Competition is fierce among organizations and businesses to get information about their products or events into the newspaper. But space in newspapers is finite, making it valuable real estate to editors who say their first obligation is to readers.
It’s so competitive to get information in the media that an entire industry public relations exists to assist organizations and businesses even individuals achieve this goal. It’s not all bad, of course. In some ways, it can be a symbiotic relationship. The public relations industry often assists journalists with information and access to sources for articles. Yet, to journalists, the key is newsworthiness, not that the story is being touted by someone who is being paid or has volunteered to do so.
What most journalists abhor and should guard against is manipulation. It comes in many forms. The easiest to dismiss are those who want to give a reporter something gratis. But some are more subtle.
One of my pet peeves is a business with a big public relations budget that gets its name into the newspaper by hosting newsworthy meetings. Because it’s in the public’s interest to know where the event is going to be, the newspaper prints the information.
Journalists know the goal of those who seek space in newspapers is to appear in the best light possible. That being said, public relations people who tell the truth, even when it’s not to their advantage, usually win the respect of journalists.
Not every group can afford its own public relations machine. What about organizations and individuals who do not have the resources to employ someone to get them into print?
The question has been raised by readers involved with organizations they deem worthy, such as arts groups and even amateur sports teams. Unfortunately, the passion and enthusiasm of supporters is not enough to get newspaper space. It can’t be emphasized enough that a public relations arm does not guarantee ink in the news columns; neither does buying advertising.
Robert Thompson, manager of concerts for Point Loma’s All Souls Episcopal Church, raised the question of the newspaper’s obligation to promote the arts, especially the classics.
“Isn’t it true,” he wrote, “that only the big, established, wealthy organizations (symphony, opera, Escondido arts center, Globe, Mainly Mozart, La Jolla Chamber Music, etc), those who buy big ads in the paper, get any articles or reviews? The rest of us might get a calendar listing. This borders on corruption. It’s certainly not good journalism.”
Yet, one of the reasons newspapers are selective is just that good journalism. A newspaper’s job is to inform, not to promote.
“It’s probably true that the bigger events have bigger budgets, draw bigger names and bigger audiences and get more attention from the journalists,” said Chris Lavin, senior editor for features who oversees arts coverage. “And it’s true those events probably buy bigger ads, but the two things are not at all related. We often highlight small arts groups, arguably far in excess of their mass appeal, because their artistic ambitions are judged high and interesting by our critics.”
Whether it’s sports or the arts, events that usually get the most coverage are those that attract hundreds, even thousands, not those that have a limited audience. The numbers alone are a guide for editors to determine which events are of interest to readers. Other factors, including artistic merit, also are considered.
“We could probably do a better job of making our listings more exhaustive, and we’re working on that, but we aren’t in the business of promoting local arts groups in the news pages simply because of the purity of their good intentions or ambitions,” Lavin said.
“I am working with critics to develop their work to include more frequent visits to the local arts scene, but we’ll never be in a position to exhaustively cover them all with advance stories and reviews and, frankly, the readers of a general interest newspaper would like us to make some qualitative judgments in that area.
“Most arts groups have Internet sites,” Lavin pointed out, “but the newspaper remains a vital force because we do the sorting and judging for our readers.”
Some readers complained Thursday because there was no photograph in the paper of Danielle van Dam, the 7-year-old who was discovered missing from her home Feb. 2. They had a point. I, too, looked for her photo even though I had seen her image in the Union-Tribune at least three times since her disappearance. Their complaint was considered by editors who decided a photo would be an integral element in future stories along with the Web site address that includes her picture and daily updates about the search.
Gina Lubrano’s column commenting on the media appears Mondays. It is the policy of The San Diego Union-Tribune to correct all errors. To discuss accuracy or fairness in the news, please write to Gina Lubrano, readers representative, Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191, or telephone (619) 293-1525. Send e-mail to:
readers.rep@uniontrib.com.
Copyright 2002 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
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