The Difference Between a Clarification and a Correction
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A clarification adds missing context to a statement that was technically accurate but potentially misleading without it, while a correction fixes something that was simply wrong, and conflating the two in a note to readers blurs an important distinction they deserve to understand clearly and without ambiguity.
Labelling each one accurately, rather than defaulting to the softer sounding term out of habit or a wish to minimise the apparent severity of an error, keeps a publication's own record honest about exactly what kind of mistake actually occurred and why it happened at all.
Readers generally respond well to this precision, since it signals a publication genuinely understands the difference between refining a point and admitting a factual failure, rather than reaching for whichever label happens to sound the least damaging in the moment. Over time, careless labelling erodes the very distinction it was meant to preserve, leaving readers unable to tell whether a note in front of them reflects a genuine factual failure or simply an added layer of useful context.