The Bee editors and staff did some listening this past week, and they heard from a very interested group of readers. These were people interested enough in the newspaper to give up staying home on a rainy evening and missing “Fear Factor,” a sequel to “Joe Millionaire,” the season finale of “The Bachelorette” and even “CSI: Miami.”
Well, maybe they didn’t miss too much.
Monday night the newspaper hosted one of a series of “Meet The Bee” community meetings, this one set up for people from the Roseville area at the Maidu Community Center. The subject of discussion, for the most part, was news in and around the region.
The room was nearly filled. Most of the senior editors and managers — including the publisher and the executive editor — were available to field questions or just pay attention to what readers had to say. The Roseville Bureau editors and staff were present to listen to the neighbors.
The audience came well prepared, asking about everything from writing styles to how the editorial pages operate. Readers in Roseville seem to want many of the same things that every other reader wants:
- More news. The discussion Monday was mostly about local news for the fast-growing Roseville region, and how The Bee is beefing up local coverage. But the readers’ appetites for news of all kinds — local to international — was obvious. The Bee was praised for doing a good job on recent school board races, but dinged for not doing as well on congressional contests.
- A newspaper independent of political political and advertiser influences. Perceptions of exactly what that means differed, but it was clear folks want to be able to trust that news reports are not politically or checkbook driven.
- Readers want a newspaper that is fair. Some said that means better balance in controversial content, and others felt more depth is needed on complex subjects.
- Readers are not fans of overlong sentences and paragraphs, a sentiment the editor agreed with enthusiastically and promised to pursue with renewed vigor.
Everyone present, in one way or another, seemed to want to know how they can use the newspaper better. They want to learn and be well informed about local and world events, plan their activities and get enough detail to make informed judgments as citizens. They are looking for help, and they asked their newspaper to provide it.
I sat in the back and watched people and listened to the questions and answers, and what I perceived was a productive dialogue between readers and newspaper. The questions were sharp, the discussion civil and productive,and the responses honest and not at all defensive.
The next session is scheduled for late March in Folsom. If you live in that area, and want a chance to meet and talk with the folks who write, edit, produce and lead your newspaper, watch for the notice in the Metro pages.
Del Paso what?
Linda Roth is one of several readers who think The Bee should be able to consistently sort out the difference between all the Del Pasos. In last Saturday’s newspaper, a gym on Del Paso Boulevard was identified as being in Del Paso Heights.
“I see this error often in The Bee,” said Roth, “and I have concluded that it comes from ignorance of the area. Del Paso Boulevard is in North Sacramento, although we are trying to hype the ‘Uptown Arts District’ as a place designation. Could you help get the word out to various staff members? (Del Paso Boulevard is also not Del Paso Road, which itself is not Del Paso Heights!)”
We’ll try again. Her message has been shared with various people in the newsroom. The Bee’s guidelines for neighborhood names, as established by city and county officials, is currently being reviewed and updated.
About those headlines
Reader James Hill is not a fan of The Bee’s style of writing headlines on the continuation of news stories from one page to another.
“Once again I’m completely mystified by The Bee’s choice on headers for continued stories. With your Feb. 23 Forum, two essays on the state GOP problems are continued to the back page. But once there, entirely new headlines bereft of writer bylines present the usual Bee puzzle in finding where the story I’m reading concludes….”
Look for the continuation line at the bottom of the story on the front page of any section, and it will tell you exactly which word to look for in the headline of the continued portion. In fairness, Hill is not the only reader who finds these headlines difficult to follow.
More readers speak up
Several readers continued the email discussion regarding what The Bee means to them this week. Here are a few more comments:
Larry Braybrooks, Fair Oaks: “…Yes, the paper in the morning is a real treat. In fact, I find it a sort of addiction …. I go to the door and grab The Bee first thing in the morning as I wait for coffee to brew. But at times I feel I have wasted precious time reading a bunch of crap. Of course, it isn’t necessarily The Bee’s fault … Overall, it’s a good publication, maybe more entertainment than news … but that’s fine with me, as long as I maintain some control over my habit.”
Sande Deay, Pine Grove: “…Since we moved to the foothills in 1985 our best and sometimes only source of information has been The Bee. Even before the paper started to include more foothill news, The Bee kept me entertained and informed … I would rather read the president’s State of the [Union] address than sit through it. The Bee has been and will continue to be the most important information source to this foothill resident.
“A note to your dedicated carriers. The weather has never stopped The Bee from arriving at my home. We had enough snow to stop mail delivery once, but The Bee came.”
Clark Mitze, Sacramento: “…I have been reading The Bee since coming to Sacramento in 1976 and have admired it because I trust it. I haven’t always agreed with it — occasionally to a vigorous degree … I have admired The Bee’s efforts to be honest in their reporting and I have admired the services …. I consider The Bee to be one of the best.”
