The St. Paul schools directory? Hardly.

Tosto has compiled a directory of more than 650 people — mostly parents, teachers and interested citizens who have called him in reaction to a story.

Tosto made it easy for readers to reach him when he first arrived at the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 1998. He asked editors to put his telephone number and e-mail address at the end of each of his stories. He’d begun the practice at his previous paper, The State in Columbia, S.C., under the leadership of Gil Thelen.

“People want to have a relationship with their newspaper, and I want to contribute to it.” Paul Tosto St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press

“People know I’m the guy. It’s an invitation to call,” Tosto said. Sometimes callers point out errors. “Generally, they want to hear how you wrote a story and why.”

Some calls lead to news stories. For example, he learned from a parent that school district administrators had quietly designated the sixth grade in two schools exclusively for remedial education, requiring other sixth-graders to attend schools outside the area. His story forced school officials to give the school board an explanation. Another parent called in frustration at not being able to get his child’s test scores; it turned out to be a widespread problem.

Most bylined stories generate at least one to five calls, Tosto said. Sometimes people want help navigating the school system, and he’s happy to provide what information he can. He gets a sense of how people experience the system.

Public View A 1998 survey for ASNE of 3,000 Americans found a disconnect between the public and its newspapers: 78 percent believe journalists pay more attention to what their editors want than what their readers want. 53 percent believe the press is out of touch with mainstream Americans1

“Story ideas generated by readers are more valuable than what comes out of the administration,” he said. “I don’t have to beg the administration to find out what’s going on. I’ve got an alternative.

“It’s taxing in the sense that to do it right you’ve got to be willing to talk for 10 minutes, really have a conversation with them,” said Tosto, who writes three to five stories a week. “I see readers as somebody who could potentially help me with the newspaper. I depend on readers to feed me information. They’re not going to call me if I’m a jerk or I don’t have time for them.”

Tosto’s request to put contact information on his stories was a first for the Pioneer Press. Two years later, it was standard practice for staff-written stories.

Providing contact information for reporters, photographers, graphic artists, editors and news executives is one way newspapers can make sure they hear from people.

Some newspaper editors appoint ombudsmen or reader representatives, write explanatory columns and bring members of the community together with journalists to discuss the newspaper’s performance.

These practices recognize that the public often desires a relationship with the newspaper that goes beyond its pages. They also tap into an asset that every newspaper should cultivate: people who care about their newspapers.

Even if they don’t routinely yield scoops, contacts with people who read the newspaper can enhance understanding of how well the paper is covering the issues that concern people.

They also provide opportunities for journalists to explain decisions and be accountable to the public — in real time, day in and day out.

QUESTIONS

Is it easy for your readers to reach your newsroom?

What happens when someone contacts your newsroom with a story idea, inquiry or complaint?

Do most people feel better or worse about your newspaper after they call, write or visit your newsroom?

“We presume readers know a lot more about us, our methods and motives, than they do. They trust us more when they understand,” said Michael R. Fancher, executive editor of The Seattle Times, who writes a weekly column.

“People appreciate explanations and evidence of self-scrutiny, even if they still disagree with what we’ve done,” Fancher said. “This is especially true at the time of a story we know will be controversial.”

Strengthening reader connections also helps build a foundation for journalistic improvement.

The Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune learned this lesson when it focused on factual accuracy for the American Society of Newspaper Editors’ Journalism Credibility Project in 1999.

“They have to talk to (the public) directly and have to step out of their shoes as journalists. Pretty quickly you lose your defensiveness as a journalist. You ask ‘Why did we do that?’ ” Janet Weaver Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune

“Initially, our focus was on improving accuracy in the paper. But as we worked on that, we found that we also had to build better systems for listening to readers and for explaining ourselves to them,” said Janet Weaver, executive editor. “If we want to understand the ways in which we are inaccurate, we first have to lower the barriers that keep readers from talking to us.”

“I think the biggest thing that people (on staff) get out of it is the experience of talking to people who have a concern about the paper,” Weaver said. “They have to talk to them directly and have to step out of their shoes as journalists. Pretty quickly you lose your defensiveness as a journalist. You ask ‘Why did we do that?’”

Some of the public’s judgments about a newspaper’s credibility have little to do with the quality of the big series and scoops they work so hard to produce. Does that mean people don’t appreciate good journalism? Of course not. They expect it as a matter of course.

But people may factor in other ways in which they experience the newspaper: an error in a family obituary, a vague impression that the newspaper was intrusive in covering a sensitive story, brusque treatment when they call the newsroom for information or perhaps a failure to publish their calendar announcement. Pile on the ills of other media, and the public has powerful reasons to doubt the local newspaper.

Most people do not think readers come first with journalists, Christine Urban found in a national survey conducted in 1998 on behalf of the Journalism Credibility Project. That is no accident. Journalists gravitate toward the stories that fit their images of society or the forms of writing and display that they prefer.

Urban’s study also concluded that the public feels newsroom values and practices are sometimes in conflict with the public’s priorities for their newspaper. Absent a clear sense of the purpose of a sensitive story, members of the public are apt to assume the newspaper is publishing it to sell more newspapers or because the newsroom staff cannot resist the drama.

A lot of that perception may have to do with the behavior of other media or with societal distrust of institutions in general. But newspapers are guilty too, and if the public is seeing even faint echoes of credibility problems in its newspaper, it’s time to take a hard look.

RESOURCES The ASNE Journalism Credibility Project produced two reports on public and newsroom attitudes and credibility efforts: “Examining Our Credibility, Perspectives of the Public and the Press,” 1999, details national surveys about the underlying causes of public distrust of the media and of journalists’ views in a newsroom study. “Examining Our Credibility, Building Reader Trust,” 2000, reports on efforts by eight newspapers to increase credibility with readers with projects based on the national research. The Web site is www.asne.org.

Selling your newsroom on increasing reader contacts may be tough. After all, you’re suggesting more work for busy people. And more traditional journalists are likely to dismiss reader communication efforts as public relations or, worse, pandering. For journalists who believe the chase for readers has weakened their craft, this is a concern.

These efforts are only partly community relations. That part responds to a new climate to which many journalists are still adjusting.

Thanks to high-speed communications, society as a whole is becoming more expectant of a quick, personal response.

As our society becomes more diverse in its cultures and experiences and beliefs, we can no longer rely as heavily on the perspectives of institutions and official sources to shape and inform coverage. Newspaper credibility rests less on speed and more on broad inclusion and knowledge of dozens of emerging and changing communities as much as it does on access to traditional authorities such as the government and large institutions.

That’s where regular contact with people who read the newspaper goes beyond community relations to serve journalistic quality.

And pandering? It’s a point of caution but hardly an inevitable result of better communications. Readers can influence without dictating. Editors need not tolerate disdain for readers in their newsrooms. They also must find ways to avoid automatic acquiescence when readers indicate the newspaper is not meeting their needs.

There’s a lot of room for improvement in between pandering to readers and ignoring them. The customer often is right about what’s needed. Journalists must apply their expertise and high standards in considering whether they can deliver it or in explaining why they cannot.

Take, for example, the classic complaint of liberal bias in media. A reader who calls to complain can be dismissed as a conservative who wants the newspaper to espouse her views. Or the call can prompt a serious discussion about topics and sources the newspaper may unintentionally be missing.

Giving attention to what readers will find valuable, informative and accessible — and delivering it with the highest journalistic standards — is an often-stated goal in newsrooms. That’s a good first step. But it is crucial that journalists talk regularly with people who read their newspapers to make sure that journalists’ conjectures of what the public wants are informed by reality.

And then the public needs to see consistent demonstrations of credible behavior — whether it’s in the newspaper or when contacting the newsroom for help.

GETTING STARTED

What makes a good reader communication effort? These are important elements:

Be easy to reach

Don’t expect someone with a comment or question to hold that thought while rummaging through the paper looking for a newsroom phone number. Don’t expect a caller or writer to know what the newsroom’s job titles and department listings mean. Don’t expect a caller to think well of the newspaper after she is transferred several times and then referred to an answering machine. Make sure the newspaper (and Web site) offer contacts in a variety of places and make sure people who read the newspaper have access to newsroom decision-makers.

TIP 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 to argue with the other 90 percent.

Listen and respond

Encourage your staff to spend more than a few seconds talking with a caller and to take the conversation beyond the complaint or question at hand. Finding ways to talk to people who don’t initiate contact is important, too, whether you bring them to the newsroom or meet with them in their communities.

Explain

The writing rule of thumb “show, don’t tell” applies to journalism credibility. To be credible, a newspaper must demonstrate its quality and its values day in and day out. Public explanations by editors of key decisions will help underscore the commitment to good journalism; often knowing an explanation will be needed can raise the quality of the predecision debate.

Be accountable

An ombudsman — an independent voice that reflects public concerns and expertise in journalism — is the most effective way to show accountability. Smaller steps include publishing complaints about the newspaper or rotating a reader representative position among the staff so that reader comments reach the newsroom.

Keep the newsroom talking

Busy reporters and editors won’t be able to give priority to reader comments if they don’t see how the suggestions fit into their work. Senior editors must make reader connections a regular part of the newsroom discussion of journalistic quality: by citing examples of how reader calls led to stories or improvements, by recognizing good stories developed from reader contacts, and by showing the staff ways to think about reader complaints without being defensive.

MOVING FROM PHILOSOPHY TO PRACTICE

BE EASY TO REACH

More resources at this link

POINTS OF CONTACT Common methods of providing reader access include publishing telephone numbers and e-mail addresses: of reporters at the end of every bylined story. of senior and topic editors in a regular place daily. of section editors in the flag of section fronts. When space is available, it helps to provide a mailing address and fax numbers as well.

Make it easy for people who read your newspaper to find you and any member of your staff by telephone, e-mail, letter or fax.

Provide multiple ways of contacting the newspaper. Don’t forget to provide easy-to-find contact information on the newspaper Web site. And make sure your newsroom directories are up-to-date.

Designate a staff member or desk to be the lead resource for readers. But don’t make that the only place people can go. It’s a good idea to give readers a handy central contact point and to have a knowledgeable staff member who can answer questions and refer calls to the right person. It’s not a good idea to have only one staff member doing all the listening.

Many newspapers ask an ombudsman or public editor to take on this role as part of a larger assignment as an independent agent in gathering reader concerns and assessing the newspaper’s performance. Others use staff members in a more limited role. Some, such as the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and The Gazette in Colorado Springs, Colo., have experimented with a weekly staff rotation on the first line of response.

LISTEN AND RESPOND

It’s important to encourage your staff to hear people out. The people from whom you most want to hear will not be calling with neatly packaged news tips.

QUESTIONS

How can you involve your staff in brainstorming ways to increase reader contact with the newsroom?

Will members of your staff have doubts? Why?

Will members of your staff see benefits? What are they?

What measures do you think are best suited to your newsroom?

Which staff members are most likely to see value in more contact with readers?

What beats and coverage topics are most likely to benefit from more contact with readers?

Ask staff members who hear from the public not to end the conversation too soon. Consider the proud parent who calls to get you to run a big story on her daughter’s local cheerleading championship. That’s probably a brief at best. But you learn in the course of the conversation that the number of young women participating in cheerleading competitions has tripled in five years, as has the injury rate. That’s a trend story that could interest a lot of readers, whether they have children who participate or not.

RESPONDING TO READERS Here are some ways to make sure readers don’t get lost in transit when they contact the newsroom. Respond the same day whenever possible. Ask each staff member to take responsibility for a call that comes his way even if it’s not his area of concern. Don’t make blind transfers of calls. Make sure someone is at the other end of the line before you transfer. Or take a message and ask the right person to call back. Be polite. Readers draw conclusions about the newspaper from the way they are treated. If someone shows up without an appointment, find a few minutes to talk.

At minimum, staff members will need to be polite to all but the rudest callers. And they need to take some responsibility making sure the caller gets whatever answers and attention the newspaper can provide, whether it’s from the newsroom or another department.

Staff members are likely to fear that a time-consuming onslaught of calls will disrupt their ability to get their jobs done.

However, reporters whose contact information appears with their stories say that is rarely the case with daily beat coverage.

Jeff Mapes, chief political writer at The Oregonian, in Portland, has had contact information on his stories since 1994.

Mapes said he has rarely been inundated with calls. It tends to be a few here and a few there after he writes a story. He said he has been receiving more and more e-mails and he can respond to those quickly.

Readers often let him know when they want information, particularly alerting him to places where he has not provided enough background in ongoing and complicated stories. For example, in early 2001, Mapes said, readers were calling regularly to ask more questions about power deregulation and the political debate surrounding it.

Mapes said he does not usually have time to respond to everyone. He concentrates on responding to people who have complaints or questions about coverage. He said he is less apt to find time to talk with people who have strong views on the issues he’s covering.

“On balance, it’s good,” Mapes said. “It’s sometimes uncomfortable. You’re even more out there if people think you have blown a story. But being uncomfortable is not necessarily a bad thing.”

Some beats generate more contacts than others.

Mary Ann Roser, who has covered health and higher education at the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman, estimates she averages 15 to 30 calls, e-mails and other contacts from readers a day.

Often “these calls point up something that you should include in whatever follow you do. It’s helpful,” Roser said. But “I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t take time; it does.”

Roser stresses the need to respond “with appreciation, not curtly,” and as quickly as possible.

LEARNING TO LISTEN Tips from the ASNE Journalism Values Handbook can help with conversations with the public: Don’t interrogate people. Don’t cut people off when you’ve heard “the quote.” If you’re not sure what people are saying, ask them. Don’t finish people’s sentences for them. Encourage people to say what’s on their mind, even if it takes extra time. Don’t tell people the “truth” if you think they’ve got the facts wrong. Ask questions (“What if I told you …?”) that give new information in context of wanting to know what people think.2

Managing Reader Contacts

Prepare for reader reaction

Reader reaction to big projects also can be time-consuming. Of course, strong reader reaction is a good thing. But it’s bad for the author of the project who likely is working on a follow-up for the next day. This reporter needs to know what readers are saying but is unlikely to be able to handle more than a few calls.

Often the staff can anticipate getting a lot of calls and schedule a clerk to take the calls on publication day. This person can let the reader know comments will get to the staff members who produced the project. Some newspapers set up a voice mail or an electronic mailbox for reader comments.

Staff members who regularly receive a lot of calls — columnists for example — may want to let people know not to expect a response. The staff member can say that on his voice mail, and he can prepare an automatic e-mail response explaining that the volume prevents him from answering everyone individually.

Often, the mere acknowledgement that someone got the message is all the reader needs.

Have information ready

Another time-eater is responding to callers who want more information. In some cases, the newspaper can anticipate these questions and publish information such as how to get in touch with agencies that appear in a story and how to learn more about the topic.

While reporters and editors often can answer reader questions quickly, it’s probably unfair to ask them to conduct the deeper research that some callers expect.

Often answers to common questions may be available elsewhere: in another department of the newspaper, at the local library, etc. Ask newsroom staff members to pool their knowledge in a list of frequently asked questions and information resources.

Editors also may want to make up handouts of information that clerks and new employees may need: answers to frequently asked questions, for example, or where to send circulation and advertising comments that stray to the newsroom.

QUESTIONS

Are people in your newsroom, including top executives, easy to reach?

Can members of the public reach an editor, reporter, photographer or other staff member on the spur of the moment?

Do you publish several contact methods — e-mail, telephone, letter, fax?

Who are the good listeners on your staff?

How can they help others in the newsroom engage with readers?

Will Corbin's Daily Dialogue

More resources at this link

The Orange County Register publishes a daily guarantee that readers will get a response within 24 hours.

To help put callers in touch with news staff members quickly, The Register has four call centers — a desk with a clerk — spread around the newsroom. The clerks can see whether a staff member is at his or her desk and can give the caller the option of leaving a voice mail or talking to a person.

“I spend a lot of my time engaged with readers, some nutty, some remarkable, most in between and grateful to be acknowledged.” Robert Rivard San Antonio Express-News

Sometimes the comments and the answers find a home in the news pages. Will Corbin, editor of the Daily Press in Newport News, Va., created a daily reader feedback feature that is at once enlightening and entertaining to his readers.

Meet with the public

It’s important to recognize that conversations with people who contact the newspaper don’t give a complete picture. Some newspapers organize discussions of the newspaper with readers in the communities they serve so that they can hear from those who are less apt to call or write.

These sessions, typically an hour to 90 minutes, tend to be more open-ended than focus groups, sometimes to the frustration of journalists and news executives who want to leave each session with a conclusion. But over time these sessions yield valuable information about how people view the newspaper and what they consider to be important news for their communities.

Some editors draw participants by running announcements in the newspaper; others contact people at random. It’s important to think about what time and place will be most convenient for people; many cannot come during work hours and may not be eager to venture to a downtown newspaper office. Sometimes the discussions are topic based: education, sports, crime, etc. Others focus on a particular neighborhood or community.

If regular meetings are not possible, consider publishing occasional questionnaires asking readers for feedback. Dennis Foley, ombudsman at The Orange County Register, for example, wrote a column asking readers to rate the fairness of The Register’s news coverage. Other ombudsmen have solicited the views of their readers on tough ethical questions the newsroom has faced.

QUESTIONS

What are some themes of reader comments about your newspaper?

How can you learn more about what readers and the general public think about the newspaper’s performance in these areas?

From whom do you hear most?

From whom do you hear least?

Where can you go to talk to readers who don’t usually call or write the paper?

Sacramento's Dr. Risk

Don’t be defensive

Whether you’re at a meeting, on the phone or reading a letter or e-mail, don’t be surprised if some people need to vent for a bit before the constructive discussion begins. Avoid the temptation to jump to your own defense. Hear people out, and assume they’re at least partly right.

A FEW GOOD READERS To find people to participate in discussions: Ask staff members to make a note of people who call or write, how to reach them and what their interests are. Ask your marketing department to find people who reflect a cross section of the community. Place an announcement inviting reader participation in the newspaper.

“You cannot argue with them. There’s a great temptation to do that,” said Alex Cruden, chief editor of the copy desks at the Detroit Free Press. “You can’t justify. You can’t whine. Don’t bring people in and ask them what they think and then tell them they shouldn’t.”

Here is a sampling of methods of getting journalists together with readers:

• Community coffees

  The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been convening monthly coffees in different communities in which the newspaper circulates since 1981.

  “A selection of Gazette editors and reporters attend to answer questions, explain policies, accept ideas for stories and content improvement,” Executive Editor Mark Bowden said. “Of course, coffee and doughnuts are on the house.”

  He said this is particularly effective for The Gazette, a regional newspaper reaching more than 20 counties and 250 communities in Eastern Iowa.

  “This dialogue with readers in their communities demonstrates our willingness to go the extra mile to listen to concerns about the newspaper,” Bowden said. “These coffees have become legendary. It’s not unusual for small towns to post welcome signs and for schools to arrange field trips so that they can discuss media issues with us.”

• TIPS Ask a staff member, perhaps the ombudsman, to summarize reader feedback every week. Ask in news meetings whether any team or desk got reader feedback on the day’s newspaper. Anticipate reader feedback before publication and be ready to respond.

  Call the newspaper night

  The Wichita Falls (Texas) Times Record News holds an annual “Call the Newspaper” night. “All our key managers are available to take calls and field questions or listen to complaints,” Editor Carroll Wilson said.

• Reader advisory team

  The York (Pa.) Daily Record has convened a Reader Advisory Team several times a year since the early 1990s to talk with the newsroom staff on “topics they want to pursue with us and we want to pursue with them,” said Dennis Hetzel, editor and publisher.

Hetzel runs an invitation to an upcoming session at the end of his column for two or three weeks and then picks a group. He asks for home ZIP codes and occupations to get more of a demographic cross section.

“I have to go outside the box a bit to get blue-collar people and minorities because this kind of exercise is kind of self-selecting for white-collar yuppies and retirees. The RAT meets three or four times a year. We’ve used them for any number of things, including as focus groups for a redesign, new weather maps, various editorial initiatives, etc.

“I think there’s a lot of positive spinoff with other readers just because you ask.”

• Readers proof pages

  Florida Today in Melbourne, Fla., invited readers to the newsroom to help proof pages in 1999 and to continue to report typos and factual errors as part of a broad accuracy initiative for the Journalism Credibility Project.

  The proof-reading experiment was primarily a way to put copy editors in touch with an audience that values their work.

  “It helps copy editor morale and opens up communications with a segment of the readership that can help you pinpoint weak areas,” said Bob Stover, managing editor of Florida Today.

• Headline critiques

  Alex Cruden at the Detroit Free Press brings readers together with copy editors to discuss headlines. Cruden finds a half-dozen or so readers from diverse backgrounds to review headlines Cruden selects. Copy editors listen and ask questions.

  How does he pick the headlines?

  “I look for headlines that were neither really great nor really bad.” Typically, Cruden said, these headlines contain jargon readers do not recognize, feature confusing punctuation (often a colon) or a fragment of a quote, or otherwise obscure the news of the story.

  Cruden said a session can be a great learning experience for copy editors.

  “Some are startled to find that headlines they thought were OK were, in fact, baffling the reader,” he said.

  QUESTIONS

  What recent stories in or actions by your newspaper might have merited an explanation?

  What form would the explanation take? An editor’s note? An editor’s column?

  Who would decide when to explain?

  Would you discuss it with staff members before publication? Which ones?

  How will your newspaper reflect when readers disagree?

EXPLAIN

Discussion Guide 1

Discussion Guide 2

An editor’s column that explains decisions, acknowledges journalistic shortcomings or discusses community or journalistic issues opens one line of communication with people who read the newspaper.

The column is no substitute for the independent voice of an ombudsman. But it does allow the editor to let readers in on newsroom thinking that may not be obvious from the coverage.

“I call it a readers’ column,” said Robert Rivard, editor of the San Antonio Express-News. “Sometimes I’m writing to my own newsroom, too. … I use it as a forum to explain ourselves to readers, to build credibility, to extol our virtues and praise our progress, to admit our errors, to apologize to the aggrieved and everything else I can think of in between.

“Newspaper errors are public errors. Readers, like voters, seem willing to forgive sinners who confess, yet they remain equally willing to gang up on you if they lose their trust.”

“I’m often stunned at the number of people who feel they know me because of the column and at the goodwill they feel toward the newspaper.” Michael R. Fancher The Seattle Times

In summer 2000, Rivard used his column to explain why work from another Texas newspaper had appeared without specific credit in a sports column in the Express-News. Rivard’s column was headlined “A commitment and a confession.” He explained what happened. He named names. He promised a policy review. And he apologized.

“My goal in going public was to avoid the reality of alternative newspapers and Web sites ‘outing us’ for our mistake. I’d rather be up front with readers and own up to our own failings. It gives me greater credibility when I choose to highlight our successes,” he said.

Rivard told readers that electronic media have made it easier to use unattributed material, intentionally or unintentionally.

“That doesn’t excuse our recent ethical lapse,” Rivard wrote.

“In this age driven by a constantly morphing World Wide Web, newsrooms must recommit to maintaining the high standards of accuracy and attribution that separate us from the uncounted, unreliable sources of information bombarding consumers today.”4

A regular column provides a way for the editor — and, by extension, the newspaper — to explain standards and acknowledge when the newspaper fails to meet them.

The editor can do far more than damage control, often lifting the veil from the newsroom for readers who may be attaching the worst possible motives to a coverage decision or a gaffe.

Rivard makes it easy for readers to find his column. It appears Sundays on the third page of the Metro & State section.

He also makes it easy for readers to find him. His telephone number and his e-mail address appear in the newspaper. A link to his column is on the news page of the newspaper’s Web site.

“In the time since I began the column, much of the information vacuum that existed between this newsroom and its readers has been filled with oxygen,” Rivard said. “We’re not necessarily in sync, but the vast majority of people in this city who care about newspapers know that we are a paper committed to change, improvement and editorial excellence.”

Spokane: Explaining in Real Time

Create a personal connection

Another weekly columnist is Fancher, executive editor of The Seattle Times.

Fancher said the column allows him to “establish a personal connection with readers, to make the newspaper more approachable. I want readers to recognize that creating a newspaper is a human enterprise, fraught with imperfection, but with the best motivation of public service. I want readers to know that we care about them, our community and the people we cover.

“I try to anticipate or respond to questions and concerns from readers. I try to put readers in the shoes of the journalist while also encouraging the staff to be more thoughtful about readers.”

ON THE WEB Check out Robert Rivard’s weekly column at www.mysanantonio.com and click on “news.” Check out Michael R. Fancher’s column at www.seattletimes.com, click on “local news,” and search local news for Fancher.

Fancher lists his address, e-mail address and telephone number with every column. He said editors who write a column should “be ready to deal with the reader response it will generate, not just about the column but about everything else in the newspaper too. The column will create a new level of reader expectation for your personal attention.”

Readers talk back

How do readers respond?

“Overall, I think they appreciate it. I’m often stunned at the number of people who feel they know me because of the column and at the good will they feel toward the newspaper,” he said.

Fancher found common themes of reader response:

Negative themes

• You may agonize, but you always decide to publish. “It’s hard to write about times we don’t publish something,” he said.
• Sensationalism. Your real motive is just to sell newspapers. “I try to point out that some stories, by their nature, are sensational,” he said. “I also point out that sensationalism may cause a spike in circulation, but it is not a growth strategy. Controversy hurts circulation in the short-run, and being right in our coverage is the only thing that rebuilds circulation.”
• Bias, left and right, but “we hear most from conservatives. Unfortunately, the complaint is seldom timely or specific.”

Positive themes

• Local ownership. “People know it matters.”
• Introspection. “People appreciate explanations and evidence of self-scrutiny even if they still disagree with what we’ve done. This is especially true at the time of a story we know will be controversial.”
• Access. “People appreciate our ongoing efforts to open government and to hold public officials accountable for access.”

And staff response?

“Staff attitudes are mixed,” Fancher said. “Some staffers question the value; others feel it is important. I strive for a rather informal conversational style, and I think some staff members struggle with that voice.

“I’ve found the staff can be surprisingly reactive to anything that seems critical of what we do. We may know we screwed up, but we don’t necessarily like to admit it in print, especially when the editor is admitting it.”

BE ACCOUNTABLE

Crucial to the success of any credibility effort is a willingness to be accountable and to be visible about it. Editors must be generous in publishing criticisms of the newspaper.

Perhaps the most effective way to demonstrate accountability is to appoint an independent ombudsman (also called public editor, reader representative or advocate) who has the time and expertise to evaluate public comments, air them through a regular column and work with the newsroom to respond with improved journalism.

Hire an ombudsman

More resources at this link

More resources at this link

Jack Fuller, president of Tribune Publishing Co., said having an ombudsman and correcting errors prominently are key to showing the public and the staff that the newspaper holds itself accountable.

“I think it’s extremely important to have an environment in which people in the newsroom actually hear what people say about how they’re doing,” Fuller said. “We need to open our ears to that.”

Tim McGuire, editor of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, calls the independent ombudsman the “cornerstone” of newspaper credibility efforts.

McGuire advises editors that if they can only do one thing to help the newspaper’s credibility, designate an ombudsman, even if the position is not full time.

The column is the most visible display for the public that the newspaper is holding itself accountable. To deliver on this promise, the ombudsman needs the freedom to give voice to the newspaper’s strongest critics and the restraint to avoid taking the easy shot.

“There is a way to write about all this that’s human and direct and humble without being obsequious and posturing about what goes on in making decisions,” Fuller said. “That’s hard to do. We don’t write about other people’s decision-making well all the time, and we don’t write well about our own.”

How is an ombudsman chosen?

ON THE WEB The Organization of News Ombudsmen, an international group of ombudsmen, public editors and reader representatives maintains a Web site that includes links to weekly columns by members, as well as essays and speeches on media credibility, ethics and ombudsmanship. The site is www.newsombudsmen.org The Minnesota News Council, which includes representatives of the public and media, assesses complaints about media performance. For more information go to www.mtn.org/ newscncl/. The Web address for the Washington News Council is www.wanews council.org

Discussion Guide 3

Some newspapers have term limits: The Washington Post ombudsman comes from outside the organization and works on a two-year contract, sometimes extended to three. Other newspapers make indefinite appointments: Lou Gelfand has been reader representative at the Star Tribune for 20 years.

Some ombudsmen choose to position themselves as outside critics, others as inside figures who explain and push for change internally. Perhaps the best model, mixing both roles, is the hardest to achieve, especially for a staff member who will be returning to the newsroom.

Some report to the publisher, others to the editor. All have some degree of independence in expressing views on the newspaper’s performance, and it is important to define that at the outset. Those who have other duties — typically running training programs — usually are not involved in the daily production of the newspaper.

Be ready to listen

Those who have done the job stress the ability to listen as a crucial skill.

Phil Record, ombudsman at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram from 1991 to 1997 and a former president of the Organization of News Ombudsmen, puts it this way:

“An ombudsman must be a good listener.

“To achieve this, I believe he or she should not be involved in the editorial process. When you are so involved, you have a stake in part of the product, and it is only natural for you to want to defend it.

QUESTIONS

If the newspaper appoints an ombudsman:

Will the editor and publisher take a hands-off policy whenever the ombudsman criticizes the newspaper’s performance — including their decisions — in print?

By what standard will the ombudsman measure the newspaper’s performance? Accepted industry practice? The newspaper’s policies? Or his or her preferences?

Will the ombudsman write about the business practices of the newspaper, about advertising or circulation complaints?

Are newsroom meetings on the record?

Will the ombudsman participate in news meetings and decision-making?

How will you handle staff complaints about the ombudsman?

How will you handle public complaints about the ombudsman?

Sarasota's Rotating Representative

“When you start preparing a defensive reply, you are no longer devoting your full attention to the complaining reader.” Phil Record Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram

“If that product becomes the target of a reader’s complaint, the ombudsman will probably do what comes naturally: prepare a defense. And when you start preparing a defensive reply, you are no longer devoting your full attention to the complaining reader.

“It is essential that the ombudsman be as neutral as possible. If one can achieve this status, one can pick up the newspaper in the morning and be in a better position to react to it as would an ordinary reader.

“An ombudsman also must have the virtues of tolerance when dealing with intolerant readers and patience when listening to a reader who really does not know what he or she is talking about.”

The ombudsman also must be in a position to help make change in the newspaper based on readers’ comments. The ombudsman who can criticize only in print but has no power to help build long-term change in the newsroom cheats both the public and the newspaper, whether it’s as seemingly small as getting larger type for the crossword puzzle or as big as raising accuracy standards and helping bring the values of the public to ethics discussions.

Not every newspaper can afford to devote a full-time position to having an ombudsman. At many smaller newspapers, the editor serves as the bridge between readers and the newsroom.

Rotating the position among staff members is an approach that serves readers and spreads the opportunity for conversation with readers around the newsroom.

Air complaints

The ombudsman column is not the only place reader views can appear. The letters to the editor section is a great place to let readers have their say about the performance of the newspaper.

Harold Jackson, commentary editor for The Philadelphia Inquirer’s South Jersey edition, said readers occasionally write letters critiquing the newspaper and “if it’s a valid criticism that other readers might appreciate, I will print it. It gives us some credibility that we print criticism of ourselves.”

In Minnesota, newspapers participate in and publish findings of the Minnesota News Council, an independent group of journalists and members of the public that reviews complaints about media. The council provides “a forum where the public and the news media can engage each other in examining standards of fairness.” Among other activities, the council hears public complaints about news coverage and reports its findings.

KEEP THE NEWSROOM TALKING

“I think it’s extremely important to have an environment in which people in the newsroom actually hear what people say about how they’re doing. We need to open our ears to that.” Jack Fuller Tribune Publishing Co.

Newsroom staffs won’t do anything for long if it doesn’t connect to getting the newspaper out every day. Busy reporters and editors won’t be able to give priority to reader comments if they are not part of the newsroom routine.

Gelfand, reader representative at the Star Tribune, presents a reader report to top editors each day at the news meeting. He lists recommended corrections and reader comments gathered that day. The reader log also is posted in the computer system where the rest of the staff can read it.

Distribute reader comments

Other newspaper editors send out daily or weekly messages summarizing reader comments or make them part of coverage discussions among the staff.

The daily news meeting may be the best time to get editors talking about comments from readers. Ask staff members to think about ways they might use reader input. Don’t offer or encourage opinions about whether the readers are right or wrong.

Success requires leadership

Staff members are not likely to sustain their interest in reader comments if top editors don’t regularly show interest.

Roser, the Austin reporter who frequently talks to her readers, said her editors ask about the response she gets.

“They want to know what people are saying,” she said, “What kind of reaction have you gotten? They want to know, too.”

Discussion guides Several guides in Chapter VI relate to this chapter: Guide 1 — “You’re biased!” Guide 2 — Jesse Jackson’s affair Guide 3 — “Grieving over news” Guide 9 — False report on Clinton Guide 12 — “Heart without a home” Guide 14 — “Miracle match” Guide 15 — Death of a boy Resources Contacts and publications Samples of newspaper contact information The Orange County Register's Customer Bill of Rights San Diego ombudsman job description Ten Commandments of Ombudsmen

NOTES

1. Urban & Associates, Examining Our Credibility, Perspectives of the Public and the Press, American Society of Newspaper Editors, 1999, p. 26.

2. Journalism Values Institute and The Harwood Group, Journalism Values Handbook, American Society of Newspaper Editors, 1996, p. 48.

3. “Feedback,” Daily Press, Newport News, Va., June 29, 2000.

4. Robert Rivard, “A Commitment and a Confession,” San Antonio Express-News, July 16, 2000.

5. Wendy Whitt, “Notes from Your Advocate,” Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune, Aug. 14, 1999.