The Corrected Figure

≈ 4 min

The Herald's front page tomorrow carries the audited turnout numbers for the disputed harbour-district recall vote. At 11 PM, chief sub-editor Ruth Callow discovered the headline figure on the pasted-up front page had been quietly altered — 'a margin of 214' changed to 'a margin of 2,014' in fresh ink — enough to flip the story's whole meaning. The page must be corrected before the 12:15 AM plate run, and whoever doctored it was on the floor tonight.

Subject

The Front Page

The pasted-up 'City Final' front page carrying the recall-vote turnout figure, altered by hand before the plate deadline.

The suspects

Ruth Callow — Chief sub-editor
Desmond Prentice — Political correspondent
Iris Vane — Night proofreader
Leo Hobbs — Copy runner

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