I am now a member of the Ledger’s “Reader Advocate — Been There, Done That, but Still Don’t Have the T-Shirt Club.” I enjoyed my week as your Reader Advocate and learned some things myself answering your questions.
As a photojournalist for The Ledger for some 10 years, I feel that I have always been somewhat of an advocate for readers who met me during my daily assignments, but sitting behind a desk for four hours a day answering questions that do not relate to my job as a news photographer was challenging.
I received more than 60 e-mails and phone calls for the week. I must commend all the callers for their openness and courtesy even when calling upset about the delivery of the newspaper or disapproval of something they read in a story.
Most of the complaints I received dealt with the circulation department’s automated phone system.
I was pleased about a few things during my week of answering calls.
I received calls from all over the county, which makes me believe we serve all of Polk County with local news. I was also impressed with many callers’ attention to detail, such as in an e-mail I received about a caption on an Associated Press photograph. The photograph showed an armored personnel carrier, which was referred to as a “tank” in the caption. The e-mailer correctly pointed out the difference. (The biggest difference is that the tank has a cannon on top, and the armored personnel carrier is designed to carry troops.)
Several callers were upset with how the Red Cross is dealing with the money in the Liberty Fund. The callers wanted the money to help only those involved in the terrorist attacks and not be used in the Red Cross general fund.
Some callers wanted information on the new state telecommunications tax, which went into effect Oct. 1. I turned to my colleague, Bill Rufty, for information. Bill went to work calling Tallahassee and researched what the state Legislature had passed last year. He not only got the information for me, but wrote a story about the tax for the next day’s paper. This is an example of how the questions we receive can help not only the caller, but all readers.
I had several positive calls about Ledger photographers and the work we do on a daily basis. I also got positive feedback on the photographs in The Ledger’s Images of Polk section, which came out this week. Some of the callers even liked the work done by yours truly. It’s always good to hear something positive about what you do for a living.
As the Reader Advocate, I tried to answer all your newspaper questions and answer general questions about things that struck your fancy. But I was at a loss to help a caller who wanted to know about a contest on the back of a Honeycomb cereal box. (I happen to eat Count Chocula.)
I would not have survived this week without the help of several of my colleagues. At the top of the list are Bill Rufty, John Valerino, Ana Valle-Greene, Jenna Deopere, Cinnamon Bair, Bill Bair and Chuck McDanal.
Thanks to all the callers and e-mailers who took the time to contact me.
Next week, Assistant Metro Editor Art Durshimer takes his turn in the Advocate chair. Call him between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at 802-7572 or toll-free at 866-530-9999. Or e-mail him at advocate@theledger.com.
