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By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 26, 2004; 1:24 PM


BOSTON, July 26--Those who say The Washington Post is out of step with the country just got a new round of ammunition.

The newspaper is printing 10,000 copies a day of a special convention issue that is being distributed for free among journalists and delegates attending the Democratic gathering here. And in large type at the top of Monday's second section, above a picture of John Kerry and John Edwards, is a banner: "ELECTION 2000."

Right topic, wrong year.

It seems that the paper's news desk used the same template as the last time a special convention issue was published, but forgot to update the year. The Post, however, isn't confiscating the copies.

"I decided to allow them to remain in the press center," said Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. "Even though it's an embarrassing mistake, it's not a mistake in substance of stories."

But this was not exactly the New York Post reporting that Kerry had picked Dick Gephardt as his running mate. "At least we weren't wrong on the news," Downie said. "We were wrong in labeling the news."


© 2004 The Washington Post Company