Sorry, CLKD but I think span is correct though you are also correct that it is the width of a hand. It's a particular form of the word spin.
However, you're not wrong about media editing. Most newspapers have got rid of the vast majority of their subeditors, who check and edit the reporters' copy. That means that mistakes get through much more easily. Most newspapers are so short staffed now that journalists are working even faster and checking their own work less, so leading to even more mistakes.
