Ombudsmen columns

Here are links to some of the past week's columns by ombudsmen, readers' representatives and editors around the nation. 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).
inks to other ombudsmen and readers’ representatives in the United States:

Washington Post, "Public death, private life"

NPR, "NPR's Iraq coverage"

PBS, "On the Frontline, again"

Sacramento Bee public editor, "As war drags on, public interest -- and news -- fades"; editor, "For The Bee, more blogs on more and more topics"

The Plain-Dealer (Cleveland), "Stories should tell readers where think tanks stand politically"

Chicago Tribune, "News balance no easy task"

Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville), "Why 'balance' may be elusive"

The Salt Lake Tribune, "Readers fake sltrib.com registration info"

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "MLK's profound legacy touches two journalists"

Hartford Courant, "No more changes forecast"

The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), "Being careful about what we call you"

Anniston Star, "Anonymous sources done right"

Note to staff on the Tupac Shakur investigative piece

Below is a memo from Times Publisher David Hiller and Editor Russ Stanton about today's report on the Tupac Shakur story of March 17.

Reader reaction on the topic can be found here.

Critics' bylines will reflect their specialties

The memo below from Associate Editor Leo Wolinsky announces a change in critics' bylines.

New roles for two latimes.com editors

From a memo to staff from David Lauter, editor of the California section, and Aaron Curtiss, deputy innovation editor, announcing new jobs for two editors at the online edition:

"Doonesbury" clamor

Almost 100 readers have called or written to complain that "Doonesbury" seems to have been yanked from the comics pages. The strip is, in fact, gone, but only temporarily while Garry Trudeau takes some time off. Editors tried to alert readers with a box in Monday's Calendar section next to the comics headlined "Comics sampling." On Tuesday the headline was changed to "Trudeau vacation." Both days the box explained that the artist was taking time off, and The Times would fill that space by trying out new strips until mid-June. Sherry Stern, the editor who oversees the comics, explains in this message:

Robber in a USC sweatshirt

Matt Swanson of Los Angeles sent this question about a March 19 story:

"It was chilling to read that two students were robbed at gunpoint recently while studying in USC classrooms. While you reported in detail what the suspects were wearing, for some reason you neglected to mention their race, which I think would be significant to know since the perpetrators are at large. Given the demographics of the area surrounding USC, I'm wondering if there is some policy at the L.A. Times that prevents identifying suspects' race."

Physical descriptions in the print version of the article included  references to "a man in a red-orange hooded sweatshirt" for the first armed robbery; in the second, the story described "a man ...wearing a black cloth mask as well as a red-hooded sweatshirt with a yellow Trojan emblem on the front."

The story concluded, "LAPD Deputy Chief Kenneth Garner said investigators believe the same person may be responsible, although there were discrepancies in the witness descriptions. One victim described the robber as 18 to 20. The other victim said he was between 20 and 30."

Ombudsmen columns

Here are links to some of the past week's columns by ombudsmen, readers' representatives and editors around the nation. 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).

Washington Post, "When The Post was late to church"

Kansas City Star, "Coverage of Obama and Wright needed more detail"

Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Nailing down the Wright story"

The News&Observer (Raleigh, NC), "Did the N&O swoon over Obama?"

NPR, "A reporter's notebook"

ESPN, "New-and-improved 'SportsCenter' throws ombudsman curveball"

PBS, "Debating the war"

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Team effort, including readers', drove storm coverage"

Sacramento Bee - public editor's column, "Kings! Kings! Oh, be still, editors' beating hearts"; editor's column, "Reporters in Baghdad are a source of pride for Bee"

Chicago Tribune, "A healthy debate on what's bad taste"

The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville), "Readers see many  mistakes"

Hartford Courant, "Letters to the reader representative'

The Plain Dealer (Cleveland), "Stories played based on facts, not 'what ifs'"

San Antonio Express-News, "Problems with facts - or propaganda?"

 

latimes.com and the L.A. Times

Beverly Price of Encinitas writes, "I frequently go online to find an article I read in order to e-mail a link or cite it in a website/blog. I have a difficult time finding the article because it's not listed under the headline given it in the paper. Sometimes I can't find the article at all. Does the L.A. Times want to be totally irrelevant to the Internet?"

In fact, online headlines differ from those in print for just the opposite reason, and the way they're written is just one factor in why latimes.com readership has increased dramatically in recent months. But Price's note touches on another question -- how well (or not) the search function works at latimes.com -- and those are two of several questions we get regularly from readers frustrated or curious about The Times online.

Meredith Artley, Executive Editor, Interactive, gives some answers.

How'd you get that shot?

As is evident from a recent action shot at the Pac-10 basketball tournament, there’s more to photographing a big event than just showing up with a couple of cameras and sitting courtside. Robert Gauthier took the picture from on high that showed UCLA's Kevin Love and Stanford's Robin Lopez leaping upward toward the hoop.

How'd Gauthier do it?

Very carefully, one would imagine. The longer answer comes from the photographer.

Wrote Gauthier in an e-mail, "Photographers often will set up remote cameras to create a more diverse set of images.  That was the case Saturday, March 15, at the final game between UCLA and Stanford.  I was especially interested in getting a photo of UCLA center Kevin Love battling with Stanford twin brothers Brook and Robin Lopez.

"The photo that ran on Sunday’s Sports page was taken with a remote camera mounted high above the court in the rafters of Staples Center. Using heavy-duty clamps and cables, the camera is attached to a catwalk railing, framing the image to include players jostling under one of the baskets. A radio receiver is hooked up to the camera, enabling me to trigger it from my position on the floor."

The photographer needs two cameras on the floor as well. For action at the other end of the court, he uses a 300 mm, a long lens. Meanwhile, he's stationed by the rigged-up hoop, and the camera he uses at ground level there has a radio transmitter attached: "Whenever I shoot a frame with this camera, it makes radio contact with the hanging camera, setting off the motor drive."

From Iraq: "Freedom is really expensive"

Foreign Editor Marjorie Miller sent a note to The Times' staffers in Iraq on the fifth anniversary of the start of the war. What follows is her letter to Salar Jaff, thanking the Iraqi staff members for working under dangerous conditions, and Jaff's response.

Dear Salar and the rest of the Iraqi Staff,

On the 5th anniversary of the U.S. invasion, I wanted to make sure that all of the Iraqis on our staff know how grateful we are for the hard and dangerous work you do for us every day. Please make sure to give our thanks to one and all, in the bureau and out in the hinterland. Whether you're providing translation, reporting, computer support, security, driving, paying bills or even cooking, you are providing essential services and without you we would not have been able to provide our readers with the thousands of smart and human stories we have published in the last five years.

Manor vs. manner

A story in Business about when sexy becomes too sexy gave rise to an entirely different sort of debate among some readers whose focus is grammar, not underwear: Is it "to the manner born" or "to the manor born"?

The criticisms come in no matter which way The Times spells it (for the record, the phrase "to the manor born" has been used three times in the past three years; the spelling has been "manner" eight times).

The most recent article, which spelled it correctly, was about the CEO of Victoria's Secret revisiting the chain's reputation in light of its disappointing financial performance. A few readers got past the references to sex appeal to question the Shakespearean reference in a comment from Chief Executive Sharen J. Turney. Turney said that the brand's original story line was about a "to-the-manner-born Londoner named Victoria whose lacy underthings, we assume, were her little secret."

"Scavenging to survive in Pasadena"

Brian Kruid of La Palma asked about the March 12 Column One that featured a woman, in this country illegally, who collects cans and bottles for a living. Juana Rivas, who lives in Pasadena, recycles the empty containers for cash, money that helps keep her family of six afloat.

Kruid started by saying that he thought the story was well written, "and certainly brought out the seemingly intended 'emotional' sense to the reader." But he went on: "Was this just another one of the ever-popular 'find a downtrodden individual and showcase how hard their life is to make everybody feel bad and want to do something to help' journalistic approach? Was this intended to push me into a certain political sphere regarding illegal immigration? Is this news?"

Other readers said they felt as if the Times was "promoting illegal immigration." A few said they thought that Rivas should be turned in to immigration officials; one said that she feared that The Times' writing about her by name would lead to her deportation.

Sunshine Week

The American public increasingly finds its federal government secretive, according to a study conducted by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University. In 2006, 62% of the adults surveyed believed the federal government was very or somewhat secretive; in 2008, the figure has gone up to 74%.

That means more people than ever should be interested in Sunshine Week, March 16-22. The concept behind the name and the group is the idea that, as the late Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis put it, "Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants” -- that a bright light shed on government and on others who hold power ultimately is what keeps a democracy clean and healthy.

Perhaps you're among the 82% of those surveyed who, the study found, want access to more information about whom lawmakers meet with each day. Or maybe you are among the quarter of adults who believe the federal government has opened your mail or monitored your telephone conversations without a federal warrant.

The survey, which was commissioned by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, also finds that 92% of Americans say that "open government is important to them in assessing candidates for state offices such as governor or attorney general."

Journalists are behind Sunshine Week, a weeklong effort to get citizens thinking and talking about their year-round right to know what the government is doing, and why.

A number of other U.S. organizations, too, are dedicated to matters of open government and freedom of information. A permanent feature of the readers' representative journal (see right rail) is a link that lists just a few of those efforts. Some are run by journalists; others are coordinated by citizens who value freedom of information.

In the spirit of Sunshine Week, and your right to know, take some time to read up on our rights and who's working to keep them.

Ombudsmen columns

Here are links to some of the past week's columns by ombudsmen, readers' representatives and editors around the nation. 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).

Sacramento Bee public editor's column, "Public is public and there is just no hiding that"; editor's column, "For The Bee, 'Sunshine Week' is every week"

Jacksonville Times-Union,"Celebrate Sunshine, even here"

The New York Times, "Fooled Again"

The Washington Post, "A Reporting Coup and Its Critics"

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Families' privacy crucial at even most newsworthy funerals"

Chicago Tribune, "Thought-provoking paper will sometimes offend"

Hartford Courant, "Why A Restaurant Review Got Yanked"

San Diego Union-Tribune, "An evolving newsroom aiming to provide news in many forms"

The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), "A new look for courier-journal.com"

The News&Observer (Raleigh, NC), "Fashion coverage wears on some"

Orlando Sentinel, "No clarification needed: It's been time well-spent"

Palm Beach Post, "Not injured? Of course she was"

The Plain-Dealer (Cleveland), "Adding up Ohio Republican crossover votes was team effort"

Funeral photos and family wishes

"It is absolutely DISGUSTING that the L.A. Times had the audacity to put a picture of 17-year-old Jamiel Shaw Jr.'s open casket on the front page. Shame on you, Times. He deserved more respect."

So wrote Tracy Goldych, of Brea, about the main photo on Wednesday's Page A1. Other readers left similar criticisms about the large photo.

The message from Paula Green, a long-time reader from Pomona, was, "To see on my driveway at 6 this morning a photo of this young man who died so violently, lying in his open coffin -- I was just so upset that I did not bring my newspaper into my house."

Emotional objections are raised whenever The Times publishes a photo of an open casket at a funeral service. This particular photo was part of the coverage that started with the March 2 fatal shooting of Shaw, who had been a good student and outstanding athlete. But readers might be surprised to know that in most cases the families often feel differently about showing such vivid scenes of sorrow.

(The photo runs at the bottom of this item.)

 

Top awards won in Pictures of the Year competition

Below is a memo from Assistant Managing Editor for Photography Colin Crawford announcing awards for the L.A. Times' photography staff.

Notes on a family, a candidate and a commentator

Among recent coverage bringing numerous notes was a story about accusations of Munchausen by proxy, an examination of feminists and Hillary Clinton, and the obituary for William F. Buckley Jr.

Sunday's front-page saga by reporter Tracy Weber of a mother of four accused of fabricating her children's ailments -- a condition known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy -- has prompted some 100 comments so far, most short and sweet like this from Lyn Kienholz of Los Angeles: "Your article was fascinating, gripping, and very scary." The piece detailed what happened before and after the day social workers took the children from the family home. Dennis Campbell of Aztec, NM wrote: "Powerful, and so well written and constructed. The power the state has over families is terrifying, and we have almost no recourse. Terrific job." Readers also wanted to help. This from Linda Livingston of Los Angeles was typical too: "What a nightmare this family has been through.  Excellent article exposing the shortcomings of medicine and beauty of a heroic mother and a doctor who believed her.  Is there a fund to make contributions to to help this family pay some of their bills?"

(The readers' representative office is forwarding donations to the Redlands family.)

When it comes to women and Clinton, "theirs is a gender divided," as a March 2 story by Robin Abcarian put it. Readers both for and against candidate Hillary Clinton responded; the gist of the reaction was best summarized in this from Cathy Wantz of Hagerstown, Md.: "Great article. It sums up what I have said all along." Two others from the 100-plus responses to the piece:

• From Diane Height of Aliso Viejo, "Thanks for writing this article. I'm for Hillary, but if she doesn't get it, I don't want one woman to complain about not breaking through the glass ceiling.... In my opinion, you have no one to blame but yourself."
• From Dinah Lee Küng in Switzerland ("I'm a very active member of Democrats Abroad"): "Nice piece. I've fought a lot of feminist battles. I couldn't give a hoot whether I live to see a woman in the White House, especially if it's the wrong woman.

Ombudsmen columns

Here are links to some of the past week's columns by ombudsmen and readers' representatives around the nation. 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).

 

NPR - "Invite more conservatives to NPR?"

Chicago Tribune - "Portraying the election"

New York Times - "Playing favorites? Don't be so sure."

Plain-Dealer (Cleveland) - "Review finds presidential coverage pretty balanced"

Washington Post - "The outrage over an Outlook piece" 

PBS - "Covering the Dems, the economy and the cost of war"

San Antonio Express-News - "Criticism and analysis, yes; endorsements, no"

News&Observer (Raleigh, NC) - "N&O gets touch with Gov. Easley"

Sacramento Bee - "Accountable to the public for whom they work"

San Diego Union-Tribune - "Trying to correct what went wrong, and more on TV Week"

Atlanta Journal-Constitution - "Checks, balances keep reporters' coverage accurate"

Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville) - "Grammar police on patrol"

Star Telegram (Fort Worth, TX) - "'We must bring local news to life' journalism"

Kansas City Star - "Headlines shouldn't imply Cuba is a democracy"

Orlando Sentinel - "Listening to the readers"

Salt Lake Tribune - "An occasional oops is bound to slip into print"

 

A Republican hidden in plain sight

Quite often this office hears readers say The Times' news coverage shows bias. Usually "liberal" precedes the word "bias"; sometimes readers see a conservative slant.

The most helpful comments are those that give specifics on what led to that reaction. A few readers on Wednesday pointed to one reference to show where they thought a news article showed opinion.

"Where blubber hits the road"

That was the headline on a Feb. 4 article about how elephant seals near San Simeon are getting past fences and flopping their way onto California 1. Reader John De Simio of Los Angeles "roared with laughter" when he read it, he said, adding in his e-mail: "It's a delight to commend the hard-working copy editors for a change. Please pass along a job well and hilariously done to the clever headline writer."

Consider it done, Mr. De Simio: The note was sent to the California copy desk, which is where the clever copy editor who wrote the blubber headline, Dave Bowman, works.

Unfortunately, most reader comments about headlines are criticisms. They come in two forms.

1. Readers send annoyed notes to reporters, assuming they wrote the words that top their stories. They don't; copy editors do.

2. Readers raise concerns that that a headline didn't accurately capture the meaning of the story, which is a problem, they say, because most people get the news by simply scanning headlines.

Point No. 2 touches on the essence of headlines: They are limited by the layout of a page, which often means they're only a few words, and short ones at that. Among the hardest headlines to write are those confined to one column. (Headlines on Web pages -- including many of those in the links below -- are often different, with their own demands and limitations, but that's a topic for another time.)

Copy editors, of course, do more than write headlines. They are the last editors to review stories before they're published. Brad Hanson on the Business copy desk described his work, and that of fellow copy editors, this way: "If a copy editor has done a good job, the work is invisible. They correct errors, polish grammar and tighten copy. Their job is to make the writer look good and to defend the integrity of the publication."

Hanson has it almost right -- but a copy editor's work is quite visible when it comes to the headlines. There are sure to be more complaints featured in future postings; meanwhile, here's a chance to look at some examples of the good.

Ombudsmen columns

Here are links to some of the past week's columns by ombudsmen and readers' representatives around the nation. 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).

Orlando Sentinel, "Lack of civility in message boards reflects not just on Web site but on newspaper, too"

Atlanta Journal-Constitution,  "Being hyper-vigilant about bias should be job one"

San Francisco Chronicle, "Was McCain story fit to print?"

Chicago Tribune, "Reporters tap into social networks and find gold"

Washington Post, "Immigration coverage in the crossfire"

Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville), "Digital tracks are permanent"

PBS, "How do we love thee? Let us count the ways"

San Diego Union-Tribune, "Complaints about the new TV Week and a tale of a dog"

The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC), "Can a 14-year-old give informed consent?"

Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), "William F. Buckley: exercise in authenticity"

Sacramento Bee, "Bee's bid to be neutral confounds photo selection"

Plain Dealer (Cleveland), "Taking stock of preventable mistakes"