THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 29, 1996 TAG: 9609270042
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LYNN FEIGENBAUM
LENGTH: 87 lines
The Virginian-Pilot doesn't have frequent turnover in its No. 1 newsroom spot. Sandy Rowe was editor of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star for nine years. When she left for The Portland Oregonian, Cole Campbell took over as managing editor, and then editor.
Last week, Campbell left The Pilot for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In typical deadline fashion, I buttonholed him just hours before his last day on the job ended and asked him these questions.
How is the newspaper today most different, in your view, from when you first came here six years ago?
The most obvious difference is the paper's design, which is intended to be both easy to use and expressive about the tenor of the news.
The most important difference is the emerging way in which Pilot journalists frame their stories - more from the perspective of citizens than from the perspective of officialdom, we hope.
Take, for example, coverage of local elections last spring and the presidential and congressional elections this fall. Instead of emphasizing who's bashing whom or who's leading in the polls, we're trying to connect the concerns in people's lives with the political debate. And we're using the conventions of applying for a job as a way for readers to assess candidates' suitability for the jobs they're running for.
It's also important to note what hasn't changed - the paper's commitment to community service, solid news reporting, good story-telling, powerful photography. And the editorial page, for which I have had no responsibility, is much more lively and focused on local issues. .
Do you have a particular ``legacy'' you feel you've left at The Pilot?
Lao-tzu, the Chinese philosopher who founded Taoism, said of the best leaders: ``When their task is accomplished, their work done, the people all remark, `We have done it ourselves.' '' That's the kind of newsroom I hope to leave behind, one in which people get things done themselves.
As for the newspaper itself, I hope that it remains powerfully focused on the people and communities it serves, by understanding readers as consumers, as citizens and as partners in making Hampton Roads a great place to live and work and play.
What do you think is the future of journalism for regional newspapers?
Recently, author Ray Oldenburg told Pilot staff members: ``Reality is local.'' As long as newspapers devote themselves to exploring the reality of readers' lives, they will flourish - on your doorstep, on line, on the air - in whatever medium best serves individuals.
So do you see print editors like yourself more involved in online, electronic and television journalism?
Absolutely. Our model has been to create a strong, dynamic newsroom - which in turn can support strong, dynamic newspapers, online services, broadcast news or any other channel to help people understand what's happening.
What is ahead for community journalism, or public journalism?
This kind of journalism sees citizens as essential players in community life - and not as a passive audience to be manipulated by politicians or institutions. It defines a successful community as one whose members know what's going on and take responsibility for it. That's exciting for journalists, and it's exciting for people who want community life to go well. So I think it will thrive.
Is there anything you'd do differently?
Naturally, I wish we never had any bumps and scrapes along the way. But the sweeping changes we've made in the way we work, from management practices to new technology, inevitably led to dumb mistakes, unforeseen problems and lingering disruptions.
Sometimes readers could see these in print. The only way to avoid them would be to not change, or to change so slowly and carefully as to barely change at all. This should settle down now.
I'd spend more time seeing the best in all our staff - and then holding them to that standard.
What should readers expect from The Pilot in the future?
The paper has been working for several months to do a better job presenting world and national news to make it relevant to South Hampton Roads. It also has been building its capacity to cover and explain local news better than any other source.
It also is committed to serve as a community steward and to strengthen its bond with the people of South Hampton Roads. In the next three months, this work will become obvious in changes to the various sections of the paper.
Dennis Hartig, the interim editor, will do a great job shepherding these changes into print.
And if he does it well, the staff will say: ``We have done it ourselves.'' MEMO: Call the public editor at 446-2475, or send a computer message to
lynn(AT)infi.net ILLUSTRATION: Drawing
This caricature of Cole Campbell was drawn by staff artist John
Earle for a farewell poster. by CNB