Editors are regular people too, or so they think.
So why is it that readers often disagree with editors on news decisions or story placement? Could it be that journalists are too close to the reporting and editing process for their own good? Perhaps. However, journalists would argue that readers don’t always know what goes into the news-gathering process.
This is why the media sometimes turn to the everyday news consumer to find out what he or she thinks, and to give the consumer a chance to look inside the process. It’s always an eye-opening experiment.
Nov. 6 was no exception. The Star’s newsroom Diversity Committee invited about 20 readers down to 18th and Grand for dinner and conversation with other editors, reporters and columnists. The Star calls it a reader audit. The goal is to determine whether the Kansas City community is reflected in the pages of The Star and whether or not those differences (race, gender, physical ability and age) are cast in a balanced light.
The committee invited a group of people who actually read the paper, had opinions and weren’t afraid to voice them. The group was a mix of men and women, some with disabilities; Asian, black, Hispanic, and white; young and old, Missouri and Kansas.
Readers were not paid. They did receive dinner, and afterward, a Star umbrella.
Can you be bought with a little peanut chicken, lasagna or beef stroganoff?
No, I didn’t think so. And so, I can safely say that the points of view Star editors received were honest  and candid.
For example, Kimberly Davis of Kansas City immediately noted that The Star’s front page was too homogenous. You’ve got mostly white folks on the front of this paper. You guys might want to work on that, said Davis, who is white.
Other readers thought the paper was liberal. Some said it was conservative. And a few even thought The Star did a balanced job of covering the news.
The audit breaks readers into small groups to peruse a random newspaper (section fronts only) and determine whether the stories are positive, negative or neutral. The readers assign positive, negative and neutral context to see, for example, if all stories featuring people with disabilities are negative stories. The reader audit is then compared to an audit done internally by the Diversity Committee.
Assigning context to stories frequently generated debate within the groups.
One story was about an official booked on a drug charge. The readers all said this was a negative story. However, Ray Morrison of Lee’s Summit had a different point of view.
It’s a quandary. It’s a terrible story, but you’re glad the guy got it, he said.
In another group, high school journalist Kurt Austin of Independence described how perspective could make a story positive or negative.
The story on college athletes getting additional school resources would be positive or negative, Austin said. It’s positive from the perspective of athletes. But negative from the perspective of everyone else not getting the extra help.
Another story deemed negative was on this summer’s drought. The story featured a photo of a dried-up golf course. Mary Ontko of Kansas City, Kan., jokingly called the story positive. That means my husband can’t play.
While Star journalists sat with each group, facilitating discussion, I drifted from table to table, overhearing rich conversation.
One discussion centered on gender issues. June Neal Key of Lee’s Summit and writer Leilani Haywood of Raytown thought a story on the Brian Edgar murder trial would be of interest to women.
I would think that most women would be interested in a story where something happened to children, Key said.
That’s why we need a woman president, said Haywood. However, men at the table took offense that only women would find this story important.
Editors said they came away from the evening with a renewed appreciation for readers.
Audits are important because they show that readers definitely see stories differently than we do, said Tony Balandran, co-chair of this year’s Diversity Committee and bureau chief for the Northland. We have to remind ourselves that we are writing for people who don’t always share our perspective. If we lose contact with readers, we fail as journalists.
Scott Hale of Kansas City provided a balanced perspective to the evening. I may not like what I’m reading, but everything deserves coverage.
