THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 1, 1995 TAG: 9412300023
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LYNN FEIGENBAUM
LENGTH: Long : 108 lines
On the first day of a new year it's hard to resist looking back - and ahead. So bear with me while I do a little of both, public-editor style.
Like all years, 1994 at The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star had its high points, its heartburn and its heartache. (You get to pick which item belongs in what category.)
It was the first full year of the new design, which was launched in November '93 but fine-tuned in recent months. New features were added as the year went by, some we've almost come to take for granted: the BusinessNews section with its expanded stock report, the weekly Military page, the expanded color weather package and People column, the reborn Sunday Flavor section.
Other old standards moved, disappeared or changed shape: Preview went from a separate tabloid-sized section to a part of the Friday Daily Break. Obituaries moved off page B2 and farther back into the MetroNews section. Some old-timey comic strips were dropped when the Pilot and Ledger feature pages were combined.
A few new news, features and sports beats were added. That meant, for example, more stories on the issues of aging, a new video column, more away-game coverage of Norfolk State and the Admirals.
Two offbeat columns also flourished - Realpolitik, an election-time commentary, and The View from Down Under, by a visiting New Zealand writer who swapped places with Earl Swift. (Earl will be back later this month.) CAR - computer-assisted reporting - has also brought reams of new data to our coverage, such as charts showing burglaries by neighborhood.
It was a year when we, journalists and readers alike, grieved over the loss of three respected veteran newsmen - consumer writer Bob Geske, retired editor Jim Henderson and sports writer Abe Goldblatt. It was some consolation that their passings evoked the sort of homage and thoughtfulness that inspire other journalists to reach higher.
The newspapers' opinion pages made waves throughout the year - starting in May, when John Barnes took over as editorial page editor and on through November, when he resigned. Readers responded to his strong conservative stand by either cheering this ``miracle'' or, subsequently, expressing outrage at his ``liberal-bashing.'' Likewise, his changes in the lineup of syndicated columnists drew rahs or jeers.
The senatorial elections dominated the news for months - and calls to the public editor's office. No Oliver North headline, story or photo went by unremarked by readers, or so it seemed. Momentum naturally picked up in the weeks before the November election, with North followers crying ``bias'' at stories about Iran-Contra and his ``embellished family tale.'' Supporters of Chuck Robb and Marshall Coleman had their own gripes.
Also on the political front, we riled readers in the 4th Congressional District when, the Sunday before the election, the newspaper was delivered in a plastic bag advertising ``George Sweet, U.S. Congress.'' And we got Virginia Beach subscribers in an uproar when the Thanksgiving Day paper was delayed by production problems.
No, it was not a dull year. Two student protests were held in early April over a Norfolk State banner story of a 5-year-old drug scandal. The paper covered both protests.
Sparks also flew over ``fun'' features. There was the not-so-comic day in mid-March when the entire comics page vanished. And the puzzling day in September when the crossword grid and clues didn't match. Phones rang off the hook both times.
Other controversies were equally unexpected, like the Family Circus panel in June that showed a child holding a doll over a toilet seat and saying, ``I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son, and into the hole you goes.''
Junk Food News hit new heights (or lows) in '94: In late January, the Bobbitt trial was winding down in northern Virginia. By then, Tonya Harding and her wicked cohorts had already skated onto the scene. And before the ice could melt, O.J. Simpson's bizarre murder saga hit the front page. Pilot-Ledger readers were less than thrilled, but I suspect we all read every word. . .
The crystal ball is a bit misty, but here's a peek into 1995:
Some changes are already in the works. Starting next weekend, the two-part Sunday comics goes back to a single section. You'll find the same comic strips except for ``The Far Side,'' and that's because cartoonist Gary Larson is retiring.
Business Weekly is getting a face lift, scheduled to begin Monday, Jan. 30. The improved section will emphasize the hows and whys of investment, small business, electronics and the workplace. Other features will be expanded, such as the listing of new businesses.
Also on the drawing board for a face lift: the community news sections and the inside news pages. No date for those.
The search is on for a new editorial page editor. Publisher Frank Batten Jr. expects to make a selection by March. Meanwhile, readers have been generous with their advice. Typical comments: ``Make sure the conservative voice is heard when you hire a new editor.'' And, ``I hope the Pilot will return to the more moderate, sensible editorial stance that this community had come to take for granted.''
As for news gathering, one of the biggest goals this year will be building up reader input.
The Pilot and Ledger have been among the pioneers in public journalism, which means understanding the community's needs and interests and helping the community act on them. Up to now, the paper has done this through round-table discussions. Plans are to take this further and deeper in the year ahead.
Editors are also implementing new research tools, including a readership satisfaction index. The basic questions: What matters to readers? How well do we do on the things that matter?
The answers to these questions could fill three more columns. What matters is how they influence and change news gathering in 1995 and beyond. Stay tuned. . .
MEMO: Call the public editor at 446-2475, or send a computer message to
lynn(AT)infi.net. by CNB