# What is a correction? A repair to a published error

A correction repairs an error in content the publisher has already published.

A correction addresses something the earlier account got wrong. Adding a later event to an accurate story is an update, which is a different editorial situation.

## Repairing an error without resetting the story date

Illustrative editorial case: a published story gives the wrong meeting date. The editor fixes the text, then applies the publication’s materiality policy to decide whether a visible correction note is needed; the original publication date remains the original date.

## Correction versus new development

A one-character change can be material: changing a price from $19 to $190 changes what readers understand. Judge the significance of the error, rather than the number of words changed, when deciding how to explain it.

## Tell the reader what changed when it matters

Suppose a revenue figure was reported with the wrong unit. Correct the number and explain the earlier error where the reader can understand its effect. Preserve the original publication date and record the correction separately so the history stays intelligible. If the error changes a table total or a chart, update those displays too. Readers may encounter them without reading the prose first.

## Related terms

[Revision](https://digitalpublishingnews.com/dictionary/revision/)

## Continue reading

[When to change an article’s publication date, update date, or source-check record](https://digitalpublishingnews.com/articles/updated-date-is-not-new-publication/): It explains which article date represents publication versus a substantive update.

## Sources

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/publication-dates

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/publication-dates

Editorial method: https://digitalpublishingnews.com/how-we-use-ai/

Canonical: https://digitalpublishingnews.com/dictionary/correction/