The New York Times today corrected a mistake it made nearly a month ago -- one that painted American troops in a (surprise) bad light.

[A]n article on May 21 about fighting in Iraq quoted two comments incorrectly from a news conference by Maj. Gen. James Mattis, the Marine commander in the desert area near the Syrian border where an American missile strike killed civilians at what some Iraqis described as a wedding party. Denying that account, General Mattis said, "Let's not be naïve, let's leave it at that" (not "Let's not be naïve, bad things happen in wars") and "I don't have to apologize for the conduct of my marines" (not "for the conduct of my men").

The Times' original report and the completely innaccurate quote (the first one, not the second -- the second is not a serious error) about "bad things" occurring leads the reader to believe that Maj. Gen. James Mattis was acknowledging that a mistake may have occurred -- something he definitely wasn't saying.