In tough times, praise for writing and investigations

Recent tales of death and (use of our) taxes hit readers hard: Thomas Curwen's profile of one 90-year-old man contemplating his fate evoked responses from more than 350 readers. And Michael Rothfeld's report on how state officials "have made free use of government expense accounts with little oversight" brought plaudits from readers -- and change from state leaders.

In the midst of widely publicized cuts in the newspaper industry, it's not surprising that many of the readers who took time to praise graceful writing and investigations into uses and misuses of power also talked of the fate of news organizations and The Times.

"Remarkable article on Edwin Shneidman," wrote Telle Riikonen of Santa Barbara of the Feb. 28 Column One. "I read it twice. The second time was just to enjoy the language and the feeling of the man and his long life as conveyed by your eye for detail in his house. I take serious journalism very seriously and lament the disappearance of long, well-written features and profiles in newspapers."

For Rothfeld's March 1 piece came this e-mail from Fernanda Benevides of Laguna Niguel: "I love the Los Angeles Times and your exposés.... Thank you for your article and the courage to inform the public of what really these questionable characters are doing."

'A Life in Shards'

"Asian art expert dies in custody," read a 7-inch story on Page B13 in The Times in mid-May. The fate of that Asian art expert, a 62-year-old museum director named Roxanna Brown, turned out to be a provocative tale that ran in The Times Sept. 11-13. How it got from brief to three-part story is a tale all its own.

It was written and rewritten (and rewritten) before it came to be published in three parts ("A passion for art, a perilous pursuit"; "Her career revived, scholar turns tipster"; "Once an aid in a federal probe, antiquities scholar becomes a key target"). While some objected, most readers sent praise for the stories by reporter Jason Felch, and asked for follow-up stories.

"I've read The Times for nearly 40 years now. This is the first morning ever that I've opened the paper and looked for a story. I had to know how the Roxanna Brown saga ended. Mr. Felch, your coverage of this woman's life was just terrific. Good job," wrote Pat Conwell in La Mesa.

Felch was on paternity leave when Brown was arrested. The reporter, who has covered the story of American museums and the antiquities trade since 2005, when a curator at the J. Paul Getty Museum was indicted by Italy for trafficking in looted art, was intrigued by how it came to pass that a person initially described as unwitting victim of the alleged scheme ended up dying in prison.

Felch was back in the newsroom in June, reviewing documents and photographs and interviewing associates of the the scholar-turned-tipster-turned-accused. It was, he and his editor decided, a compelling and complicated story worth telling. The question between him and editor Julie Marquis soon became clear as well: What was the best way to report it?

First Felch wrote a straight news piece, short and to the point, starting with information from an  affidavit of Brown's arrest. The idea was to twin it with a longer story -- which he also wrote at the time -- that filled in the details of how Brown went from being a farm girl in Illinois to a 22-year-old reporter in Vietnam to a woman at the center of an international smuggling investigation.

The problem with that two-story approach, says Marquis, was that the first story would give away the ending. Ultimately, she says, "I think most people love old-fashioned storytelling. This was a case when the material seemed to justify a narrative approach."

That's when Felch and Marquis decided it was worth his writing it yet again.

Plastic surgery, and other reasons for plaudits

An appraisal of the plastic surgery-stretched faces of notable stars; a man-made black hole that some fear could swallow Earth; the bond between Mormons and Muslims; and the death of a photographer who was, in his words, "a Cambodian holocaust survivor" were among the recent topics that have brought notable reaction.

How much botox is too much? Features writer Mary McNamara got more than 100 e-mails, all but two saying thanks to The Times for addressing the issue of, as Shannon Buonsanti in Azusa called it, "strangely morphed faces." (Two readers told Mary that they thought the April 13 article was too mean to Priscilla Presley, whose face, she wrote, "often takes on the dimensions of a Picasso painting.") [Shannon Buonsanti’s last name was misspelled earlier as “Buon.”]

Caroline Simpson Timmerberg in Düsseldorf, Germany -- who said that plastic surgery was "sort of like selling your face to the devil" -- said thanks "for being the one to at long last say something about the entertainment biz and the people in it who have gone off of the facial-alteration deep end. Not only was your article very well written, it was also very fair and not at all mean-spirited.  Plus, it is bound to raise extreme awareness now." Laurel Britton called the piece "wickedly well written," adding, "That Picasso remark was too good, it stated exactly what I've been thinking." And Shatto Light of Los Angeles suggested, "Your article can be a beginning of a crusade.  People should start looking at wrinkles and sagging skin as part of the process of being alive. If you are going to start a crusade on 'Stop Face Abuse,' please, count me in."

More reader reaction is after the jump....

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.

Hitting nerves and touching souls

The Times' latest reporting on healthcare, which led to major changes in how Blue Cross operates, and an evocative story about a man at sea are just two articles that have had readers sending notes of (mostly) appreciation.

The Times had obtained a copy of a letter being sent by Blue Cross of California asking physicians to look for conditions it could use to cancel coverage of new patients. Reporter Lisa Girion's front-page piece of Feb. 12 detailed the outrage on the part of some doctors. As a result, the Times story the next day was headlined, "Blue Cross halts letters amid furor."

Reader Jimmy Honda of Long Beach who works at an outpatient physical therapy facility that, he says, "has been dealing with denial of reimbursement since November 2006," wrote, "Excellent work. We are simply amazed that your article alone stopped Blue Cross'  lousy practice in just one day. Job well done."

That second-day story, by Girion and Jordan Rau, is a part of the coverage that has had readers sending their own stories about insurance companies' canceling coverage. One reader, who didn't want to be named because of her ongoing tangle over her health insurance, ended her note with a sentiment  common to many of the responses: "Thanks for putting this vital information out there."

Reaction wasn't all positive. This came from D.M. Pooler of Los Angeles: "I see nothing wrong with Blue Shield's letters to physicians. If the physicians do not reveal the true nature of the applicant's health, the physicians are  committing fraud, concealment and misrepresentation.  We all know that many physicians do this anyway.  Blue Cross is simply attempting to prevent insurance applicants from defrauding them. Too bad you paint such a negative picture about the insurers."

Finally, Girion received this from Cheryl Bame of Irvine: "If anyone thinks that journalism doesn't make a difference, they obviously are not reading your articles. I enjoy monitoring your coverage of HMOs. Your editors must love you."

Columbia Journalism Review had its own attagirl for Girion and The Times.

A very different story about life's struggles also moved readers to respond:

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.

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)

A roundup of kudos

Some recent coverage that has brought plaudits:

Sub-prime crisis: hitting a nerve

Business reporter Walter Hamilton put it this way: "This many e-mails is a virtual geyser for the Wall Street reporter, whose arcane subject matter normally doesn't make people's blood boil."

He meant his Friday story on the federal proposal unveiled by President Bush last week to ease terms on some sub-prime mortgages. The piece hit a nerve by reflecting the reaction of those who held off on buying homes or  cashing out their home equity. In Hamilton's story, Casey Johnson of La Jolla was quoted saying that the plan feels like a "slap in the face."

The photographer and the Marine

The headline on the Nov. 12 story said it all: "Despite concerns of overstepping, Times photographer Luis Sinco feels compelled to help the Iraq vet he made famous."

The "overstepping" led to the the story that ran over two days in mid-November when Sinco traveled to Kentucky to see James Blake Miller, two years after the Times photographer took what turned out to be an iconic image of the Marine. It was published in more than 150 newspapers; to many, it seemed to embody the travails of war.

"We strive to be objective journalists. But sometimes we have to be a human being before being a journalist," says assistant managing editor Colin Crawford, who oversees the photography department.

Hundreds of readers praised the series. Some also wrote to say that the photojournalist should not have gotten so involved.