I have clearly reached the end of the line in seeking a correction from the L.A. Times for its misrepresentation of Bud Cummins’s comments to reporter Richard Serrano. I won’t rehash the whole scenario in this post; I have discussed it extensively in posts you can read here, here, and here. In 25 words or less: the paper claimed Cummins had wondered about a connection between his firing and a Missouri investigation his office had conducted. Cummins denied any connection.
Cummins recently answered an e-mail I sent him, and confirmed that the paper had misrepresented his statements. Among other things, he said:
[T]here is no doubt in my mind that I made it clear to Mr. Serrano that I knew of no connection between the Missouri investigation and my dismissal. I am certain that I told him that more than once.
. . . . I can assure you there are dozens of reporters around the country who have heard me tell my version of this the exact same way. Mr. Serrano is the only one who heard it differently.
. . . . I promise you the story was wrong.
Cummins also said that he had told reporter Richard Serrano that the article was wrong.
I passed along Cummins’s e-mail to the Readers’ Representative, and here is her reply:
I appreciate your sharing with this office your correspondence with Bud Cummins. As you note, the Times reporter also talked to Cummins after the article appeared, and we don’t see the need for a correction.
Jamie Gold
Readers’ Representative
The story was about what Cummins thought. Cummins says he never thought what the story claimed. And that, supposedly, does not merit a correction — or an update, or a clarification, or anything. As far as the L.A. Times is concerned, it makes sense to have their readers continue to believe that the story is true, when the only person who knows (Cummins himself) says, in no uncertain terms, that it is not true.
If there is a rational explanation for this, I’m not seeing it. But I’ve taken this as far as I can. I’m giving up. If you want to ask the Readers’ Representative yourself, you can reach her at this e-mail address: ReadersRep@latimes.com. Be polite.