The Guardian has issued a correction to its September 26 article, “What is leucovorin, the drug the FDA approved to treat autism?”, after misstating a key health recommendation and misidentifying a vitamin. The original piece claimed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 400 milligrams of folic acid daily for those who may become pregnant and referred to folate as “vitamin B”. The paper later clarified that the actual figure is 400 micrograms — one-thousandth of the reported dose — and that folate is vitamin B9.

The slip may seem technical, but in the context of autism and prenatal health it is substantial. Misreporting 400 micrograms as 400 milligrams inflates the safe intake level by a factor of 1,000, a discrepancy that could leave readers with a dangerously inaccurate impression.

NPR has issued a correction to its coverage of the White House announcement on acetaminophen and autism after misstating the prevalence of the condition.

In its original broadcast, the outlet reported that 1 in 3 children were diagnosed with autism. In fact, the correct figure is 1 in 31, or roughly 3%. The mistake was later clarified in an editor’s note attached to the segment.

The Guardian recently ran a story on new scientific research that connects fine-particulate air pollution to Lewy body dementia, but its framing risks overstating certainty while downplaying context.

The study, led by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, examined data from 56.5 million US Medicare patients alongside controlled experiments in mice. It suggested that long-term exposure to PM2.5 particles — airborne matter smaller than 2.5 thousandths of a millimetre — could trigger misfolding of alpha-synuclein proteins in the brain, producing toxic clumps known as Lewy bodies. These are a hallmark of Lewy body dementia, the third most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

The Guardian has amended a headline on its 19 September coverage of a US vaccine policy meeting after misrepresenting the committee’s role in Covid vaccine prescriptions.

The original headline suggested that the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) had removed the need for a prescription to obtain the vaccine. In fact, the panel narrowly voted against recommending that a prescription should be required – a distinction that matters, given that the committee has no authority to alter prescription rules.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has issued a correction to its 29 August coverage of melatonin sales in Australia.

The original article reported that US-based retailer iHerb suspended sales of melatonin supplements to Australia following “an increase in calls to the WA poisons hotline” and a rise in cases of paediatric overdose. The story has since been updated to clarify that iHerb did not confirm whether the Western Australia Poisons Information Centre’s data influenced its decision to halt sales.

The Guardian has issued a correction to its consumer advice coverage after a guide to buying glasses neglected to mention that eye tests are free in Scotland.

The article, published on August 30 under the headline Is spending more better for your eyes?, compared the costs of spectacles, frames and enhanced eye exams across the UK. It provided guidance on NHS vouchers, employer subsidies and online savings but omitted the detail that all residents of Scotland are entitled to free eye tests. That fact was added in an amendment published on September 4.