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PICKERELL APOLOGIZES
April 19, 2001
I want to apologize to Corbis Corporation, its employees and my readers for an
erroneous story about Corbis that I published in my Random Thoughts 31 on Monday,
April 16th.
I posted a story entitled "Finding Images at Corbis," in which I reported an
alleged incident involving photographer Hugh Beebower and a client of his who
supposedly had some difficulties finding one of Hugh's images at Corbis.
Unfortunately my source for this story turned out to be unreliable. I have since
learned that the incident never took place -- both Hugh and his client have
confirmed this -- and I took the story down within two hours of its posting. I try
to verify the facts in the stories I report, but failed to do so in this case.
This was totally my mistake. No one else is responsible in any way. To further
compound the mistake, I went on to draw unwarranted personal conclusions from the
erroneous information.
I regret any harm or inconvenience I have caused Corbis, Mr. Beebower, or his
client, and I am deeply sorry for any distress I caused any of the above, or
Corbis employees.
Our industry is changing fast. My readers are looking for factual
information to use in making important business and career decisions. Honest and
open discussion is productive, but rumors and distortions only muddy the waters
for everyone. This regrettable incident is a good reminder that the Internet is a
powerful way to convey information... and that I have a responsibility to make
sure the information I share is accurate and true.
Again, I humbly apologize.
Jim Pickerell