Anger overshadows justifiable concerns

Righteous indignation is a gift of sorts that allows each of us to get fired up enough about something to make a difference. It has fueled changes for generations — from the Declaration of Independence, to women’s right to vote, to Civil Rights legislation and more.

In the last week we’ve all read accounts of indignation that went beyond righteousness to plain mean spirited, angry and violent. Regardless of how anyone feels about health care legislation and the means by which it was approved, most people would disapprove of adults acting like insolent children who didn’t get their way.

There are those who continue to call for investigations and lawsuits regarding the legislation and still others who seem to want to punish anyone involved. Thank goodness we live in a country where we can still express those opinions and let our leaders know of our concerns. But, we all know there’s a right way to do that.

That said, this national behavior is eerily similar to something that’s also happened at The Enterprise. People are angry, really angry.

They scream on the telephone; they use profanities; they demand that people be fired; they want blood. Though there might have been a few times in my 30 years here that justified that behavior, it’s rare.

One caller last week told me we were all stupid and that it was obvious that nobody up here even had a high school education — because our printed television schedule was wrong.

The caller, who said he had an MBA, was complaining about a printed television schedule being incorrect when my assumption would be that someone with an MBA would approach what is, essentially, a consumer complaint in a more professional manner.

He wanted to know how we could possibly have done something so stupid and how on earth it could have happened. I explained it pretty succinctly: one of the imperfect human beings who works for The Enterprise made a mistake . . . period.

It wasn’t a plot or a purposeful omission. We weren’t trying to ruin his day, or his life, or make him angry. A human being just made a mistake.

Other callers also have turned their complaints into personal attacks full of anger and name calling. In the last six months, I’ve been screamed at, cussed out and hung up on more than in all the previous years I have dealt with customer concerns.

So, here I am, in a newspaper column that is supposed to be about newspaper concerns offering a personal opinion and a bit of personal advice: Chill.

Seriously folks, take a deep breath and a moment to think and put things in perspective. This can’t be good for your blood pressure or your karma.

We make mistakes, bad mistakes, too many mistakes. But we also do a lot of things right. When we make an error, we own up to it, correct it, and frequently apologize as we continue to try to do our best job every day. When we fail, we start over again.

So, call, please. Don’t hesitate to let us know when we’ve made a mistake, but please, leave out the screaming and name calling. We have the right to expect respect just as you have the right to expect accuracy.
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When people call to complain about the decreased size of our newspaper, or the content, or how much things have changed, it’s my job to take the time to explain to them why.

Everyone knows about the economy. Everyone knows about the changing face of media, the Internet, and the soaring number of sources that supply “news” and information.

But this week I heard about a project that might offer a bit more enlightenment about what’s happening to newspapers and how concerned people should be about it. A Web site called Stop The Presses shares information about the difficulties of the American newspaper.

A former Dallas Morning News entertainment critic and a Dallas documentarian have released a film, “Stop the Presses: the American Newspaper in Peril,” airing on some public television stations, that explores the plight of the American newspaper and the potential impact on American democracy.

It would be a good thing if some of the people who are angry about so many other things could work up some righteous indignation to realize how important newspapers are to this country’s communication system and way of life.

Freedom of the Press is a very important concept with newspapers at its foundation.

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Direct lines speed response to customers

Part of the Enterprise Reader Representative’s job is to have all the answers.

In a perfect world I would know everything and be able to resolve any problems. We all know how imperfect our world is, which means some things are beyond my means.

We want every customer to have his or her needs met as expediently as possibly.

In a lot of cases that means a reader’s most productive choice is to call the numbers listed on this page of the newspaper every day rather than calling me or someone they know.

When customers choose to contact someone more familiar to them, it can delay getting their problems resolved because it adds a person to a process that is designed to run smoothly without that person’s involvement.

Although you certainly could cut out the listing of names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses below, hopefully this explanation will make things a bit clearer.

Our main switchboard, which, like virtually every other large business is answered by a recording, is (409) 833-3311. If you live in an outlying area and need to call our toll-free number to avoid long-distance charges, that number is 1-800-891-3638. That will get you to the same recording people who dial our switchboard locally hear. From there, you can select the appropriate option to reach a person who might be able to help you. Those numbers include:

* 1 for circulation customer service.

* 2 for classified advertising including ads, legals, paid obituaries or milestones.

* 3 for the newsroom.

* 4 for accounting.

* 5 for retail advertising, which handles display ads as well as our VIP and BEHealthy magazines.

Local customers who can use the other direct numbers still face the prospect of recordings and hold times, but can get in line quicker with the direct numbers.

Those include:

* (409) 838-2818 for circulation customer service.

* (409) 838-2861 for paid Milestones listings.

* (409) 838-2888 for paid obituaries.

* (409) 838-2888 for classified advertising (yes, the same number as above.)

* (409) 880-0775 for on-line advertising.

* (409) 880-0700 for retail advertising, including VIP and BEHealthy magazines.

* (409) 838-2859 for the newsroom.

Some of those numbers often are answered by a real person. Sometimes you’re going to get a recording asking you to hold. We know you hate that, because we are human beings as well and weall hate it. We also know you recognize that it is a reality of modern lifestyle. So, read your newspaper, work your crossword puzzle, write your mother a letter (or Facebook her), and please be patient.

We’re not avoiding you.

We’re trying to give each customer the best service, which means our undivided attention for the time we have them on the telephone.

If you get frustrated or don’t get your problem addressed, there’s the Reader Representative line, (409) 880-0748, where I always am happy to help you any way I can. But, be prepared, you might have to leave a voice mail and wait your turn. I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

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On a different subject, spring, we hope, is finally in the air.

Among the seasonal rites is the tendency for high school seniors, particularly those who already have reached their 18th birthdays to think they are adults.

Such was the case in a Minnesota high school where student journalists refused to put out a school newspaper because the principal insisted on approving each issue before it goes to press.

The controversial story, for which the principal was interviewed, involved two classmates who were disciplined after posting a “joke” photo of a teacher on Facebook.

Nice try, kids. I applaud you. We were all that young once and filled with the righteous indignation of youth. We held high the Bill of Rights and were ready to walk out, to protest in any way we could to preserve our freedoms.

Problem is, it doesn’t apply to school newspapers. In 1988 the Supreme Court ruled in Hazelwood vs. Kuhlmeier that public school districts have a right to censor school newspaper content.

So, yeah. Way to lose your newspaper. In the adult world that’s called cutting off your nose to spite your face.

It’s about rules. We have them in adulthood too.

Even “real” journalists have bosses. If you’re going to be grown-ups, it’s time to learn that too.

You’ll be a lot smarter and a lot less naive by this time next year.

Blogs play role in evolving news chatter

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

A very angry reader called this week to voice outrage at the content of a blog published in the printed edition of The Enterprise.

Blogs, for the uninitiated, are columns or commentary posted on the Internet. The stories they explore or opinions they express may or may not have a basis in fact. Blogs express opinions of the writer and play a major role in — for lack of a better word — stirring things up.

The Enterprise has multiple blogs on Beaumont

Enterprise.com and publishes a sampling of blog postings throughout the week.

The specific one to which the caller objected addressed the much publicized story of the Mississippi school district that canceled the high school prom rather than let a female student bring a same-sex date.

Though it was published in The Enterprise, it as I told the caller, didn’t necessarily express the opinion of The Enterprise as an editorial on our editorial page might.
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Blogs, Facebook and other social media got other nationwide attention this week for several reasons.

The ABC show “Brothers and Sisters” spotlighted the nature of blogs and the Internet when the French boyfriend of a cast member, whose sister is running for the U.S. Senate, became the subject of rampant blogging. The stories, both fact and fiction, included a viral You Tube video posting of the girlfriend’s outrage as she went after the intruding paparazzi trampling through her front yard.

It was a mainstream look at how much our world has changed through our means of communication and our complete lack of privacy.

According to The New York Times, even conservative commentator Glenn Beck took his share of blog hits this week after calling on Christians to leave their churches if they hear preaching about social or economic justice, which he said were code words for Communism and Nazism.

That got some Christians all stirred up, with one Christian blogger even comparing Beck to Howard Stern.

Wow, how’s that for a stretch? But that’s what this is all about — opinions, popular or not.
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On a lighter note, it was an online campaign started on Facebook that achieved the most significant victory this week when NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” announced Betty White will indeed host the May 8 Mother’s Day episode of the long-running late night favorite.

Though White has a substantial fan base because of her past Emmy-winning roles, it was a Super Bowl commercial that launched the campaign that eventually attracted almost a half million fans who wanted to see her host SNL.
It’s a fine example of the power of such Internet campaigns.
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Southeast Texas lost a great leader this week with the passing of Judge Theodore Johns, who was among local Civil Rights activists who helped integrate the campus of what is now Lamar University.

A front page story and photograph announced his passing and a column on the editorial page lauded his many accomplishments, though neither seems quite enough recognition for a man whose life made such a difference to others.

He also served on the judging panel for The Enterprise’s Jefferson Awards program several years ago, giving me the opportunity to get to know him a bit better.

Here’s hoping others use his life as an example to emulate and continue his work.
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Some Enterprise subscribers have been concerned about telephone calls they might have received offering special discount subscription deals for our newspaper. The calls come from a company with an out-of-town area code and the callers, in offering these deals, also seek a customer credit card number.

Though readers are certainly to be lauded for their caution, this actually is an Enterprise-sponsored promotion and the calls are legitimate. One subscriber, cautiously asked that the information be sent by mail for her to verify, which I think is wise.

So, you are right not to give your credit card number out to anyone who calls, and you need to verify the source of any such calls you get, but the offers are legitimate.

Fairness outweighs juicy "news tips"

It’s been a week since the party primary elections, a surprising number of which were decided without the need for April runoffs. Area voters made their choices and, in some cases, made their opinions abundantly clear.

In the weeks leading up to the election I found myself in the unusual role of turning away “news tips” from apparently well-meaning citizens who wanted to make sure we were aware of behind-the-scenes information on several of the candidates for office.

Yes, in every case, we knew about the information readers were providing about candidates. In every case, we chose not to write about that information.

Why? Because it wasn’t news and/or it wasn’t relevant to the election.

Some of the stories had been fully explored in previous elections and served no purpose in being dredged up again.

Some of the stories involved personal issues about the candidates and held no relevance in their suitability for public office.

Others could not be documented or substantiated as truth. There were even some stories that made good cocktail party gossip, but did not deserve the status of being elevated to news.

Although the timing of those news tips was less of an issue, it too was relevant in that candidates affected by news the last few days of early voting leading up to Election Day might not have sufficient time to fairly respond and/or react to any negative news stories.

Not coincidentally, the people offering these story suggestions, in every case, readily acknowledged their support of an opposing candidate and were greatly offended we were not prepared to emblazon our front page with negative stories about that candidate’s opposition.

It’s the same reason we don’t run letters to the editor either supporting or opposing specific political candidates in the weeks leading up to Election Day.

Does that mean we didn’t do our job as a newspaper? We don’t think so. We are called upon, every day, to make decisions about news — what is important, but also what is right and fair.

Allowing ourselves to be used to an unfair advantage in a political battle isn’t right or fair, so we stand behind the decisions we made.
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In reporting on a new trend in the area last week, we had a few readers raising their eyebrows and others picking up their telephones to complain.

Our BE section included a story about local photographers providing “boudoir photos,” and also taking “trash the dress” photos of brides in their wedding gowns.

A very small front page photo of a woman on a bed appeared on the front page of the paper to promote the inside story. Though she wore lingerie, if we hadn’t made that clear to readers, it easily could have appeared to be a modest swimsuit.

One male reader called to complain because his wife got mad when she caught him looking at the photo. I offered to speak to his wife, but he declined. The section front containing the story also contained modest photos, while an inside page got only slightly more risque.

The related photo gallery on BeaumontEnterprise.com took things a bit further — because that’s what Web features are supposed to do. The Internet is a different media, with different standards. That said, the photos were still pretty tame by Internet standards.

One model asked that we not use her name or face, and we complied. The other said we could use her face, just not her name, which we also did. We didn’t poke a hole in a wall and shoot secret photos. The models who were posing for the photos were well aware we were there, that we were taking photos and that they would appear both in print and online.

It’s important for readers to realize both that — and the fact that we gave readers ample warning about the subject matter to give them the opportunity to simply turn the page if they found the content offensive.
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Although we’re never happy about errors in the paper, Friday’s contained one of the most dreaded of errors — the Jumble puzzle.

This was the second time since our conversion to a new production system that the Jumble has appeared in gibberish — what I’ve come to refer to as “Martian.”

Several e-mails and multiple discussions Friday morning determined that the error wasn’t caused by one of our staff members, but by a production operator who “punched the wrong button.”

We ran a corrected puzzle in Saturday’s paper.

Then Monday morning we discovered it had happened again.

We are sorry. We’re not happy. We’re working to correct the problem.

My most recent e-mail suggested, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that perhaps they should label the correct button, in large letters, in a bright color, with arrows and stars.

Here’s hoping the message gets through and we don’t disappoint you, our customers, again. Thanks for your patience.

Web site now spotlights print content

If you’re among the hundreds of thousands of readers who explore the newspaper via Beaumont

Enterprise.com, you might have noticed something new late last week.
For some time, the print edition has included notes, comments and information about the Web site.

Last week the deal started working both ways.

Online readers knew by Friday what to expect in their Sunday print edition of The Beaumont Enterprise.

The Web page promoted the print story about football’s return to Lamar University and why it is expected to succeed this time.

No one knew at the time thought Chile would experience a record-breaking earthquake that would bump Lamar and its football program to the bottom of the page.

Such is news. It’s why we have to make every effort to plan ahead yet remain flexible enough to react to the immediate news.
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Today is election day, a day that can make a significant difference in the governing of the state and counties in the years to come.

If you have not yet voted, check out BeaumontEnterprise.com for information on candidates and polling locations.

Most of that information also was included in the Sunday print edition for those who prefer their information in that form and can be found again today on page 9A.

Polls close at 7 p.m. Very shortly after, BeaumontEnterprise.com will have frequent election reports with up-to-the-minute information from polling places throughout the region.

Wednesday’s paper will report those complete results.

Thursday’s will give readers more analysis of what those decisions and the resulting changes might mean to the region.
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Election coverage provides an outstanding example of how different the print and online versions of the newspaper can be.

Not only is the Internet unencumbered by the space limitations of a printed product, it is characterized by more immediacy, interactivity and brevity.

In the print product you might get a 20-inch-long story when online you get three paragraphs. Why?

Two clear reasons:

• Web readers generally want quick hits. They aren’t looking for the detail included in print stories but just want the basics.

• Web access to BeaumontEnterprise.com is free and will continue to be. Print customers pay for their news and deserve to get more complete stories.
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Early last week BeaumontEnterprise.com added another database to its very popular collection of information. This database includes the salaries of employees of the Port Neches-Groves ISD.

As with previous database postings, a few people expressed their dismay at this new feature, calling us out for making their “personal” facts a subject of public information.

There’s no point in spouting legalities or explaining again that the salaries of employees who are paid by tax dollars are public information, because that’s been thoroughly explained in this space more than once in the past.

Basically, public employees’ bosses, the taxpayers, have a right to know how much those employees are being paid.

Some people are embarrassed by that revelation and some people would rather it not be made public. It is, however, the law, and the public’s right to know.

It’s also a very popular feature at BeaumontEnterprise.com

More salary databases will be added as the information can be obtained and entered.

We’re not picking on anybody; we’re spotlighting everybody.