In early April more than 1,000 readers spoke directly to the journalists at The Bee to let the staff know what they thought about recent changes.
The volume of calls and mail was four to five times larger than normal, almost all directed at some of the many changes in The Bee content and design.
With that much feedback, not every reader received a personal response, but all were heard or read. The feedback was collected electronically so that every Bee staff member would know what readers had to say.
The Bee took another step a few weeks ago and began to publish direct-contact information on all local news stories. The e-mail addresses and telephone numbers for reporters were listed, and similar information on section editors was added at the same time.
A few readers called to say that was a good idea. More and more have been taking advantage of it.
Worries that the newspaper staff might be buried in a flood of reader complaints were greatly exaggerated. Some journalists admitted they were a bit nervous. More than 500,000 people read at least part of The Bee every day. Some reporters voiced concerns around the coffee pot that a flood of mail and telephone calls might interfere with getting the basic job done.
Executive Editor Rick Rodriguez had instituted the changes, and he encouraged reporters and editors to listen to readers. He told them to answer as many calls and e-mails as possible.
Then he came back from a week out of the office and found 100 e-mail messages waiting for him. It took some time, but he dealt with it.
“If I can respond to that kind of volume,” he said, “so can others.” Pam Dinsmore, the assistant managing editor in charge of features, arts and graphics, returned from vacation to find almost 300 e-mails waiting, most about comics. Those will take more time, but she was working hard at it.
The reaction from most of The Bee staff was that the new connections with readers might just prove to be a good thing for a newspaper.
People are still adjusting to the change. So far, the biggest problems seem to be when a story generates a lot of reaction and the telephone mailbox fills up quickly to capacity. A few reporters admit they feel burdened.
‘More connected’
I solicited advice for journalists facing this new challenge, or opportunity, from a handful of local experts who have been listening to readers for years: The Bee’s columnists. Every columnist who responded was encouraging.
“Hearing from the public is a good thing,” Scene columnist Anita Creamer said. “My general theory is that any feedback is good feedback. I always appreciate hearing from readers no matter what they say. People are generally not shy about offering their feedback: That means praise as well as criticism. You will be more connected with readers. You’ll be surprised at times what people like in your work and what they criticize, but you will have a greater sense of what Sacramento’s people think.
“And you’ll likely find that you get more stories along the way.” She encourages other journalists to acknowledge the e-mails and letters, but on a schedule that fits in with their work requirements.
Television columnist Rick Kushman admits that he has struggled to handle all his calls and e-mails, and doesn’t think managing that is easy. But, he encourages other journalists to consider this: “Most people had to work up a little nerve to write or call, and we should realize it is hard for many readers. That means we owe some kind of reply, even if the question or complaint doesn’t directly apply to us.”
On the other hand, Kushman said, journalists are not required to put up with abuse. “So, if someone just calls to scream, I don’t think we need to return the call.”
Keep a sense of humor
Sports columnist Mark Kreidler encourages newspeople to “go about this new reader interactivity in the same way you go about the rest of your job: professionally, responsibly and — absolutely, without a doubt, the best advice I can give — with a little sense of humor.”
Kreidler says trained journalists will have no big problem separating e-mails that may convey useful information from those where readers want to vent their frustration, disagree with your point of view or “delve into the personal history of, say, the writer’s family members or his (apparent lack of) formal education.”
“It’s fun, for the most part,” he said, “and that’s coming from a guy writing in an area (sports) that probably provokes more knuckleheaded, knee-jerk (and, alas, unsuitable for family viewing) reactions per column inch than anything in the paper.
“But,” he added, “we’ve got a lot of very funny readers out there, intelligent readers, perceptive ones.
“If anything, my colleagues getting e-mail for the first time are going to be surprised — and possibly unnerved — by how closely their writing actually is read.”
Kreidler says he answers as many e-mails as he can, knowing he can’t get to them all. “If someone wants a response, I try to provide one or direct her to someone who can provide one.”
e-mail helps
Political columnist Daniel Weintraub said, “I find the e-mails I get incredibly valuable. They range from cranky complaints to morale-boosting compliments, and they include detailed letters from new sources who know far more than I do about the subjects I’m covering.” Weintraub tries to answer or acknowledge every e-mail. “If I have time I write more. If the note includes a specific question I try extra hard to answer it.
“So my advice would be: Don’t cringe. Sit back and enjoy it.” Telephone calls are more intrusive, he said, and are a bit more difficult to handle because of time constraints. “But I have found almost all my callers to be polite and respectful and understanding if I tell them I can’t talk at the moment.”
R.E. Graswich has been writing columns at The Bee for 10 years, first in Sports and now in Metro, and he likes hearing from readers.
But he is quick to admit he misjudged the impact of e-mail.
“I figured e-mail was some newfangled nonsense that would waste my time. I was wrong.
“The accessibility is priceless,” he said, ” and not only because it makes life easier for someone who writes a gossip column … e-mail gives readers … much more thoughtful exchanges than a telephone call.
“The new system should go a long way toward better helping us serve the audience, and the burden is on us to listen and respond.”
The American Society of Newspaper Editors’ recent project on connecting with readers offered this tip for journalists dealing with complaints: “Assume anyone who calls to complain about the newspaper is at least 10 percent right. Your job is to identify that part and think about how to improve, not argue with the other 90 percent.”
Fighting the stereotypes
Some Bee journalists assume that most reader calls are complaints. “How can you stand it?” one reporter asked me a few weeks ago.
There’s more than one answer. It’s my job to listen, but the reality is that readers have a lot to say that is worthwhile. Sure, people complain, but readers also compliment, suggest, praise, critique, see things through different eyes, help solve problems and broaden my perspective of the total community. That’s worth some time and effort.
Newpeople have never been quite as arrogant or isolated as depicted so entertainingly in movies such as “The Paper” or “The Front Page.” But behind the stereotype lurks an element of truth.
At my first job at a metropolitan daily, telephone operators always screened newsroom calls to “protect the reporters” from being bothered. If somebody had a complaint they were told to “write a letter,” which was not likely to be printed.
Remnants of that institution-under-siege attitude prevalent 40 years ago still damage the fragile connection between journalists and readers today, but things are changing. Experienced journalists understand that a majority of readers who call, write letters or send e-mail are interested and reasonable people, and important to the survival of the newspaper.
