Maybe the headline to this post ought to be “Why editors make poor marketers.”

The Virginian-Pilot “blew it” as its editor said, apologizing for the error. No small typo, this. They printed an entire story, photos and all, with a wrong headline claiming the Colts beat the Saints! The apologies were profuse:

But then the editor added this:

“We did remake the page for those who want to buy a Sports front suitable for framing. Just go to here to order it.”

The comeback from some readers was predictable! One reader wrote:

“Your paper makes a HUGE error and I am supposed to pay you $79 for a corrected framable(yes I am a Saintas fan)version! … The Virginian-Pilot, Toyota and the Chinese drywall manufacturers should go into business together, you all would be very succesful.” Ouch!

To use the editor’s own word — for the poor marketing ploy, not the headline error, “as far as errors go, this was a whopper.”