Inside The Enterprise: Editors' Blog

Deadlines inhibit late sports scores

2009-11-17T16:20:00.000-08:00

One of the most appealing things about a career in journalism is the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects.

In my decades in the business I’ve covered governmental meetings and murder trials; rubbed elbows with entertainers, politicians and other “celebrities”; attended social functions; and had all manner of interesting adventures.

Working for two smaller newspapers, I even took photographs of sporting events, including football.

What I have never done, however, is actually write about sports.

In a region of the country known for its love of football — particularly high school football — that’s a bit of a handicap. For that reason, readers who call with questions, comments or problems about football coverage might end up talking to our sports editor, Dave Wilson.

Though fairly new to The Enterprise, Wilson is a Texas native who spent most of his growing-up years in Kilgore — a great football town. He has substantial newspaper and sports experience, not to mention he can answer those football questions that sometimes mystify me.

A sports issue that arose recently was coverage, or lack thereof, of the Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles game played on Sunday, Nov. 8. The next day’s paper contained a photograph from the game, with a caption that included the score. Inside line scores were outdated, not reflecting the Sunday game. But the greatest sin of all was that the sports section included a photograph and full-coverage story on the New Orleans Saints’ game against the Carolina Panthers.

While we certainly have some Saints fans among our readers (and fans of the Texans, whose game was on the section cover) most everybody knows that this is actually Cowboy country.

So what happened? The answer is the same problem that hounds any print media trying to compete with Web sites and electronic media. We publish one edition per day — and have tight deadlines. BeaumontEnterprise.com can have current news posted in moments and be updated many times each day. But we only print one newspaper every day.

The night of the game, the Cowboys game ran late. We weren’t sure we could get anything, but were able to hold that one page to get in the photo and caption. The Saints game, which ended substantially earlier, was over in time for an inside story. The standings page already had been completed and sent so couldn’t be updated with post-game details — so the Cowboys standings were wrong.

It’s not something that makes us happy, but it is the reality of a printed media.

A century or more ago, people might not get to read a newspaper until it was weeks old — and they were happy to get to read that “old” news. In more recent history, the daily newspaper has been current enough for most readers, but times, particularly in the news business, have changed drastically in the last few years.

Our Web site helps us keep up with those times, but the daily deadline is always going to keep the printed newspaper from being the most current news. In return, it generally gives you the most detailed news — just not in this case.

* * *

Speaking of the sports section, households in which that portion of the paper is in high demand now have an inexpensive alternative to keep two readers happy at the same time.

Our eEdition, the electronic version of our printed product, is now available to current print subscribers for only a penny per month — 12 cents a year.

So, if one person wants to hold the paper in his or her hands, while the other wants to read it on a computer, that’s possible for a very small cost. The eEdition also allows e-mailing of stories — so Grandma in Topeka can see how great Johnny did in the playoff game.

To take advantage of the bargain rate, log on to BeaumontEnterprise.com/services/subscribe/ and click on the “add an eEdition for a penny” link.

Non-print subscribers will still be charged the regular rate of $8.95 per month.

Goal remains same despite changes

2009-11-12T16:28:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009

Thursday’s tragic shooting at Fort Hood in Killeen allowed newspapers across the country to do what they do best: go behind the scenes, chase down leads, and tell the stories of the people directly impacted by the events of the day.

Yes, there were blog comments and rumors running rampant on the Internet. Yes, everyone had something to say about the deaths of those 13, mostly young, soldiers who were killed and the 30 who were wounded.

Readers have to recognize the difference between news and commentary. Newspapers offer the most complete and, I dare say, accurate accounts of events such as this. A 30-second interview on a news broadcast doesn’t offer the same depth of understanding that a well-written news story can.

It is at these times that readers learn to value what a newspaper bring to stories.

* * *

Returning readers’ telephone calls is a big part of the Reader Representative role. It involves diligent effort, patience, and sometimes a fair amount of courage.

Returning every telephone call used to be a matter of pride to me. Now, I readily admit, that’s no longer always possible.

Generally readers who leave messages about corrections don’t get a return call. Instead we just run the correction.

If readers call about a delivery issue, I send that to someone who can help. Readers who call about other newspaper issues are referred to those departments.

Realistically, if I can’t help the reader, I don’t always call back because they need to talk to the person who can be of the most help.

Then there are the readers we simply can’t help.

One who called a couple of weeks ago left a long message about everything we are doing wrong: the paper’s not big enough; we aren’t covering the stories they want us to cover; we are making too many errors; he doesn’t like our puzzles; he doesn’t like our comics; he doesn’t like our markets page; he doesn’t like our opinions page; and he thinks some of our stories are “stupid.” Frankly, I don’t know what to say other than, “OK.”

I can explain the relationship between advertising sales and the size of the newspaper, ?something addressed in this space in the past. I can explain our news philosophy; tell them how to get information they think they are missing; talk about deadlines; costs; the changing face of newspapers. I can explain many things, but I can’t make someone who says he hates us, like us.

I did call him back, but he wasn’t available, so I left a message that I was sorry we disappointed him and that he was unhappy with his newspaper.

We listen to readers and consider them in making decisions, but we also recognize not everybody will be happy with everything we do.

So, I will continue to do my best to return calls and have conversations with frustrated readers, but recognize, while we value your opinions, the world has changed and we’ve changed with it. Suggesting that we do things the way we used to do them is not only foolhardy, it’s unrealistic in today’s business market.

* * *

While we’re discussing reader telephone calls, I’ll share another concern.
Keep in mind the Reader Representative role is to help with problems or concerns involving The Enterprise.

If you just hate the current administration in Washington (or Austin); if you want to complain about specific ethnic or religious groups; if you have a pothole in your street; or if your neighbor’s dog keeps coming into your yard, I’m not the one to call.

I can’t fix every problem you have with The Enterprise, but I can try to address them. If you want to talk politics or complain in general, you might try a letter to the editor or take advantage of the opportunity to join our online community of commentors. Blogs such as “The Bayou” are the perfect place to vent your spleen.

We have other page 2A columns, such as Mike Smith’s “Driver’s Seat,” on Mondays or Amy Moore’s “Asked and Answered” on Fridays, that can help with some questions or problems you might have.

Quick solution caused brief uproar

2009-11-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

Fewer than a dozen readers called or e-mailed complaints last week when we made a last-minute decision to omit the Markets Page from our Thursday edition in favor of more space for sports coverage. It was, after all, the first game of the 2009 World Series.

Although we’d love to keep all of our readers happy all of the time, sometimes that’s an impossibility. We have to make difficult decisions. We knew some readers would be unhappy with our choice, but we made it anyway. All who called to complain had their reasons for being upset, but I thought the most significant of the complaints came from a business teacher who said she used the market page in her classroom — something we’re always glad to hear.

The readers seemed relieved to know that it wasn’t a long-term plan, but rather a quick solution to an unforeseen problem.

Will we do it again? Maybe, if circumstances warrant it. But we currently have no plans to make it a regular occurrence or a permanent omission.

In making such decisions, we always consider whether information in question is local and available in a better or more timely form through another source.

•

Enterprise reporters and editors spent a day last week learning about investigative reporting using public records available through Freedom of Information requests.

Guest speaker Brian Collister, Emmy-winning investigative reporter for WOAI-TV 4 in San Antonio, visited The Enterprise to conduct the all-day sessions.

An active member of the national Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) and a member of the board of directors of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, Collister has spent most of his career as an investigative reporter.

Although our processes in general might be less formal than in some other professions, we make an effort to continue learning how to improve our skills on a regular basis.

In a changing profession, the need to upgrade our skills is unrelenting.

•

Both our print readers and Web readers might have noticed that we have started to publish advertisements for a new book, a collection of columns by longtime Enterprise columnist Jane McBride.

“Grace, Gratitude & Generosity: A Family Portrait,” offers fans the opportunity to re-read favorites or to share them with friends and family.

Go to janemcbridebook.com to order online. Online orders also include free shipping.

•

Sudoku fans continue to call and e-mail with complaints about the size of the squares in the new version of the puzzle we began to run last month.

We DO have plans to change the puzzle and make the squares larger, but, just as we don’t make quick decisions, sometimes we aren’t able to move quickly in making these kinds of changes.

Bear with us for a couple more weeks and we’ll get the puzzle back to a more usable form. Meanwhile, several Sudoku fans have offered seconds on the comment from the reader who dubbed it “absolutely useless” in its current form.

•

If you didn’t cast your ballot during early voting, don’t forget to vote today.

A big part of my job is handling complaints from readers who object to virtually any change we make in the paper, but the reality is our whole world is awash with changes these days.

One of the negative changes is a growth of voter apathy. Don’t become part of that apathy. Today’s election is about amendments to the state constitution. Although we encourage every citizen to vote and express their own opinion on the issues, if you need more information, The Enterprise has made suggestions on its editorial page and Web site: tinyurl.com/BallotAdvice.

Reporter Mike D. Smith also wrote an informative article about the election in Monday’s edition. That’s available online at tinyurl.com/StateAmends

Take the time to become educated about the issues and vote today.

Perplexed puzzle fans plead for space

2009-10-27T16:11:00.000-07:00

Mention September of 2005 and most Southeast Texans will conjure up memories of Hurricane Rita. But in that week between the landfall of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and our own experiences with Rita, another small change came to Beaumont.

In the midst of publishing stories about volunteers helping refugees housed at Ford Park, The Enterprise launched the publication of a then little-known number puzzle called Sudoku.

For the 12 people who have no idea what I am talking about, the puzzle involves a grid with nine spaces in each direction. The grid is divided into nine smaller grids that are three spaces across and down.

Some of the numbers are provided. The object of the puzzle is to fill in the blank squares with the remaining numbers — one through nine — so that each number appears only once in each horizontal line, each vertical line, and each smaller grid.

Leading up to the launch of the puzzle, I tried to familiarize myself with it and learned one vital secret to success — pencil. If you work the Sudoku puzzle, you’re going to erase — a lot.

That first week, and the weeks after Rita, I answered a great many Sudoku puzzle questions. One of the most pressing was: “How do I get the answers?”

We had selected a Sudoku puzzle provider that did not publish answers, but instead, required that readers go to their Web site. That was simply part of the deal.
But we did listen to those complaints and take them to heart.

So, as we made plans for our recent conversion to a new writing and page building computer program at The Enterprise, we discovered the old Sudoku puzzle was not compatible with the way we now are creating pages. It gave us the opportunity to provide our readers with a better product . . . or so we thought.

We found an option that would provide our readers with the answers. We thought we were doing a good thing. At least a couple dozen readers have let us know we failed —miserably. Who knew 81 little squares could cause such uproar?

The new puzzle, in making room to include the answer grid, has smaller squares. We reasoned that would be acceptable because the squares are about the same size as the squares in our crossword puzzle. Our readers told us how wrong we were.

In determining the correct answer puzzle workers make note of options in the open square, eliminating the options that don’t work as they fill in the blanks. Some readers have described our new Sudoku puzzle as “absolutely useless.”

We’ve pondered various options, but as yet have no viable solution to the problem we created.

Be patient and don’t give up on us. We hear you and we’re trying to come up with a resolution.

* * *

One of my jobs as Reader Representative is to handle corrections. Sometimes those errors are obvious and sometimes they are more subtle. Sometimes we even dispute the fact that someone thinks we made an error.

Such was the case when a BISD spokeswoman called to complain about a perceived error in a Sunday, Oct. 18, story saying the cost of the district’s athletic complex rose by $14 million.

The argument was that, since the district figured in inflation and other fees as part of the $388.6 million bond package passed in 2007, that the rise in the cost from $29 million to $44 million was always expected and part of the original issue voters approved.

A check of The Enterprise archives showed, several times, those voters were told, on our pages, that the cost of the complex would be $29 million. Yes, the bond issue included $72 million for inflation and $4.6 million for a regional construction premium, but a 48 percent change for one project seems out of the realm of planned costs.

We chose to stand by our story, because BISD never questioned that original figure before the election.

Meanwhile Dr. Carrol Thomas, BISD’s superintendent is complaining that members of the media are misrepresenting the facts.

Even the media doubted balloon boy

2009-10-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

We’ve been punk’d.

For those who haven’t been subjected to MTV in recent years, we’ll just say manipulated.

Thursday, when a Fort Collins, Colo., couple called law enforcement authorities to report that their 6-year-old son was aboard a flying saucer-shaped helium balloon soaring high over the mountainous terrain, it attracted worldwide attention.

Newspapers, live television and Internet sites all followed the harrowing journey.

According to an Associated Press story, the balloon traveled more than 50 miles and generated an all-out, five-hour search that included military helicopters, a ground search and even a mounted posse.

The AP story said officials even rerouted commercial aircraft and shut down some flights at the Denver airport. (Imagine how the people whose flights were delayed felt about this.)

When the balloon landed and the boy was nowhere in sight, a search began for his body, thought to have fallen out somewhere along the craft’s path. However, the 6-year-old, Falcon Heene, wasn’t actually in the balloon. Instead he was said to have been hiding in the rafters of the family’s garage during the heart-pounding search.

The world breathed a collective sigh of relief for a day or so.

Then information began surfacing that the whole story seemed a bit off. It didn’t help that the family had participated in the ABC show “Wife Swap.” Twice. That was the first (or maybe second or third) hint that things might be a bit off.

As the AP quoted Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden, the family “put on a very good show for us, and we bought it."

As of Sunday, news reports indicated the whole thing was a plan two weeks in the making, an effort to seal a deal for another reality show touting the father of the family as a “mad scientist.”

Authorities are even looking into the possibility that others conspired with the family to stage the hoax. Criminal charges are pending, and there’s also the issue of the search and rescue costs — about $14,500 just for the helicopters.

Nobody was surprised to learn that the parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, met in acting school in Hollywood.
* * *
How does someone manipulate the media enough to get this kind of attention?

It starts with the authorities. Journalists usually don’t make up stories. We get our information from official sources that we consider to be credible. When people who are experts in this kind of thing tell us something, we generally believe them, at least initially.

There’s also the link to the local Colorado media. Stories, even stories on the Internet, don’t go as global as quickly as this one did unless reporters at newspapers, television stations and Web sites in that vicinity put the news out.

The Associated Press might have an office in Denver, but initial Associated Press reports would have come from local media.

That’s not meant to be critical of either the authorities or the local media. If someone reports something that means a child’s life might be at risk, it is the authorities’ job to act first and ask questions later — which is what they did.

The media followed their lead, though they did manage to get the real story turned around rather quickly.

The incident also serves as a good example of the changing media. Thirty years ago, without the instant news of the Internet, most media would have had time to investigate a bit further before printing or broadcasting the story. Now all we can do is go back and undo the lies we told our readers with explanations of how they happened.
* * *
Continuing on the theme of change discussed in this space last week, we have more changes coming, but if things work the way we hope they will, readers won’t even notice.

The changes we are making involve internal processes concerning how we write stories and produce pages for your newspaper. We hope it will be a smooth transition that will allow us to better serve our readers in a variety of ways.

Don’t hesitate to let me know if you notice problems, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed as we continue our efforts to be the best product we can be.

The Reader Representative line is currently out of service, so call (409)838-2846 if you need to contact me.

New ‘friends’ should know boundaries

2009-10-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009

My list of “friends” has grown substantially in the last week.

The quotation marks, reflecting the ironic use of the word “friends,” is to make it clear that, while some of these people are actual friends, there also are several I’ve never even met.

Such is the world of social networking. Yes, I’m now out there on Facebook.

Within the next couple of weeks, all the writers and editors at The Enterprise will have established professional Facebook pages in an effort to allow more direct contact with our readers. You might not find out their high school nickname, or what kind of pet they have, but you’ll know about their education and journalistic qualifications and be able to put a face with the names that have become familiar to you.

In my parents’ day, people communicated via handwritten notes and letters, with “long-distance” phone calls limited to emergencies or infrequent special occasions.

Now, though I phone my geographically distant friends and relatives occasionally, I’m more likely to shoot them an e-mail. E-mails are the “letters” of my generation.

Younger people, the age of my young-adult children, don’t even do that. Instead, they are tied into social networks and communicate via texting, Tweeting and Web postings to sites such as Facebook.

That’s why The Enterprise now is stepping across that threshold. We hope to use it as a device to facilitate more communication between our staff members and our readers. Take a look at The Enterprise’s Facebook page or seek out an individual reporter or editor to view their page.

Some staff members are eagerly leaping into what is a familiar medium to them, while others, like me, are gingerly dipping in a toe to test the waters. My immediate concern is, since I don’t have a personal Facebook page, some actual friends have requested to extend our friendship to my professional page in this electronic world.

I know the rules and the boundaries. You’re not going to be reading about my personal life on that page: First, because it’s personal; and second, because I lead a pretty tame life and nobody wants to know how much laundry I did this weekend or what I cooked for dinner last night.

It’s important that my “friends” and those who choose to be friends with other reporters recognize that their names and faces, if not their comments, might be viewed outside their personal social circle.

The hope is that our reporters and editors can use their Facebook pages to establish communities of interest. That might provide sources for specific stories we are pursuing, ideas for stories we might be missing or different points of view that might give us better background or perspective on stories.

Though it is a promising idea, like most other ideas, it’s imperfect, so before you punch the button requesting to join a friend’s list, make sure you know what you are getting into.

* * *
Along a similar train of thought, readers who make on-line comments, call, e-mail or write to staff members in their professional roles need to recognize that those comments might appear in print or on-line. That might be in this column, on our Opinions page or even on the front page.

While, in most of those cases, the readers aren’t identified, and generally aren’t held up to ridicule, interaction initiated by readers concerning newspaper business now is part of the content of some of our products.

We don’t want to discourage any readers’ comments or complaints, but we want them to realize that contact with our staff members carries inherent permission to write about that interaction.

* * *
For those readers who have not yet explored the options available via The Enterprise’s eEdition, our Web site, BeaumontEnterprise.com, now includes a tutorial video to help readers learn how to navigate the edition’s options.

Simply click here to try it out.

We hope it will be helpful for those readers who would prefer to have someone “talk” them through the process of accessing the eEdition.

Also, a few readers have been disappointed to learn that our eEdition, though an accurate representation of the actual pages of The Enterprise, doesn’t include the Sunday comics, Parade magazine or advertising inserts. We recognize those omissions and hope to eventually get them worked out, though the complicated logistics don’t promise a resolution anytime in the near future.

Let the experts explain D.C. voting

2009-10-06T17:07:00.000-07:00

Members of a media panel speaking to a group of high school students at a Lamar University event last week had the chance to touch on the information overload that many people find themselves exposed to these days.

Various panelists tried, nicely, to address the difference between credible journalism and the present tendency among some less credible sources to circulate unsubstantiated information with impunity.

Basically, they were telling readers and viewers the same thing I have shared repeatedly — always, always, consider the source when you are seeking fair and accurate information.

Several of the panelists shared their frustration at being told that someone had “heard” a fact somewhere, or that they had read it on the Internet, so it had to be true. Again, I and my fellow media members caution you to not believe everything you hear or read.

A perfect example crossed my computer screen last week and, I think, is worth sharing.

A very frustrated reader e-mailed to complain about the weekly congressional voting record published in The Enterprise on Sunday, Sept. 20.

In that report, a syndicated column compiled by Thomas Voting Survey, we said that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas was not present for the Sept. 14 vote on a Senate amendment (Johanns 2355) which was to withhold Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) funding from the Housing and Urban Development budget.

The e-mail author was very upset with us because she had, independently, researched the subject and, in fact, included information from a Web site showing that Hutchison indeed had been present and had voted in favor of withholding the funds.

She was angry with us, felt our reporting was slanted and thought we should run both a correction and an apology to Hutchison and citizens of Texas.

Initially, the information the writer sent looked so complete and accurate that I was tempted to take her word for our error — but that’s not journalism. That’s part of the reason behind the saying, “trust, but verify” as it relates to journalism.

So, in spite of my trust, I set out to pursue the “verify” portion of that saying.

I ended up speaking to Rick Thomas of Thomas Voting Survey in Washington, D.C. He assured me that the information contained in the voting report we published on Sept. 20 was correct.

However, Hutchison DID vote in favor of a similar amendment on Sept. 17 (Johanns 2394), which involved withholding funding from the Department of the Interior budget.

According to Sen. Hutchison’s Web site, she missed the Sept. 14 vote because it was called shortly before 5:30 p.m. and she was at a scheduled event in Texas. She was monitoring the vote and was “aware that it would pass overwhelmingly, which it did by an 83-7 margin.”

When I spoke to Rick Thomas, he explained that the Senate and House probably conduct more than 1,000 roll call votes each year and that the voting report his organization prepares can only report on a few of those. The ones they report on are the ones they consider most newsworthy: in this case, the HUD amendment because it was the first of the votes withdrawing ACORN funding. He said a dozen or more similar amendments are expected.

Complete information about congressional votes, including archives dating back to 2006, is available from Thomas Voting Survey at this site.

Sen. Hutchison’s official Web site also directs citizens to a site that reports congressional voting, which includes votes even further in the past. The site features legislative information from the Library of Congress. Click on the roll call votes link, which also confirms the votes reported here.

As citizens, it’s important for all of us to keep up with what’s going on in Washington and in Austin, and to keep tabs on what our elected officials are doing. But it’s also important for us to get our information from trusted sources, whether that’s your daily newspaper, or official Web sites that might have more extensive details.

And, to the reader who wrote in, I applaud you for seeking an answer to an important question. We should all be so diligent, and so gracious in accepting clarification of our misperceptions.

Sponsors help classrooms use the news

2009-09-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

Virtually every teacher at every level of education will testify that reading is among the most important fundamental skills a student must master to be successful in school.

In many schools, newspapers play a role in that learning experience.
Through a national program called Newspapers in Education, or NIE, The Enterprise has for decades helped provide newspapers for use in classrooms across the region.

NIE currently provides newspapers to 101 classrooms in 47 schools in 23 communities.
Sponsors help fund the program, which basically has always been a less-than-break-even project for the newspaper.

Now with the advent of The Enterprise’s electronic eEdition, things have changed substantially.

In the past, carriers dropped bundles of newspapers on the front doorsteps of specific schools and hoped the newspapers would be directed to the correct classroom.
With the eEdition system, newspapers are electronically delivered to specific teachers, who can allow access by as many as 25 students who might want to review current events, writing styles, the weather, history or a variety of other subjects.

The newspaper pages are delivered electronically at night, ready and waiting when students arrive in the morning.

The eEdition has resulted in a surge of teacher requests for participation in the NIE program. Teachers see the need for and value of having newspapers available as a study aid. There is even an online teacher’s guide to help them incorporate the use of the newspaper in their classrooms.

Unfortunately, the number of sponsors to provide those discounted NIE subscriptions has not grown proportionally. The link on BeaumontEnterprise.com currently says, “NIE subscriptions are currently on hold. Please check back at a later time.”
Currently, a total of 22 sponsors have made contributions from $150 to $500 in support of the program. That covers current NIE participants.

Many more teachers are interested in bringing the program to their classrooms, but that can only happen through additional sponsorships.

Businesses, groups or individuals can help sponsor classroom subscriptions by clicking on the eEdition icon on our Web page and following it to the NIE sponsorship link. Or, if potential sponsors prefer, they can call 409-838-2830 or e-mail BColvin@HearstNP.com to get information about the program.

The cost to sponsor a classroom of 25 students for one school year (37 weeks) is $350. Sponsoring the same classroom for one week is less than $9.50. Sponsoring one child for a year is about $14.

Bringing a newspaper to one child in one classroom costs less than 38 cents per school week.

Obviously, we can’t have thousands of 38-cent donations to the program. But if a church, a Sunday school class, a club, or a group of friends want to coordinate their efforts to provide a year’s worth of newspapers to a 25-student classroom, many, many more students could benefit from the program.

There’s even a fairly strong possibility that groups could suggest a preference of school districts, or maybe even specific schools they would like to help.

A daily newspaper serves as a constantly changing textbook for students, enabling them not only to develop good reading skills, but to gain a better understanding of the world around them.

The Enterprise’s eEdition now provides those newspapers in an electronic medium that is environmentally friendly and in a form that better suits today’s teachers and students.

* * *

This last week has been substantially calmer than the previous one, but some callers still seem to think that screaming and using inappropriate language is the best way to make their opinions known.

The topic this week has been sports. Either we have too much football, not enough football, or not the right football on our sports pages. Our stories are always slanted for whatever team the caller’s favorite played against.

One caller, after some serious screaming and abusive language on the Reader Representative line, asked for the sports editor’s number so he could call and tell him to “kiss my a . .”

Really folks, we’re happy to listen to your opinions, but that’s unnecessary. We value your input and are even quite willing to hear constructive criticism, but, please, less anger and more substance.

It works better for both of us that way.

Mistakes are not part of newspaper “plot”

2009-09-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

Government today is anything but business as usual. People aren’t just interested, aren’t just concerned, they are angry.

The conspiracy theorists seem to think that members of the media are omitting or twisting news to suit some unstated but well-organized “plan” that will result in outcomes ranging from adoption of a government health-care plan to the end of life as we know it.

The reality is, in the chaos that is the news business, sometimes we just blow it. Unfortunately when we do, it undermines our credibility and compromises our efforts to represent the news as straightforwardly as possible. We know it frustrates readers; it frustrates us too.

The Beaumont Enterprise is a local newspaper with a regional reach. Anyone looking at it should be able to tell that almost instantly. The front page is almost always all local. The stories inside section A and on the top pages of our Web site are primarily local or regional. A national story seldom gets more than a mention on the “yourWorld” page — because we are a local newspaper.

When our reporters write stories, they might check Web sites or other publications for basic information, but if they use any of that information, they attribute it. For the most part, they go to original sources to do their own reporting.

We have no reporters in Washington, D.C., (or New York, or Iraq . . .) We don’t always have the means to do original reporting of national or international interest.

We are a Hearst newspaper and therefore have some resources, like a Hearst Washington, D.C., bureau for information. We also use information from The Associated Press, a news cooperative that helps us provide our readers with news from other areas.

What we don’t generally do is assign staff reporters to national or international stories, though they might pursue local angles on those events.

On Sept. 12, when thousands of taxpayers marched on Washington, D.C., to protest government spending, we missed the story. The Associated Press listed the march on its story budget, but our editors on duty missed that notation and left the story out of our Sunday paper, and then our Monday paper.

There was no plan or plot; they simply left out a story that should have been in the newspaper. Because the event was on a weekend, it took us two days to fix that mistake. Tuesday, after complaint calls and e-mails from readers, it was on the “yourWorld” page, as it should have been Sunday.

Additionally, early in the week, news surfaced about a video that showed alleged abuse of government funding by an organization known as ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now).

The video, said to be secretly recorded by concerned citizens, surfaced through media sources and was interpreted by some as being supportive of the operation of a house of prostitution that would employ underage illegal immigrants. We ran a story about the group, but not as soon as we should have.

Late Monday, the U.S. Senate voted to block funding to the controversial ACORN group because of a voter registration fraud investigation. It was almost 9 p.m. Monday when AP moved the story, which was not listed on any earlier story budgets.

It should have been in our Tuesday paper, but it wasn’t. We blew it again. Twice in one week we left out stories that were important to our readers and that should have been in their newspaper.

We did, however, run a fairly lengthy story in our Wednesday paper including mention of the video, a follow-up story on Thursday and multiple letters to the editor justifiably critical of our omissions.

In between, I had so many angry, vile calls from readers accusing us of some kind of conspiracy that I wanted to run from The Enterprise building screaming.

Among them:

-- A woman who, because I told the truth and answered “California” when asked where I was born, said she therefore knew where I stood on these issues and that I should just leave Beaumont if I hated it so much. She didn’t even want to respond when I criticized her for pre-judging me based on that one statement. (Trust me, I consider myself a Texan.)

-- A caller who said she wasn’t calling me a liar, then called back and left me a message saying I was a liar and she hoped I went hungry someday.

-- A caller who said I am obviously a liberal (something people who know me would laugh about.) Truth is, I am liberal on some issues and conservative on the others — just like most Americans.

-- A caller who was going to call her attorney because I addressed her by name, based on the caller ID on my office phone. In her opinion that should be illegal.
-- A caller who was offended when I pointed out that I knew his call was based on comments from conservative talk show host Glenn Beck who that morning had told listeners to call their local newspapers and complain, and don’t back down and don’t be timid.

-- A caller who knew we hadn’t reported on the ACORN “scandal” because it wasn’t on our Web site, his only source of information because he doesn’t subscribe to our newspaper.

Angry readers who feel the need to vent like this need to recognize that the more they scream, the harder it is to hear their message. Just as in our case, their behavior undermines their credibility.

Based on this experience, this is my advice to readers:

-- Do call, please, when something concerns you, but don’t make it personal. My job at The Enterprise is to resolve problems and chase down solutions. I don’t always have immediate answers, but I do try to find them. Blaming me for newspaper decisions (or in this case, mistakes) is as wrong as blaming a refinery worker for air pollution or a grocery clerk for the high price of food.

-- Don’t assume the worst. We are human and we make mistakes. We try to correct them. In almost 30 years at The Enterprise I’ve never known anything to be part of a “plot” to slant the news in either direction. Frankly, we usually don’t have the time to be organized enough to carry out a plot even if we had one.

-- Treat me and others you encounter with respect, just as you have the right to be treated with respect. I have a very long fuse, it takes a lot to make me angry, but I was angry most of last week and it’s not an experience I wish to repeat.

A footnote to the ACORN story: The organization’s Web site says the staff member in the video was simply playing along with the two amateurs who made the tape. She said “They were not believable . . . somewhat entertaining, but they weren’t even good actors. I didn’t know what to make of them. They were clearly playing with me. I decided to shock them as much as they were shocking me.”

The group has published a release stating that they have repeatedly been the victim of the “right wing media,” which, “has attempted to blame us for everything from the 2008 financial crisis to voter fraud.”

Doubtless, they consider us part of that “plot,” too.

Law shines light on public business

2009-09-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

A bumper sticker sometimes seen on cars in the region says something like: "If you can read this, thank a teacher." Today's column offers a bit of a twist on that theme: If you know what's going on with the government, thank a newspaper.

Open meetings and open records are protected by legislation that gives every person in this country a right to know what's happening in public buildings and how their tax dollars are being spent.

Open records rulings explain why readers can go to BeaumontEnterprise-.comand find out the salaries of county or state employees; TAKS scores at a child's school; library locations; or the number of foreclosures in their county.

A New York Times story earlier this month bemoaned the fact that many newspapers, facing financial struggles, have curtailed their efforts on behalf of open records.

Enterprise readers should know that though we've documented some of our challenges and cost reductions here, open records battles remain a priority.

The Enterprise fought to get TAKS results from one local charter school, feeling that parents of students enrolled there had the right to know about the measure of the school's overall performance.

Similarly, The Enterprise continues to work with the Texas Attorney General's office to gain access to Beaumont Police Department's Use of Force reports in an effort to review any patterns that might reveal themselves in those records.

The city of Beaumont has opposed release of those records claiming that they are part of personnel records and therefore not subject to public information rulings. The Attorney General, for the record, disagrees with that finding.

Citizens, and their media counterparts, need to be diligent about continuing to uphold this law.

*

In other newspaper-related news, an Associated Press story this week reported the results of a Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey that revealed that more and more people think the work of the media is inaccurate and biased.

In 1985, 34 percent of respondents to the survey believed stories were "frequently inaccurate." The July survey of more than 1,500 adults now says a whopping 74 percent of respondents "believe stories tend to favor one side of an issue over another." That result reflected a 66 percent increase on a poll two years ago.

Although Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times, acknowledged that some of the problems can be attributed to belt-tightening budgets at newspapers across the country, he didn't think all of the blame belonged there.

"The great flood that goes under the heading 'news media' has been poisoned by junk blogs, gossip sheets, shout radio and cable-TV partisans that don't deserve to be trusted," he wrote The Associated Press in an e-mail.

Most professional journalists are keenly aware of this perception and seriously recognize a ed to be diligent with facts and protective of unbiased presentation of the news. We hope most readers will recognize that all "media" are not created equal.

Prediction shows inevitability of change

2009-09-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

Michelle Duggar is pregnant with her 19th child; Jon and Kate are still fighting; and newspapers continue to change. Some things, it seems, are inevitable.

All the recent discussions about The Enterprise’s new eEdition generated a lovely e-mail from an older reader about the nature of change and how we must celebrate rather than resist it.

She wrote to share what she does and doesn’t like about some of our recent changes, but also offered this interesting tidbit:

“In 1953 I was a senior in the journalism school at the University of Missouri. There was a class — Future of Newspapers — we all had to take.

“Although there was TV in those days, there were no personal computers. The speaker told us that in the future there would be no such thing as newspaper delivery to the home, nor would you buy a newspaper at a rack or store.

“You would turn on your TV and the entire newspaper would appear on your TV screen and if you desired it, a printout would roll out beneath the screen.”

That’s not quite the reality of today’s newspapers, but it’s a pretty good estimation considering it came more than a half century ago.

More than one person has asked me if the eEdition means the end of the printed newspaper. No, at least not now.

Will it someday mean we don’t print a newspaper? Probably. Just as it probably will mean that we don’t print other books — even textbooks. With electronic downloads and a variety of devices available to store and display that information, one day it simply will no longer be practical.

It will be just another change that is inevitable.

When I came to The Enterprise almost 30 years ago, reporters still typed on typewriters (albeit electric ones) with carbon paper. Shortly thereafter, we began converting to computers, but it wasn’t a personal computer system like we use now.

It was a mainframe system with all the computer monitors linked to a room on another floor filled with big machines that were the “brains” behind all our work.

The newsroom was equipped with bells and red lights that were supposed to warn us when the computer system was going down, but the reality was, they generally sounded and flashed about 30 seconds after all the computers locked up. Those days were filled with a lot of frustration — and almost-finished stories lost in the chaos that had to be written again.

In the 1920s Enterprise building, the third floor where the newsroom now is housed actually once held linotype machines. Those were the days of hot type — melted lead used to form the letters that would eventually become the newspaper. A skylight in the newsroom — with windows that used to open to let the heat escape, is a reminder of those times.

Next week, The Enterprise continues to change, not a great deal, but slightly. Next Monday’s page 2A will feature a new “Driver’s Seat” column sharing information about road construction and potential traffic problems. That Friday, we’ll return with an updated version of the popular “Asked and Answered” column, so get your questions ready. In between there will be some other modifications we think will improve our product.

We hope you like the changes. There will be more, because that’s what we, not just newspaper people, but human beings do — change, grow and thrive.

In responding to the kind reader who shared her story about the 1953 version of the “Future of Newspapers,” I shared my own story of a similar experience.

Years ago, probably in the early 1980s, a speaker at a professional conference was billed as a “futurist” — someone whose role was to follow trends and predict what might be the next big thing.

She made what at the time seemed an incredible prediction.

“Someday,” she said, “we will all have our own phone numbers and everyone will have their own telephone. We’ll all get a phone number and we’ll have it our whole lives and people will be able to call us anytime, anywhere.”

Changes, good or bad — they are inevitable.

eEdition generates comments, questions

2009-09-08T17:05:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Enterprise readers have had more than a week to explore and experiment with the newspaper's eEdition. Their reactions could probably best be characterized as "mixed," though most were generally positive.

The move to the electronic product was characterized as everything from "sneaky" to "a great idea."

One reader, who called the change "sad," complained that people who can't afford to purchase a paper will no longer be able to read the full newspaper on BeaumontEnterprise.com.He (or she) is correct, though the entire newspaper was never online. We have made the decision to stop giving away to some people what we charge others for.

It's a change that, like most we've made, seems to make good business sense.
BeaumontEnterprise. com will still exist, but it's an entirely different product than the eEdition. It will still contain frequent breaking news updates, photo galleries, photo sharing, videos, blogs and other features, but it no longer contains entire stories that were published in the print edition.

As one reader put it: "They cannot afford to give away their reporting any more than Kroger can afford to give away food. Reporting costs."

For the reader complaining about being able to afford the news -- the electronic delivery price is about half of the cost of the print edition. EleceEdition tronic delivery is $8.95 per month. Current print subscribers who want to add an eEdition subscription receive a discounted rate of $4.25 per month.

If you still haven't tried it, check out the features of the service vby way of a demonstration at this link.

If you decide you're ready to commit to this new era of journalism, you can click the eEdition button at top right of the homepage or go to this link.

Or call toll free 1 (800) 891-3638.

One curious reader this week tried to read a little something extra into the launch of the eEdition.

She wanted to know if this means The Enterprise is discontinuing its print edition.
The answer is an emphatic "no." The eEdition is merely an alternative way to provide news to those who are interested in getting it.

It is a greener choice involving electronic delivery rather than paper.
It's also a good alternative for out-of-town readers who don't want to wait for the mail to arrive to read the news.

The eEdition is not a replacement for the newspaper; it's an alternative form of delivery.

* * *
More than one reader has called in the last week to complain about feeling left out.

All were subscribers who don't own computers and don't want to have anything to do with computers.

Their complaint was that, more and more, we seem to put extra features on our Web page that aren't available in our print edition.
That's true.

That's a big reason our Web site exists.

The print edition has a finite amount of space and that space has grown smaller as advertising has declined -- a sign of both the economy and overall societal changes.
The Internet, on the other hand, has virtually unlimited space.

That means we can include information such as the list of new Texas laws taking effect today, complete football schedules and databases with the salaries of Jefferson County employees -- things that we'd never have -- and never have had -- the space to put in the printed edition.

Readers who don't have access to a computer will miss out on that information, just as they miss the opportunity to get on-line-only values from stores or print their own coupons.

We're not trying to keep them from getting all the information we have available, we just provide that information in a variety of ways.
One of those ways is by way of computer.

Check out features of new eEdition

2009-08-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

Those of you who are diligent cover-to-cover readers of The Enterprise might be rolling your eyes in exasperation as this column launches into the wonders of the newspaper’s new eEdition, but please stick with me. There are many interesting things to share about this innovation.

If you’ve missed earlier stories, an eEdition is an exact copy of the daily newspaper pages in an electronic format. It is NOT reading the newspaper on our Web page – they are two separate products with different reader features and opportunities.

It’s also deliverable to a variety of electronic devices – home computer, cell phone, smart phone, eBook, Kindle2 or Sony Reader – making it convenient, portable and the ultimate green experience for those concerned about the environment.
Other reader friendly features include:

-- Early arrival. The eEdition is available several hours before the print edition lands in your yard.
-- The ability for readers to e-mail stories or advertisements from the eEdition.
-- The capability to translate the newspaper into Spanish – or one of 10 other languages.
-- Options to display the newspaper in numerous ways, including one that shows all the pages in thumbnail format for quick scanning
-- A function that will allow your computer to actually read the stories aloud to you – think multi-tasking: you can listen to newspaper-quality news while exercising or getting ready for work in the morning
-- The ability to print pages of the Enterprise with a special function for crossword puzzle fans.
-- An archive of issues, enabling readers to view newspaper pages at their leisure.

So if your college student just moved to Massachusetts – or Austin – and wants to keep up with the news back home, this is a great solution. If Aunt Mildred just moved to Florida to be near her children, she can still read her Enterprise. Or if you live in a rural community where daily delivery isn’t an option, you no longer have to depend on the mailman to deliver your newspaper several days late.

Electronic delivery is $8.95 per month. Current print subscribers who want to add an eEdition subscription receive a discounted rate of $4.25 per month.

To check out the features of the new service via a demonstration, go to:
this link to check it out.

If you decide you’re ready to commit to this new era of journalism, you can click the eEdition button at the top right of the BeaumontEnterprise.com homepage or simply go to: this link to subscribe

or call 1-800-891-3638.

*****

Journalists aren’t exactly adrenaline junkies, but a major news event does get reporters and editors working in full action mode. Such was the case last Tuesday afternoon when our newsroom got word of a tornado touching down off Dowlen Road.

Multiple reporters and photographers headed to the scene, calling in stories that immediately were posted to the BeaumontEnterprise.com Web site.

We were proud of the job we did getting the news to our readers and heard positive feedback from many of them.

Among the interesting events related to the news-making tornado was the number of phone calls that came into the newsroom. Numerous radio stations, television stations and other media outside of Beaumont called our newsroom looking for details about the twister and related damage.

Initially, it struck as a bit odd – why wouldn’t they call the local electronic media, we wondered? Ultimately, we were gratified that people still recognize newspapers as the best source for the best information.

Readers should recognize advertising

2009-08-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

As you open your newspaper this morning you might be warily scanning the weather map for hurricane news, checking for stories of interest or studying the advertisements for back-to-school bargains.

According to a survey conducted by MORI Research, almost six out of 10 adults (59 percent) use newspaper advertisements “to help plan shopping or make purchase decisions.” The preliminary report was released by the Newspaper Association of America (NAA).

The telephone and Internet survey of more than 3,000 adults indicated that 73 percent of adults regularly or occasionally read newspaper inserts and 82 percent “have been spurred to action by a newspaper insert in the past month.”

Specifics include the information that, of the survey respondents who “took action” as a result of a newspaper ad: 61 percent clipped a coupon; 50 percent bought something; and 27 percent tried something for the first time.

That said, let me also throw in a disclaimer: The survey was sponsored by the Newspaper Association of America. That’s not to say the results aren’t valid, but just that, as a newspaper, we might quote such survey results concerning another industry and we would always include any survey sponsorship information — as well as the method and size of the sampling.

The fact that the survey included Internet responses, in my opinion, gives it more validity, because it indicates that the company did more than ask newspaper readers about their opinions concerning newspaper advertising. But it is my job to give you complete information and let you form your own opinion.

In similar news, A New York Times article last week reported that two of the National Advertising Review Council’s investigative units are set to announce recommendations calling for clear disclosure of sponsorships on blog sites or paid product reviews.

For example, many prominent Web sites invite readers to click on a link about a new product, a bargain or a coupon and read about a great product that is featured. What readers might not realize is that the product comments or discounts are simply part of a paid advertising program.

“It’s something everyone in the consumer protection area is newly focused on,” the article quoted C. Lee Peeler, the chief executive of the National Advertising Review Council as saying. “One of the issues of advertising in the new media is, is it clear that it’s paid-for advertising, or does it look like something else?”

In addition to unlabeled advertising on Web sites or blogs, there is the increasingly pervasive and more troubling use of paid reviewers, planted positive comments about products and bloggers whose opinions are for sale to the highest bidder. It makes the world of on-line advertising even more confusing for consumers.

That’s why, in newspapers, those pages are labeled as advertisements. Sometimes full page ads in The Enterprise, or in our Sunday Parade magazine, are designed by advertisers to look like news articles, but alert readers will note that, usually, prominently at the top of the ad, the words “paid advertisement” or “advertisement” will appear.

The Enterprise and other reputable papers insist on that distinction and also generally select a type font that is dedicated to news coverage and not available for use in advertisements.

This column always urges readers to be wary of the source of their information before they take its credibility for granted. That caution extends beyond the news that consumers read to include where they get their advertising.

Although we acknowledge that we sometimes fail, we continue to strive to produce a fair and accurate product for our customers. We want our readers to know the difference between facts and advertising so they can make informed decisions about the products they choose to purchase.

Jailed journalists shine light on profession

2009-08-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

August 11, 2009

In the past week, the public has had a fairly substantial exposure to a story involving journalists in peril.

Journalists Euna Lee, 36, and Laura Ling, 32, who were working for a San Francisco-based media outlet, were near North Korea’s border with China when they were seized March 17 by North Korean authorities, according to a Washington Post story.

They later were subjected to a five-day closed trial where they were convicted of “grave crimes” against that country and sentenced to 12 years hard labor. There was no appeal process available.

The journalists were on a mission to explore Korea’s human rights record and specifically to research a story about the trafficking of North Korean women to China, according to the story.

But anyone who hasn’t had their head in the sand is probably well-aware of that story. Other stories, too, have drawn substantial attention. Like the serious injury of ABC newsman Bob Woodruff in 2006.

What you might not be aware of is that at least 29 journalists around the world have died – this year, trying to do their jobs. Not one was in the United States, which is probably a good excuse for our ignorance, though it’s not a very good reason.

Around the world, in Africa, the Middle East, South America and other places, journalists face danger every day trying to make people aware of what is going on in those countries.

An organization called the Newseum – a newspaper museum in Washington, D.C., lists those lost to the efforts. The Web site’s complete list actually contains almost 2,000 names of journalist who were killed trying to do their jobs.

So what on earth does that have to do with The Beaumont Enterprise? Not much. Though we occasionally have a reporter or photographer who gets a scratch or scrape on the job, we’re not exactly doing our jobs in a war zone.

But what our reporters do, can be mentally, if not physically, stressful.

A Los Angeles Times article by James Rainey puts it this way: “Sure, journalists can be pushy louts, too hurried or self-important to worry who gets in their way . . . movies and pop culture tend to fixate on the reporter as loud, conniving or politically sold-out . . . Reporters understand that they live in a rough and tumble business and that they can’t always make friends. Still, it can be dispiriting to watch the relentless caricature of media running amok.”

As we cautiously move into what seasoned Southeast Texans recognize as the most threatening portion of the hurricane season without even one named storm yet, images and experiences of Hurricanes Rita and Ike (and Humberto and Gustav) replay in our minds.

People who experienced the loss of loved ones, flooded homes, lifetimes of possessions simply . . . gone, struggled greatly. So did those who, day after day, family after family, wrote the stories and took the photographs while those victims cleaned up and cried. Some of those journalists experienced personal losses as well, but they did their jobs.

There are few long-time journalists who haven’t seen at least one dead body – not dressed nicely for funeral visitation, but pulled from a river, or a car, or a burning home. Virtually every reporter has had to interview a family who has lost a loved one.

During those times we try to maintain a professional distance, but when we close our eyes at night, we’re still human and we still see those images and feel the pain of those experiences.

We aren’t heroes like those in the military, like police officers or firefighters, and we certainly don’t expect their level of respect and admiration. But we do what we do every day for the same reason – because we think it is important.

We aren’t out to change the world. We just want to do our job, which includes trying to tell the stories of the people and events in our tiny part of that world.

Intent is documentation, not defamation

2009-08-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

August 4, 2009

As journalists and human beings we would never purposely go out of our way to hurt someone. Sometimes, however, bad things happen in the course of us trying to do our job.

We don’t actually want your children to find out you’ve remarried by reading your name in a list of marriage licenses in the newspaper. We don’t actually want your boss to find out you filed for bankruptcy – or got indicted – from The Enterprise.

It’s not our intention to destroy your family, your business or your social standing when we report the news.

Nonetheless, it is our responsibility to report news events, including marriages, bankruptcies and indictments.

One of the reasons we feel comfortable in reporting facts that people might otherwise prefer to keep private is that we handle publication of the contents of all those public records in the same way. If your name is on the list, it’s going to be published in our newspaper.

We don’t necessarily print every indictment because we have neither the time nor space to follow up on the resolution of each of those court actions.

As professionals, we have to make decisions about the level of public interest in determining which cases to report on from crime to arrest to indictment and court action.

Actually, reporting on most events related to criminal activity generally is pretty cut-and-dried.

That doesn’t mean that we don’t believe in the concept of innocent until proven guilty and the right to a fair trial. It only means that in situations where there are multiple witnesses or even video evidence, we’re likely to be somewhat cynical.

Those we are less cynical about are the innocent victims of crimes. That doesn’t involve the children whose father died or the family whose home burned. We are aware that sometimes criminal activity has peripheral damage.

When we write about the hotel, club, business or neighborhood where something criminal happened, we recognize that might affect our readers’ perceptions of that location.

Newspapers are, among other things, the document of record. They provide, both theoretically and frequently realistically, the first draft of history of any event. When we leave out information, we blur the facts in reporting an event.

In writing this column, I had planned to use the 1988 shooting death of a Beaumont Police officer as an example. By my recollection, he was killed at the Ramada Inn. It doesn’t matter exactly where that was because there have been several Ramada Inns in Beaumont since 1988 and, possibly because of that, the phone book no longer lists a Ramada Inn in the city. The location where I believe the shooting occurred still exists, but it has a different name.

I researched the story to verify my recollections and found one reference to a motel with a different name, which I believe to be incorrect, and stacks of old files that simply said the officer was killed “in a Beaumont motel.”

So, for those who would prefer that we skip that detail in reporting a criminal activity, we aren’t trying to be insensitive to your concerns. We simply want to do our job, which is to accurately, and completely, report events.

*****

Since this column concerns possible criticism of the newspaper for taking on responsibility for complete reporting, this quote seemed one worth sharing, and pondering:

“In my view, far from deserving condemnation for their courageous reporting, The New York Times, the Washington Post and other newspapers should be commended for serving the purpose that the Founding Fathers saw so clearly.”

Hugo L Black, Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court,
On the publication of the Pentagon Papers, 1971

Information product must be protected

2009-07-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

One of the sometimes confusing aspects of newspaper content is the use of stories and photos from the Associated Press (the AP). People sometimes refer to that content as "wire" stories or photos, though there's no wire involved and content from other sources might well be categorized as "wire" copy as well.

The Associated Press is actually a "news cooperative," a collaborative organization of news entities who are members of the AP. Not only does the Associated Press have staff or freelance writers and photographers around the world, but the organization also provides a means for newspapers to share stories from their areas with other publications around the world.

The Enterprise, for example, was a primary source of both stories and photos when the shuttle Columbia fell apart in the skies over East Texas in February of 2003. Our newspaper has played a similar role in other stories of national interest, including Hurricanes Rita and Ike. We don't have reporters in Iraq or Afghanistan, but the Associated Press does, so we know we can still give readers those important national stories.

As a member of the Associated Press, we, like other publications, not only provide content to the AP, we also pay dues, fairly substantial dues, for rights to publish the stories they provide to us.

As the number of Web sites, blogs, and start-up niche publications continues to grow, the use of stories created by member newspapers or Associated Press staff members also has spread. The problem is most of those Web sites and blogs and other publications aren't AP members. They aren't paying dues. They use the stories.

The same thing sometimes happens with stories from The Enterprise. We'll find a Web site, sometimes even a nice, non-profit, public interest Web site, posting our stories. We'll, politely, ask them not to do that. We do allow posting of the first two sentences and a link to the story on our site, but don't allow posting of the entire story. The Associated Press will also make the same request.

People don't seem to realize such information is copyrighted and they need permission to republish it. Sometimes we deny that permission. In the case of Web sites, we always deny that permission. Stories and photos that appear in The Enterprise belong to The Enterprise. They are newspaper property just as the trees in front of our building or the mat on the floor inside our front door. Similarly, Associated Press stories and photos belong to the Associated Press. Some bloggers or Web Site administrators don't seem to realize that stealing that content is a crime, a pretty serious crime.

The Enterprise, in fact, within the last couple of years, started an investigation into a regional print publication that was using our content, as well as that of multiple other newspapers -- and the Associated Press. The publication's owner, who was selling advertising to support his product, was mystified as to why we objected to him letting us do all the work on the stories, while he collected the money. He ended up in court, where his lawyer explained the law to him and he quietly walked away from a problem of his own creation.

This has become such a problem that the Associated Press this past week announced it is adding software to each article showing limitations to rights of use and notifying AP how the article is used.

According to a New York Times article, Tom Curley, the Associated Press' president and chief executive, when asked, agreed that stance goes farther in upholding its rights than ever before.

The article quotes Curley as saying, "If someone can build multibillion-dollar businesses out of keywords, we can build multihundredmillion businesses out of headlines, and we're going to do that." His goal, he said, is not to have less use of the articles, but to be paid for any use.

It's a development worth watching, both for those of us in the newspaper community, and for consumers interested in getting complete and accurate news.

Many people love 'their newspaper'

2009-07-30T11:37:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

A caller left a calm but critical message on the Reader Representative phone line Sunday. The message ended with a bit of a twist -- "but I guess I still love you."

Some people might say the caller got confused about who he was calling. My choice is to assume that the caller actually does love us in spite of his criticisms.

That preference is based on other calls that come from our readers.

They frequently begin with criticisms -- of headlines, story choices, mistakes in the paper or our recent subscription rate increase. Just as frequently, those calls include the fact that they love their newspaper.

Many people feel an affinity for and ownership of "their newspaper." The Enterprise is the newspa- per that published their wedding announcement, their children's birth announcements and their parents' obituaries. They are emotionally invested in the content of the paper and feel completely justified in telling us how to run it.

We're glad they care and certainly listen to what they have to say. But we hope they realize that while they do have a voice, ultimately they don't get to make the tough decisions. We have legitimate business reasons for every decision we make. We recognize that sometimes those decisions are unpopular, but we still reserve the right to make them.

*

Another item that sometimes comes into question is the publication of opinions in our newspaper. We publish readers' comments in two formats -- letters to the editor and selected comments posted on our Web site,

BeaumontEnterprise.comLetters must follow specific guidelines, among them inclusion of the writer's name. Comments posted on our Web site can, in contrast, be anonymous.

That apparent contradiction has not escaped our readers.

Reasons include the fact that published comments are generally substantially more limited than the 200- word cap imposed on letter writers.

Letters also tend to carry a bit more weight than the brief comments we publish and are much more likely to be published.

We print close to 90 percent of the letters we receive as compared to posting about 10 percent of the comments.

Comments are more immediate than letters and allow our readers to follow multiple points of view in the form of a discussion about a topic.

Although we, in theory, allow anonymous comments online, those commenters do have to be registered.

So, even if we don't publish the true origin of the comments, we are aware of that origin.

We also screen and sometimes, though rarely, delete comments that we deem particularly inappropriate from our Web site and would not include those in published comments.

As journalists, we are rabid about the First Amendment and freedom of speech. In that interest we strive, as much as possible, to allow both comments and letters that might criticize The Enterprise or be offensive to us or to some readers.

Conversely, we've had some callers say we make it too difficult to post comments on some material on BeaumontEnterprise.com

That difficulty is based on the fact that, in most cases, only registered users can comment.

That registration not only allows us to be aware of the source of the comments, but also prevents spam comments that would both bog down our site and irritate our readers.

The way we allow readers to speak their mind is just one of many things that has experienced dramatic changes in this ever-changing world of journalism.

Newspapers err, just like everyone else

2009-07-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

One reader recently sent an e-mail complaining that we always seem to blame our errors on reporters and copy editors.

She noted, correctly, that the newspaper's leaders are the ones who should ultimately be responsible for making sure there are no errors in the paper. Actually, everyone who works here has a responsibility to keep errors out of the paper, but regardless, they still seem to happen.

The reason the errors are frequently attributed to a reporter or a copy editor is that they represent the beginning and the end of the progress of a story through the process of being published. Like the takeoff and landing of a plane, the beginning and end of the publication process are where most errors occur.

Our procedures are such that we assign responsibility for the mistake to the person who originated it. If a reporter spells someone's name wrong in a story, it's unlikely that the editor will question it unless it's either someone well known or a highly unusual spelling. Editors DO question facts and details. They do send reporters back to get more information. And, they do make mistakes. We all do.

Once the reporter and the editor or editors have finished with the story, it moves on to the copy desk to be put on a page. There the copy editor, under tight deadlines and fairly substantial time pressure, creates a page design, writes a headline and completes a final story edit. And sometimes mistakes happen.

We don't like that, but we accept it and we keep trying to do better.

* * *

One of the other, unfortunately common but nonetheless frustrating errors we make is to publish something with XXs or blanks where information should appear. Or a line that says simply "headline" or "head goes here."

That happens because we frequently work with templated pages as a time-saver. The format is set up and some basic information exists on the template, so all our copy editors have to do is "fill in the blanks." That's fine, except when they leave those blanks . . . blank.

The use of XXs is, at least in part, a consequence of some bad judgment by journalistic predecessors. In fact, on some small papers, you might still see something like, "Some woman and her kids . . ." rather than names, because the plan was to fill the names in later.

More than one journalist has lost a job for making that line read something less flattering, like "stupid people doing stupid things" -- or worse. So, XXs are the option of choice when we're trying to fill in the blanks.

* * *

I've been working on a project that involves some information about journalism in general and newspapers specifically.

In researching details, I've run across multiple quotes and facts that seem particularly appropriate to the changing environment of today's newspaper.

So, if you run out of things to talk about over the dinner table or at your next cocktail party, try these profound thoughts:

"When all is said and done, what must be remembered is a newspaper is a business. It used to be a fabulous business that made extraordinary margins. It's now a very good business with appropriate margins."
Sam Zell, chairman and chief executive of Tribune Newspapers

"The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had."
Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO of Google

"Newspapers cannot be defined by the second word -- paper. They've got to be defined by the first word -- news."
Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., New York Times publisher

Finally, a tidbit from a psychology textbook that says it all: "When Bill Clinton became president of the United States in 1992, there were about 50 sites on the Internet; today there are more than 135 million and still counting."

We aim to be available to our readers

2009-07-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Newspapers can be confusing places with an odd assortment of people each carrying out his or her particular duties. To the public at large seeking to speak to someone in authority, it can be a bit of a maze.

Please let me be your guide.

To begin, as I used to explain to school tour groups, many people think the editor is in charge of the entire newspaper. Actually, the editor runs the news and information portion of the newspaper and is in charge of the editorial department's daily and online content. That's a big enough job to do without having to actually direct all of the business of the newspaper.

The person actually in charge of the entire newspaper is the publisher.
In either case, even if you want to go straight to the top and talk to the man in charge, it's better not to start with either the editor or the publisher.

They both have assistants whose jobs it is to get problems solved, usually by directing a call to the person who actually might be able to resolve the problem.
In many, but not all, cases, that is the Reader Representative. At the very least, I can listen to your problem and, if I can't resolve it, I can try to point you in the right direction.

As a newspaper, we really do exist to communicate with members of the community. In many cases it's how we find some of our best stories.

In contrast, the Washington Post caused a bit of a stir in media circles this past week when publisher and CEO Katharine Weymouth was listed in a brochure as the hostess of "salons" in her home to allow lobbyists and association executives easy, non-confrontational, off-the- record access to reporters, and political officials, from Obama's administrators to members of Congress. That access would be available for a fee ranging from $25,000 to $250,000.

We all know that newspapers are exploring new ways to increase revenue, but even lobbyists were aghast at the prospect.

To be fair, I need to clarify that this information was posted on a political blog ( politico.com).I did, however, go on the Washington Post Web site to verify it. Not only are they admitting it, their Ombudsman (Post talk for Reader Representative) Andrew Alexander, has referred to it as "a public relations disaster."

Seems some employees in a new marketing department, who didn't check with the editor or anyone in the editorial department, decided the whole thing sounded like a good idea. They were very, very wrong.

The "salons" have been cancelled and the Post is trying to recover some of its credibility.

The bottom line in this discussion is we want our reporters to have access to you and for you to have access to them. That's why we put their names, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers at the top of every story they write. You don't have to pay for the privilege or even buy them lunch. They are doing their jobs.

If, however, you don't know exactly who to call, here are some additional contact numbers that can help you navigate the business that is your newspaper:

Circulation customer service, (409) 838-2818 or 1-800-891-3638;
Classified advertising, (409) 838-2888;
Advertising director, (409) 838-2819;
News (409) 838-2859;

Corrections, clarifications or questions, the Reader Representative, (409) 880-0748.

If we can help or you need to discuss something with us, give us a call. We won't even send you a bill for $25,000.

* * *

Today is the anniversary of one of the days that seems to bring out people who want to have babies or get married on memorable dates.

Just two years ago it was 07-07-07 filling up wedding chapels around the world. Last year it was 08-08-08. I suspect this year, we'll have a bit of a flurry on 09-09-09.

New technologies quickly spread news

2009-06-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

There are times when a newspaper newsroom is like any other office job, filled with deadlines and distractions, but just another day at work.

Then there are days like last Thursday, when shortly before 5 p. m., news of pop star Michael Jackson's serious health issue and possible death began to surface.

The news of Jackson's death, according to a story by Associated Press entertainment writer Jake Coyle, "spread like wildfire across news sites, social media networks and Twitter."

In The Enterprise newsroom, we wanted confirmation before we made a move. The celebrity media site TMZ.combroke the news of Jackson's death. According to the AP story, it was 5:30 p. m. Eastern time, 4:30 p. m., local time. BeaumontEnterprise.comreported TMZ's posting at 4:43 p. m., but we didn't have quite enough confidence in their reporting to say it was true -- only that TMZ was reporting it.

When the Los Angeles Times, and then The Associated Press confirmed the news, we posted that on BeaumontEnterprise.comas well and sent an e-mail alert to our news alert subscribers at 5:33 p. m.

It was an interesting afternoon in the newsroom as reporters and editors combined old-fashioned reporting and news sense with new technologies to make sure we got the news to all our readers as quick as possible.

*

Speaking of new technologies, readers who want to use their cell phones or other mobile devices to keep up with current news now have a better means to do that.

BeaumontEnterprise. mobi is a new version of our Web site specifically for our mobile readers. It features an iPhone enhanced version as well. The new version is designed to easily load and display on mobile devices.

Within the next few weeks, that service will include mobile news alerts as well, so we'll be able to tell readers about up-to-the-minute news such as Jackson's death -- or simply provide them with traffic alerts on their way home from work in rush-hour traffic.

Headed off for summer vacation but want to keep up with the news while you are gone? The site also is perfect for that.

*

If you're a reader who prefers the print product to online or mobile news, we're set to help you enjoy your vacation as well.

Rather than depend on a neighbor to pick up your daily newspaper or leave those newspapers in the driveway to signal your absence, you can call to request that your subscription be put on vacation while you're out of town.

Simply call our customer service department at (409) 838-2818 and make the request. Tell them when you want your paper to stop and restart for your vacation.

You probably will be less likely to encounter a busy signal or be put on hold if you call between 10 a. m. and 2 p. m. weekdays, or before noon on weekends. At least one full day's notice is preferred.

When you put your newspaper on vacation hold, you have several options.

If you're a dyed-in-the-wool newspaper fan and want to read every single back issue, you can ask for a vacation pack to be delivered when you return. It will include all the issues you missed.

If you're feeling charitable, you can ask that your newspapers be donated to the Newspapers in Education program.

If you're a realist and don't think you'll have time to catch up on that much reading but don't want to donate, you can simply ask that you receive credit for the papers, which will extend your subscription by the number of days that we hold delivery.

If Enterprise carriers deliver other products to your home, and you want them held for your vacation, you need to contact those publications individually.

Those numbers are: for the Houston Chronicle, (713) 362-7211; for the Wall Street Journal or Barron's, (800) 568- 7625; USA Today, (800) 872- 0001; or New York Times, (800) 698-4637). Have a great time, wherever you go and whatever you do. We'll be here when you get back.

Newspaper writing follows its own rules

2009-06-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

English teachers are our friends.

Many journalists can attribute their early writing experiences and their desire to communicate using the written word to a high school English teacher who provided direction and support for their efforts.

That said, English teachers frequently don't "get" journalists. That is in part because, though we follow some basic English guidelines, we work from our own set of rules.

Those rules or guidelines come to us in the form of The Associated Press Stylebook, designed primarily to encourage consistency among newspapers in America.

For example, Webster's dictionary lists catalogue as the first, and apparently preferred, way of spelling the word that means, "a systemized, usually descriptive list."

But most U. S. journalists spell it catalog (cataloged, cataloging), because the AP stylebook tells us to.

We also leave out the last comma in a series, i. e., "It rained cats, dogs and parakeets."

Some guidelines, like the comma omission, are part of the long-held journalistic standard to keep stories as short as possible by eliminating unnecessary characters, but the stylebook's basic purpose is to make stories consistent regardless of their origin.

The book is described in its foreword as: "Far more than a collection of rules, the book became part dictionary, part encyclopedia, part textbook." It's been around since before I was born and originally consisted of 60 pages stapled together.

That was still its configuration when I studied journalism and graduated from college, when virtual memorization of the book was required.

Today, the spiral book is more than 430 pages and the real key to its use is to know when to look something up and where to look for it.

It is a font of information, not to be confused with font, "a full set of printing type of the same size and face," which is in the dictionary, but not in the stylebook.

On a single page you can discover a list of the countries in the G-8 (an abbreviated form of Group of Eight): the United States, France, Russia, Britain, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada.

You also can learn that General Dynamics Corp. is headquartered in Falls Church, Va., and General Electric Co. is headquartered in Fairfield, Conn.

Another often misused explanation on that same page tells us it is the Geneva Conventions, not convention.

The book can teach you that the plural of kibbutz ("An Israeli collective settlement") is kibbutzim, that Katmandu is the "preferred spelling of the capital of Nepal," or that you can convert Fahrenheit to Celsius by multiplying the Celsius temperature by 9, dividing by 5, and adding 32 ("25 x 9 equals 225, divided by 5 equals 45, plus 32 equals 77 degrees Fahrenheit").

At the very least, it's a dream come true for trivia buffs or Jeopardy fans.

Sometimes readers, English teachers in particular, call to tell us we've made a mistake when, in fact, we have simply followed AP style.

One very adamant reader called a few months back to tell me how illiterate one of our writers must be for referencing running a gantlet when the word was supposed to be gauntlet.

He was right; she was wrong.

In fact, as the AP stylebook explains, a gantlet is "a flogging ordeal, literally or figuratively. A gauntlet is a glove. To throw down the gauntlet means to issue a challenge. To take up the gauntlet means to accept a challenge."

Another favorite of callers is the use of "just deserts," which many want to tell us should be desserts.

It's a common mistake and, again, it's in the dictionary rather than the stylebook. The single "s" is correct because it is based on the word deserve.

The stylebook, like our ever-changing language, also is reflective of societal evolution. New entries included: bird flu; DVR; flat-panel TV; high definition; IED; iPhone; iPod, MRSA ("acronym for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus"); noncombatant; paparazzi; podcast; social networking; tsunami; whistle-blower; wiki; WMD and NASCAR.

So, to the English teachers and grammarians whom we sometimes offend, we apologize and beg forgiveness. We're just following our own set of rules.

Economy changes traditional pricing plan

2009-06-25T15:59:00.001-07:00

A business' survival is entirely dependent on its bottom line. Other factors matter in its success -- product quality, customer service, competition -- but in the final accounting, longevity is based on the sometimes delicate balance between profit and loss.

Most newspapers for much of the past two centuries have managed to maintain that balance by doing something virtually unheard of in other industries -- giving their product away at no cost.

Whoa, wait a minute. Right now you are pulling out your bank statement and reaching for the telephone to insist (loudly) that you, indeed, have been paying for this newspaper for years. Not exactly.

As has been said in this column more than once before, what you have paid for is delivery of our product. Advertising dollars pay for the actual production of the newspaper.

That's the reason newspapers of drastically different sizes generally cost about the same -- because delivery costs are pretty standard.

Higher advertising rates at larger papers cover the higher content costs of producing the bigger papers. Subscription rate increases typically have covered only rising delivery costs.

Now, The Enterprise is among newspapers in the country making a change in that long-established practice. We are, beginning in some areas on Monday, asking readers to pay not only for delivery, but for our product -- our well-researched, well-reported, credible news, features and photos.

The price increase represents about a dime a day to subscribers, from $15 per month to $18 per month. Those purchasing products from our newspaper racks or stores will now pay 75 cents for a daily paper and $1.75 for the Sunday paper.

On July 1, home delivery rates will rise. Our lowest rate still will be available through our EZPay automatic debit or recurring credit card billing. The changes will include those subscribers who have already paid in advance, meaning their pre-paid subscription period will be reduced by the number of days it takes to cover the difference.

Advertising revenues have declined -- not because this 128-year-old newspaper is in any peril, but because of an uncertain economy. The paper has become smaller because of that, but there's a limit to how much news space can be cut in order to still produce a viable product. We've drawn a line at cutting that space any more, so shifting just a tiny portion of the cost of content to readers is a necessity.

Think about this: The U. S. Postal service charges 44 cents to deliver a letter of not more than an ounce within a few days, six days each week. Other delivery services such as Federal Express, Airborne or UPS, charge significantly more for overnight or two-day delivery.

The Enterprise has charged about 50 cents per day for delivery of a product within six hours of creation, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Even our increased cost compares favorably with the delivery costs of other services.

This is not because of declining circulation. Reporters get the same paycheck whether they are writing for 100,000 readers or 150,000 readers. Being printed in Houston has nothing to do with it. This is about business, profit and loss and good business decisions that will keep The Enterprise moving forward in today's economy.

Some newspapers across the country have ceased home delivery. Some only print a few days each week. A few even no longer produce print editions. We find none of those alternatives acceptable, so this is our solution.

In the end, what readers need to recognize is they are not being charged more for less. They are, instead, being charged for something they have long gotten virtually for free -- like television used to be.

It's not only a sign of the changing times, it is a well-considered and justifiable move enabling us to continue producing a newspaper of value to readers and advertisers.

U.S. papers fight for your right to know

2009-06-25T15:58:00.001-07:00

Print journalists these days seem to be called on to defend and uphold their craft. We are labeled "liberal," "biased," "outdated" and "obsolete," all while trying to create a product that informs, entertains and motivates the public to positive action.

Those who read the column about complaints in this space last week might have gathered that some callers have pushed the envelope a bit. The bottom line is that those who want to slam The Enterprise, or newspapers in general, won't get a meek and mild apologetic response.

Instead, I do my best to make sure people who might have nothing positive to say about this region's leading local newspaper realize what they might be giving up if they choose not to subscribe.

In most cases, they can get a bigger, fatter state or national newspaper, but do they actually think that newspaper is going to include stories about things happening in Southeast Texas?

A great example is The Enterprise's recent legal victory in a fight to make public the TAKS scores for students of Port Arthur's charter school, Tekoa Academy.

The newspaper had sought the scores for more than a year, arguing that they were public record. The school argued that releasing the scores violated student privacy. A judge granted The Enterprise's motion for summary judgment and has ordered the school to release the scores, which it has not yet done.

Similarly, The Enterprise continues to battle the city of Beaumont for the Beaumont Police Department's Use of Force reports, feeling the public has a right to know if any officers have a history of overtly forceful behavior.

That's part of our job, to protect the public interest and represent that interest in legal battles.

As we move through the calendar in the weeks between the patriotic celebrations of Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, it seems appropriate to celebrate journalism's contributions to our freedom.

*

Bloggers last week protested that Wikipedia, the Internet encyclopedia site, was stifling free speech and bordering on censorship with one of its latest decisions.

This week's Los Angeles Times business desk reported that the site blocked contributions from the Los Angeles headquarters of the Church of Scientology -- as well as contributions from opponents of the church that had been "locked in an editing war."

Wikipedia exists solely on the basis of contributions from the public, but in this case, according to the article, those contributions were becoming more a case of propaganda for both sides, depending on which contributor last edited the entries.

What the site is now doing isn't censorship; it's self-editing of the content of a platform it controls.

Their actions are no different than that The Enterprise might take if someone posted particularly vile comments on our Web site. We don't censor them, but we also don't allow them the use of our Web site for their comments.

They will have to take their opinions someplace else if they want to express them -- and it is certainly their right to do that.

*

Censorship, in its true form, involves government control of information. For example, the San Francisco Chronicle this week reported the Internet censorship of several Web sites by the Chinese government.

The crackdown includes Twitter, Yahoo's Flickr and Microsoft Hotmail and came two days before the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident that involved military attacks on pro-democracy protestors.

For those too young to remember, those attacks involved tanks running over those protesters.

Yahoo's response appropriately included this statement: "We believe a broad restriction without a legal basis is inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression."

Those thoughts certainly should make Americans want to celebrate, rather than criticize, the importance of journalism and a free press in our society.

Mondays offer lessons in complaints

2009-06-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

It's unlikely that Monday mornings are ever fun for anyone who works in a traditional office environment.

The Enterprise is no exception to that rule, but some Mondays are worse than others -- like the Mondays when we accidentally leave out one of our regular features.

Monday's Enterprise failed to include the Jumble puzzle, a feature that's very popular among readers who like to enjoy a little brain teaser with their morning coffee and newspaper.

As a result, the phone didn't stop ringing.

In fact, there were a dozen voice mails before 9 a. m., and the pattern roughout the day.

Frequently I was talking to a customer on one line while another was leaving voice mail on a second line.

Needless to say, I didn't manage to call everyone back, for which I apologize.

More than that, I apologize for the error.

Obviously we don't make these mistakes on purpose, and we hate it when we disappoint our readers like this.

This particular mistake seemed to be magnified a bit because of other recent changes.

There actually were readers who thought we might be discontinuing the Jumble and they wanted to get their protests in early.

As The Enterprise's reader representative, I listen to people's complaints and work to fix them.

It's even my job to listen to people's complaints about other people who they don't feel listened to their complaints.

The task has taught me a lot about complaining, and, like everything else in life, there's a right way and a wrong way to do it.

So, hoping next Monday morning will be better than this one, here are my hints for successful complaining, which might actually get your complaint resolved:

* Anger and frustration certainly are understandable, but they aren't productive.

Anything you can do to moderate negative behavior will help you voice your complaint more effectively.

* Don't be mean.

Remember the person you are speaking to likely isn't responsible for your problem, but, instead is responsible for resolving your problem.

They WANT to help you. Give them a chance.

* Don't use foul language, and remember some people have a lower threshold for that than others.

Pretend like you're talking to your mother (or grandmother), sister or daughter on the phone and use language you would want someone to use in speaking to them.

* Don't make unproductive, hurtful comments.

The people you will talk to generally are employees, not decision-makers.

They can pass along those decisions and maybe even tell you the reasoning behind them, but they can't change them.

They also might personally disagree with them but can't say that.

* If you have a disagreement you feel isn't being resolved, ask for the name and address of a supervisor and put it in writing -- either by way of e-mail or a regular letter.

That's easy to pass along to the appropriate person and might get you the attention you really want.

* Have complete and specific information about your complaint at the ready -- the date and page number of an error or the last time you made a subscription payment.

Those details might help resolve your complaint more quickly.

* Don't be afraid to leave a voice mail message or to call back if you don't get an answer . . . and don't forget to include your telephone number.

* If you're nice, or even have a sense of humor, you might make someone's day -- or make their Monday a better day.