One of England's major newspapers, The Guardian, carries a daily confessional column called "Corrections and Amplifications." Edited by Ian Mayes, the column breaks the stodgy English tradition of rarely admitting error.

Sometimes done with humor at the paper's own expense, the column averages about five items per day. Typos range from simple misspellings to substituting "ex-patriots" for "expatriates," and "having insight" for "having incited."

Mayes sensed that more people read the correction than read the original story. He has now published a book with a compendium of his favorite mishaps.

If a newspaper has learned that confession enlarges readership rather than turning people away, perhaps individuals will catch on, too. Neither newspapers nor human beings can avoid making mistakes. It is candor in admitting them, and taking responsibility for them, that is unique.