Here’s a bulging mailbag from readers:
FRONT PAGE PHOTO: The front page photo on Friday of a man who had died in New Orleans and was left in a lawn chair elicited passionate complaints from several readers.
Readers particularly objected because they thought it was disrespectful of the man and his loved ones. A steady stream of readers called on Friday to ask editors, what if that were your grandfather? What about the man’s dignity?
“This is absolutely unconscionable,” said Michele Kargman of Portland. “It’s totally disrespectful for the dead man and the people who may not know he’s dead.”
“How dare you put a photo of the poor man on the front page?” asked Denise Schultz of Columbia City. “Did this man not have any more right to his dignity? Is there no conscience in your office?
Executive Editor Peter Bhatia usually argues strongly against publishing any photos showing bodies on the front page. He is well aware of readers’ sensitivities to displaying bodies, and he considers the newspaper to be a guest in the reader’s home. But in this case, he pushed for its publication.
“I’m very conservative about this,” he says. “But given the incredible enormity of this story, the photo was the iconic symbol of what this was all about.”
Bhatia says the photo reflected the human cost of the tragedy, and also the chaos consuming New Orleans.
Randy Cox, the senior editor for visuals, says the newspaper debated using the photo for hours, asking what right do we have to depict him in death? “No right, really, other than in the power that showing this image to others will help us better understand, better defend, better care for each other when we can’t care for ourselves,” Cox said. “That’s enough. Barely, though.”
MOVED BY METH: Other disturbing photographs and a story about the damage meth abuse inflicts on children moved readers to tears and action. Several dozen reacted to Joseph Rose’s story that detailed how meth contributed to 50 percent of Oregon’s abused and neglected children who end up in foster care.
Readers particularly were haunted by the photos of children and the conditions in which they lived that police had seized in meth investigations. Editors ultimately decided that the potential for public service outweighed the possible offending of readers with the photos. In this case, most readers seemed to agree.
Donee Deschler of Portland was typical: “I just finished reading your article and it has prompted me to write you. I am interested in finding out if there is anything I can do to help the lives of these children and the system that is caring for them. If you know who I should connect with . . . please let me know. I desperately want to help.”
STOCK EXCHANGES: The newspaper heard from about 140 readers who were troubled by the downsizing of the stock tables in the weekday business pages. That’s sizable, but much fewer than the newspaper feared based on the reaction at many other newspapers that already had reduced stock pages.
Business editor Ben Santarris says the changes were made to save space but also reflect the reality that more and more readers don’t rely on the newspaper for their trading information. Most of the reductions involved weekday listings of mutual funds, which are comparatively less volatile. Those continue to appear in the Sunday paper.
METRO MIX: The recent changes in the Metro section sparked a limited response from readers. The newspaper reduced how much space is customized for different geographic areas. But by adding stories by increasing space for stories from throughout the region for all readers, the changes addressed a long-running complaint from readers who want to know more about what’s occurring in other parts of the metro area.
Most of those who responded were critical. Jeannine Murrell of Forest Grove was among suburban readers who called or wrote to complain. “I’m not getting any news, my school district could implode and I wouldn’t know,” she says. “I would prefer the old format. I don’t have a need to know what’s going on in Gresham, it doesn’t pertain to me.”
But Jennifer Grosvenor in Portland applauded: “This helps affirm the reality that our lives and communities are indeed connected.”
Any verdict, however, is probably premature. The newspaper is considering other changes to improve suburban coverage in the near future.
EXPANDING THE READER DISCUSSION: I appreciate the dozens of readers who responded to my column last month about an effort I’ll help lead to expand the newspaper’s interactivity with readers. Dozens of readers offered a range of suggestions, from simple courtesy — editors and reporters should respond more regularly to phone calls and messages — to complex ideas about podcasting ventures.
