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TEMPLE: Responding to reader comments

By John Temple, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 16, 2008 at 11 p.m.

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You've heard the saying, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

Well, it's no secret that some who spend their time commenting on Web sites, including our own, don't have much nice to say. Their comments can get downright nasty.

But you might be surprised to know that most who send me e-mails in response to this column actually seem to live by the adage. Maybe we're a more civil society than many like to believe.

Some of these e-mails are short. "Subject: Great column re: graduation and RBA," was one such message last week.

"With excellent advice I'm clipping for myself to remember! Good luck, John," Jill Zimon wrote.

Often writers offer advice. "Keep striving for more balance," one told me.

Others take me to task, respectfully.

"I appreciate your writing a column describing your position regarding opinion columns, now I wish you would write another column explaining why news of the war and the death of our kids deserves no better than page 14 coverage.

"Only think: If someone were eventually to publish a book of the front pages you ran during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, just what would it look like? And how proud would you be?"

I try to respond to most e-mails. For example, in this case, I wrote:

"If you're a regular reader of the Rocky Mountain News you know that this newspaper has done an enormous amount of work on the impact of the war on the lives of Coloradans. The paper was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes for its extraordinary in-depth coverage of a Marine major and his work with the families of the fallen. I'm not going to argue the point with you. Just point out that there's another side to the story."

Yes, the disagreement is often deep, as in the case of a former University of Colorado journalism professor responding to last week's column. But it's also generally thoughtful.

"You told the graduates, 'we've moved from an era of great companies and corporations dominating the media landscape to an era where power is shifting to the creative and talented individual, just as power is shifting to the individual consumer.'

"The question that immediately came to mind was whether you've filled up your car at a local gas pump lately, or shopped at a supermarket recently, activities I undertake weekly. Each time I do, I feel as powerless as a mouse must feel facing a rapacious predator."

Frank Kaplan went on to decry what he's seen happen to journalism. "In short, the primary goal became not social responsibility and a well informed citizenry as a democracy demands, but a realized profit at the end of the day.

"To believe that corporations would release this power over the media to the 'creative and talented' individuals as you would have the graduates you addressed believe is misguided and disturbing. They should be told the truth and know what to expect when joining today's corporate- dominated communications industry: that profit rules and independence of the press in this country, devoid of corporate and government influence, is in effect non-existent. To believe otherwise is failing to face the existing reality."

I tried to respond to a few of his points.

"Corporations don't have the choice whether to 'release' power; it's happening and they don't know what to do about it. Just ask the folks in the music industry, television and publishing. First Napster and then many others have come along to alter the distribution and sharing of music. Youtube and cheap video cameras are undermining network television. And print publishing is being eroded by everything from craigslist to cell phones. Yet, in my view much has improved as a result. There's never been more independence of the press, as long as you don't narrowly define the press as existing news organizations. There are more voices today than ever before."

A pleasure of many such exchanges is that they remain civil.

"I, too, wish we had had the opportunity to meet," Kaplan responded, "although it's evident from our respective points of view that neither of us would move the other an inch regarding today's repressive atmosphere imposed on the mass media - newspapers, periodicals and the electronics media - by their corporate owners and the Bush administration.

"I wish you many successes in your career and much happiness and harmony in your life."

It makes me feel good when somebody responds this way. It encourages me to write back to another stranger.

John Temple can be reached at editor@RockyMountain News.com or by mail at 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 500, Denver, CO 80202.

Comments

  • May 22, 2008

    10:14 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Ashley writes:

    Yet despite the gloom and doom, I note you're a regular poster here, Sasquatch. The journalism industry is going through major upheaval right now, but that doesn't mean it's dying. Rather, news gathering has become more timely and focused than ever because of the constant, almost insatiable, desire for the most up-to-date information available. I, for one, am constantly on news media sites during the day; RMN, MSNBC.com and my local news. The "liberal media" argument is tired and old; hang it up somewhere.