Share this Story : PNI Atlantic News Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

JOCELYNE LLOYD: Amusing and not so funny cases of mistaken identity

For years now, probably since Google and other search engines have made it easy to find the email addresses of any business around the world, our newsroom has been the unfortunate recipient of unsolicited and misdirected feedback.

Subscribe now to access this story and more:

Unlimited access to the website and app

Exclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcasts

Full access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on

Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists

Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists

Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.

Unlimited access to the website and app

Exclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcasts

Full access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on

Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists

Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists

Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.

Access additional stories every month

Share your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting community

Get email updates from your favourite authors

Sign In or Create an Account

The missives go something like this, with curse words redacted: “You miserable (redacted) scumbags. Your vile piece of (redacted) reporting shows what utter (redacted) you are. Your so-called (redacted) (redacted) (redacted) ‘journalism’ is good only as a bin liner.” Then there would be a reference to a news story out of Britain.

I’ve been known to reply, “Hello. You have reached The Guardian in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. We have no affiliation with the newspaper of the same name in the U.K. Here is a link to their contacts …”

It is amusing to me how often the person who typed the scathing, cuss-laden condemnation will reply to my message in the following vein: “Terribly sorry! Thanks so much for replying to my email. I love Canada and hope to visit again someday.”

So I have some sympathy for people who are mistaken for one another because they share a name.

This has sometimes come up in our court reporting when someone sharing the name of the accused asks us to publish a note clearing them of the crime.

“Jane Doe, 37, of Charlottetown, accused of braining Col. John Mustard with a........

© PNI Atlantic news