Q&A with Robyn Dixon, RFK Journalism Award winner

Robyn Dixon is one of the recipients of the 40th Annual Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards, which recognize "outstanding reporting of the lives and strife of disadvantaged people throughout the world." Dixon, The Times' bureau chief in Johannesburg, South Africa, won in the International Print category for her coverage of Zimbabwe in 2007, articles that "judges agreed showed truly extraordinary courage in reporting and [painted] a deeply moving and comprehensive portrait of a country descending into a catastrophic nightmare."

"The roads of Zimbabwe sing their own haunting lament for a people and their suffering," wrote Dixon in her piece of Dec. 22, 2007, in one of 10 articles for which she was recognized. Another, from Sept. 3, begins, "Kuda Shumba goes at one speed: fast. He prides himself on being able to get hold of almost anything, and he's open for business day or night. That's what it takes to be one of Zimbabwe's black-market cowboys."

(Links to the articles on which the judges based their decisions are below.)

Wrote her editors in their letter of nomination, "She unveiled the tragedy of Zimbabwe through tales of ordinary people trapped in an Orwellian nightmare.” As Dixon herself wrote in her Dec. 22 article, "Reporting is difficult here. Because the government rarely issues journalist visas to foreigners, most of us work undercover, risking jail."

Dixon responded to questions from the readers' representative office earlier this year. Surprisingly, the reporter listed being on a plane among her fears. Not surprisingly, she doesn't like to be caught in angry mobs.

China's "opportunity": Objections and responses

Wednesday's story about the tragedy that is unfolding in China reported not only that more than 12,000 had been killed but also how it "has given China an opportunity for a dramatic image makeover. After months of relentless coverage of Tibetan clashes and human rights abuses, the earthquake shows a new China, one that is both compassionate and competent."

A few readers thought the headline, "Amid the tragedy lies opportunity," and the article were insensitive.

One reader said he was appalled, in light of the enormity of the tragedy and the lives lost, that the story was on the front page; he thought that the article's thesis signified as he put it, that "we in Los Angeles are thinking image."

Foreign Editor Marjorie Miller and reporter Barbara Demick respond.

2007 Editorial Awards: about the winners

This updates the earlier posting that gave names of the Editorial Award winners with some information about each.

Visual Journalism department combines print and web operations

Here is Editor Russ Stanton's memo about the creation of a new department, Visual Journalism:

Of marches and walkathons

Sandy Banks' Tuesday column was about an event that drew thousands on Sunday -- and that wasn't covered otherwise in the L.A. Times.

"I was astonished to find no article in The Times regarding the EIF Run/Walk for Women held at the Coliseum," wrote Gerry Suzuki of Torrance on Sunday. "Did I somehow overlook it?  When 50,000 or more people  show up to support such a worthwhile fundraiser, it deserves attention. Most of the participants wore signs on their backs honoring several friends or relatives. You found space to report a rally of 400 parents supporting students of Crenshaw High and to report a march of about 400 in Hollywood supporting China's Olympics. Also an article about Ojai's Pastie Lady.  Are those items so important that there was no space left for an event involving more than 50,000? What kind of newspaper can ignore a topic  affecting so many local people?" Donna Trimingham of Redondo Beach wrote too: "How about next year you come walk with me and the 60,000 others or at least give us a paragraph or two in your paper."

It's not uncommon to get such complaints every month or two, given the fact that a region this size gives rise regularly to well-attended events, be they protest marches or fundraising rallies for a good cause.

2007 Los Angeles Times Editorial Awards

Below is a partial list of the winners of the 2007 Los Angeles Times Editorial Awards; names of the recipients of the Editor's Prize* and a Special Citation* (see updates) will be announced at a staff gathering tonight.

"Left-leaning" or "nonpartisan"?

Why would a Times article call the American Enterprise Institute "conservative-leaning," but not refer in the same article to the politics of the Mike Mansfield Foundation? Why do stories refer to the Brookings Institution variously as "centrist," "conservative" and "nonpartisan"?

Some readers have an answer to the inconsistent application of labels: They think it shows bias, saying it suggests that the reporter believes that one is mainstream and thus needs no label, while the other needs to be identified as somewhere relative to that norm.

The question was most recently raised on the April 23 article about a CIA report to Congress alleging ties between North Korea and Syria. Reader Norman Nathan of Los Angeles noted, "The article identifies the AEI as 'right-leaning' but it does not identify the Mike Mansfield Foundation as a 'left-leaning organization.' And the story gives no context as to the reasoning." In a follow-up phone call Nathan said he thought it showed liberal bias, and that furthermore, "I would have thought there would be a policy, a standard, consistent way of identifying foundations."

The April 23 article on North Korea-Syria ties reported that "disclosure of the relationship to the committees is likely to bring criticism from conservative lawmakers" who already believe that the U.S. has been too gentle with the government in Pyongyang. The story went on: "Danielle Pletka, a vice president of the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute think tank, said the congressional briefings were simply a step the administration needed to take to move forward." Here's the reference to the foundation: "'You'll have some outcry, but I doubt there are enough people on Capitol Hill even paying attention to oppose it,' said Gordon Flake, who follows the issue as executive director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation and is a critic of such a pact."

This particular story was by Paul Richter, who says he agrees with the readers.

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).

The Salt Lake Tribune, "Spanish-language ads remain hot topic"

The Washington Post, "A shaky performance on corrections"

Chicago Tribune, "Horse analogy impolitic, unsettling"

The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville), "How letters botched the facts in sensitive Palestinian issue"

The New York Times, "Information that doesn't come freely"

Sacramento Bee - public editor, "Bee's coverage of a weak economy is mostly strong"; editor, "When I-5 traffic gets bad, you've got a friend"

The San Diego Union-Tribune, "When our readers become editors"

Hartford Courant, "Readers grapple with TV Week move"

The Plain Dealer (Cleveland), "Joanna Connors' story of rape drew overwhelmingly positive response"

The News&Observer (Raleigh, NC), "Grading online election coverage"

San Antonio Express-News, "Reporters intended no malice with choice of words"

PBS, "Carried Away?"

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Social Butterfly a showcase for area's charities"

"American Idol" updates

"The surprising and unlikely 'American Idol' journey of Jason Castro ended Wednesday night in a week that saw nearly 51 million votes cast on television's most popular show," was the opening line to the story that appeared in Thursday's Times.

Several readers wanted to know more about the popular show than merely who won or lost, though: They wanted to know why the story appeared in the California section, not in Calendar, where stories about TV shows typically appear. As Scott Landsbaum of Beverly Hills put it, "Surely there must have been something more important or uplifting that you could have featured."

Calendar's early deadline is the reason feature stories sometimes appear in unexpected places, or at unexpected times; Calendar is printed by 3 p.m. As the "American Idol" competition comes to a finale, editors see it as breaking news. That means that coverage of Wednesday night's show had to be printed in another section.

Promotion for Senior Copy Chief Mark McGonigle

Here's a memo from Meredith Artley, Executive Editor, Interactive, and Melissa McCoy, Deputy Managing Editor, announcing an expansion in duties for Senior Copy Chief Mark McGonigle.