A retraction -- at least, part of one
Last night we blasted the O's editors for what we called "burying" today's James Chasse story. But it has been called to our attention that in the print version of today's paper (which we had not seen last night), the story gets the most prominent play possible:
That being the case, it's wrong to say that the story was "buried." Running it on a national holiday at the start of the three-day weekend, however, significantly diminished its impact. It should have been held for Monday.
| Posted at 3:09 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (10)
These editorial decisions to "soften" the blow for abusers, liars and other real troublemakers, only prolong the agony for victims, their families and others in the community who care. It may seem like the good old thing to do, but utimately it just makes the editors look bad. And why those reporters over there don't often question the actions of editors is something I think many of us would like to understand.
Posted by Cynthia | July 3, 2009 3:22 PM
I'm sure they do question them sometimes. But hey, if you're going to tell your boss how to do his or her job, you have to pick your spots carefully.
Posted by Jack Bog | July 3, 2009 3:25 PM
A footnote: I notice that the newsstand price of the O is up to a buck. A painful move.
Posted by Jack Bog | July 3, 2009 3:29 PM
A dollar for the daily paper ?!?!?!?
Monday's edition is a leaflet....
I predict the demise of the Oregonian within one year....
Posted by Fonzi | July 3, 2009 4:18 PM
I bought a weekday Oregonian in Ashland last week. I handed the clerk a $1 bill and noticed that I did not get a quarter back from her.
When I asked about it, she said the paper was $1. I figured they marked up the price because Ashland is so far from Portland.
When I got back to PDX, I bought another paper and realized that the price had indeed gone up.
This paper is sucking wind and will not be around much longer. Either that or they will just keep jacking up the price to see how long they can postpone the inevitable end.
Posted by none | July 3, 2009 4:31 PM
I will always buy the Friday Oregonian for "How We Live - Sustainability." Only a guest appearance by Ziggy in Family Circus would make it any funnier.
Today we learned how to "grill green." (Hint: Charcoal is out and lentils fall through the grills.)
Posted by Garage Wine | July 3, 2009 4:56 PM
Thanks, Garage Wine (Pinot?),
I have some salmon smoking on the back porch and a flank steak ready for the BBQ after marinating in teriyaki and horseradish. Seriously, you should try it! Killing the earth for dinner. Such power!
Posted by PDX Native | July 3, 2009 7:49 PM
Speaking of burying stories...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/02/AR2009070201563.html?wprss=rss_politics
The Post's mea culpa was more like a wimper, buried deep on their site. For those who haven't heard (which is probably most folks), the Post was charging up to $250,000 for access to reporters and politicians. Wonder if this was their new business model...
Posted by TKrueg | July 3, 2009 8:23 PM
Whatever the any other some way, there is a good example here, simply, in the words "it was wrong."
Mass media could recover so much if they only would begin with oops, our bad, we got fooled, starting over -- the true news is such-and-such ...
And I'm not talking only about Sorry Failin as the web that phony massmedia lies tangled and being strangled in.
Posted by Tenskwatawa | July 4, 2009 10:52 AM
True the paper as it is currently "written" is a joke and a ripoff but you must give credit where credit is due. Humphreys should be tried for MURDER.
Posted by gg | July 4, 2009 7:20 PM