diff --git a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/course_info_model.py b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/course_info_model.py
index 374b69121b..6ff915eeb9 100644
--- a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/course_info_model.py
+++ b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/course_info_model.py
@@ -65,12 +65,9 @@ def update_course_updates(location, update, passed_id=None):
     except etree.XMLSyntaxError:
         course_html_parsed = etree.fromstring("<ol></ol>")
 
-    try:
-        new_html_parsed = etree.fromstring('<li><h2>' + update['date'] + '</h2>' + update['content'] + '</li>', 
-                                           etree.XMLParser(remove_blank_text=True))
-    except etree.XMLSyntaxError:
-        logging.debug("Mashing malformed update")
-        new_html_parsed = '<li><h2>' + update['date'] + '</h2>' + update['content'] + '</li>'
+    # No try/catch b/c failure generates an error back to client
+    new_html_parsed = etree.fromstring('<li><h2>' + update['date'] + '</h2>' + update['content'] + '</li>', 
+                                       etree.XMLParser(remove_blank_text=True))
         
     # Confirm that root is <ol>, iterate over <li>, pull out <h2> subs and then rest of val
     if course_html_parsed.tag == 'ol':
diff --git a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views.py b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views.py
index 83ee46c8c4..8705fc2bc6 100644
--- a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views.py
+++ b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views.py
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ from cms.djangoapps.models.settings.course_details import CourseDetails,\
     CourseSettingsEncoder
 from cms.djangoapps.models.settings.course_grading import CourseGradingModel
 from cms.djangoapps.contentstore.utils import get_modulestore
+from lxml import etree
 
 # to install PIL on MacOSX: 'easy_install http://dist.repoze.org/PIL-1.1.6.tar.gz'
 
@@ -979,13 +980,13 @@ def course_info_updates(request, org, course, provided_id=None):
         
     if request.method == 'GET':
         return HttpResponse(json.dumps(get_course_updates(location)), mimetype="application/json")
-    elif real_method == 'POST':
-        # new instance (unless django makes PUT a POST): updates are coming as POST. Not sure why.
-        return HttpResponse(json.dumps(update_course_updates(location, request.POST, provided_id)), mimetype="application/json")
-    elif real_method == 'PUT':
-        return HttpResponse(json.dumps(update_course_updates(location, request.POST, provided_id)), mimetype="application/json")
     elif real_method == 'DELETE':  # coming as POST need to pull from Request Header X-HTTP-Method-Override    DELETE
         return HttpResponse(json.dumps(delete_course_update(location, request.POST, provided_id)), mimetype="application/json")
+    elif request.method == 'POST':
+        try:
+            return HttpResponse(json.dumps(update_course_updates(location, request.POST, provided_id)), mimetype="application/json")
+        except etree.XMLSyntaxError:
+            return HttpResponse("Failed to save: malformed html", status=515, content_type="text/plain")
 
 
 @expect_json
diff --git a/cms/static/js/views/course_info_edit.js b/cms/static/js/views/course_info_edit.js
index 4aa56cfb8a..0ad02215db 100644
--- a/cms/static/js/views/course_info_edit.js
+++ b/cms/static/js/views/course_info_edit.js
@@ -99,7 +99,10 @@ CMS.Views.ClassInfoUpdateView = Backbone.View.extend({
         var targetModel = this.eventModel(event);
         targetModel.set({ date : this.dateEntry(event).val(), content : this.$codeMirror.getValue() });
         // push change to display, hide the editor, submit the change        
-        targetModel.save();
+        targetModel.save({}, {error : function(model, xhr) {
+        	// TODO use a standard component
+        	window.alert(xhr.responseText);
+        }});
         this.closeEditor(this);
     },