Friday’s Sentinel brought the news that Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan had accused mayoral candidate Pete Barr Sr. of using a racial epithet to refer to African-Americans — and, with it, Barr’s denial.
What it didn’t bring was an account of the debate that article set off in the newsroom the night before.
Quoting Sheehan’s account of a conversation she had with Barr at a March 1 party last year, Sentinel Staff Writer Mark Schlueb had written, “He [Barr] said, ‘The problem with Parramore [a low-income, mostly black area west of downtown] is all the niggers lining up to feed at the trough.’ ”
Several editors thought that an allegation of such an odious statement called for front-page display. After all, Barr could become Orlando’s next mayor. True or not, they reasoned, such alarming news should be shouted.
Others expressed concern that only one person, Sheehan, reported hearing the slur — and that she supports Barr’s opponent, Buddy Dyer, for mayor. They argued that the lack of corroboration, coupled with Barr’s denial, warranted a more moderate voice.
Another suggested that if the article didn’t belong on the front page, it didn’t deserve even a whisper.
When the Sentinel rolled off the presses Friday morning, the article appeared atop the Local & State section front.
That’s where it belonged, and here’s why:
* One of the newspaper’s main functions is to keep readers informed about people seeking or holding public office. Allegations of racial bigotry and of lying at that level both warrant a full airing.
* The Sentinel ordinarily requires a minimum of two sources, particularly for information likely to be disputed. In this case, the allegation came only from one supporter of Barr’s political opponent — and, at that, 11 months after the fact. Sheehan explained that she hadn’t expected Barr to emerge from last Tuesday’s primary election and, when he did, thought people should know about their conversation.
Schlueb had been inquiring into rumors of Barr’s use of the epithet for weeks but had not found anyone to confirm that until Sheehan did so Thursday.
* When an elected official accuses a candidate for public office — particularly a high-profile post such as mayor of the region’s largest city — of something objectionable, that’s news. In fact, unlike with people of normal stature, the newspaper has a responsibility to report the comments of public officials — even volatile ones.
* The Sentinel has no more business shielding Pete Barr from the public allegation than it does Patty Sheehan from the fallout that might result from having made it.
The news belonged in the newspaper, but putting it on the front page would have implied more than the Sentinel knew.
No one besides Barr and Sheehan apparently heard the disputed conversation. So the newspaper had no way of knowing what actually was said. Front-page display would have sent a different signal, particularly in light of the Sentinel’s strong endorsement of Dyer.
A newspaper raises its voice through typography and placement of news. Sometimes the need to report volatile information the newspaper cannot corroborate requires something in between a whisper and shout. This was one of those times.
* The week before was a different and distressing time, one calling for a very different voice. For the Sentinel, it demonstrated the value of thorough preparation.
The loss of the space shuttle Columbia sent newspapers nationwide — this one included — scurrying to collect information.
But while most worked to overcome having relegated space coverage to occasional brief wire-service reports, the Sentinel was able to build on decades of expertise that included more than 50 front-page articles in the past year, alone.
It resulted in more than 50,000 copies of an eight-page extra edition the day of the disaster, a 28-page special section in the following day’s newspaper and more than two dozen reporters and photographers fanning out across the country to provide subsequent reports.
At the Sentinel, space is local news and a top priority.
