and called us to verify, you would have not needed to make any speculation.
- You again speculate and suggest that NAI Hunneman should not rely on in-house help for copy and should look outward to those who specialize in proof reading. Please note that you and your team are fully aware that The Mishra Group is NAI Hunneman’s PR agency and you have been receiving NAI Hunneman press releases through The Mishra Group at least three times each month (or more) during the last three years. Again, this is a gross negligence on the part of B&T to ignore this fact and blame NAI Hunneman.
- Before laying a blame on others typos, you should check your own typos first. Your own column misspelled “Off.”
- It’s very uncommon to see the word “pissed off” in a serious business newspaper. This word was also used in this column.
Upendra Mishra
The Mishra Group Inc.
Waltham
