Except for this column, I don’t stick my nose into editorial page business. I work with the newsroom, focusing on readers’ questions and complaints about articles produced by Courant reporters usually writing for Page 1, the Connecticut section, Life, Business or Sports. A wire story from sources other than The Courant may raise a complaint or two, but for the most part, reports by the news staff consume my day.
Although some readers don’t believe it, editorial page editors don’t cross the line either. They have no influence on what the newsroom does within its pages.
Inside The Courant, the division between the editorial and news staffs is quite clear, at least to reporters and editors. But the line seems to blur by the time the newspaper reaches readers.
During a visit last June, a group of Berlin High School students had a hard time believing that the editorial board’s endorsement of candidate George W. Bush didn’t influence The Courant’s coverage of the 2000 presidential race.
Kathleen Collins, a former Hartford councilwoman, said she also believes the editorial board influences the reporting of news stories. She questioned the placement of a story that appeared Wednesday about a Glastonbury consultant using Gov. John Rowland’s name on invitations for a fund-raiser for Long Island congressman Felix Grucci Jr.
“I’m upset about the placement of the Rowland article on the Connecticut section, where it’s hidden. … I really feel The Courant’s editorial board is skewing its support of Rowland and not giving fair news coverage to the readers of The Courant. I can see in editorials that The Courant is for Rowland, but to keep news from Connecticut is wrong. I think it’s a moral issue and an ethical issue that The Courant should deal with.”
Collins may have a point that the story was underplayed, but the blame doesn’t lie with the editorial department. Assistant Managing Editor/Nights Paul Spencer said: “The Courant reports aggressively on the occupant of the governor’s chair, no matter who it is. We’ve run numerous stories about ethical issues involving the Rowland administration, many of them on the front page. But that doesn’t mean every single story goes on Page 1. Besides, the top of our Connecticut section front page is hardly a good place to hide a story.
“In terms of the way I do my job, I don’t care what our editorial department thinks. And as far as I can tell, nobody else at the paper cares that I don’t care. Including the people in the editorial department. I don’t remember anyone back there ever even hinting at how we should play a story.”
This division between the editorial staff and the news staff doesn’t stop readers from sharing with me their opinions about editorials and Other Opinion, or op-ed, pieces either.
It’s understandable. In the daily newspaper, nothing more than different formats separates the news and editorial pages. But although some readers argue that the opinions of editors and reporters are prevalent throughout the news sections in everything from a reporter’s choice of words to the placement of stories to the size of headlines – some call it news judgment – those two pages in the back of the A section are intended strictly for The Courant’s “institutional opinions,” readers’ opinions and the opinions of syndicated and editorial columnists. It’s all about opinions.
Those unsigned editorials on the left page are opinions developed by the editorial board independently of the news staff, usually in response to recent news events. The letters that appear next to the editorials are opinions that readers submit to Letters Editor Lewis Bresee, usually in response to events, to the newspaper’s reporting or lack of reporting on those events, or to op-ed pieces. Englehart’s View is just that: cartoonist Bob Englehart’s opinion. The Other Opinion pages are for editorial columnists’ opinions and the opinions of mostly outside contributors. That isn’t to say you won’t find news and reporting on the editorial pages, but opinions color the facts that are presented.
“Every newspaper of consequence tries to play a leadership role in its community through its editorial pronouncements,” Editorial Page Editor John Zakarian said. “Editorials, by definition, are expressions of opinion and, therefore, `biased’ toward a particular point of view.
“The mission of op-ed is to present to our readers a variety of ideas and opinions, preferably ones contrary to the newspaper’s own stands. Op-ed is a window to the world for our readers. Its content ranges from the local to the global. Its focus is on current events, or timeless issues that are relevant to our readers’ world.”
As you know, though, not all opinions are segregated to the editorial pages. The newsroom has numerous columnists who offer their opinions about everything. The photos of them accompanying the articles are the signal that you are reading someone’s opinion. Other articles on the news pages, however, are supposed to be devoid of opinion.
So when the opinion expressed in an editorial, letter or cartoon or by a columnist riles you, feel free to call me. We can ponder or argue the point. But a letter to the editor is the best approach. It brings another point of view to thousands of people, not just the folks in the newsroom.
Karen Hunter, The Courant’s reader representative, investigates the fairness and accuracy of news coverage. Contact her at 860-241-3902 or from outside the Hartford area at 800-524-4242, Ext. 3902, or by e-mail at readerep@courant.com.
E-mail: readerep@courant.com
