Editor fired

If the story is written with the right facts and information, when Joe Reader gets done reading the story, that's the last thing on his mind.

I don't know you Cadet, I don't read many of your posts and I have no bone to pick with you. But you sound like the type of journalist whose been told -- and probably believes -- that the reader is stupid. That's your first mistake.

 

No, you don't know me. Nor do you know my work history. The community I am in right now has some pretty smart people, and our paper does not pander to the lowest common denominator. That said, I've been appalled to witness some editorial decisions that have been made, not just here but at other stops, in the name of preventing angry reaction, either from advertisers or readers.

And I'm pretty cranky, SCE, because although you disagreed with what I said (which is fine), you responded with a personal attack. I didn't say "SCE doesn't practice journalism" or "SCE's paper sucks".

 

1979 Thomas J. Kelly III of Pottstown (Pa.) Mercury For a series called "Tragedy on Sanatoga Road."
1988 Scott Shaw of Odessa (Texas) American For his photograph of the child Jessica McClure being rescued from the well into which she had fallen.
2005 Nigel Jaquiss of Willamette Week, Portland, Ore. For his investigation exposing a former governor’s long concealed sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old girl.
1998 Bernard L. Stein of Riverdale (N.Y.) Press, a weekly For his gracefully-written editorials on politics and other issues affecting New York City residents.
2001 David Moats of Rutland (Vt.) Herald For his even-handed and influential series of editorials commenting on the divisive issues arising from civil unions for same-sex couples.
1934 Medford (Ore.) Mail Tribune For its campaign against unscrupulous politicians in Jackson County, Oregon.
1938 Bismarck (N.D.) Tribune For its news reports and editorials entitled, "Self Help in the Dust Bowl."
1953 Whiteville (N.C.) News Reporter and Tabor City (N.C.) Tribune, two weekly newspapers For their successful campaign against the Ku Klux Klan, waged on their own doorstep at the risk of economic loss and personal danger, culminating in the conviction of over one hundred Klansmen and an end to terrorism in their communities.
1956 Watsonville (Calif.) Register-Pajaronian For courageous exposure of corruption in public office, which led to the resignation of a district attorney and the conviction of one of his associates.
1959 Utica (N.Y.) Observer-Dispatch and Utica Daily Press For their successful campaign against corruption, gambling and vice in their home city and the achievement of sweeping civic reforms in the face of political pressure and threats of violence. By their stalwart leadership of the forces of good government, these newspapers upheld the best tradition of a free press.
1965 Hutchinson (Kansas) News For its courageous and constructive campaign, culminating in 1964, to bring about more equitable reapportionment of the Kansas Legislature, despite powerful opposition in its own community.
1977 Lufkin (Tex.) News
For an obituary of a local man who died in Marine training camp, which grew into an investigation of that death and a fundamental reform in the recruiting and training practices of the United States Marine Corps.
1979 Point Reyes Light, a California weekly For its investigation of Synanon.
1995 Virgin Islands Daily News, St. Thomas For its disclosure of the links between the region's rampant crime rate and corruption in the local criminal justice system. The reporting, largely the work of Melvin Claxton, initiated political reforms.
1998 Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald For its sustained and informative coverage, vividly illustrated with photographs, that helped hold its community together in the wake of flooding, a blizzard and a fire that devastated much of the city, including the newspaper plant itself.
1971 John Paul Filo of Valley Daily News and Daily Dispatch of Tarentum and New Kensington, Pennsylvania For his pictorial coverage of the Kent State University tragedy on May 4, 1970.
1990 Thomas J. Hylton of Pottstown (Pa.) Mercury For his editorials about a local bond issue for the preservation of farmland and other open space in rural Pennsylvania.
1973 Roger B. Linscott of Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, Mass. For his editorials during 1972.
1969 Paul Greenberg of Pine Bluff (Ark.) Commercial For his editorials during 1968.
1963 Ira B. Harkey, Jr. editor and publisher of Pascagoula (Miss.) Chronicle For his courageous editorials devoted to the processes of law and reason during the integration crisis in Mississippi in 1962.
1950 Carl M. Saunders of Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot. For distinguished editorial writing during the year.
1931 Charles S. Ryckman of Fremont (Neb.) Tribune For the editorial entitled "The Gentlemen from Nebraska."
1923 William Allen White of Emporia (Kan.) Gazette For an editorial entitled "To an Anxious Friend."

 

You didn't say SCEditor's paper sucked. You said all small papers don't practice journalism, and I've worked at small newspapers, so by your standards, I'm included in your grouping of bad journalism. So I took it personal. No, you did not talk about my paper. You lumped all the papers I've worked at into one small group. So that's why I jumped your shit.

My only point was that not all small newspapers pander to the lowest common denominator. Your original point, which I think we can both agree was a little narrow-minded, was that all small newspapers essentially suck.

Are there small newspapers that don't do a good job practicing good journalism? Sure. You get no argument from me here. And I'm sorry if you've worked at other newspapers or have seen other newspapers that don't practice good journalism. But not all of them are like that.

I also took exception to your idea that running positive photos of little Johnny on the slide is a form of bad journalism. I disagreed with that. I think you have to have balance. I've worked full-time at three dailies (one of them twice, once as a sports writer, the other as a news editor). Of those three dailies, the two smallest ones focused on local news -- good and bad -- which included investigative stories, pictures of kids on slides, front-page murder stories and fluffy features. It had a mixture. Both of those papers circulations have gone up.

The other paper, which was pushing 47K circulation in the year or two before I got there, didn't do as good a job on local news. There was no community involvement, no fun stuff for Joe Reader who doesn't work in the mayor's office. Less than five years later, their circulation is at 42K. That's all I'm saying.

 

Again, that's the vocal minority.

 

What is, small papers winning Pulitzer Prizes?

 

Yes.

What was your final Jeopardy wager?

 

cadet must have overlooked that list. in his world, small papers=bullshit journalism.
there are a lot of good small papers that aren't shoppers, ya know.

 

Futter

 

Let's not pile on Cadet, I've found her to be one of the most reasonable people on this board ... who may have been just a bit frustrated when she wrote that.

Putting all of her comments together, I think she was speaking from personal experience that anyone who has worked at a small paper has felt at some point.

I worked at a very small paper for an internship and was allowed to go after some pretty influential people in my short time there. On the other hand, I got into a loud argument with my editor and publisher when they tried to make the reporters wear festival shirts and hats while covering said festival that was, yes sponsored by the paper.

It's simply hit and miss at a lot of little papers.

 

cadet made a blanket, disparaging remark about small-town newspapers and the quality of their journalism. we're supposed to let that slide?