How’s your news judgment? What would you do if you were a newspaper editor?
Readers of The Union-Tribune are invited to place themselves in an editor’s place. A quiz in today’s column has five scenarios, some reflecting real situations faced by the Union-Tribune, others borrowed with permission from Henry McNulty, reader representative at the Hartford (Conn.) Courant.
Pick one response to each case. Decisions involve good news judgment, but there is no one answer that is completely correct or completely wrong. As McNulty puts it, reasonable people can differ on how to handle a given situation.
I’ve asked Union-Tribune editors to respond to the questions, too. It will be interesting to see how their answers compare to those of readers.
CASE NO. 1
A teen-age girl riding in a stolen car is killed in a single-car accident; the driver of the car and other passengers, all teen-agers, are arrested. The medical examiner’s office reports the family of the dead girl has been informed and releases her name. However, the police won’t give you the names of the youths who were arrested because they were under age. There’s enough information for only two paragraphs.
- You decide to use a story identifying the dead girl. You reason that her family has been informed. If you delay reporting the death, you will not be serving your readers well.
- You use a story without identifying the dead teen. You reason you cannot name the youths who were arrested, so why not wait to identify the girl who died until you know more about her? The next day, you assign a reporter to go to the high school to learn more about the teens and what is being done to help others cope with the death. You tell the reporter if it cannot be established whether the dead girl knew the car was stolen, the story should say so.
CASE NO. 2
A movie with an unexpected twist is playing at local theaters. Your staff critic avoided giving away the surprise in his review. Now, it’s months later and the movie is up for an Academy Award. There is much talk about the surprise. A staff member argues that the paper should discuss the surprise in yet another article. However, a prominent warning should be included so that those who don’t know the secret are warned not to read the story.
- You decide to use the article, but insist that the story and the headline carry explicit warnings that a secret will be revealed. You reason that those who are planning to see the film and don’t want to know the surprise will be able to avoid reading about the outcome.
- You say no story. You believe that surprises in films, books, plays or short stories should not be revealed. They are there for the enjoyment of the audience and only a spoilsport would take away that pleasure.
CASE NO. 3
A man who was once prominent in the community has died. He lost his job after it was revealed that he was involved in sexual misconduct and drug addiction. Information provided by the family includes nothing about past problems that were reported in detail at the time. You instruct the reporter to:
- Include the information about the past allegations in the obituary. The alleged behavior had led to his dismissal from a prominent position; it was widely reported. The newspaper could be accused of bending to powerful influences if the allegations were not included.
- Include nothing negative about his past. The allegations are no longer news. They did not result in a criminal record. This is an obituary; let the dead rest in peace.
CASE NO. 4
Your reporter is covering a speech by a local politician. The politician makes a joke in the speech that offends several members of the audience who walk out. The person covering the speech reports this, and in the story repeats the joke told by the politician. It has a sexual theme.
In editing the story:
- You omit the joke. You consider it inappropriate for the newspaper.
- You let it stand on the grounds that otherwise your readers can’t properly judge the politician who told the joke or the actions of those who walked out.
CASE NO. 5
A local Jewish publication carried an article and picture of a “commitment” ceremony — akin to a wedding — of two homosexual women, one Jewish, the other Christian. That paper was mostly vilified but also commended for the story. You assign a reporter to write about the controversy. At a staff meeting, no one opposes the story, but there is great debate on whether to use the picture of the women in bridal dresses.
- You decide to use the picture. It will be inside the section, not on the cover. It’s an important part of the story.
- You decide against using the picture. You don’t have enough space to print all the pictures of legally married couples that are submitted for publication. Reporting the controversy tells the story well enough; you don’t need the picture.
This column appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune on August 9, 1993
Tallying the vote: How readers, editors differ in their selections
By Gina Lubrano
The San Diego Union-Tribune 1993
In a previous column, I invited our readers to play editor. They were asked to make tough decisions involving five scenarios. The same questions were posed to editors. Does it come as any surprise that in most situations, readers and editors disagreed?
More than 200 people took the quiz, 178 of them readers. There is nothing scientific or official about the results. The responses from readers probably do not show what most readers think. They show only the thinking of readers who took the time to answer and send in the quiz. As inconclusive as that may be, it is valuable information.
Many readers recognized the situations from past columns or articles. The only one that does not reflect a local case is No. 4, about a politician.
CASE NO. 1 — Identifying teen accident victim
In the first case readers were asked to decide whether to use the name of a teenage girl who was killed while riding in a stolen car. You don’t know whether she knew that car was stolen and you can’t use the names of others who were arrested because they are under age.
Only a third (33 percent) of those responding decided that they would use the name, compared to a majority (56 percent) of the newspaper’s editors who participated.
One reader would neither identify the dead girl nor assign a reporter to go to the school the next day.
“Sticking cameras and reporters in children’s faces for `reactions-feeling’ is wrong,” the San Diego reader wrote. Because there was only enough information for two paragraphs, I think nothing would be lost by withholding the name of the teen until more reporting could be done.
At the time of the girl’s death, this newspaper used her name and did no more with the story.
CASE NO. 2 — Revealing the plot
The next situation involved a movie with an unexpected twist that many recognized as the Academy Award-winning “Crying Game.” You were asked to decide whether you would use a story revealing the surprise if the headline warned readers the twist would be revealed.
Most of you (57 percent) said no, while most editors (81 percent) said they would print the story with warnings.
Use a story about the surprise “without telling it,” advised a reader.
As a movie fan I sympathize with those who do not like hearing details about a movie before seeing it. It spoils the fun.
However, when the film is up for an Academy Award and enough time has passed since the opening, I think it would be OK to print a story with the warning both in the headline and in the story itself.
Union-Tribune film critic David Elliott did not reveal the surprise in his review although he did allude to it (with warning) in an accompanying feature.
CASE NO. 3 — Disagreement on an obituary
There was a dramatic difference of opinion between readers and editors about the third scenario. It involved an obituary of a man once prominent in the community who lost his job after becoming involved in sexual misconduct and drug addiction. The question was whether to use the information. The key here is that the accusations did not result in criminal prosecution.
Most readers (83 percent) would not use it while most editors (89 percent) would.
“I would not reveal the unsavory past of a deceased person unless that person was a famous celebrity,” wrote a La Mesa reader. Many quiz takers added politicians to the list.
Obituaries are not like news stories. Because this case did not involve a criminal record, I would not use the information, particularly if the obituary were to appear on the inside page that carries death notices.
However, if a person is so prominent that the story about his or her death merits the front page or the cover of the local section, it would be another matter. The information should be mentioned if it had been the topic of previous news stories.
CASE NO. 4 — Printing dirty jokes is OK
Readers and editors agreed on the fourth scenario about the politician who told the dirty joke. Most (63 percent of readers, 58 percent of editors) would print the joke.
“Unless the wording of the joke is reported, its omission could be seen as giving unequal weight to the actions of those who objected to its content,” wrote a Julian reader.
I also say repeat the joke. This does not prevent paraphrasing language that in itself is offensive.
CASE NO. 5 — Controversy over a photo
The final question involved a photograph of two homosexual women in bridal dresses that was taken at a “commitment ceremony,” which is akin to a wedding. When The San Diego Jewish Times used the photograph, it caused an uproar. A story and picture in this newspaper reported the controversy.
Most readers (60 percent) wouldn’t use the photograph. Most editors (75 percent) said they would use it.
I go with the editors. The picture in itself is not offensive. Using it told the story.
Wrote a Santee reader: “I’m so offended seeing, reading about homosexuals that I would love to see less printed about them, never mind a picture.
