A More Messages Correction

I was never very good at math, so it's no surprise that there's a computation glitch in my October 9 blog about the impending departure of Denver Post columnist Diane Carman. Luckily, Post veteran Bob Ewegen is helping me to sort it out. Here's the e-mail Ewegen sent my way, which explains the botch very well:

Your article on Diane Carman erroneously states she would have received a year's pay if she had taken the recent buyout. In fact, the year's pay offer was limited to staffers with 20 years experience. Staffers over 50 with less than 20 years received one week's pay for each six months of service. Diane came to The Post in 1989 and would have received about 36 weeks pay, not 52 as you wrote. Those who took the buyout had to leave by July 1 and if Diane is paid through Oct. 21, that's 16 weeks she received. Thus, the net financial loss is about 20 week's pay, significant but less than half of the year's pay you said.

Bob Ewegen

Thank you, sir, for setting me straight. In the future, I'll bring all my math problems straight to you. -- Michael Roberts