Bill numbers

Of last week's editorial on fuel economy standards, Christian Breiding of Glendale writes: "When The Times publishes an editorial which refers to pending federal or state legislation, it would be helpful if the piece named the legislation by its official name and resolution number." On state and national news stories as well, readers often suggest the same thing.

The Times has a style on how to render bill numbers ("AB 123," for instance, no hyphen) but not on whether to use them. It's been done over the years on an irregular basis, depending on various editors' preferences.

Most of the editors responding suggested that in the future, stories online should include more information -- including data about how individual legislators voted.

Of crimes past

From reader Michael McGrorty of Pasadena: "I wonder why it is that The Times publishes photographs and addresses of the sites of murders and other crimes on its Daily Mirror weblog. Those homes are occupied by people who are separated from the gruesome events by half a century, and who may not even know that the crimes occurred there.  The occupants may awaken some morning to find themselves the objects of curious gawkers; perhaps some enterprising entrepreneur will organize a bus tour of the listed sites. It is one thing to publish pictures of homes and other places currently in the news; quite another to dredge up this material to the detriment of the current residents of those homes."

Larry Harnisch, who fills his Daily Mirror blog with news of crime and law enforcement of 50 years ago (he's also been a copy editor at The Times since 1988), responds:

Internet immigration hoax

Probably five times a week, the readers' representative office gets a question like this one received recently from Harvey Akeson of Tucson:

"Please help me, an e-mail is making the rounds stating the information is from the L.A. Times.  It may or may not be true.  Can you verify?   Thanks."

Such inquiries have come in for more than a year -- most by e-mail, some by telephone. From the beginning, the notes have shown signs of having been forwarded to many others, who then forward them to many others, before one of the recipients decides to check with the alleged source.

The answer is: The L.A. Times never ran such a story.

Whatever happened to...?

Sometimes a story sticks in the readers' minds long after it has appeared on the front page. Here's a place to ask reporters for updates.

For example, a reader wonders what's happened with the women in their 70s who allegedly took out several life insurance policies on men, then killed them by running over them with a car.

What 'he said' really means

After a recent story, a source called to complain about the language "he said" at the end of a quotation, noting that he had never actually talked to the writer of the story but had communicated only by e-mail. Do the words "he said" or "she said" imply a face-to-face meeting, a telephone conversation or an exchange of e-mails? Is there a difference?

Following is an e-mail conversation among a number of staffers presented with this question.

Naming names

A number of readers asked about the Nov. 21 article headlined “LAPD officer seriously hurt during drug probe.” The story’s opening lines: “An undercover Los Angeles police narcotics officer was seriously injured early Tuesday when he was run over by a suspected drug dealer who the officer was attempting to arrest, authorities said. Officer Tony Salazar, 37, suffered two broken legs, facial injuries and head trauma” when the suspect allegedly ran over him with a car.

As several readers asked: Why did The Times publish the name, potentially compromising the officer's undercover status?

Introduction

Welcome to the L.A. Times readers' representative office, now online. Since 1999, we've forwarded thousands of reader questions and criticisms to reporters, photographers and editors, and sent responses from the newsroom back to readers. The Times' efforts to connect readers and reporters have included the addition, just over a year ago, of e-mail addresses at the end of articles.

Ask a Staffer: In the eye of the fire

Sometimes the reporting of a story becomes a topic of interest itself. This feature offers readers the chance to go beyond the bylines and credit lines to find out more about the reporters, photographers and editors who deliver the news. Reader questions and newsroom answers will be posted in the future.

    To start things off is the staffer whose unforgettable image published Oct. 23 still brings comments, even in the midst of newer fires. Last Saturday, Kim Orifice of Temecula wrote: "I would like to find out how I personally go about nominating a photograph or photographer from your organization, for a Pulitzer. I believe that the photograph of the firefighters in their deployed shelters, by Karen Tapia-Andersen,  should be nominated."  The half-page photo showed 12 firefighters on a ridge off Santiago Canyon Road in Orange County, huddled under glowing aluminum fire shelters and surrounded, as the caption said, "with hot, burning brush that left them no escape." Other readers wondered just how safe was the person capturing that image. Staff photographer Karen Tapia-Andersen offers some answers to the questions.