Your Advocate: an editor's blog - ChrisCobler's Blog

Your Advocate: an editor's blog - ChrisCobler's Blog - Victoria Advocate http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler As editor of the Victoria Advocate, I want to amplify the readers' voices. I aim to promote transparency about what we do at the newspaper, on our Web site and any other delivery methods. By doing this, I hope to build trust with our readers as we seek to serve our community. As editor of the Victoria Advocate, I want to amplify the readers' voices. I aim to promote transparency about what we do at the newspaper, on our Web site and any other delivery methods. By doing this, I hope to build trust with our readers as we seek to serve our community. en-us What would you like to share with our ethics board? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9908 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9908 Here are topics for Tuesday's monthly meeting of our <a href="http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/5190">ethics board</a>: I. The wall between church and state, i.e., news and advertising. - We had one subscriber cancel because of the end-of-the-year wrap by an auto dealer. Not exactly an outcry, but it raises the question anew of how we make sure we don't go too far in our quest for increased revenue during this soft economy. We also had a reader complain when one of our high-impact ads -- made to look as if they're in the middle of news copy -- inadvertently obscured some actual news copy. Finally, we've had a couple of issues about advertising wanting a heads-up about stories we're working on that may be of interest to them for advertising, including a bank asking about our "Focus on Banking" Your Money section and <a href="http://www.marketplacevictoria.com/marketplace/">Marketplace.com</a> wanting to be sure the small businesses we're featuring our listed in our online directory. Our current procedure for any unusual advertising, including the holidays wraps, is to have the ad director clear them with the editor. That happened in this case. Any changes to this procedure necessary? Perhaps it's just a good idea to discuss the topic, even if we don't change anything. (See <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j6jMD4Udrb0CvinAT__3f9_XZCdAD95H78600">related story here </a>on the New York Times accepting front-page advertising.) This is the section of the <a href="http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp">SPJ code of ethics</a> that applies: Act Independently Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know. Journalists should: —Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. — Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility. — Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity. — Disclose unavoidable conflicts. — Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable. — Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage. — Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; avoid bidding for news. II. Reporting on ourselves. - Our multimedia editor proposes creating a <a href="http://www.crackunit.com/2008/02/17/what-is-a-charticle/">charticle</a> on how a story happens from start to finish. This seems like a good way to be transparent and accountable to our readers, but Robert also asks the question of how fair we can be when reporting on ourselves. III. Outside board members. - I haven't made any headway in finding two outside members for our ethics board. Our board seemed a bit mixed on the idea anyway, so a brief conversation about how or whether to proceed might be helpful. IV. We're <a href="http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/cjcastillo/9488">cracking down on trolls</a> online. - Any concerns that in doing this we're squelching our readers' free speech? V. Other topics? What makes a good article comment? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9893 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9893 As we work on a redesign of our site, we remain firmly committed to featuring your contributions. When I scan our site, I always find myself looking to see what you've contributed to our journalism. Today, I found these gems from you: - <a href="http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/ViewPost/31832#comment_86156">A comment from Allfiredup</a> pointing out that Google Street View isn't perfect. - <a href="http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/ViewPost/31798">A photo from Leslie Kramer</a> showing her 3-year-old son trimming the tree in his room. - <a href="http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/ViewPost/31818#comment_86161">SouthTexas relays the view</a> from newcomers that we should have curbside recycling. (I agree.) - I even appreciate <a href="http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/ViewPost/31834#comment_86133">the comment from Evilgrag</a> pointing out a stupid error we let slip by. The collective wisdom of our readers makes us better. - What jazzes me the most, though, is when I see <a href="http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/ViewPost/31833#comment_86130">an interesting comment from a new participant like ashleysisson</a> about selecting a name for her baby. Our goal is write stories that engage the community in a conversation. What prompts you to participate? How do you know what to expect for a first-ever event? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9872 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9872 Our apologies to those turned away at the door for the first showing tonight of <a href="http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/847/story/382449.html">"Drug Wars: Silver or Lead."</a> We didn't know how to anticipate the size of the crowd for an event we've never tried before. We would have been happy if half of the 476 seats in the <a href="http://www.weldercenter.com/">Welder Center</a> were filled. Imagine our surprise when people started lining up before 5 p.m. for the 7 p.m. show. When doors opened at 6 p.m., a stream of people poured into every available seat. Those who saved seats for other latecomers had  to fight off the crowd. Some seats had been reserved for law enforcement officers and other VIPs, causing some hard feelings for those who couldn't get in. The place was standing room only by 6:30 p.m. About 200 to 300 people were still outside. Fortunately, Kay McHaney, one of the Advocate's owners, came to the rescue and arranged for a second showing of the documentary at 9 p.m. For those reading this now, it's not too late to make it downtown and still catch the film. The panel discussion will follow the second showing. For those at the first performance or others who will miss the panel discussion, we'll be broadcasting it live online. We also plan to tape the discussion for viewing at your convenience. We're thrilled by the community's response to this important issue we've been covering in our <a href="http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/fatalfunnel/index.html">"Fatal Funnel"</a> series. Based on this success, we hope to organize similar community events in the future. The Welder Center director also has to be encouraged by the possibility of showing other films in the performance hall. The picture quality is outstanding. For those who did see either show, we look forward to hearing your thoughts about the event. Are you worried about drug trafficking in the Crossroads region? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9858 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9858 I hope to see you at Tuesday's night special showing of the documentary <a href="http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/847/story/382449.html">"Drug Wars: Silver or Lead."</a> Public service editor Gabe Semenza arranged the showing as part of the Advocate's award-winning series "The Fatal Funnel." If you missed Sunday's eighth installment, you can see it online by <a href="http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/fatalfunnel/index.html">clicking here</a>. I also encourage you to click the video link to see multimedia broadcast editor Bill Clough's piece on the missing of Laredo. All of this material will make the movie experience even richer for you. Afterward, I encourage you to stay for the panel discussion Gabe has organized. The experts who will be speaking range from Victoria's own sheriff to a former State Department counterterrorism expert. As an added bonus, this is an opportunity to see how the <a href="http://www.weldercenter.com/">Welder Center</a> works for showing movies. Director Scott Mohon arranged the loan of a digital projector for this movie with an eye toward using the Welder Center for a small film festival or some other similar use. Personally, I'd love to see independent films come occasionally to the center. Why is that the big-chain movie theaters can't reserve even one screen for movies outside the mainstream? After all, how many screens need to be showing "Bedtime Stories"? My personal movie beef aside, this is an exciting and important event for Victoria. Have you noticed any difference in Victoria Advocate editorial cartoons? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9842 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9842 <table width="160" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tr> <td valign="bottom" align="CENTER" > <div style="font:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:12px"><a href="http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/64561"><img border = "0" width="150" height="102" src="http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/PlantB/2008/PlantB20081226_thm.jpg" alt = "Cartoon by Bruce Plante A Gift from Credit Cardland" ></a> (<a href="http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/64561" style="color:#CC6731 ">click here to view</a>)</div></td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><div style="font:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:12px">Bruce Plante Tulsa World Dec 26, 2008 </div><div style="font:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px"><a href="http://editorialcartoonists.com" style="color:#CC6731">EditorialCartoonists.com</a></div></td></tr> </table> At a Christmas party earlier this month, a neighbor told me he appreciated the more conservative slant of our editorial cartoons before the November elections. I've <a href="http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/5575">written before about how editorial cartoons</a> don't necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper's <a href="http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9337">editorial board</a>. After that, Community Conversation Editor Tim Delaney and I discussed making an even more concerted effort to look for a balance in editorial cartoons. No matter how much we say that cartoons are designed to be a thought-provoking art element on the Viewpoints page and not part of a liberal media conspiracy, readers don't buy it. I told my neighbor I was glad to hear he noticed a difference. It can be a challenge at times when sorting through the syndicated cartoons we have available to us on a given day to find the right mix representing a spectrum of political views. I expect we should be able to find more cartoons to the liking of conservatives once Barack Obama takes office. Editorial cartoonists like to lampoon those in power. I told my neighbor we're trying to find the right balance and definitely don't want to drive away readers because of any political slant. Our interest is much more selfish in terms of what's good for the business instead of any ulterior motive to control the national political scene. Actually, I can't really see how the Advocate would change the national political scene if we tried. That's why we focus our editorial board views on local issues, where we hope we can make a difference. But those pesky cartoons lead readers to think otherwise. My neighbor shook his head and walked away unconvinced. If you're a critic of editorial cartoons, too, you might be interested in this<a href="http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4648"> American Journalism Review article</a> about the struggles of this profession. Larger newspapers are cutting their cartoonists. The Advocate has never had a regular cartoonist on staff, although we are fortunate now to have talented <a href="http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/rzavala">multimedia editor Robert Zavala</a> occasionally display his skills on our Viewpoints page. Check out his cartoon Sunday with the next installment of our <a href="http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/fatalfunnel/index.html">Fatal Funnel series</a>. Do you like to talk about the weather? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9828 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9828 I guess it's human nature, or at least a good ice-breaker. Cold enough for you? Hot enough for you? Everywhere I've lived, people talk endlessly about the weather. But I've been chuckling this month at the news reports from up north about the cold and snow. <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/gma">Good Morning America</a> spent the first six minutes of its news report at 7 a.m. today on the fact that -- brace yourself -- it snows up north during the winter. It's not just TV. My alarm clock, set to <a href="http://www.kedt.org/">NPR</a>, also told me about winter elsewhere. When I look at the top <a href="http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/nationworld/story/380662.html">Associated Press headlines</a>, you guessed it -- weather leads the list. I don't really mind. Now that I live where sensible people spend the winter, I take a perverse satisfaction in seeing others shovel their sidewalks. Of course, we at the Advocate can't let other media have all the fun. Look Wednesday for our story recalling the Christmas Eve snow of 2004.  We even warranted a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Christmas_Eve_Snowstorm">Wikipedia entry</a> with this one. Think people here will ever stop talking about that one? What if a picture makes you cry? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9804 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9804 We discussed for about 45 minutes during our Thursday news meeting about how to display a powerful photograph of a woman caring for her aging mother. The image in question, which you can see by <a href="http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/847/story/378282.html">clicking here</a>, instantly told the heart-breaking story. Those in favor of using the photograph on the front page said the view of the daughter holding the parent like a baby brought you into the story and told the truth of the situation. (For more images and the voice of the daughter I encourage you to click on photojournalist Sarah Lim's slide show attached to the story.) Quite a few argued for displaying on the front page the second image attached to the story online. That photo shows the daughter at her mother's bedside. Those in favor of this one said it showed the bond between the two women and was less invasive than the first picture, which showed the mother in such a vulnerable state. Those in the first camp, though, argued this safer picture could have been about someone visiting an elderly person in the hospital. It doesn't really show the main message of caring for a parent. Of course, not every image can or should be expected to tell the entire story. A photo is only one snapshot of the truth. At their best, though, photographs evoke emotion. They force you to think or laugh or cry. One reader called Friday to complain about the photo. She said the photo made her and a friend, who were both going through a similar situation, cry. In her opinion, "the paper was going to the dogs." The reporter on the story also received an e-mail from a reader saying the picture negated all of the good the article did. What are your thoughts about when a news photo makes you cry? Are you looking for more photos of The Nutcracker? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9753 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9753 I bumped into several people involved in "The Nutcracker" performance of the <a href="http://www.victoriaballettheatre.com/">Victoria Ballet Theatre</a>. They all raved about the special M3 entertainment section Friday featuring the production on the cover. All praise for that work goes to designer Ryan Huddle, photo editor Frank Tilley and writer Aprill Brandon. Ryan and Aprill danced in the party scene this year, so they applied that special insight toward their coverage. It's the nature of the news business, though, that nothing's perfect. I had a voice-mail this morning from a mother whose child was one of the mice in the play. Her message said her daughter "saw all of those beautiful color pictures and cried" when she didn't see any photos of mice. The mice are just as important as anyone else in "The Nutcracker," the mother said. I wish she had left a phone number so I could have encouraged her to go online and look through the 81 photos Frank has posted from "The Nutcracker." I hope there's a mouse there somewhere. Click <a href="http://victoriaadvocate.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=653565&CategoryID=37613&ListSubAlbums=0">here to view his photo album</a>. I also encourage parents to share their photos through <a href="http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/PostNow/Article/18">Seen on the Scene</a>. We use these submissions on A2 in the daily newspaper. If anyone has video of the performance, please also share a clip of it through the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/">YouTube</a> embed on your blog. We'd love to see Aprill and Ryan dancing. My wife and daughter enjoyed Saturday night's performance, but my son and I were at a soccer party at Chuck E Cheese. Can Aprill and Ryan actually dance? Is a blog just too long? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9702 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9702 How sad is it that I'm posing this question, but I have to ask myself why I haven't blogged lately. Yes, I've been busy with work and family. During the holidays, blogging tends to take a back seat. But I realize I've been <a href="http://twitter.com/chriscobler">Tweeting away</a>, getting caught up in the excitement of a new toy. Perhaps I can no longer write anything longer than 140 characters, the limit imposed by <a href="http://twitter.com/about#about">Twitter</a>. With my iPhone, texting and adding photos is such a snap that composing a lengthy essay seems so 20th century. I must acknowledge I'm not Tweeting anything particularly smart or funny or insightful. I might look back on this fad as a tremendous waste of time. A co-worker even has me using <a href="https://loopt.com/loopt/tour.aspx">Loopt</a>, an application that allows your friends to keep track of your location, along with your Tweets and photos. How much information do my friends and family really want about my humdrum life? I talked this weekend to my older sister, a teacher in Tulsa, on the phone (how quaint!). She said even <a href="http://www.facebook.com">Facebook</a> or <a href="http://www.myspace.com">MySpace</a> no longer appealed to the young people she knows. Instead, texting is the only way they communicate. I told her the next step in human evolution apparently would be creatures with huge thumbs and no mouth. Of course, my sister and I are probably woefully behind whatever latest trend is out there. I hope someone Tweets and lets me in on the next big thing. What's the future of local TV news? http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9635 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/ChrisCobler/9635 You've probably heard how the Internet has affected newspapers, but not nearly as much has been written about what it's doing to local TV news stations. This <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/business/media/01anchor.html?ref=media">article Sunday</a>  in the New York Times examined how stations are cutting loose their longtime anchors in an effort to trim costs. Anyone watch Carolyn Campbell on KHOU? What's remarkable in our small-TV market is the longevity of sports anchor <a href="http://www.myvictoriaonline.com/content/view/975542/173/">Don Brubaker</a> at <a href="http://www.myvictoriaonline.com/content/blogcategory/0/30/">KAVU</a>. All of KAVU's other newscasters have been there a relatively short amount of time, but Don's tenure rivals that of longtime Advocate sports staffers Mike Forman and Paul Ebner. I've only met Don briefly, but I salute him and others who dedicate their lives to telling the community's stories. Their wealth of community knowledge is invaluable. I wonder about the future of local TV news when the digital world offers so many channels. You can read online about various ominous signs: - <a href="http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/12104/the_death_of_local_tv_news/">The Death of Local TV News</a> - <a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/15718">One Giant Newsroom</a> - <a href="http://rosenblumtv.wordpress.com/2007/06/27/the-future-of-local-tv-news/">The Future of Local TV News?</a> The tipping point, it seems, will come when our computers are fully integrated into our TV sets. The technology already is there to do this, but most have only scratched the surface. In the Crossroads region, only two out of 10 people watch KAVU news, according to our recent market study. How much more fragmented will the media market become before that level dips low enough to be unsustainable in its current format? Will FCC licenses become irrelevant when people have thousands of online channels from which to choose? These are challenging and exciting times for everyone in media. What future to you predict or want to see?