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To our readers, an apology:




Stories that ran in the newspaper May 1 and April 18 about Joyce Meyer
Ministries contained errors. After receiving a complaint from the ministry
about factual issues in these stories, we examined a transcript from a press
conference held by the ministry, records cited in the stories and the
reporter's notes. We discovered references that need to be corrected or
clarified. These two articles did not meet our standards for fairness and
accuracy.

Minutes of ministry board meetings show that for 2002 and 2003, the board
approved compensation packages of up to $900,000 for Joyce Meyer and up to
$450,000 for her husband. Any personal use of the ministry's corporate plane or
automobiles was to be deducted from those totals. A ministry spokesman did not
say that the Meyers received free use of the plane and vehicles, as was stated
in the May 1 story. The minutes and public financial statements do not disclose
the salaries actually received or the extent to which they personally used the
corporate plane and vehicles. The story erroneously stated that the ministry
paid all bills related to the ministry parsonage. Additionally, the spokesman
for the ministry never used the word "hefty" to describe Joyce Meyer's salary.
That was a term used by the reporter. The spokesman did not say that a
reduction in Meyer's salary in 2004 to $250,000 was due to previous
Post-Dispatch reporting.

The spokesman for the ministry did not decline to disclose the amount of
royalties received by Joyce Meyer personally for her books and tapes as
reported in the May 1 story. He said the information was unavailable to him and
is a matter between the publisher and Joyce Meyer. The amount of royalties
Meyer receives is not disclosed in the ministry's financial statements
since, according to the ministry, no royalties are paid on resources
distributed by the ministry.

According to the ministry, ministry employees do not work on books and tapes
for which Meyer personally receives royalties. The ministry disputes claims by
critics to the contrary.

An April 18 news article reported that all four of Meyer's children sit on the
ministry's board. According to the ministry, only two of Meyer's children
currently serve on the ministry's board. The four family members currently on
the board do not constitute a majority of the board as reported on April 18.

According to an attorney for the ministry, the ministry is in full compliance
with all IRS rules and regulations, and the ministry has never been contacted
by the IRS regarding its status as a tax-exempt organization. The April 18 news
article reported on a critic's speculation regarding an IRS investigation, but
it did not report the ministry's denial.

We stand by reporting done in a four-part series on the ministry published in
November 2003; however, one detail needs to be corrected. Although a building
permit was sought for a $10,000 bathroom for the poolhouse, the ministry says
the bathroom was never built. One other detail, about whether guards at the
ministry wore guns, is in dispute.

The Post-Dispatch is taking corrective action to address the professional
failures that led to these errors.

We know that mistakes erode our credibility and compromise our journalism. Our
goal is to make our news coverage accurate, fair and trustworthy. We apologize
to you, our readers, for the journalistic transgressions in the May 1 and April
18 articles.


Ellen Soeteber, Editor


Arnie Robbins, Managing Editor
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