News-Record.com

"I was thinking about ways to make the discussions on this blog more constructive "

Constructive as in being receptive and giving equal consideration to opposing points of view instead of a brick wall defense of everything that is published in the N&R?

Past experience of reading this blog shows it's owner has a low tolerance for dissenting points of view, especially those critical of the N&R. Dissent is necessary for a healthy discussion and is by definition, not "troll" behavior.

Constructive as in a conversation that intends to illuminate rather than criticize. Constructive as in a conversation in which commenters don't assume they know the thoughts or intents of the other commenters.

If you look at the comments here, you'll note that eight comments were made before I responded. Some of the comments I would consider constructive; others not so much. More of the former and fewer of the latter.

Criticism can be illuminating if one is open minded enough to give it consideration. Shirking from it and desiring it to go away is a control issue; there are plenty of blogs out there that are moderated in that fashion. In the end they are just echo chambers that validate the owner and like minded readers.

That was me above.

Agreed. (Thanks for adding your name, hugh.)

I doubt anyone would say this blog is in danger of becoming an echo chamber used by like-minded readers.

I'm not against disagreement. I'm asking for civilized conversation that goes somewhere, where people listen before they respond and don't make personal attacks. I don't think that is unreasonable.

I agree so long as valid criticism isn't perceived as a personal attack.

Personally, I prefer to make comments without posting my identity for several reasons.
This blog is usually pretty benign, but there are other blogs on here that can get pretty intense. It is hard to have to remember to change your name, so it is much easier to just type under a made up name or...to use a name that pertains to the blog.

I guess the worst thing is that you do generate some "knee jerk" or just plain "jerk" reactions, from both the blog owner and poster...but that is usually easily recognized.

Anyway here are some of my thougts and a few of myreasons:

#1. I feel that someone can read my posted thoughts and look at the comment WITHOUT attaching it to name. For instance there is one local politican that I simply loathe....however, I read an article by that same person recently without noticing the name. I actually agreed to many of his thoughts....and boy was I surprised when I finally read who wrote the piece. I gained some insight on this person that I did not know prior to reading his article. I might have actually skipped the piece if I had seen his name first.

#2. At times when I comment on blogs, I do NOT want to be known because I do NOT want anyone to contact me and follow up on a more
personal level. (If one signs with their name, all the other person has to do is look them up in the phone book and make a call.)

#3. I think that you may get a truer sense of what is on the minds of most folks "if" they do not have to attach a name. What are they trying to find out, trying to convey? (Unfortunately, this does lead to some undesirable comments....I personally would NOT make lewd comments anyway, so for me that is not even a concern.)

#4. In this age of "political" correctness even if you are only legitimately "questioning" events, and trying to get to the truth, or trying to get your local editor to do a bit of research on his own.... you could be painted in a mis-understood light AND even "disowned" by the local editor.

#5. The neat things about blogs in general is that they do provoke thought.......and hopefully thoughtful and intense research. So many things have been brought to light that otherwise would never be mentioned if one were required to post a true name.

#6. Some folks are painfully shy, and would NEVER post a word if they had to identify themselves. In that case, you may lose some very valuable input.

#7. Greensboro is the biggest small town around.

So, John, these are just a few reasons why so many of us post under names other than our true identity. Just my thougts.

Would like to add my name.to the growing list of people that say your new sign in procedure SUCKS. Must of us have more important things to do in the morning, than waste time. It time for golf now! BYE

John, really, sincerely, I'm sorry I called you a douche bag. It was one time. It was inappropriate. I was going for a cheap laugh. I never thought of the downstream repercussions ie you going off into a paranoid fugue state of panic re: how you are perceived by the blogging community.

I think this is the main issue here. When you seemingly "insult" someone here you assume they are reasonably well- adjusted and psychologically healthy and can handle sort of locker-room insults and as John shows, this may be a faulty assumption. Some people think that blog entries should be considered binding legal documents and should be qualified, even notarized in some manner.

Please. For the sake of some people. No more insults and also no more threads like this one, okay John. We get the message.

I don't understand why we had no educational coverage on Wed after the Tuesday meeting. This was a very important meeting, new members sworn in, new supt, etc. Naming of a school for Doris Henderson and other things. on Thursday, a day and a half after the event we had 3 inches on the swearing in of the Board Members. The N&R could have looked at TV and written the story. However, they did not. Education is the most important local story we have. You can't have it both ways, you say no one is interested in national stories, they are only interested in local stories, but here is a case where the N&R showed no interest in a great local story. It is sad to see what is happening. Is one story every two weeks too much for the education reporter? Do you understand that thousands of people look forward to certain coverage of local events to be in the paper.

There must be a reason for this. Pls share with us what the problem is.

Enough said.

I don't know the answer to your question, Joe, but I'll find out tomorrow. I will say that swearing in new members isn't what we would consider an important news item. I think we have reported that a school was to be named for Doris Henderson. I know we have reported that the board was considering it.

But I'll get the answer and respond tomorrow.

For clarification: I don't believe I have ever said "no one is interested in national stories."

John, I think this Joe Stafford guy is a secret troll. He kind of questioned your priorities, so he's eighty percent of the way toward N&R troll qualification. PLUS how do you know it was really Joe ?

Just wanted to warn you.

Everyone is interested in education and the fact that the achievement levels in Guilford Co. is well below state average. If you wanted to forget the coverage of the meeting but was writing meaningful articles on local educational issues, I would understand. In over 60 years of reading the paper, we have never had so little coverage of educational issues as we do now. The interest is out there.
Did anyone notice that the Petty Enterprises story was an AP feed instead of a locally reported story. We have gone from long articles to short articles to no articles. This may not be the end but it is the beginning of the end. Don't desert us, we need a newspaper.

There is no question that you have made a concious effort to send national stories to the back of the paper. I understand but do not agree on the reasoning. Your local stories are good soft human interest stories not about the issues that we are facing or will face in the future.

Nora Carr was introduced at the Board of Education meeting. It was here second day on the job. A 150k PR person is just what we need. Where is the coverage? It wan on the blog, but not in the paper. The Rhino reported cranks out 3 to 4 articles per week. The N&R reported does less than one article per week. And the articles he produces and not lengthy articles but just a brief report on what happened. The N&R does not get its priorities right. Things will not change untill top management moves from the denial stage to the examination stage.

You're right, Joe. We screwed up on the school board story.

As for the other, was there something wrong with the Petty story? It read pretty complete to us. We had our racing writer read it before publication, but there wasn't a need to duplicate the story just for a local byline.

Thanks for the reply.

I always thought that your reserved national stories on local participants to your own reporting staff. When you don't give your own people first dibs on a story like petty you marginalize them. I want the best coverage. It should come from the local reporter rather than an AP stringer.

I mean this with respect, but that's old thinking. We get the story from AP and we think it's complete so we go with it. It allows our reporter -- who doesn't feel marginalized -- to report on other things rather than simply match a story that we already have (and have paid for.) We don't think the reader misses anything, and, in fact, gains something because our reporter is writing something that AP won't have.

I have not seen any of your school board coverage about Nora Carr...

BUT, you need to note in it -- if you ever do it or do it again -- that she was not replaced in Char-Meck schools...

They did not hire a replacement for her.

They just shifted her responsibilities to her subordinate.

I thought for sure N&R alum Mark Folk (and my editor during high school on the Hoofprint at Myers Park) would go for and get the job (he's been in PR for 10+ years now for First Union and now -- maybe -- Wachovia and his dad was a big-wig in CMS back in the day. Plus, he is more than qualified and a good guy...).

When they announced Carr would not be replaced, I felt bad for whatever suckers hired her for such a large salary... I didnt realize it was Guilford.. :-/