Sing with me! "We've ... got ... (no!) per-son-al-i-ty ... "
The pseudonymous Greensboro blogger Mr. Sun* had an interesting observation the other day (if, by "interesting," you mean, "cuts me to the quick"):
I stopped reading the News & Record a while back. I subscribe for the advertisements, but I get my news online. I scan the News & Record for can't-miss items, but I no longer read it. The thing that has struck me about the News & Record blogs is that they reveal the personality of the writers. I never miss them. I read them daily. I look forward to finding out what the writers think about things. I wonder what they will say about current events. The content in the newspaper, by contrast, is stilted and dry. I never find myself anticipating anything in the print version of the News & Record. ...In the orgy of self-analysis overcoming the traditional and online media, I hope this point isn't lost. I like hearing the voice of actual human beings who know more about things than me. Right now, all of the emphasis is on the knowledge, but let's not forget the voice. ...
Mr. Sun has touched on one of the biggest sources of creative tension in a newsroom: writing vs. reporting.
I think my editing peers would agree with me when we say that we put more emphasis on the knowledge rather than the voice for a reason: Screwing up the voice can get you ignored, as Mr. Sun observes, but screwing up the knowledge can get you sued. Mr. Sun also says specifically that he wants to hear voices of people "who know more about things than me," and the way a writer gets to know more than Mr. Sun is by reporting.
Too, for the past century or so, newspapers have tried to be "objective," a description that extends not only to what they cover but also how. In some stories, the weight of facts is enough to satisfy the reader. But most readers, most of the time, are looking for something more.
This basic tension between fairness and flair underlies the problem Mr. Sun describes, and few reporters (or editors) can balance those competing needs successfully.
How do we fix this problem? I have a few half-formed ideas I'll throw out.
To start with, voices usually are made, not born, and they're usually not made right away. Rather, writers tend to develop their own distinctive voices only after years of practice and reading other writers' work. There are some exceptions, of course, but few work in the newspaper bidness and those who do tend to gravitate toward the largest markets pretty quickly. So we could:
We also have to encourage writers to take more risks, to experiment more. The N&R, to judge from what I hear from editors at some other papers, actually does an OK job of this by industry standards, but industry standards ain't much to brag about. Fairness and time are probably the two biggest reasons, but we probably also need to make it a regular, near-automatic part of the routine.
Long-term, the solution might be what political bloggers all along the political spectrum have called for, which is for newspapers and other mainstream media to identify once again with specific political parties or positions, as they did more than a century ago. It's funny, but they stopped doing that and tried to become more "objective" as a means of reaching larger audiences. So now do we have to do the opposite to pursue the same goal?
I don't know. But I am fairly good at math, and as Mr. Sun's comments illustrate, keeping on doing what we've been doing isn't an option likely to help ensure our long-term survival as a news organization. Whether we continue to publish on dead trees or someday morph into an all 'Net/broadcast hybrid or transmit news electronically into chips implanted in people's buttocks, we've got to make it interesting or, no matter how important it is, people won't pay attention.
*Full disclosure: I know Mr. Sun in real life. No, I won't tell you who he is.
Comments (12)
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Quick, somebody who sits close to Lex, punch him and tell him that he's not yet editor of the paper, even if John Robinson appears to be abdicating that position to him. Also a free copy of Death by Journalism? to the first reader to recall a memorable story, writing-wise, or reporting-wise by Lex Alexander.
Posted on September 24, 2004 2:05 PM
haiku to jerry bledsoe:
you wrote bitter blood
now it courses through your veins
souring your spirit
Wherever you squat to deposit your foul droppings, Bledsoe -- I shall be there to duel you.
Posted on September 24, 2004 2:16 PM
I have never before (nor since) regularly read a religion column in any paper - but Lex's was a must read each week. So, yes, I recall plenty of memorable pieces by Lex.
If I'm first, I look forward to my free book. I guess second prize is two books, right?
Posted on September 24, 2004 3:34 PM
This is from Mr. Sun's blog: "...Learn what fate has in
store for you should you anger Mr. Sun.
First, I will slap you hard on your insolent face. This will
sting. Simultaneously, my lightning-quick feet will deliver
fierce foot poundings to dishonor and disable you. There will be
no rest, for I will then swiftly punch you in your bloated gut.
Ouch, that will surely hurt. You will feebly attempt to strike
me; I will block it and hit you with great force. As you reach
out to call 9-1-1, I shall unsheath my bow and deliver an arrow
as a warning shot. I will toss you a sword, and face you with my
own blade glinting in the sun. On guard! With my free hand, I
will shower you with horrific chops. My sword will skewer you,
and I will remove it and watch you die."
Sounds as if this could have come from a young Fritz
Klenner. Since you know Mr. Sun's identity, Lex, shouldn't you as
a responsible news person reveal it so the cops can keep an eye
out and the citizenry can feel a little safer?
Posted on September 24, 2004 4:26 PM
And who are you again?
Posted on September 24, 2004 4:58 PM
Hmm, let's see. If I've got to put money on whether Mr. Sun or Bledsoe will win the slap fight, I'm betting on Mr. Sun. But if I have to put money on which of the two is the greater threat to the citizenry, it's gotta be Bledsoe.
Hey, guys, I know it's Friday and all, but take it outside, wouldja? Replacing the crockery gets expensive. Thanks.
Posted on September 24, 2004 4:59 PM
Jerry,
It's time to fire up that weblog your son set up so long ago. It could be named The News & Record of the New News & Record. (N&R of the NN&R)
Back and forth bitch slapping would be fast and furious and the whole thing could be quite the spectator sport. I know I would link.
Posted on September 24, 2004 6:37 PM
As a well-known pacifist, who doesn't know the difference between fighting and f***ing, I just want to say, "can't we all just get along?"
Posted on September 24, 2004 7:25 PM
People, people -- don't worry about us! I *think* I speak for Jerry when I say we're just playing with words -- the most fun toys ever! If we let violence and death in the room, it's only to make them dance.
Posted on September 24, 2004 8:04 PM
Hey, don't get me wrong. There's nothing I love more than a good old-fashion blogfight. Especially if it's over one of my favorite topics; law, politics, religion, or the media.
For me, the issue is that each genre has its place and value. What's NOT happening is none of them are admitting they are what they are.
If I want whole wheat with hot pepper spread, I'll get it. If I want Wonder Bread white, I'll get that. But don't confuse the two. If you're white bread, admit it, (and there's nothing wrong with white bread) and be the best white bread you can be.
Anybody ever notice that I use a lot of food analogies?
Posted on September 25, 2004 8:16 AM
I think I have two or three Blesdoe books in the house, that I enjoyed reading.
I am going to find them all and send them straight to the used-book store, and I'm never buying another Bledsoe book again.
It's one thing to disagree with another person. It's another to attack that viciously for no reason that I can see.
The papers I've enjoyed reading the most often in the last several years have been the Daily Tar Heel (UNC-CH's openly liberal campus newspaper) and the Independent, another unabashedly left-leaning weekly. If I want the bare facts, I can check Google news at any time.
Posted on September 25, 2004 1:48 PM
It's hard to put my finger on any single thing I remember about Mr. Alexander's work, but I seem to recall he was the recipient of a rather prestigious national award for his reporting on matters of faith, spirituality and ethics a few years back. At the time, that body of work struck me as thought-provoking, moving and eloquently presented. In light of the sniping from Mr. Bledsoe, I hope Mr. Alexander and the community took some pride in that national recognition.
Posted on September 29, 2004 4:39 PM