As the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues, The Courant’s coverage of the war has spawned two topics of discussions among readers and me. One speaks to a long-held theory among some pro-Israeli readers; the other points to an evolving trend at the newspaper.
Unbalanced
Complaint: “I saw your front page on the restroom floor … and … your `bias’ is showing – AGAIN!
“If you are going to put the suffering of the Muslims on the front page, you should show the suffering of the Israelis also [in] Haifa, Israel.”
Response: On July 22 and again on July 24, The Courant published front-page color centerpiece photographs of Lebanese mourning and suffering. On July 24, a picture of an Israeli family mourning was also published. That picture, however, was on Page A3 in black and white.
Since The Courant began publishing articles in June about the escalating tensions in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, the stories have been fairly balanced in reporting the casualties in both countries. But when photographs elevated the impact of the coverage, an imbalance prompted some readers to write and call.
The pictures of Lebanese and Palestinians dealing with death and destruction have outnumbered pictures of Israelis nearly 2 to 1. The photos of Israelis victims have been mostly of soldiers. The fact that there has been more destruction and death in Lebanon than in northern Israel is unavoidable. News decisions have to reflect that reality. Still, the news staff should be mindful of the editorial statement some see when the newspaper displays Lebanese covered in blood in Page 1 color photos and Israeli victims inside the newspaper in black and white.
Underplayed
Complaint: “In reading [the July 23] Hartford Courant, I was shocked that your front page hardly touched on the unfolding civilian casualties and catastrophic humanitarian crises unfolding in Beirut from Israel’s indiscriminate bombing. A full three-quarters of the front page is devoted to last year’s accident on Avon Mountain. I don’t want to shock you, but that’s not the No.1 issue on the minds of everyone in Connecticut this weekend. Just because it didn’t happen in Connecticut doesn’t mean it isn’t news. The Courant is making itself irrelevant. Please start acting like the premier newspaper of this state instead of the Podunk Weekly News.”
Response: The Mideast conflict has had its share of front-page coverage over the past three weeks – from dominant stories, pictures and graphics to index items – but last week, there were days when I also thought the crisis was not adequately addressed on the cover.
Editors are sensitive to studies and surveys that say news consumers want local. Also, a steady diet of war can be numbing. I would venture that those reasons – photo considerations were another – played into the decision to lead Wednesday’s front page with a story about black children being less likely than white children to take swimming lessons. I was relieved to see the story on U.N. peacekeepers killed by Israeli bombs holding onto a corner of the front page before taking over Page A3.
One of the primary jobs of a newspaper is to order the news of the day. I would argue that readers expect The Courant to tell them by story placement and headline treatment what is important vs. what adds to water-cooler chats. Granted, there are those slow news days when interesting becomes more newsworthy than important. But these are not slow news days.
Some say my thinking is dated, that editors are listening to readers who say they don’t look to the newspaper as a primary source of international and national news, that those headlines are well-worn by the time Connecticut readers pick up their morning newspaper – that readers want the newspaper to offer news they can’t get elsewhere.
The Courant’s anniversary report on the Avon Mountain crash was a wonderful example of thorough local coverage. For one reader, however, the decision to put the news from Lebanon inside the newspaper raised questions of credibility.
Even in an industry saturated with information sources, editors should not dismiss the fact that some readers still expect The Courant to help them make sense of the world.
