Commercial Appeal dysfunction

Killick · Apr 29, 2009

Found on Romenesko:
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=42171

Long read and some of it isn't exactly new info, but it is well-written and painful look at another newsroom's dysfunction. But, honestly, some of this won't even raise a brow because we've all dealt with the same shit in our own shops.

Football_Bat · Apr 29, 2009

They're too busy flogging NIE subscriptions. (quick crossthread)

Fredrick · Apr 29, 2009

The anonymity of snark
The comments section on www.commercialappeal.com, where readers may post their thoughts at the bottom of stories, has been wildly successful if you look just at the number of comments some stories generate in a short amount of time.

But success isn’t the word that comes to mind if you start to read the comments on a regular basis.

They routinely crackle with racial tension and even racial slurs. When some staffers complained about the slurs and called for better policing of such comments, Peck reportedly asked for a list of what slurs should be considered cause for removing comments.

Sanford had a different take in March as he spoke at a University of Memphis panel discussion about race and the media.

“Please stop reading those comments,” Sanford told a crowd of 100 people on campus. “You’ve got … anonymous people who go on our stories … and make unbelievably goofy and stupid comments. And then that becomes, unfortunately, the reality. And we have to stop that. We can’t stop the comments because the Web people have told us, ‘Well, that’s how you get people in there.’ But please don’t listen to that.”

To civic groups and even individual citizens who contact the paper with complaints and concerns, Sanford is its face, voice and ears. When the CA participates in media forums, chances are the speaker will be Sanford.

For the past two years, Sanford has been in charge of the paper’s editorial board and Viewpoint section. It’s a position that evolved after editorial page editor David Kushma’s departure, when Kushma’s duties came to be included in Sanford’s.
Click to expand...

Unreal. The comments are racist and awful and the newspaper encourages them, but "please don't listen to that."
Put us all out of our misery soon. In the name of Melissa isaacson, just fire us all!

Appgrad05 · Apr 30, 2009

Man, that dude has one amazing axe to grind.

Log in or Sign up

Commercial Appeal dysfunction

Killick Well-Known Member

Football_Bat Well-Known Member

Fredrick Well-Known Member

Appgrad05 Active Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Commercial Appeal dysfunction

Killick Well-Known Member

Football_Bat Well-Known Member

Fredrick Well-Known Member

Appgrad05 Active Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches