An Associated Press dispatch from Detroit, August 10, 1996:

Three days after Rep. Barbara-Rose Collins was ousted by the voters, the Detroit Free Press apologized on its front page yesterday for misquoting the black congresswoman as saying "I hate" the white race.

A tape recording showed that she said "I don't like" the white race, the newspaper reported.

"We want to apologize for a serious mistake: We misquoted US Rep. Barbara-Rose Collins in the July 17 Free Press," executive editor Robert G. McGruder said in a letter to readers.

Collins, 57, lost a seven-way Democratic primary by a 20-point margin Tuesday in her Detroit district, which is 70 percent black.

The quotation was not the only issue. Collins came under fire for missing more votes last year than all but two house members; one had a liver transplant and the other was in prison.

Also, the Justice Department and House Ethics Committee are investigating allegations the three-term congresswoman misused office, campaign and scholarship funds. She has denied any wrongdoing.

Collins had been quoted as saying: "All white people, I don't believe are intolerant. That's why I say, I love the individuals, but I hate the race."

But she actually said: "All white people, I don't believe are intolerant. That's why I say, I love the individuals, but I don't like the race."

McGruder said Collins made the statement in an interview with States News Service of Washington, which provided the Free Press with a tape and a correct transcript.

Collins had issued a statement in July saying she was falsely quoted. She also blamed a "deceitful" reporter for the story.

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