Real Name: Chris Cobler Address: 311 E. Constitution St. Victoria, TX 77901 Gender: male Member Since: September 16, 2007 Last Signed In: September 04, 2008 Profile Views: 2077 Blog Views: 12300 Your guide to Gustav and football debuts today How do you know when to say goodbye? What are you doing at 10 a.m.? We've reserved a seat for you at our morning planning meetings What headline would you put on the Ratcliff story? Will newspapers be the last mass medium? Ethics board discusses how we handle tough photographs, stories Are you wild about the Texas Zoo? I'd say the future is in good hands What comments do you have for next ethics board meeting? September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 
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Not many communities of our size have local TV news. In terms of size, I've been told KAVU-TV is the 205th out of 212 TV markets. A letter writer yesterday took a KAVU newscaster to task for a laughing fit about a story. I didn't see this particular newscast, so I don't have any opinion about it. I have laughed or groaned at other newscasts, but then I've laughed and groaned (mainly groaned) at Advocate mistakes. It's a tough business we're in, and we should be held accountable for our mistakes. We regularly publish criticism of the Advocate in letters to the editor, Speak Out calls and online article comments. I note this because we intended no slam against KAVU-TV by publishing yesterday's letter. In fact, we publish almost all letters to the editor we receive unless they're libelous or contain some other problem. Our goal is to engage the community in a conversation, not to dictate what is said. I've lived in a city larger than Victoria that had no local TV news. All of the TV news came from the metro stations about 60 minutes away. I don't consider that a good situation for getting as much news covered as possible. Those metro stations almost never came to our community, even to cover an NCAA-IAA football team. As would any TV viewer or newspaper reader, I might criticize what I see or read from time to time. But I think we're all much better off with as much news coverage as we can get. I see a time when the newspaper and the TV station might work together to provide even better coverage of the community. With the Internet blurring the lines between print and video, the media world is changing rapidly. Already, you can watch local video all of the time at VictoriaAdvocate.com. Check out our video player on our home page. Another new exciting feature of our home page is AP video. Whenever it's convenient, you can watch the latest news from around the world. If you want just sports video, go to our sports section. You no longer need to wait for the morning or evening news. Our increased emphasis on video has given me new appreciation for what TV newscasters do. Yes, you certainly can look foolish on live TV. They're working without a net, and most in Victoria are relatively new to the business. But I don't take any delight in their mistakes. Despite any past conflict between print and broadcast journalists, KAVU is not our competition. Those who watch local TV news likely will turn to the local newspaper or Web site for more. The greater good is keeping you informed and involved. Our biggest competition comes from those who don't care to be either. Victoria will surprise you. Just when you think there's nothing to do, one evening brings two events to town like the American Book Review series reading event and the Anita Renfroe comedy show. The evening started with Delta blues expert Thomas Williams doing a wonderful reading of a short story during a reception at the Nave Museum. I laughed at his wit and marveled at the rhythm of his words. (See a video excerpt on our home page.) I hope Victoria realizes what a treasure it has in the reading series. Paula and I went right from the reception to Renfroe's performance, which was a benefit for Trinity Episcopal School. Renfroe had the audience laughing right from her opening riff on the local TV news and its camera perched atop DeTar hospital. I was rolling when she wanted to know about the "weather bug" and whether you could just swat it away. Paula decided Renfroe put on perhaps the best comedy show she's ever seen and said her cheeks hurt from laughing so hard. I'm not Renfroe's target audience, as you can tell by her popular YouTube video, but she ranked up there with performances I've seen by Bill Cosby and George Carlin. I keep having these incredible evenings every couple of months in Victoria. Maybe there is something to do here after all.
Thanks for commenting. We hear from a variety of people commenting about wanting national news on the front page. At the same time, we hear from others who say they want more local news. It's a balancing act. One way we're addressing that is with our rail items on the front page promoting national content inside. For example, the results of the Nevada and South Carolina primary elections are prominently featured at the top of A1, but the rest of the story is on A4. Does that balance seem about right to you? By doing this, we were able to make plenty of room for an in-depth look at the economic impact of a proposed nuclear power plant near Victoria and an update on a shooting victim in Hallettsville. In terms of the design of our comics pages, we're always looking at ways to improve, which is why we added the Sudoku puzzle daily. Perhaps we'll find another way to display them and make room for the Sudoku. My sense, in this case, is that, if we changed the comics design a year from now, people would complain. Readers develop their habits, and any change can disrupt those habits. The comics were on a back page perhaps less than the half the time. Personally, I'd like to change a lot of our comics because I think some of the strips are stale, but they have loyal followings. Even a tiny change such as this one gets people stirred up. In this case, we actually added a feature and still received complaints. Allfiredup, you'll have to explain more what you mean about the photos. If you look at today's lead story titled "Nukeconomics," the photo there gets larger when you click on it. Are you referring to something else?
We consider change a constant state of the newspaper business in the 21st century. We have to keep looking for ways to grow readership while continuing to satisfy our longtime loyal readers. That's a challenging task, but one critical to our future. I share a reader's e-mail below to give others a chance to weigh in as well. As I note in my response that follows, we're planning a major readership survey this year. While we want to do all we can to satisfy all of our existing readers, our future hinges on attracting new ones, too.
Dear Sirs:
& nbsp; I am writing about the format of the Advocate. All of the recent changes have left many people upset. I own and operate a small business that takes me into customers homes, and it seems that the Advocate is always a subject of conversation. I have yet to find one single subscriber that likes the current format. Personally, all of the "Hollywood" news can go, its old news by the time it makes print, and the entertainment business has no effect on this area. The local news that should be there seems to have trickled down to just bare basics. Most of the people that I talk with say they will not renew their subscriptions.
Might I suggest that you poll your customers, learn their ages, find out what is important to them and format your publication accordingly.
Also I will add that the front page article with the large picture of a convicted murderer on the left and a small, and seemingly non-important picture of the victim on the bottom right was in very poor taste, and extrermely unprofessional. Without changes, i'll probably not renew my subscription either.
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Thank you for writing. If I'm understanding your concerns correctly, you want to see more local news reported. We do emphasize local news above all else. In terms of local news, what else would you like to see us covering?
Regarding the celebrity news in the paper, we have heard many positive comments about our new page A2, which includes photos contributed by local readers.
We are planning a major readership survey in the coming months and will ask the questions you suggest, along with many others. We certainly want to appeal to the largest possible audience in the Crossroads region. Our print circulation sales and online readership both indicate we are doing much better than a year ago at this time, but we recognize there's always room for improvement.
If you ever have suggestions for coverage or any other changes to the newspaper, feel free to contact me again. We appreciate getting feedback from our readers.
Sincerely,
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Chris Cobler
Editor
Victoria Advocate
361-574-1271
I made the mistake of waiting too long to try to buy tickets to the KU-Texas A&M game March 8 in College Station. I'm used to watching KU play on the road at the University of Colorado, where attendance typically is woeful. I've never had any trouble getting tickets to watch KU trounce CU. Of course, the Aggies are a much better team than the Buffaloes. Texas A&M even has a new coach, Mark Turgeon, who was an overachiever on KU's basketball team in the 1980s. Turgeon also is a fellow Topekan, although our paths never crossed. I was hoping to take my 10-year-old son for a drive to College Station to see the two top-rated teams tangle. Anyone know an Aggie fan willing to part with two tickets for a reasonable price? Or anyone have experience with buying tickets from scalpers outside Reed Arena? I imagine these will be difficult tickets to get. Well, at least the game will be on TV. The next challenge will be Final Four tickets in San Antonio when KU gets there. Yes, we Jayhawk fans have big expectations. Always. Unfortunately, we don't plan ahead enough. If I'm reading this page correctly, I had to put in my ticket application last year for the Final Four. Argh. In the spirit of transparency, I share this memo sent to the newsroom staff earlier today: --------------------------------------------- Our ethics board adopted this week a new policy governing gifts and conflicts of interest. After surveying other newspapers' policies, we adapted ours from one by the Kansas City Star.
All of this is in line with how we've, in general, operated for years. Ethics policies are intended to help you work as a professional journalist, not to trip you up. If you have questions about any of this, please consult with a supervisor, as a few of you already have this week: A reporter declined a source's offer to buy him lunch and split the bill. Our sports editor donated to the YMCA a basketball that we received, for some odd reason, with a press release.
And then came the great Girl Scout Cookie debate.
As Girl Scouts do in newsrooms across the country on the eve of their annual sale, the local troop dropped off Wednesday eight boxes of the yummy cookies. A reporter rightly asked what she should do with this donation in light of our new policy.
In general, minor donations of perishable items, such as cookies or flowers, are not of major concern. As the policy notes, "No staffer can be bought for a soft drink." I would add that no staffer can be bought for cookies or flowers.
We could eat the cookies, as many journalists do, but Photo Editor Frank Tilley and Local Editor Becky Cooper, both ethics board members, suggested a fun and perhaps more satisfying alternative: Auction off the cookies in the newsroom and donate the proceeds to a charity. The charity I suggest is Adopt-A-Pet in the name of Kevin Jordan.
I'll start the bidding at $5 for my personal favorite, Do-Si-Dos, and pledge to share the box with the rest of the newsroom (after I eat the first two). Helen will coordinate the auction, so place your bids with her. Along with Do-Si-Dos, we have a box of Thin Mints, Trefoils, All Abouts, sugar-free Chocolate Chip, Tagalongs, Lemon Chalet Cremes and Somoas.
Thanks for indulging me in this exercise in ethics. (Because of your generosity, perhaps the calories won't even count.)
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III. Victoria Advocate travel, gift and conflict of interest policy (adapted from the Kansas City Star)
TRAVEL
As a general rule, no editorial employee may accept free transportation or the payment of travel expenses. Those will be borne by the company. If the event is newsworthy, the newspaper should pay its own way. Any exception requires the approval of the editor: Staffers should not use their Advocate connections or credentials to solicit trips or special press rates or press fares from airlines or other transport from travel organizations, hotels, agencies or government. Corporate discounts available to staff members, as company employees, are acceptable. If a reduced-fare trip or special travel arrangement is the only way to complete an assignment, as with military transport, staff members are to use common sense and discretion. The editor must be informed of the circumstance as soon as possible and will determine whether a conflict of interest exists. If so, it should be reported in the paper. In the case of a political campaign, The Advocate should pay the equivalent airfare (most political campaigns charge first-class rates) for reporters to ride a charter plane. Sports reporters should make their own travel arrangements whenever possible. However, if the staff member and the sports editor determine it necessary to travel on a team charter, The Advocate will pay the team for the cost of transportation. Because of the news value derived from staying in the same hotel as a political candidate or sports team, it is permissible for reporters of the paper to accept the negotiated group rate for such a room. GIFTS, HOSPITALITY Employees should never accept cash, gifts or gratuities such as food, flowers, alcoholic beverages and so forth from an individual or organization with which a staff member has or might someday have professional dealings. When returning an unsolicited gift is not practical (if it is perishable, for example) or when returning an insignificant gift would be awkward, it should be given to the recipient's supervisor for donation to charity. When the value of a gift exceeds $50, the reporter or supervisor should send a letter to the giver explaining the newspaper's policy and the disposition of the gift. MEALS AND REFRESHMENTS: For a soft drink, coffee, etc., of nominal value, staffers should use their best judgment. No staffer can be bought for a soft drink. If you're developing a working relationship with a source, you might agree to pick up the tab one time and have the source pick it up the next time. It's a good practice to pass up meals at events you're covering (such as school board meetings) or, if refusing the meal is impractical or exceedingly impolite, make arrangements to pay for the meal later. On source lunches, insist on picking up the tab at the next meeting. In short, don't let yourself be wined and dined. Pay your own way. BOOKS, CDs, SOFTWARE AND TAPES: A reviewer may keep items sent to The Advocate if a review is written but they remain the property of the newspaper. No items may be sold by a staff member. Materials not reviewed should be donated to charity but in rare situations items may be kept in the library or by the department for reference with approval of a supervisor. To avoid the appearance of impropriety, no employee should accept materials at home. Freelance writers should follow these guidelines. PRESS EVENTS: As a rule, press hospitality events are better politely declined. (A hospitality event would be, for instance, a suite with open bar at a political convention sponsored by a liquor company.) However, if the event is likely to yield beneficial contacts or important background information, and not attending would put The Advocate at a disadvantage in gathering and reporting legitimate news, the staff member should estimate the value of the hospitality and offer to reimburse the host. If the host declines, staff members should send a like amount (at company expense) to a charity suggested by the host. If a staffer accepts food at an event site in a press room or along a press row, he or she should maintain a running voucher (including the reason for the meal) and turn it in to the department head. The department head will assure the team or institution is reimbursed by the company. FREE TICKETS: In no case will The Advocate or its employees accept free admittance to an event for the purpose of entertainment, unless The Advocate provides the tickets. Admittance of working news people to designated press facilities is permissible. When editorial staffers need admittance to an event that does not issue press credentials, a ticket should be purchased. In sports coverage, standing press credentials will be issued only to regular beat writers, the regular sports columnists, and the sports editor and assistant sports editors. Other transferable press credentials will be available for issuance per event by the department head. This will enable staff members, who deem it beneficial to the performance of their jobs, to attend various local sporting events on occasion with the approval of their supervisor. Persistent use of this privilege is discouraged. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
If we expect readers to view us as credible, then Advocate editorial employees must aggressively seek and fully report the truth while remaining independent and free from any legitimate suggestion that their independence has been compromised. No policy can anticipate every conceivable conflict. But these guidelines should apply to all editorial employees, full and part-time, freelance or contract, and regardless of position, title, beat or personal circumstance. Editorial employees should:
Advertising/news: Maintain a clear line between advertising and news. Business considerations should not influence news judgment. All editorial employees should alert their supervisors when advertisers and /or employees from the business side of the newspaper attempt to exert influence over their work. Editors shall exercise sole judgment over all editorial content, including special sections. When news stories are not time-sensitive, attempt to avoid running stories on the same subject on the same day of an advertising special section. While this may be sometimes unavoidable, we must be sensitive to the appearance of advertisers buying news. Copy generated for advertising supplements, for example, should be produced independently of the newsroom staff. Organizations: Staff members must refrain from reporting on or making news judgments about organizations with which they, or family members, have a significant involvement. However, nothing in these guidelines is meant to discourage them from volunteering their time for nonprofit charitable endeavors whose aim is to improve the community or help its neediest residents. Serving as an officer in a public relations, personnel or fund-raising position frequently creates a conflict. When in doubt about a relationship, staff members should ask themselves: Could they or the newspaper publicly disclose the situation without fear of embarrassment or legitimate criticism? Above all, when in doubt, disclose a conflict or the appearance of one to your editor. MEMBERSHIPS Editorial employees should not belong to organizations about which they must write or make editorial judgments. Membership in professional journalistic organizations and voluntary work for religious, cultural or social groups are acceptable. Staffers should avoid duties or activities involving fund-raising, personnel issues and public relations. Should an employee be faced with the prospect of reporting or editing a story about an organization to which he or she belongs, or for which he or she volunteers time or money, he or she should inform a supervisor and may be asked to relinquish the assignment. Free or reduced-rate memberships in private clubs or like organizations may not be accepted. If such a membership is necessary for coverage of a beat, the cost will be borne by the company. POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT Political involvement or holding public office shall be considered a conflict of interest for editorial employees. Staff members are encouraged, even urged, to exercise their franchise as citizens to discuss matters of public interest and to register and vote. However, because their profession requires stringent efforts against partiality and perceptions of bias, staff members should avoid political activity beyond that. Those who do not should be aware that their involvement might affect their duties at The Advocate. For example, marching in an abortion rally could preclude a reporter not only from covering that issue but perhaps other health-care issues as well. Marching, picketing and active campaigning, including organizing or supervising petition drives, should be avoided. When there is doubt whether an outside activity is appropriate, staff members should bring the issue to the attention of their department heads. FINANCIAL HOLDINGS While we do not want to penalize staff members by suggesting that they not buy stock or make other investments, it is not enough to be honest. It is equally important that no one has grounds for even raising the suspicion that an employee misused a position with The Advocate. Therefore, editorial employees:
DEFINITION: "Inside information" constitutes corporate affairs that have not been made public. An insider is a person usually a director or officer (but extended legally to include reporters), with access to that information. Under Securities and Exchange Commission rules, insiders are prohibited from trading on their knowledge. INFLUENCE Newsroom employees shall not exploit their position at The Advocate for personal gain in any commercial transaction or to conduct personal business for themselves or anyone else. PUBLIC EVENTS Editorial staffers may participate in outside events run or co-sponsored by newsroom divisions as long as those events meet ethics code criteria. Because these events often involve commercial partners, newsroom participation must be structured similarly to the newspaper it self which recognizes a clear line between advertising (and other forms of revenue generation) and the independent editorial roles of news gatherer and information provider. Consider such an event a "living newspaper." with all of its ethical implications. Kinds of events: Generally staff members can participate in these kinds of company-sponsored public events:
The newsroom should have no role in soliciting commercial sponsors. Staff members organizing such events should make clear to readers and attendees - in programs signage and promotional materials -- that there is a separation between the editorial content of the event and any information provided by a commercial sponsor. Staff members are allowed to work as ticket-takers or in other event-related jobs as long as the newsroom controls the event. Staff members should not do such jobs at non-newsroom sponsored events. Staff members should not participate in for-profit events that involve commercial sponsors in which the sponsors control the primary content of the presentation. However if there is an exhibition floor, the newsroom can participate in a Victoria Advocate booth or other appropriately segmented area. Coverage of events: Staffers should use sound reasonable news judgment in assessing how much coverage The Advocate should give a company-produced event. News stories about events sponsored by The Advocate also must reflect the newspaper's involvement if The Advocate is considered a lead or main sponsor. If the newspaper is among many sponsors, stories need not reflect The Advocate's role. Newsroom organizers of public events must submit a coverage plan to the editor for approval. Such a proposal should detail anticipated advance and spot coverage. Event organizers should use house advertisements or advertising special sections rather than news space to provide extensive details about an event.
Some online readers questioned our decision to put the death of Dale Pigott on B1 instead of A1 Monday. Any news judgment is open to second-guessing, but we opted against front-page coverage during our daily news meeting Monday afternoon. Almost immediately, Victoria police considered the death a suicide, although a formal ruling is yet to come. We discussed the unusual location of the suicide as an argument for greater coverage, but were concerned about sensationalizing the situation. Typically, we give limited coverage to suicides. In my opinion, TV news Monday night went too far in giving the impression that foul play was suspected when, as far as we were told, police never did. Online readers have the power to turn any story into front-page news. You immediately found the story and made it, by far, the top-viewed story of the day and elevated it to a prominent spot on our home page. Based on reader interest alone, it's hard to argue against greater coverage. We are planning a profile of Mr. Pigott, a well-known community member, for Thursday's edition. If you have comments about him you'd like to add to this story, please e-mail me or call the newsroom at 574-1222. A Ron Paul supporter criticized the Advocate's coverage in a recent e-mail to reporter Rebecca Holm. I figure others may share the concern, so I've posted the note below. My response follows. ------------------------------------------- Your closing comment was "Representative Ron Paul did not return phone calls made to his campaign office". Given the lack of support the Advocate provides for Ron Paul that is no surprise. After the debate in May when he suggested that the US intervening in the affairs of other countries has bred resentment of the US, the Advocate did a front page story quoting some Victorians suggesting he retract his statements and pull out of the presidential race. (Lauren Hightower wrote a great piece about the war, she gets it). On December 16th he raised over $6,000,000 but the front page of the Advocate reports that he received $500 from a white supremacist group. It's too bad the Advocate won't do more to support our Congressman. ------------------------------------------- Dear xxxx,
Reporter Rebecca Holm shared your note regarding her story on Congressman Ron Paul. We intended no slight in reporting factually that he was not available for comment regarding the results of the Iowa caucuses. In our news coverage, we aim to provide a fair and balanced report on all issues.
I regret that you have inferred an anti-Paul bias from any Advocate news coverage. The contribution his campaign received from a white supremacist group was an Associated Press story sent nationally, and we deemed it worthy of a brief item in the Advocate. We have printed many other AP stories about the Paul campaign during the past year. We don't have the resources to have a reporter on the national campaign trail.
We did do a local reaction to the May debate which received national attention for the congressman's comments about 9/11. We presented the reaction in a pro and con package in an effort to give balance to the controversial topic.
In terms of the recent column by copy editor/page designer Lauren Hightower, that was displayed on our opinion page and has no bearing on our news coverage. By design, we keep our Viewpoints page separate from our news columns. In the past, I understand the Advocate's editorial board has not endorsed Congressman Paul, but please let me assure you that has no bearing on our news coverage. As editor of the Advocate since April, I find the congressman a fascinating figure and look forward to meeting him when his travels permit him time to visit the largest newspaper in his district. I look forward to the opportunity to get to know him and to improve our coverage of the issues of most concern to his constituents. If you have other questions, suggestions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.
Sincerely,
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Chris Cobler
Editor
Victoria Advocate
361-574-1271
Our reporters and photographers travel a lot of miles each day, and I'm thankful each time they return safely. We cover enough crashes to know how dangerous driving can be. I laughed when I heard Ranging Reporter Sonny Long was in a minor fender-bender on his official first day of his new assignment. Read Sunday's story for more about Ranging Reporters. My second thought was relief the incident wasn't any worse. We've seen all-too-recently how deadly our highways can be. This morning on the wire came news from Utah that another tour bus crashed, killing eight. Meanwhile, we continue to check the conditions of those passengers hurt in Wednesday's fatal crash south of Victoria. If you have any information about how these passengers are doing, let us know. My direct number is 361-574-1222. Be safe out there. And say howdy to a Ranging Reporter if you see one on your travels.
We took the unusual step today of deleting a variety of off-topic comments from an article. Our philosophy in moderating this forum is to use a light touch and let the online community police itself. In this case, a variety of readers reported the off-topic comments and name-calling that ensued. We didn't see a better way of controlling the discussion than deleting the comments and explaining the problem here. If you have another suggestion, let me know. We do consider this your forum. Our role is only to help maintain it as most of our readers prefer it. If you have a pet peeve such as a beef with the city, I encourage you to blog about it and not post unrelated comments to stories. If you think a comment is out of line, I encourage you to avoid name-calling in response. That invariably results in more of the same. Our aim it to keep one or two bad actors from spoiling the conversation for everyone. Thank you to the many who have contributed positively to this community. We want to keep hearing from all of our readers and to make it easy for you to talk with each other. -------------------- On an unrelated noted, a faithful blogger left me a message complaining about the computer glitch that results in a loss of copy if you write a long post and don't save it after a certain amount of time. My best advice to bloggers who like to write long is to use the "save draft" button at the bottom of your screen. I've never lost any copy using it. We have reporters and photographers at the scene of this morning's fatal bush crash and at the two local hospitals. We have others working the phone. We want to encourage anyone with information about the crash to contact us either by e-mail at ccobler@vicad.com or by phone at 574-1222. You also may post photos or video directly to our Web page through Seen on the Scene. Photo editor Frank Tilley will have our video posted within the hour. One angle we're pursuing is the safety record of Capricorn Bus Lines. You can check out the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's report on Capricorn here. If you have information or suggestions for coverage about the crash, the passengers or the bus line, let us know. |