The caller was troubled by Wednesday’s headline and story about Stow-Munroe Falls budget problems and busing cuts.
“This is a volatile situation,” the kindergarten teacher said, “and this story will only create more animosity.”
The main headline said: “Bus cut called blackmail.” Secondary headlines said: “Some parents say schools are trying to pressure them to pass levy. But Stow-Munroe Falls officials say cuts needed.”
The teacher, who did not want her name used, said the headline focused on the negative when many positive things were happening.
She explained that since the defeat of the levy, she had seen cooperation and a creative spirit, despite the difficult situation.
“We’ve been through a lot,” she said. “We will work this out. Let’s not make it any more negative than it is.”
The story she questioned quoted several parents, one of whom claimed students were being punished, while another praised safety efforts of police and school officials.
The superintendent acknowledged the frustration, but said the cuts were necessary as a result of the Feb. 5 levy defeat. Both sides of the issue were equally represented.
However, the call from the teacher raised several questions for me: Should a reporter search for the good in a news situation, even when one isn’t apparent? Do readers expect stories to emphasize the positive?
I posed the questions to a group of readers. Their e-mail responses show a strong understanding of what reporters strive to achieve. First and foremost, you said stories should be balanced.
From Nancy Peltier of Akron: “A story should be reported, which means no positive or negative slant. Whether something is positive or negative can depend on each person’s individual perspective.”
From Mary Tabatcher of Mogadore: “Rather than worrying about the `negativity’ in the news, we should be insisting on the truth in the news, no matter how painful it may look.”
From June Keener of Akron: “There is always at least two sides to a story; what may be good news for one person may be bad news for another. That is why just the facts should be reported.”
From Rick Kennedy of Akron: “Just give me the facts, positive or negative. The last thing I want from my newspaper is Pollyanna.”
From Mark Clayman of Akron: “If I want a positive spin on complex stories about problematical events, I’ll ask a politician.”
Some of you sent me your definition of “news.”
From Gary Hetrick of Medina: “I don’t ask for inclusion of the positive or the negative, but the interesting! If someone or something is unusually good or unusually bad, when something is out of the ordinary, include this in the article.”
From Janet Daily of Doylestown: “We expect parents and teachers and school administrators to try to make children’s school days uneventful and safe — not newsworthy, in other words. When something breaks down in the system, in this case a decision to cut out school busing… then that is news.”
From Caroline Johnson of Akron: “Not only does the newspaper provide news coverage, but isn’t this also a way to encourage readers to think?… The reader can form an opinion only when both sides are present.”
From Marie Covington of Akron: “When things go right, that’s normal; when things go wrong, that’s news. I count on journalists to alert us to things going wrong. But I also would welcome reporters adding one question to their interviews of news subjects: Is there anything positive or beneficial to come out of this situation?”
Other readers said they place greater value in positive news.
From Mary Hensley of Akron: “You can’t learn and build from an article about parents claiming that cutting bus service is blackmail, but you can learn from an article about parents, students, teachers and school officials cooperating together.”
Several of you noted the challenge of headline writing.
From Alyce Altwies of Cuyahoga Falls: “Headlines often appear to be chosen for their negative appeal rather than for balanced `quick’ reporting.”
From Harry Bosch of Uniontown: “I suspect that the writing of the headline is perhaps the most difficult part of the reporter’s job. It’s easy to communicate if you can write a fairly lengthy amount of verbiage; not so easy if you have to do it in one brief sentence.”
That brings up a common misconception. Copy editors, not reporters, write the headlines, generally long after the stories are written.
And, yes, summarizing a complex story in a few words can be difficult. I asked the kindergarten teacher to give me a headline for the bus-cut story. Her best attempt: “Stow problem causes creativity.”
Finally, Steve Godar of Franklin Township captured what many of you seemed to be telling me.
“Just report. I will search for my own good and/or bad within the article. It is not the Beacon Journal’s world. It belongs to you and me. We make the news. Just report it, thank you very much.”
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Send comments about the Beacon Journal to Public Editor Mike Needs. Phone: 330-996-3860. E-mail: mneeds@thebeaconjournal.com.
