June 24, 2006

Flying Blind

The Saturday Tennessean reports that there is some sort of deal in the works that could eventually repeal something called the "Wright Amendment," which, reporter Bush Bernard says, has prevented Southwest Airlines from flying directly from Nashville to Dallas' Love Field airport. This deal, says The Tennessean, "could result in lower fares to Dallas."

Well, I had no idea!

The story, on page one of the June 24 business section, is not only nine days late - the compromise deal was announced late on June 15 - it contains a rather odd error. In the section looking at how the deal may impact fares from Nashville to Dallas, reporter Bernard writes:

Colleen Conway-Welch, dean of the nursing school at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who usually flies to Dallas on American, is glad the Wright Amendment appears to be on the way out. "I think it's a step forward," she said. "This was a very convoluted problem ... and I think they've come to a good solution for the interim."

Her op-ed was published June 14 - in The Tennessean.

Update June 26: Shortly after I wrote this post, I emailed the link to it to Tennessean reporter Bush Bernard, along with this message:

Bush - Colleen Conway-Welch doesn't favor repealing the Wright amendment. She wrote an op-ed published in the Tennessean June 14 saying just the opposite. I blogged it - and the deal you reported today - back on June 15.

You are correct. What I wrote was that she supports the compromise. The nuance was changed in the editing process, but either way, she does support the compromise.

But, hey, blame the editors, I guess, although I thought all those editors and layers of fact-checkers were supposed to be the advantage the mainstream media has over blogs.