Reporters report news and columnists opine on it. Except when reporters are also columnists. And even then, the columns don’t always involve opinions.
Confusing? It can be, according to lots of readers.
Todd Scofield was one of several who contacted The Kansas City Star about an item in a “Missouri Capitol Notebook” column last Monday. After recounting a scene from the movie “A Shot in the Dark” where the clumsy Inspector Clouseau falls on his face and claims it was intentional, The Star’s Kit Wagar wrote: “Gov. Matt Blunt’s administration resorts at times to the same type of planning.”
Scofield thought the comparison was too pointed, coming from one of the paper’s Jefferson City correspondents. “I challenge you to read Mr. Wagar’s report and tell me with a straight face if it is news or opinion,” he wrote.
“Capitol Notebooks” are columns written by reporters from both Missouri and Kansas statehouses. There are other places where the roles of reporter and columnist intersect.
Hearne Christopher’s column generally covers idiosyncratic anecdotes in Kansas City society, but it also sometimes breaks hard news.
Many Business reporters write Tuesday beat columns, where they focus on smaller insider topics that are interesting, but might not have enough broader news value to merit a straight news story.
Topeka correspondent Jim Sullinger, describing his approach to the “Kansas Capitol Notebook,” said, “We do try to analyze what’s going on behind the scenes, and do it in an unbiased way. … But we have a little more license to be a little more creative in our writing, and sometimes that creativity is seen as bias in a way. Sometimes we do go out on a limb.”
That brings up the question of whether it’s even appropriate for journalists to do interpretation, analysis or even commentary on their beats. I do think it’s indisputable that the reporters who attend meetings and interview newsmakers on a daily basis often have a much deeper understanding of their subject than some readers give them credit for. All observers, journalists included, have opinions, and that doesn’t necessarily preclude fair and accurate reporting. Believe me, I relay reader concerns that I disagree with every day because that’s my job.
I think The Star could do a better job in labeling columns and analyses more clearly, which would clear up a lot of the confusion. And when it comes to interpretation and analysis in columns, it’s perfectly fair for readers to question.
