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But that's NOT what I said

I was mentioned in a Pens article in today's P-G, on page A2. Unfortunately, not everything attributed to me in that article is accurate.

Two days ago, I saw on the P-G site that the paper was looking for people to talk about their Game 7 plans and how other plans may have changed as a result of the game. I emailed the writer to tell her that my church festival was going on, and that in addition to volunteering Saturday, I also offered to help on Friday if needed. This was before I knew there would be a Game 7. Now that I knew there was a Game 7, there was no way I was going to work the festival that additional night.

The P-G writer and I chatted on the phone, and she asked if I broke the news to my church that I was not going to help out Friday. I told her I had committed to Saturday only, and that I might not even get called to help Friday, but if I did, the answer would be no.

However, the article reads: "She'd planned to volunteer at the annual festival at St. Maurice Catholic Church in Forest Hills, but made the difficult decision to back out, even though televisions will be present at the festival."

No, I did not back out! If I had volunteered Friday, I would still do Friday. Sure, I am superstitious, but if I had committed to doing something, you can bet I would honor that commitment. Instead, I pretty much sounded like a moron.

I did not even think she would put me in the article because I did not exactly have to change my plans. But I guess to get the better story, the writer decided to change the facts. It is not as if I would ask her to write a retraction for something so trivial, but I will be talking to my priest soon to let him know what I really said. I might even email him my original blurb, just so he knows.

You can't always believe everything you hear and read. Oh, well.

Go Pens!

Comments

robta said…
Sounds like you should write a letter to the editor. Though they may change that also so it still may not get the story straight.
chris h. said…
This is the problem I (a marketing writer) have with "journalists." I am not honor-bound to report "just the facts" (journalists are) and am allowed to embellish (journalists are not). Somehow journalism has turned into "slant-the-story-to- prove-my-point-ism"

I agree with robta -- I'd be writin' a letter...
Facie said…
When I was at the church festival last Saturday, Father John stopped and thanked me for not working the festival the night before. I quickly explained/defended myself, but he did not care. We chatted about how the guy who does the church grounds also does Mark Recchi's grounds. He just laughed it off.

I wonder if the Pens had not won, would he have found it so funny? Well, I guess as Brian said, it is not as if I am someone famous or a politician, so I probably did make a bigger deal about it than necessary.

However, the article was still not the truth!

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