THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 19, 1995 TAG: 9502170040
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LYNN FEIGENBAUM
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
When Richard Gonder was named to his new position on Sept. 6, 1974, his mission was clearly stated: He would monitor accuracy and fairness in The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star.
Under the headline ``Newspapers name special editor to hear from public,'' the story explained why the public editor's position was created.
``We need to do a better job of listening to the public,'' said Frank Batten, then publisher of the newspapers. ``Through the public editor we expect to establish an effective two-way communications channel for response to comments, complaints, suggestions and questions. . . .
``He will have the authority and responsibility to give forthright and complete explanations of mistakes, shortcomings and other targets of criticism in our news products.''
Well, the ``he'' is a ``she'' today, and the newspapers' publisher is Frank Batten Jr. But 20-plus years later, not much has changed in the mission of the public editor.
The name of this column is the same - A Report to Readers. And I even hear from a few callers who bent Dick Gonder's ear two decades (and five public editors) ago. Now there's community continuity!
I called Gonder last week after I realized I had missed, by a few months, the 20th anniversary of the public editorship. That's quite a milestone considering that the first newspaper ombudsman - at the Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal - dates back only to 1967.
What's startling is how many concerns today are an echo of the '70s. Then again, others were strictly a product of the times.
Two decades ago, the public editor wrote about:
How the rising cost of newsprint was forcing the papers to raise home-delivery prices. One consolation: Newsstand copies would remain at 15 cents.
A mischievous columnist named Lawrence Maddry irked society readers by referring to a ``buxom lady'' and nicknaming the royals ``Chuck,'' ``Di'' and the ``royal mum.'' Heavens, we would never write so scandalously today.
Strong concerns were expressed in letters to the editor about rising crime, abortion, downtown development, the state penal system, gun laws, child abuse and the economy. Sound familiar? A few issues were more dated: the Sunday Blue Law, Vietnam refugees, a proposed oil refinery for Portsmouth.
Editors were responding to readers' wishes through such improvements as Sunday stock tables for the Pilot Business section, late sports scores for Chesapeake-Portsmouth readers, bigger type size for the Sunday crossword solution.
Carriers and their parents protested a decision to publish the Pilot and Ledger on Christmas Day '77 since it fell on a Sunday. (For many years, Christmas was a publishing holiday for the Pilot and Ledger.)
Readers criticized the newspapers for going ``a long way to glorify the seamy side of life'' by writing about belly dancers and male hookers, and for being ``insensitive to the plight of victims of crime.''
Reaction was plentiful in October 1977 to the first combined Pilot-Ledger. Gonder described it as ``a whale of a paper, full of bright new features,'' but longtime Pilot readers grumbled. ``This looks like a damned tabloid - all those heavy rules and heavy type,'' said one.
Deja vu or culture shock, the feedback continues and we still need to listen to the public. That goal will never change.
THE DREADED CD LISTING. One complaint I didn't find from the good ol' days was how we ran our CD/Money Market rates. That's probably because we didn't offer such a chart back then.
Anyway, the deluge of calls about the revised (and shortened) Business Weekly chart continued through this week. But patience please!
Be assured the problem is getting plenty of discussion on the Business News staff. In fact, Business Weekly editor Ted Evanoff will address the issue Monday in the section's opinion page.
Believe me, we're all looking forward to the last word on the subject.
MEMO: Call the public editor at 446-2475, or send a computer message to
lynn(AT)infi.net. by CNB