‘I SCREWED UP AND I’M SORRY’ — EDITOR APOLOGIZES FOR PHOTO MISTAKE

a woman sitting on the ground holding a small dog
Key West resident and musical performer Marjory Lee is running for queen of Fantasy Fest and was misidentified in a photo in last week’s Key West Weekly. CONTRIBUTED

I hate when I have no one but myself to blame for a screw-up. But I learned decades ago how freeing it is to admit a mistake and apologize, fix it however possible and pledge to avoid repeating it in the future.

Which brings us to today’s admission, apology and pledge: I messed up, and while I have no excuse, I do offer a humble apology to Marjory Lee, who is running for queen of Fantasy Fest. 

My mistake occurred in a feature last week about the kickoff to the eight-week fundraising campaign for king and queen of Fantasy Fest — a campaign that last year raised more than $580,000 for the Florida Keys SPCA. 

I mistakenly ran a photo of Carolyn Guarini, but identified her as Marjory Lee. I don’t know how it happened, as I know what each woman looks like and it’s not as if they “could be twins.” So that’s not an optional excuse. Rather it was simply a matter of my own lack of care and oversight.

So again, I humbly offer 1,000 apologies to Marjory Lee, who certainly did NOT need to kick off her hard work of fundraising with a huge mistake in the Key West Weekly.

So this week, I bring you an actual photo of Marjory Lee and her Chihuahua, Buffett.

Again, ladies, I’m sorry and I’ll endeavor never to let it happen again.

Mandy Miles
Mandy Miles drops stuff, breaks things and falls down more than any adult should. An award-winning writer, reporter and columnist, she's been stringing words together in Key West since 1998. "Local news is crucial," she says. "It informs and connects a community. It prompts conversation. It gets people involved, holds people accountable. The Keys Weekly takes its responsibility seriously. Our owners are raising families in Key West & Marathon. Our writers live in the communities we cover - Key West, Marathon & the Upper Keys. We respect our readers. We question our leaders. We believe in the Florida Keys community. And we like to have a good time." Mandy's married to a saintly — and handy — fishing captain, and can't imagine living anywhere else.