PBS corrects misinformation on its site that wrongly credited jazz performer Baby Esther as the inspiration for Betty Boop

In a powerful mea culpa recently published on the PBS website, the editors of one of the nation's most trusted and well-respected journalistic outlets retracted and corrected a story it posted online six years ago stating that Betty Boop was based on the African American performer, Baby Esther. In the story, PBS explains how misinformation managed to remain on its website for so long, but even more importantly it took the opportunity to put the full weight of its journalistic expertise behind a concerted effort to set the record straight. ​

The people at PBS took this story seriously and we couldn't be more grateful. We know that this story touches on subjects that feel particularly thorny right now and we hope that this course correction will move us toward a fuller and more nuanced understanding of this pivotal period in our country's history; one that continues to resonate and influence us to this day.

​You can read whole story, appropriately titled "Betty Oops," here: ​https://www.pbs.org/publiceditor/blogs/pbs-public-editor/betty-oops/