As major changes go, the Times-Union’s conversion to a narrower newspaper went smoothly last week.
The reduction of a single sheet of paper (two pages) from 54 inches to50 inches wide was needed for business reasons. Newsprint and personnel are the two greatest costs for any newspaper. The 50-inch width is the new industry standard, and the smaller size has been praised by readers elsewhere.
In fact, readers have called to compliment the change. It’s much easier to hold, a reader said. Nevertheless, a few readers have had difficulty reading the new body type or stock listings.
Some readers thought the Web Watch column had been dropped. It was moved from an anchored spot on A-2 to a floating spot in Lifestyle. If you don’t want to search Lifestyle, check the A-1 Index.
Aftermath of Sept. 11 attack
As I wrote Sept. 13, reader comments on Times-Union coverage focused on two issues:
1. The difficulty of finding extra editions from Sept. 11. The free sections are gone. Reader Services mailed copies to readers till last Monday.
2. The photo of the man falling from the World Trade Center produced complaints from 33 readers, while five others supported it. Critics said it was an invasion of the man’s privacy, an image that would disturb children and was unnecessary. Some newspapers declined to use it for those reasons. Times-Union editors said it powerfully showed the human toll of the event.
Readers offered more comments:
* A teacher said students had been bringing that photo to school, upset.
* Scott Dowman said the falling man could have been identified by family and friends, saying it should have remained a private moment described in words.
* Jack Knee of St. Augustine thought it was tasteless, at first. Then he realized, “This picture puts a real face on the tragedy and I’m backing the T-U for displaying it.”
* A veteran of five World War II invasions said the photo showed people what was really going on.
* The relative of a suicide victim said the World Trade Center photo brought back the horror of the photo published several years ago just before her brother jumped off the Mathews Bridge.
Kathleen Hall Jamison, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, led a groundbreaking study on media coverage of suicide. I interviewed her by telephone. She said people falling from the World Trade Center weren’t commiting suicide and objected to the photo on a more basic level. She didn’t think this photo was necessary to convey the horror of the experience. She was surprised that so many mainstream newspapers used it, such as The New York Times. The TV networks showed more restraint in this case, she said.
My comments: I agree that “suicide” doesn’t work, though I haven’t heard a better term. The falling man could simply have been pushed out by an explosion. If choice was involved, it wasn’t a choice between life and death. In any case, I support publication of the photo, since it was placed on an interior page with a warning to readers on the front page.
Update on columnists
Last week, Tonyaa Weathersbee said she is the Times-Union’s only local African-American opinion columnist. She was referring to the editorial pages. However, Phelicia Morton, assistant online news editor, writes a weekly column titled “Diverse-City.” You may read Morton’s columns at: www.jacksonville.com. Click on First Coast Community.
Phone: 359-4217. Mail: P.O. Box 1949, Jacksonville, FL 32231. Fax: 359-4478. E-mail: (mclark@jacksonville.com). For information about photo reprints, please call Diane Dixon in Reader Services at 359-4219. Mike Clark is available to speak to groups.
