Elizabethtown newspaper apologizes for made-up quote

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — The News-Enterprise in Elizabethtown has fired two people, issued a retraction and apologized to the local sheriff after it attributed a statement to him that he never made.

The paper reported Thursday on page A1 that Hardin County Sheriff John Ward said people go into law enforcement "because they have a desire to shoot minorities." It has since corrected the story headlined "Law enforcement to be honored for service."

According to an apology by Editor Ben Sheroan (http://bit.ly/1y3OgNF) the statement was added during the editing process and the people involved have been fired. The reporter was not responsible for the mistake, and the sheriff said nothing like what was reported.

Sheroan said he and his staff "share the outrage and disgust" expressed by many in the community at the error.

___

Information from: The News-Enterprise, http://www.thenewsenterprise.com

©2015 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.