Never give small children a website:
Vox launched almost nine months ago, pitching the idea that by utilizing constantly updated articles and taking advantage of the internet’s lack of space constraints, they could “explain” the news in an entertaining and informative manner. It was an interesting premise—maybe even a great one—and readers apparently agreed, as Vox’s traffic and revenue numbers are reportedly great. Which is astonishing, because for a site whose foundation is explaining the news, Vox f**ks up a breathtaking amount of stories.
Sometimes Vox gets the name of a grocery store or the year a bill was passed wrong, but errors like that—while unfortunate—are inevitable and excusable. What makes Vox unique is not their errors, but the magnitude of those errors. Whether being taken in by blatant hoaxes, showcasing a clear misunderstanding of a study in an article that has no purpose other than explaining that study, or making multiple mistakes in a post that consists of only a graph or a short paragraph, Vox repeatedly crapped the bed in 2014.
Schadenfreude sample #1:
Correction: An earlier version of this post suggested there was a bridge connecting Gaza and the West Bank. Various plans to do this have been floated, but the bridge was never actually built.
Sample #2:
Corrected Headline: Correction: Tonight will not be the longest night in the history of Earth. It was in 1912.
And #3:
Corrected Headline: Report that Grumpy Cat made $99.5 million in two years is “completely inaccurate”
Enjoy the rest.
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