It was Ash Wednesday, so Akron TV23 news anchor Eric Mansfield was making the obligatory report about the distribution of ashes by the Pope who he referred to as John Paul.
Whoops. JP2 is dead. There's a new Pontiff now who goes by the name Pope Benedict XVI.
When the video clip was displayed, though, Eric got it straight with no hint that he erred on first reference.
Nothing like the human element when it comes to TV News! My Executive Producer claims official responsibility for the mistake, but I should have caught it as I was reading. For what it's worht, our whole newsroom had a good laugh during the commercial break (what else can you do when you make a gaff like that) and then of course I apologized and corrected the pontiff's name later in the actual story. Glad we could provide some good humor during a cold evening. I once called the Titanic the "Titantic" with the extra "T" and got a dozen phone calls. The other night, Ted Henry over on TV5 said "Lord of the Rings" while showing video of high-stepping dancers. When the whole crew started laughing, he realized he meant "Lord of the Dance." Again, it's what makes TV fun. Eric
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