Covering the Lakers: Like a 'shot of espresso'

Reflecting fans' opinions about the Lakers, Sports reporter Mike Bresnahan's stories tend to be either loathed or loved.

Fans agree on one thing, though: Bresnahan's stories have to be read. His articles on the pro basketball team typically rank among the most viewed on latimes.com, no matter what other news breaks out, be it business, politics or sports. Covering the team keeps him busy...too busy, as he says. As Deputy Sports Editor Mike James puts it, "Basically, Mike starts working in September and doesn't have a day off until June."

And, as Bresnahan himself puts it, "It's pretty much guaranteed that many of my stories about the Lakers will be loved by half the readers and hated by the other half.  €œFans demand that the team wins the NBA championship every year and then get agitated when it doesn't happen."

Bresnahan follows the team through nearly 90 games that stretch from the preseason in September through April -- or late June, depending on how the team fares. Reader interest is year-round, so being the beat writer for Los Angeles' most popular pro team is, too: In 2007, Bresnahan wrote 343 stories about the Lakers.

The sports writer, who has covered the team for four years and been with The Times for 14 years, answers a few questions about the wit and wisdom of athletes he's reported on, and what it's like to have to file a story on a game only 15 minutes after it's ended.

Voter Guide vs. endorsements

A reader in the Valley who left only her first name, Anita, saw the Voter Guide in the Jan. 20 California section and was confused. Usually, she said in a voicemail message left on the readers' representative line, The Times gives its endorsements. This seemed different. "Am I missing something?" she asked.

What Anita and others saw that Sunday was a Voter Guide that is produced by reporters and editors in the newsroom. It's not the same as the recommendations Anita was asking about. Those are endorsements that appear on the editorial page and are written by the editorial board, which is separate from the newsroom.

As the headline on the Voter Guide put it, this is "A California primary that matters," and the multiple stories in the section were intended to be a thorough and neutral report on the various issues and aspects of what's on the ballot on Feb. 5.

The editorial board provides voters its own form of guidance. And what Anita missed are the five recommendations on which way to vote that the editorial board has published since early this year. 

The stats on the weather page

Weather fascinates people, a fact reflected in the number of calls and e-mails that come in at a steady pace dealing with the moon and the sun and the tides and every other feature on the print edition's weather page. Since Jan. 16, changes to the page have brought a different sort of question -- "Where has Helsinki gone?" and "Where's Sault Ste. Marie?" The answer to the question of missing cities is in another posting on this page, one that explains the narrower width of pages. (The good news is, 10 of those cities are back as of Jan. 25. Reappearing are six U.S. cities -- Columbia, S.C.; Medford, Ore.; Pueblo, Colo.; San Antonio; Springfield, Mo.; and Tallahassee. Also part of the list again are four worldwide cities -- Brussels; Edinburgh; Helsinki; and Regina. As for why there's room now for those cities: In redesigning the page, editors initially miscalculated what could fit.)

But lots of other questions come in regularly, too, about the page that features more than just temperatures. Details are given for surf, sea, diving conditions and the tides; there's an ultraviolet index, air quality readings and more. (Much of the same information is at a link at latimes.com -- the online site includes the ability to search for other weather-related facts, too. Doppler radar sites, anyone?)

Mark Phillips has been involved in editing the weather page since it was a half-page in the mid-1980s, and has been editor full-time for almost 20 years. He gives some answers to most-often asked questions.

No "holiday closings" box, and lessons on "lay" vs. "lie"

What they lacked in size (a small box; a three-letter word) they made up for in meaning. Editors in the California section neglected to tell readers what offices were closed on Monday, the federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.; and a headline used "lay" instead of "lie."

Two stories that moved readers to want to help

A report on a national cause for concern, and a look at a local organization, brought response from readers who called the stories "eye-opening" and asked how to get involved.

Jenny Jarvie's Jan. 13 article about how the drought and an overpopulation of horses has left many of the animals abandoned and starving brought more than 60 comments. Most appreciated learning about the situation and wanted to help; the few criticisms that came mostly took issue with the focus of the article.

And Ann Simmons' Jan. 21 Column One on African American women in Los Angeles "adopting" black servicewomen in Iraq brought thanks -- as well as a few questions about the group's emphasis.

O'Shea's leaving: comments from readers

Here's a sampling of the 60+ comments sent to the L.A. Times in reaction to the news of Jim O'Shea's leaving.

From Doug Frost of Claremont: "Regardless of the short term, anyone that can be considered an owner of the Los Angeles Times needs to keep in mind that constant reduction of the quality as well as quantity of news appearing in the newspaper inevitably leads to reduction in readership."

From Matt Cullers of Chino Hills: "So another editor is leaving over budget cuts?  Why don’t you raise my subscription from $44.00 to $50.00 so we can retain quality people and what I think is the greatest newspaper in the world?  It's just like the state of California budget, if we want quality services, we, the public, are going to have to pay for them. What is The Times coming to?  Just another outlet for AP stories all over the world?  I hope not, or then you will certainly lose my business."

From Paul Silverman of North Hollywood: "Boy, oh boy...How can anyone say that The Times is going down the toilet, when, just today, you ran a story that Keifer Sutherland's release from jail was a non-story. With great articles like this, the Pulitzer is a sure thing. Keep up the shallow work, people."

From Betty Haegelin of Torrance: "So this is the new regime? Dismissing Editor James O'Shea because he refused to enforce budget cuts imposed by the paper's out-of-town owners seems like old times to me. I am a subscriber and an avid online reader and I have noticed the struggle to maintain quality throughout the paper's budgetary woes and various owners. I have continued to subscribe to The Times because I value the local voice and want to encourage and nurture the paper's continuing position as a leading figure in American journalism.  I am disappointed and apprehensive for the future of this paper. I will maintain my subscription. For now."

(Additional comments appear in letters on the Times' opinion pages.)

Editor leaving; readers' initial response

In response to the news of Editor Jim O'Shea's dispute with the publisher that has led to O'Shea's departure, some two dozen readers have called and sent notes, many of which can be summarized in a line from one reader: "This is really a sad, sad state of affairs."

Publisher David Hiller's statement to the staff, and a transcript of an address to the staff that O'Shea made Monday morning, are posted below.

A link to the latest Times article is here. And a related article in Editor and Publisher is here.

Editor James O'Shea's farewell to the newsroom

Here is a transcript of an address given by James O'Shea, Times editor, on Monday, Jan. 21, 2008:

Publisher's memo on editor's exit

Here's the memo sent to Times staff from Publisher David Hiller, on the departure of Editor James O'Shea, on Monday, Jan. 21, 2008:

Ombudsmen columns

The election, corrections and production problems are a few of the topics that U.S. ombudsmen and readers' representatives have written about in the last few days. Following are links to a number of those columns.

More columns and information about ombudsmen in the U.S. and around the world can be found at the Organization of News Ombudsmen website (which has a permanent link on the right side of this page).

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Endorsements may raise hackles, but they're useful"

Chicago Tribune "Surely, beware of those certain predictions"

Courier-Journal (Louisville) "The hopes and dreams to make history"

News&Observer (Raleigh, NC) "Errors and their flip side: corrections"

New York Times "Public and private lives, intersecting"

Orlando Sentinel "Communication breakdown leaves readers out of the game"

Palm Beach Post "Not the usual MLK talk"

PBS "The Race Is On"

Plain Dealer (Cleveland) "Use of a racial epithet stirs newsroom debate"

Sacramento Bee "Survey for accuracy produces above-average grade"

Washington Post  "Pollsters in the primary storms"

New assignments in the California section

Following is a memo from David Lauter, California editor, on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008.

Race, gender, religion: What's the relevance?

Several descriptives applied to candidates in recent campaign coverage have raised valid questions: What details are needed, and what is extraneous, in reporting on candidates? When does faith -- or race -- go from something reporters and editors try to strip out of the discourse, to a necessary fact?

Changing the presses at The Times

The question came on Tuesday from Arman Afagh of Riverside, who looked at the weather page and asked why it listed the temperatures of fewer national and international cities than usual. Wrote Afagh, "As far as I can tell, the physical space of the weather page itself is not significantly different."

Changes on design desk, National copy desk

Following is a memo from Michael Whitley, assistant managing editor, and Tim Lynch, senior copy chief over Foreign and National, on Monday, Jan. 14, 2008.

Roundup of reaction

Here's a grab-bag of reactions to four stories of the past several weeks:

For "Death in a seaside paradise" (Dec. 16)

"No meeting of the minds -- yet: Scientists still aren't sure what causes Alzheimer's or how to cure it" (Dec. 27, 2007)

For "The old men and the sea" (Jan. 1)

"From the depths of Moscow" (Jan. 8)

In pursuit of Britney Spears

The Jan. 5 story on the front of the California section -- and on the latimes.com homepage for a while -- reported that Britney Spears had been hospitalized, and barred from visiting her sons. It was also a look at the reporting frenzy outside her house, reflecting, as the story put it, that "Spears is perhaps the most pursued celebrity in Hollywood."

Some readers feel that The Times itself has pursued that story too much.

"Countless" shows to review

The question usually is: So many shows, so little time -- what's a TV reporting staff to do when it comes to choosing which to review?

Now that there's a writers strike on, the question has become: So few writers, so few new shows -- what's a TV writer to do?

TV editor Kate Aurthur responds.

Parade's interview with Benazir Bhutto

"Is Benazir Bhutto America's best hope against al-Qaeda?" read the headline on the cover of Parade magazine, an insert that goes out weekly with the Sunday L.A. Times. The cover photograph of Bhutto included the words, "I Am What the Terrorists Most Fear," a quotation that came from the interview by Gail Sheehy that was published Jan. 6.

Staff announcement: Changes on the Foreign desk

Following is a memo sent by Foreign Editor Marjorie Miller on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008: