Going through the latest media coverage mentions for Scope, a sharp-eyed member of the media team noticed a bizarre discrepancy. One of the regional papers featured two different articles mentioning Scope.
In one, Scope was described as "a UK disability charity for children and adults with cerebral palsy". However, in another piece - published in the very same edition! - Scope was apparently a charity "set up to help people with living with cystic fibrosis".
What were confused readers to make of this? Cue - a letter to the editor to clarify. It's not the first time a journalist has got it wrong about what Scope does. I've had to correct a few national journalists on more than one occasion who have described Scope as "a mental health charity".
The letter to the regional paper in question was technically a correction, although papers are generally loath to print these if asked - unless they've made a major mistake rather than a boo boo in sloppy copy - so a letter is generally the best way to go.
In addition, the letters pages of the local and regional press can be underwhelmed with content so editorial staff are often receptive for some copy to plug any gaps.
And of course from our point of view, as well as clarifying the facts, it's always yet another opportunity to mention Scope in the media!
