To our readers.

In the Feb. 16 story, "Writers Worry About Residuals, Health Care--Not Who's Boss," the Business Journal has determined that besides several factual errors, the Writers Guild of America West was not given the opportunity to adequately respond to criticism and that some of the WGA responses were not included.

The article incorrectly described changes to the guild's health plan. The eligibility requirement was raised to $29,000 in annualized earnings, and the additional premium of $50 per month covers all of a member's dependents, no matter the number. These and other changes are projected to narrow the fund's budget deficit by $70 million over three years.

In the story, a critic asserted that WGA members are not allowed to attend board meetings. This is incorrect.

Cheryl Rhoden, the WGA's assistant executive director, said members may attend board meetings but confidential discussions of credit arbitrations, negotiations strategy, legal issues, etc., are dosed. This response was not included in the article. WGA officials claim they were not asked about the specific example used, "The Last Samurai."

The story also included an assertion that the WGA "has stopped distributing financial statements, including the amount of dues collected." In fact, the statement is distributed annually, the last one in July 2003, Rhoden said.

In addition, the names of writer Ronald Parker and the mini-series "Joan of Arc" were withheld from WGA officials who were asked about residual collections for that project. Since Parker's complaints were on the record, WGA officials should have been given the opportunity to respond to his specific case. In response to the specific allegations, WGA officials provided details of the steps taken to pursue collection of Parker's residual claim. The guild collected residuals plus interest for Parker and his co-writer.

Also, the article mentioned $7 million in residuals collected by the WGA. That amount reflects only the WGA's monitoring and collections program, not the total collected on behalf of writers.

Finally, a WGA member quoted in the article, Genie Davis, disavowed the following quote: "I've paid $3,000 in dues and all I get is to view some movies for free. Outside of that, I don't really have a relationship with the guild." While the substance is an accurate summation of her views, the words are not hers, she said.