Deconstructing a Joke

Sunday’s NYTimes had a correction to make:

“An article on March 16 about Eddie Izzard described the setup to his “Cake? Or Death?” routine incorrectly. He imagined what would have happened if the Church of England rather than the Roman Catholic Church had run the Inquisition — not if the Church of England rather than the Romans had tried to conquer the world.”

Did Eddie have to correct them, or do you think a fane wrote in? And, does an intern have to post those corrections?