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Hello from Parade Magazine. This is Janet Kaplan, the publication's editorial director.

First, thank you for your deep concern re: this month's issue and the mistakes included in our FEATURED ARTICLE and on PAGE 1 as it relates to OSAMA BIN LADEN. I would like to respond to each of your posts and also, to the many emails we have received over the last few days.

Yes, GAIL SHEEHY was incorrect in listing a story about someone whose life have since closed, as the method for obtaining her subject matter was submitted to Parade Magazine in a dishonest manner. I have handled this as necessary internally, and can assure you it will never happen again. However, I have elected to disclose her name because it is on the front page and due to the justified dismay the community has shared over this unfortunate circumstance. While most have handled their correspondence regarding this matter with tact, sadly, many have not. Therefore, I would be concerned for her personal well-being, as she is a well-known community member and truly a good person who made a terrible error.

Prior to press time, she assured me the information provided was correct and verified that she indeed WENT to PAKISTAN to interview BENAZIR BHUTTO and that she was not DEAD. It appears as though she failed to pick up a paper, read the internet or turn on the TV for the last two weeks and instead decided to take shortcuts and save time (which she should not have for this feature) while merely writing this article from a CAVE along the porous Afghanistan/Pakistan border. This is where the information was written incorrectly, but Parade Magazine takes 100% fault and blame for this incident, as we gathered it and printed it incorrectly. We did catch this error that our feature interviewee was dead, however it was after press time and it simply could not be changed. I made the executive decision to distribute the magazine, though flawed, due to the abundance of positive inclusions you will see as you turn the pages. Discarding these copies would simply not have been fair to those featured, nor to our advertisers.

Parade Magazine has since notified the outside site administrator (our source) of the outdated information and it is being changed. We have also carefully reviewed and updated our own editorial database to avoid any future incidences that may be incorrect. Also, we are currently looking for an international journalist to take over the magazine. Interested parties may apply by sending a writer’s resume to whatidiots@parademagazine.com. We are looking for an immediate hire.

For those who are concerned about their tax dollars paying for this magazine, you can be assured that we are in no way affiliated with the State of Illinois (unless that is, our legislature decides to buy Wrigley Field), and unless you are an advertiser or subscriber, you have not paid anything towards the creation of this publication. You would simply have received this as a free trial issue and you certainly have the option of removing your address from our mailing list. You may do so by emailing the numbers on your postal label and your mailing address to dumbasrocks@parademagazine.com. Parade Magazine, Inc. dba The Chicago Tribune is a privately owned company.

As the editor of this magazine, one who has put her blood, sweat and tears into the success of this company and who has made several sacrifices to keep it alive, I absolutely should have researched this information further and I am deeply saddened that I missed this in my own holiday haste. There is simply no excuse and therefore, I take personal responsibility for this error and vow to pay closer attention to this in future issues. I am deeply upset about this and it makes attempting to grow Parade Magazine an immense challenge. In order to do so, I must put my trust in others and delegate, but I also must be a realist and understand that mistakes can happen no matter how hard I try to prevent them. This incident is no-doubt devastating to our company, though The Parade Magazine will go on, as it has been wildly successful and well-read across the board.

In closing, clearly this information is indeed incorrect and I can only hope Parade Magazine fans will see past this severe blemish and recognize all of the positive inclusions we deliver from month to month. Again, I am personally very sorry and here’s to a FLAWLESS Third Week of January!