Sam Johnson’s life has been splayed across the pages of The Oregonian. Not only his life, but also the lives of his parents and, to some degree, the lives of everyone in the large Milton-Freewater family.
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Sam is the 16-year-old son of Gretta and Jeff Johnson. Since he was a small boy, he has displayed a genius for playing the cello. His parents have urged him to work with that gift to reach the top of the classical music world.
David Stabler, a reporter and classical music critic for The Oregonian, and photographer Ross Hamilton have detailed the highs and lows that Sam and his parents experienced as they encountered conflict over his flagging dedication to his music and a growing rebellion against his parents’ restrictive ways.
Stabler and Hamilton led readers into Sam’s life with stories and photos in October and February. The series culminated — for now — with a three-part package that began last Sunday.
The final story on Tuesday left open whether Sam would give up dreams of cello stardom. Sam is in a boarding school in another state, placed there against his will by parents who do not accept his behavior at home. However, he has asked for his cello.
The Oregonian has received about 200 responses from readers. Some were pleased to see a story that portrays the dilemmas of such family growing pains. Others connected with Sam and are pulling for him.
About a dozen readers criticized the series, several of them saying that the newspaper had invaded Sam’s privacy.
Stabler, Hamilton and editors discussed the privacy issues in advance. Even if events run smoothly, the private, not just the public moments on the concert stage, would be put before hundreds of thousands of readers. Can the presence of even a discreet reporter and photographer team alter the picture?
Stabler, a classical pianist and a critic who has been with The Oregonian since 1986, did not walk unannounced into the lives of the Johnsons. He had written about Sam in 1999, when the boy, at 13, had won a national competition. He knew the family.
Stabler wanted to portray “a year in the life of a child prodigy.” At the same time, aware of obstacles that face prodigies, Stabler knew that the story could be Sam’s challenge to “survive his gift.”
Stabler told the Johnsons that if they agreed, “We’re in it for the year, in it for the triumphs and the pain.” The Johnsons — Sam included — provided an uncommon access.
As the year became difficult, Stabler said, he wondered whether the stories would get too personal. At the same time, he said, the parents and Sam relayed no reservations.
Stabler has concluded that the urgent issues before the Johnsons “totally overshadowed” any notable effect of having two journalists in their lives.
Jack Hart, a managing editor who worked with Stabler, said some impact is unavoidable but journalists can minimize it by being nonjudgmental and “by practicing fly-on-the-wall reporting.”
He also thinks Sam’s story — about an Oregon prodigy who has received national acclaim — is “a natural.” That story, he said, is not over. The picture presented so far “is a slice of a continuum.”
For my part: Writing about any gifted young person, whether athlete, musician or engineering wiz, raises concerns. These stories were handled thoughtfully by two sensitive staff members.
Once into the series, the team and the editors had to stay with it. Dropping Sam’s story could be unfair not simply to readers, but also to him and his family — as long as they continued to cooperate.
Gretta Johnson said on Thursday that she had not read the final package but would do so. The family, she said, thinks warmly of Stabler and Hamilton.
As for whether the series will affect Sam, she said, “I feel it won’t hurt him, and it might help him.”
You can reach Dan Hortsch at 503-221-8221 or toll free from outside the 503 area at 877-238-8221, by e-mail at publiceditor@news.oregonian.com.
