Q: I am in a bit of a dilemma. I have been at a paper for a year now, and like to think I have done some solid work. I don’t really like the town though, and am ready to start applying at other newspapers. I have some good clips, but some of my best work was devoted to a package about methamphetamine.

Included in the package is the work of a well-intentioned copy editor who changed Drug Enforcement Administration to Drug Enforcement Agency. In all honesty, I bet I bet I made the mistake once and it was repeated in all three stories. Should I just cut my losses and not include these in my clips, or could I salvage my (three best) articles and interviews? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you for your time. Most of all, thank you for the Web site you maintain — you include some really good advice that I could not have found elsewhere.

Smarting

A: Ouch!

That is a very noticeable mistake that you have honestly taken some responsibility for. I like your honesty and hope you have made some changes to improve your accuracy.

I would try for new jobs without those clips. Rather than showing them, they might be stories you talk about in the interview where you can describe the work you did and the lessons you learned without showing that glaring error.