I reflected on the thousands of readers who contacted The Oregonian last year and found wisdom that journalists should carry into this year.
With the help of my predecessor, Dan Hortsch, and news assistant, Helen Shum, I distilled major reader responses into 10 lessons the newspaper should heed:
Battle bias: The country’s polarization is reflected in readers’ reaction each day to the newspaper. A simple mug shot of President Bush elicits calls and e-mails that the newspaper is either biased for or against him. With an election year looming and a tax issue on the ballot, journalists need to be aware readers will assume they are biased. The journalists need to be especially vigilant in asking: Is the story fair? Could conclusions be drawn differently? Does the story tell all sides?
Show humanity: Readers continue to rave about the obituary feature “Life Stories,” which highlight ordinary people. Hundreds also responded to the portrait of life and death on a hospital preemie ward. Humanity, and ordinary lives lived extraordinarily, resonate.
Connect the dots: Hundreds of readers were grateful for the “What Went Wrong?” series early last year that examined how Oregon’s economy grew imbalanced and its politics gridlocked. By stepping back and examining years of decision-making, the newspaper helped make sense of complex issues that affect readers. Newspapers tend to report every turn of the screw by government, but the responses to this series and one on state pay and pensions show readers appreciate insight.
Ask tough questions: Readers argued that journalists failed to question aggressively the Bush administration’s claims as the country approached war. Readers reminded journalists they deserve a skeptical press that asks difficult questions of government for readers seeking answers. That applies to national stories, but also locally to a shooting by police, city spending on a baseball park, a proposed purchase of PGE or, most recently, how well the meat supply is protected.
Always side with saving lives: Many readers initially worried that The Oregonian bruised an already wounded community by exposing the high number of deaths of children on the Warm Springs Reservation. But most readers ultimately applauded the series because they said a newspaper’s obligation is to point out policies and practices contributing to the deaths of children.
Think globally: Readers repeatedly remind the newspaper that the world is shrinking. They write with insight about developments in other countries, thanks to the Internet and other sources, and hunger for more news of the world in The Oregonian and how it influences the Pacific Northwest.
History helps: Readers react strongly to every Middle East development, almost always with allegations that the newspaper is pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli. But common in all of those responses is a desire for more context and history from the newspaper about the conflict, rather than simply chronicling the latest attack.
It’s in the details: Whether it’s misspelling Erik Sten’s name or placing Redmond, Ore., in Washington, readers are quick to find errors each day. Identifying and correcting errors large and small should matter to both readers and the newspaper; research shows it’s at the heart of a newspaper’s credibility.
Careful with comics: Any tweak generates hundreds of responses, and editors should always seek those opinions in advance of major changes.
Learn from readers: Pushed by her own reaction to the loss of soldiers in Iraq and by the sentiment of readers who said the newspaper wasn’t doing enough coverage of them, Editor Sandy Rowe for months wanted to pay tribute to those soldiers. She did with a special section last week. Readers’ reactions do make a difference.
And in the coming year, The Oregonian is promising to do an even better job of listening to readers. Keep the wisdom coming.
