Ignoring for the moment all those missives and missiles from the ultra left and the rabid right, one as nutty as the other, we turn for reasonable dialogue to readers of the sane center, who challenge editors and writers on matters from downsizing and upgrading to those funny little weather blurbs on Page 1:
Arnold Koch, Melrose: In Thursday’s review of ”A Thousand Clowns,” Ed Siegel said: ”What, you might wonder, is a nice Republican like Tom Selleck doing playing a Bohemian hero …” In Friday’s reprint, ”Republican” was changed to ”conservative.” How come? Was it a call from Selleck’s attorney about Siegel’s gratuitous labeling? And if the Globe is the paper of record, which version do we accept?
Siegel: A spokeswoman for Selleck called to say the actor was a registered Independent. Such details, unfortunately, cannot be checked when there is only an hour to write. I had been going by Selleck’s appearance at a Republican convention and by his saying, in at least one interview, that his career had been negatively impacted because of that appearance. As a critic I couldn’t care less about his politics; I was having fun with the fact that this is such a bad production of a dated play it makes the ’60s values that it foreshadows look insipid.
Norman Gordon, Internet: The first section I turn to Sunday is Focus. Now it has been reduced to the equivalent of the daily paper: an editorial page and an op-ed page plus a token more. Why, in the huge Sunday paper, did you find it necessary to eliminate four pages of Focus? I don’t understand. Was it money? I hope not, but I can think of no other reason.
Matthew V. Storin, editor: Unfortunately, it was money. We had made a number of other cuts to reduce newsprint consumption in the wake of lost revenues from the downturn in the economy. Finally, this seemed to be the only option. Paper and labor are the major expenses for a newspaper, and it is a lot less traumatic to cut the former than the latter. When the economy swings around to a more favorable condition, we plan to expand Focus into a new ”Ideas” section that will be even better.
Dev Majumdar, Cambridge: I’m arts editor for MIT’s student newspaper, The Tech, and I had a question for Matthew Gilbert, the TV critic. Of shows he spotlights in Critic’s Corner, I wonder if he actually manages to see the episodes ahead of time?
Gilbert: Generally, publicists send advance tapes only for ”very special episodes” of ratings-starved shows and made-for-TV movies. Critic’s Corner serves as my little house of prayer, where I recall last week’s sins and hope for tonight’s redemption.
Kim Ruys de Perez, Dover: I’m frustrated with the way you determine regions for Globe West sections. Most local news of interest to me is not in my section. Most Dover residents are more interested in Medfield, Needham, and Wellesley than in the towns now grouped with Dover. For example, a story on Julia Carey in the Wellesley Globe West section did not appear in our Dover edition. Is it possible for you to revisit the way you’ve regionalized local news?
Ellen Clegg, assistant managing editor/regional news: When we launched Globe West last fall, we wanted to give readers more news about their own backyard. That meant carving four smaller coverage areas out of one large zone. Given the finite nature of line on paper, we knew we’d have to make choices. We did give it a lot of thought. We talked to readers and looked at school districts and commuting patterns. Dover and Sherborn are in our W2 zone, for example, because they share a high school. Some stories run in all four coverage areas so readers can check how their town stacks up on MCAS scores, water rates, or public access to government records. Finally, Globe West stories for all editions are posted twice a week on boston.com.
Wendy Erickson, Delton, Mich.: I’m sorry to hear of your decision to reduce the number of book reviews. We will be left, God forbid, with customer reviews on Amazon.com and book reviews — I use the term loosely — in USA Today. The decline in scholarly book reviews is lamentable. The Seattle Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The San Jose Mercury News also have plans to cut space for these reviews. I hope you will carefully consider the consequences in a culture saturated with talk radio, political commentary, and satire.
Jim Concannon, Books editor: Our decision to shrink the Sunday Books was prompted by one factor: the slumping economy. Since newspapers are a business as well as a trust, they’re expected to return reasonable profits and to adapt when they don’t. We appreciate Wendy’s concern. Boston is an intellectual capital, and Globe readers echo that: Market research shows that more of them shop for books than for music. During these tight times, we’re doing our best to pack a range of quality reviews into less space. But once the economy kicks the flu, we hope to roar back with a larger, sprightlier section.
Catherine Ranucci, Maynard: I do not subscribe. My daughter brought this to my attention. I cannot believe you celebrated Father’s Day with the disgusting picture of two gay men — in living color no less — on the front page of your Sunday magazine. There are not adjectives to describe my feelings. Even if given the opportunity to receive the Globe free, I will never subscribe. May your souls rot in hell for perpetuating — no, encouraging — this abnormal lifestyle!
Nick King, magazine editor: I am sorry that our magazine cover offended you. The one-year anniversary of Vermont’s civil union legislation seemed an opportune time to explore the issue of gay marriage. And we believe in equal-opportunity coverage.
Barbara Cowley, Acton: You receive complaints, but is it possible to forward a gold medal to the clever person who thinks up the wonderful weather blurbs on the upper right corner of the front page? It’s the first thing I read, even before the headlines. Yesterday’s STORM THRU MOND was inspired! Please let us know who writes these.
Charles Mansbach, Page 1 editor: Producing that little line, which we call the ”weather ear,” is a team effort and one of our most enjoyable rituals. By tradition, we place the task in the hands of the editor in charge of the local copy desk. This editor either writes the line on his or her own or solicits suggestions from others on the desk. If the muse strikes several of us at once and we wind up with more ears than we need, we print one and file the others for the proper day, rainy, snowy, or sunny.
P.D. Smith, Internet: Regarding Stan Grossfeld’s front-page story on AIDS and the elderly, it turns out that ”elderly” is anyone over the age of 50? How old is Mr. Grossfeld, anyway? The Globe ought to be careful in the way it refers to people out here — and there are lots of us — who are, in fact, middle-aged, most likely still working, and like me, may even have children in elementary school. And we find ourselves described by Mr. Grossfeld as elderly?
Grossfeld: I respectfully called people over 50 ”seniors” and reserved the term ”elderly” for folks over 65 because that is the way government officials refer to them. I don’t think either is old. For the record I’m 49, but I can still go from first to third on a single to right. Hug your kid and stay young.
