Recently in Editors Category

We had a Phil Spector story on our front page. Underneath? Results from our online poll saying that 92 percent of our readers believe that Spector killed Lana Clarkson. Our placement should have been better.

Longtime editor Phil Drake, the king of San Gabriel Valley, will be leaving us to head to Iowa, where his family lives. We wish him the best. Starting Monday, Kate Kealey will be the night editor for all of SGVN, and Frank Girardot has been promoted to city editor for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Frank will continue with his crime blog, some reporting and contribute to this blog. Big title, more responsibility, little money. Ain't journalism great.
thanks
Edward

The announcement on the promotion of Larry Wilson, Pasadena Star News editor, to public editor for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group, Star News, SGVTribune, Whittier Daily News, found its way to LA Observed. And deep within all the shuffling of positions, I'm mentioned. I'm famous; I'm famous. In a very minor, narrow sort of way. But famous nevertheless.

Today, we give you two stories on Arnold Alvarez-Glasman, one in West Covina, the other Rosemead, where apparently he is angling to get another job. But the most interesting name thrown in the mix is Francisco Leal, city attorney for Maywood. In this fascinating story by LA Weekly's Jeffrey Anderson, Leal has had some interesting moments:"Perhaps foremost among the many controversies in which these lawyers have been embroiled are allegations explored in a 1999 L.A. Times story that Beltran, a Stanford-educated lawyer, and Leal, a Harvard Law School graduate raised by immigrants in El Paso, were threatening to launch recall campaigns against elected officials in Lynwood, Commerce and Bell Gardens if they did not vote to retain the two men’s legal services."
That would be the Bell Gardens where Glasman is now city attorney.

I should have blogged on this last week. The latest calls for assassinating the author by Islamic fanatics should have, as Tim Rutten notes, been loudly condemned by every writer, blogger, newspaper and editorial in this country. Instead, it was swept aside within the next news cycle. Freedom of speech is the bedrock of democracy, and the continued threatened and real violence to end it should prompt us all to stand up and fight.

No, I'm not really. But would it matter? As a journalist, if I slanted everything I wrote because of my political convictions, only people who supported those positions would continue to read me. That's why I think the latest hand wringing over political contributions made by journalists is much ado over nothing. A sports reporter at the Tribune was noted on the list. And? Now, are there ethical lines here? yes. I shouldn't give money to candidate A if I'm covering candidate A. And I could probably come up with a few more if I really wanted to think about it, but I don't.
fyi: I'm a libertarian (small l) for the most part, and I have never given money to a political candidate or committee. I'm too cheap and would rather give it to a bartender or Dino's Chicken and Burger in Azusa.

UPDATE::"100,000 newsroom employees nationwide" and they find 144 who gave money.

Now you realize why I check Foothill Cities everyday. As an aside, LAObserved picked this up yesterday, though it inaccurately mentioned us as one of the papers that missed the story. We don't cover Nell Soto.

Kevin Roderick picks up on Foothill Cities noting that *Assemblywoman Nell Soto, D-Ontario, hasn't been seen for awhile, apparently because of pneumonia.. Unfortunately, Roderick also tweaks us for not noticing. I did notice, but we don't cover Soto, who represents the area to the east of the San Gabriel Valley.

*I had state senator, which she was when I was covering her.

but I'm also not praising it. Tonight they're expected to announce a new city manager.
With solid defensive action by lobbying groups, cities are not obligated by open-meeting laws to announce before the meeting who they have picked and negotiated a contract with. They can but most don't. I find it hard to believe that the public should not be able to comment on a city's top executive position; and I don't find it hard to believe that cities don't try to be more open about it. The city's statement that the release of the new manager's name 'could jeopardize his relationship with the city that now employs him' is absurd.
On a side note, Glendora also played dumb with releasing the employee contract. That, of course, is a violation of the Ralph M. Brown Act.
UPDATE: Alison Hewitt says it's Monterey Park City Manager Chris Jeffers. Better yet, she said they introduced him before they voted hiring him or approving his contract.

We did this story in connection with the Ken Burns film.

I should try using that as a carrot for my reporters. Editors complain about reporters, and reporters complain about editors. No matter where. I mention this because of this NYTimes memo. These were the highlights
-"we plainly have to do better at getting stories done earlier, and to the desk earlier."
-"this whole enterprise would be assisted by us all doing better at an even more basic benchmark: being at work, ready for duty, at our assigned time. like 10, and no later. of course, there are exceptions, too many to list. but, regrettably, there have also been too many instances of late where folks have not met this most fundamental obligation for no good reason. enough already.
- "i hope it is not lost on you -- and i am repeating myself here -- that there's a pretty obvious good in this for you all. like getting home. to your families or beaches or ballparks or bartenders."

And what did Claremont learn from the reaction that Pomona received when it sent a threatening letter to a local blog? Apparently nothing.
From the DBulletin: "Former Claremont Mayor Diann Ring said she thinks the blog in her city is potentially heading toward litigation as well.
The Claremont Insider - also penned by an anonymous blogger - writes about Claremont city officials and the "goofy, too-serious, power types that run most of the town's service organizations, charities and city commissions."'
-- This all started with local blog Foothill Cities getting a 'cease and desist' letter from Pomona for posting reasons about its city manager resigning. It was overreaching by the city. And that's just from the experts. The city of Fontana should be the model for how to deal with blogs with the mayor and others posting: "Fontana's Director of Public Works Curtis Aaron also logs into the forums with regularity and answers the residents' questions.
"Most of 'em are usually people speaking out about something they don't understand or are frustrated with," Aaron said. "If there's something going on there that's an issue, we don't wait for it to get out of hand. We keep an eye on the blogs, and ... we can get on it right away."'

Some have said that we are paying a bit too much attention to the spat between the city of Pomona and local blog Foothill Cities.
The Daily Bulletin looked into the accusations about the possible reasons the city manager resigned, but couldn't substantiate them. Does that mean Foothill Cities should not have aired the comments? I don't know.
But once the government takes an official action, it becomes reportable.
I don't agree with some bloggers who think they can do better journalism day in and day out than most journalists can. They might be able to make hits now and then, but this is a fulltime job. It takes skills that take years to perfect.
But I also don't agree with the old media types who think that we are the only ones who can come to the table and play.
Bloggers fill an important niche, and as much as some people might not like it, they are truly part of the press. Protecting their free speech rights is, in the end, protecting ours.

The New York Times has an interesting reader question and answer segment with editors and reporters. The latest one is with Matthew Purdy, investigation editor: "The best reporters are humble enough to ask "dumb" questions (two or three times, if need be), smart enough to know what they don't know and brave enough to let go of their first impressions. You are right that there is a danger in getting part of a story and mistaking it for the whole story. The only way to guard against that is to report against the findings of your story, in other words to test your conclusions. The best reporters, when they are finished with an article, understand what people who disagree with their conclusions would say about the subject and make sure that it is reflected in the story."
- It's the hardest skills for reporters to learn, and some never do.

Warren Fonteneau, a reader, has asked some interesting questions about editors:
"I believe in fairness to all the SGVT readers, we should know who you are.
As an example
1) Where did you grow up....in the San Gabriel Valley? Did you go to school here.
2) What organizations do you belong to ? If you belong to the National Rifle Ass. it might explain the tone of an editorial. Just as it would if you are a member of the ACLU...or PETA
3) Do you own a business in the Valley...if so ..in what city.
- These are mostly generic questions but I am sure you get my point. I do believe a little truth in where an editorial comes from or what it says may be better understood if the public knows the background of the editorial board members. It comes down to credibility."

-- These are all interesting questions, and throughout the day will try to answer them. But first, and foremost, I'm the city editor, which means I supervise straight news. Most times I don't even know what our editorial page has written until the following day, if ever. I don't get involved in editorials, endorsements or positions. l learned that lesson as a reporter, when I became outraged that we didn't support a local school board member who had taken heat for the principled stances he took. I strode (yes, I pompously did) into the editorial page editor's office, demanding to know why. He calmly looked at me and said read the editorial. "You report; we write the opinions." He was right, and I was wrong and had crossed the line. Usually, it's the publisher, op-ed editor and executive editor decide on the positions that the paper takes. I don't particularly like editorials or endorsements. I personally think they are overrated. But...I'm just the city editor.

A reader asks, "Have you ever thought about asking your readers what they want and what they don't want? Or do you just assume that you know what's best?"
It's a fair question. The answer is -- it depends.
There is a balancing act between giving readers what they want and want they need. An old editor of mine said that we need to give readers information that they don't have but need to know. We and other organizations do surveys of readers' interests, and hold reader workshops where local residents give their input. Sometimes, the information we get and put into effect angers other readers. A simpler, and informal, survey is done practically everyday. It's the phones calls we get. Trust me, we listen.

Don't mess with people's comic strips. In the past few days, we dropped several comics, including Mark Trail. I'm still not sure why we dropped the comics but I'll find out. I first must say, I had nothing to do with this. I deal with the news, not the features and comics. Having said that, we have received dozens of angry callers, some of them quite eloquent. One elderly woman waxed poetically about how the joy of reading the comics was passed down by her grandfather. A family tradition, she said, that obviously the Tribune wants to end.

While I've been away, Foothill Cities slaps me upside the head and adds comments.
The story from Alison Hewitt that he's talking about, and is behind our ludicrous paywall, is copied on the jump.

I went to a talk by David Wallis the other day on the scarcity and slow demise of the cartoonist. I'll post more on my thoughts on that later.

Just because they're applying, doesn't mean they know what's coming.

"Other than the cancer and the $25 million lawsuit, I’m doing all right.”
If I can have that sense of humor when things are bad, I'll be doing all right.

"And hopefully this will be some kind of subtle message to other newsrooms that if you can spare the time and the resources to turn a reporter loose for a good bit of time, then something good might happen."

The idea: "an attempt to bring together professional writers and editors with citizen journalists to collaborate on reporting and writing about the rise of crowdsourcing on the Web. Inspired by the open source movement, the goal of Assignment Zero is to develop a working model of an open newsroom."
- I might still have a job if this takes off, but I don't know about reporters.

Editors need to balance what readers want and what they need. Most times stories meet both criteria, sometimes not. As I have said before, I thought these arrests were minor, a short story at best, but some believed that we should have reported on it before Election for various reasons. I still think we made the right decision. After digging through archives, finding court documents and talking, or trying to talk, to everyone involved, this is what Alison Hewitt found. And considering how some of the players in this story acted before and how some of them are acting now, it reveals an interesting tale of small town politics. But one that should have waited until after Election Day.

Reader Kyle also thinks we should have printed the story about the Glendora teens arrest before the election, so he joins Foothill Cities who feels the same. Another person who sent an e-mail backed my stance, so maybe I'll get a late push.

No bias. No favor.
It’s a mantra we journalists try to live by. And around election time, the standard guides us as we decide which stories to publish before Election Day and which ones to publish afterward.
Every year in the weeks heading up to the day people vote, tips of skullduggery flood our phone lines: Candidates or their supporters misusing campaign contributions, lying about their accomplishments or other candidates’ histories and destroying lawn signs. These are just a few of the usual accusations.

The last thing a journalist wants to hear about himself: "NBC News anchor Tim Russert delivered devastating testimony" in the perjury trial of Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Libby was found guilty today obstruction, perjury and lying to the FBI in an investigation into the leak of a CIA operative's identity.
Update: Russert says he ain't happy.

Hiring citizen journalists.

I'm not sure I like this. We were part of this public records audit as a way to show that police departments need to be transparent. While there may be a point where we would have to file a lawsuit for a particular case, a general lawsuit like this sounds counterproductive.

As I said earlier, the arrest of two teens caught defacing a politician's sign apparently hanging in a public right of way, which would make it illegal, was a minor story for us. Now I see on the local CBS news that there are people protesting the arrest. This on top of Saturday's L.A. Times oddly written story. Sheesh. Sometimes you never know what people are going to rally around. I'll post the video if I can find it.

Roiled..er..not really. Unless of course you read the breathless prose of this LA Times story today.
"The 18-year-olds, Keleigh Marshall and Christina Giammalva, set out the night of Feb. 19 to engage in some mischief by putting stickers on the political signs of Glendora elected leaders. The stickers read, "This sign violates Glendora city ordinance," a reference to Glendora's law prohibiting campaign signs on public property.
Notwithstanding that law and an accompanying set of rules that regulate the placement of campaign material, the same council members who passed the regulations appeared to be violating them — and thus the protest by Marshall and Giammalva."
Notwithstanding that it's only later that you find out that Marshall is the daughter of a former council member, this reporter obviously accepted that the teens were just "protesting" the signs placement not the candidates themselves. Remember, when John Harrold, Paul Marshall and Richard Jacobs were recalled, Clifford was one of the people who replaced them and was supported by the group that was behind the recall effort.
We did a short story on the arrest, and after looking further into it decided it was a type of story that is blown out of proportion before it's near an election. There are many unanswerable questions and possible motivations. Politics as usual indeed.

Updated: put some added details in. Because we have a dumb pay wall for archives, I pasted two stories after the jump that gives some additional informatin on the recall, and other possible explanations for the "protest." Notice the attorney's name as well.

Mother Jones:"The report found that locally owned television stations, on average, presented 5 1/2 minutes more local news per broadcast than stations owned by out-of-town conglomerates."

This is the fun time for newspapers as we near Election Day next week. We get a slew of unconfirmed tips and one-sided complaints about council candidates and anything else on the ballot. Stolen and defaced signs. Campaign paraphernalia stuck in public right of ways (in violation of election code). Our task is to carefully walk the minefield and try to find the wheat from the chaff.

It's always fun trying to get rarely asked for public records. You know city officials are going to say no, because they always do. One of those are resumes. I just asked Irwindale* for their city manager's resume, and they declined citing personnel exemptions. According to Terry Francke, general counsel for Californians Aware, that's baloney. And he cites case law. I'll be citing it too when I ask for it again. I'll put up the relevant case law when I find it.

*For some reason I had a brain-lock and put in Monrovia. I haven't (yet?) asked Monrovia for the city manager's resume.

UPDATE: Francke e-mailed the case law. Relevant part - "plaintiffs would obtain information as to the education, training, experience, awards, previous positions and publications of the auditor. Such information is routinely presented in both professional and social settings, is relatively innocuous and implicates no applicable privacy or public policy exemption."

Full decision after jump:

Missed this story from former colleague Jason Newell about the Johnson's Pasture. (via foothill) Of interest was where Claremont wanted to get some of the funding. It sounded vaguely familiar. Someone should really do a story about the program, I wish I knew someone in the news business.

Journalists are by nature inquisitive and paranoid. Questioning everything our leaders do, whether locally or nationally, and then questioning everything we ourselves do. That habit smashed together in our last story about Rep. Gary Miler, R-Brea. Miller challenged our reporting on this story and so we turned our critical eye on our reporting. Despite hours of reviewing our work and exchanges with Miller and his office, we found the reporting by Fred Ortega and Gary Scott bullet proof. But since the newspaper is part of the discussion, we have an obligation to give the other side say. Most times that means allowing someone to write an Op-Ed piece. Instead we gave Miller space on our letters page. We don't agree with his conclusions, but we should allow him the opportunity to respond like we give other readers of our paper. It will also have no effect on our future reporting.

"The problem of crime in the United States is not “caused” or even aggravated by immigrants, regardless of their legal status," according to the Immigrant Policy Center. Breaking the law by illegally entering is not part of the study's equation, incarceration rates are. I haven't read the study yet, but will.

L.A. Times: An article in Wednesday's Calendar section about an English-language newspaper in Mexico City referred to the many U.S. ex-patriots who live there. It should have said expatriates.

What if we fired all our reporters tomorrow and depended on volunteers and community newsletters for our information? I a big believer in citizen journalism, and there are already blogs slowly covering the happenings in parts of the San Gabriel Valley. But they complement the newspaper, they can't replace it. There are stories, such as the ones we are doing about Gary Miller, that take time: piles of document reading, multiple phone calls and continual rewrites. Local breaking news may be a perfect spot for local residents armed with videos and phone cameras. An all-volunteer
army benefits the military, but it would be disastrous for the news.

Interesting story about an investigation into a jail house interview with Michael Devlin. He is accused of kidnapping 13-year-old Ben Ownby just after the boy got off a school bus Jan. 8 in Missouri. Police found Ben and Shawn Hornbeck at Devlin's apartment on Jan. 12. Shawn, now 15, had been missing since 2002.
Apparently, no media was allowed to interview him. But a reporter, who did the story for the NY Post, slipped in, signing herself in as a friend, according to Devlin's lawyer and police. I was interested in the 'expert's' opinion that the reporter damaged the credibility of journalism by the subterfuge.
I did one jail house interview. And I tried to go the media designated route, but they kept sending me to a line where you could only sign up as friend or family. After a few hours arguing, the woman who arranged the times for the county jail put me down as friend. I immediately identified myself as a journalist to the inmate before I talked to him, so I believe I was on the right side of the ethical standard.
We are not bound by what lawyers or police say when we pursue a story as long as we don't break any laws. As I said about our public records audit, there are rare times when not identifying yourself is the only way you can get information. But I'm not as quick to condemn this reporter. This story is of great public interest, partially by the families own hand after the fact. I don't know the protocal in Missouri. But if the reporter identified herself to Devlin as a reporter, before she interviewed, good job, I say.

My cousin Marshall Tracy sent me a note about this the other day, but this was the first time I had a chance to look at it.
It's intended to stop corruption and *had a section that would have made hash of that little known First Amendment:
"political bloggers who make or spend $25,000 per quarter and who encourage readers to contact their elected representatives would be forced to register as lobbyists--or face up to 10 years in prison."

* - This is what happens when you're late to catch up. It appears that the section was deleted late Thursday.

Nope. But we could have done some cooler stuff online for our public record audit of law enforcement agencies. The Sacramento Bee had an interactive map. My only complaint: they should have allowed users to just rollover the dots for information.

We tried once again to get a photographer into the arraignment of Jorge Garcia who is accused of killing sheriff's Deputy David March scheduled for Jan. 25. We had previously been denied, but with a new judge we thought we might get in. Today we found at we were denied. The judge gave no reason, and since it's at his discretion, we don't have recourse unless we attempt to go to court. Once again, I'm hard pressed to find a reason why we were denied, considering that politicians, law enforcement and the District Attorney has made this such a cause celebre.

Californians Aware hopes to revive a bill that makes it tougher for state and local agencies to stop people from gaining access to clearly public records. We'll be working on a story about in the next several days. I've heard from several people that our public records audit was important work. I expect to hear otherwise soon.

You have a right to know what your government is doing.
That right includes having access to public records, so you can verify how, and how wisely, your tax dollars are being spent.
And a part of our mission as a newspaper is to protect that right.
That’s why joining a landmark public records audit of law enforcement agencies that was released last week was so important.

Us.
- Why not? The Star Ledger in New Jersey has already started a station on the Web, akin to Youtube except specifically for the New Jersey area. The Garden State has to get their news from New York-based stations, which means it's NYC-centric. It's a smilar problem that we have here in the Valley. TV rarely covers stories out here, so there is a need. We already have a twice-daily Webcast that we hope to eventually use for breaking news as well.

The Star's Mission, "New Jersey needs a television station to call its own. Programmed by New Jerseyans, for New Jerseyans. TVJersey has no broadcast towers, no satellites. It doesn’t even have a studio. But it has you. And what you produce, we’ll promote. Just tag your videos on youtube with tvjersey, and we’ll find them. (We’re going to start using some other services soon.) We might find them even if you don’t. And you can always send us ideas and links at video [at] tvjersey dot com. Together, we’ll build the TV station we deserve."

Part of our mission as a paper is to constantly monitor how public agencies release information that the public has a right to know. That's why joining a landmark statewide audit of law enforcement agencies was so important. Most of the local, county and state agencies, we contacted did miserably. We asked for simple documents, such as police reports and statements of economic interests. Now our reporters were instructed not to represent themselves as reporters. A tactic rarely used in journalism but was the only way for us to see how the public would be treated. No one lied. If they had no other choice, they had to answer who they were. Of course, agencies have no right to ask your name or ask for identification or why you want the information. You want it because you're the taxpayer and they work for you. That is enough. Hopefully, the audit will prompt some agencies to do things differently. I hope in the future to do similar audits of other agencies.

Glendora resident Army Spc. Elias Elias, 27, died Saturday in Baghdad when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado. He was the 22nd soldier to die from the San Gabriel Valley. We will do a story on him, if we can.

There is more knowledge outside the news room than inside. Part of our problem is that we are so used to talking to our readers, we have a hard time truly listening. Some of you graciously reacted to my column today with some solid suggestions. I can't promise that we'll implement them, but I do promise to listen to them.

Here's part of an e-mail from Ernie Black from Valinda:

" I wonder why some companys make the wrong choices, trying to guess what the customers want and what they need. But they never ask why we no longer buy their product or why we went somewhere else to shop. They never want to hear what is wrong."

The complete message follows -

We miss stories every day. Sometimes it's because we make the wrong choices. Other times it's because we don't have the resources.
Buffeted by lagging advertising and shrinking circulation, papers across the country, including ours, are trying different ways to reach out to you, our readers, as newspapers undergo a transformation.

It's a time-honored tradition for readers to submit a letter to the editor, whether voicing a complaint or praise. But I rarely, whether reading for pleasure or business, have I made it a point to read those letters -- until now. It started out by accident. Reading an op-ed peice, another thing I rarely do because I don't get involved on that side, I ran across a letter about * funding for a hospital in Covina. Intrigued, , I pointed it out to a reporter who later decided it was worth a further look. I now make reading the letters printed in our pages a daily ritual, because it's one more way I know what you're thinking and know what's happening. So the tradition continues.

*correction

The interesting and unique part of this job is dealing with all walks of life who walk into our offices on Azusa Canyon Road. As a reporter, I went out and met people all the time but as editor, it's different. I've talked to homeless who feel they are being abused, gadflys who believe no one is paying attention and this week I had a woman come in and say we should do a story about a local Santa. Juan Angeles, a part-time custodian and full time baker, buys hundreds of toys for kids and hands them out on Christmas Eve. It's a type of story that you question because who would be that generous? A rich man perhaps. But Juan works two jobs and has a family. It's a type of community member I should be connecting with more. So if you ever have a story idea or just want to complain, give me a call or stop by. My number is (626) 962-8811 Ext. 2720.

The AP story we ran Saturday is still in the news, with apparently no resolution.

"The Associated Press said in its story yesterday that Mr. Hussein “has been a regular source of police information for two years and had been visited by the AP reporter in his office at the police station on several occasions.�? The military, meanwhile, seems to suggest that Mr. Hussein is not a police officer, nor a civil servant in the employ of any Iraqi agency.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to make 2007 the year of healthcare. The Sacramento Bee has a blog dedicated to hearing from experts about solutions. It's moderated by the dean of California political blogs Dan Weintraub

Iraq: civil war or sectarian violence
What do you call a problem like escalating sectarian violence in Iraq?
“A civil war,�? said Matt Lauer on the Today show on Nov. 27. NBC brass had discussed it, he told viewers, and had come to the bold and publicity-generating—if not exactly jaw-dropping—conclusion that democracy is maybe not flourishing quite the way we planned.
The other two broadcast networks, equally boldly, have not followed suit.
“It was their decision to make and their process,�? said Jon Banner, the executive producer of ABC’s World News. “We constantly discuss editorial matters here—all the time, every day. How that decis ion got made there I have no idea, nor do I want to guess.�?
“To be honest with you, I think it’s a political statement, not a news judgment,�? said Rome Hartman, the executive producer of the CBS Evening News. “We deal with the events of the day, and we decide the best way to describe those events based on the news of the day, not by—never mind, I’m not gonna go there.�?
Then he did.
“It should be noted that the day that this pronouncement—and who makes pronouncements anyway? But that’s what it sounded like—was a quiet day, relatively speaking, in Iraq,�? he said.
CNN’s official statement on th matter is: “CNN will continue to report on what is happening in Iraq on a day-to-day basis. And we will also report on the ongoing debate in academic and political circles about what constitutes a civil war.�?
It perhaps goes without saying that the Fox News Channel has not leaped onto the civil-war bandwagon. Fox anchors will join most of their colleagues in television news in anticipating their own Cronkite Moments.

It's been a major discussion in the blogosphere.
"They then blasted open the front of the mosque, dragged six worshippers outside, doused them with kerosene and set them on fire. This account of one of the most horrific alleged attacks of Iraq's sectarian war emerged Tuesday in separate interviews with residents of a Sunni enclave in the largely Shiite Hurriyah district of Baghdad." (via Patterico)

I've been a bit late on this story about Mariel Garza, a columnist for sister-paper Daily News, and her students class project to obtain public documents from the LAPD.

As soon as I find the link to the original story, I'll put it up.

Update: Her story is on the jump....

"The Associated Press is standing by its report that six Sunni men were burned to death in Baghdad Friday by Shiites, even though U.S. military officials have accused the wire service of relying on a source who "is not who he claimed he was," an Iraqi police captain.
Military officials also say they cannot confirm that the incident took place and have asked AP to retract or correct the story, which was repeated by media around the world and cited as a grim example of Shiites taking revenge for a deadly bombing that killed more than 200 people a day before.
"The attempt to question the existence of the known police officer who spoke to the AP is frankly ludicrous and hints at a certain level of desperation to dispute or suppress the facts of the incident in question," AP International Editor John Daniszewski said in a statement e-mailed to On Deadline this afternoon.

The story that came out of Iraq Friday that six Sunnis were burned alive now is being questioned.
"The U.S. military said Saturday that Iraqi soldiers securing Hurriyah found only one burned mosque and were unable to confirm residents' and police accounts that six Sunni Arabs were dragged from Friday prayers and burned to death."
A blogger is also questioning the identity of a man who is frequently quoted in stories, especially about violence, coming out of Iraq.
I don't believe anyone willfully prints inaccurate information and Iraq has to be the toughest place to report on. It does give pause though about taking everything you read without a critical eye.

UPDATE: Associated Press is standing by their story and will be releasing another one with more detail today.

Editorial dicusssions for the front page sometimes center on what stories readers want as opposed to information they need. One former editor of mine said a paper's mantra should be "tell them something they don't know but need to know." Most times the story fits both, but occasionally the choice isn't all that clear. Crime stories are usually the most read but the information they relay is not always that important. The biggest worry for some is that if we decide our stories in a popularity contest we become a tawdry gossip rag or, as politics editor Gary Scott says, fetish-based journalism. I don't agree with Jeff Jarvis that news has already gone tawdry, but I thought the numbers that show what the BBC wants us to read as opposed to what we want to read is interesting. The NY Times also has an interesting popular story page as well.

Stealing someone's else work and calling it your own is one of the worst sins in journalism. The death of Gerald Boyd, former managing editor of the NY Times, starkly makes the case. Though he was not the one who plagiarized or just plain made stuff up, his obituary puts front and center the stain that destroyed his career nevertheless.

As part of a continuing move toward more online interaction, the newspaper has put comment links on the bottom of stories. Other newspapers have also dipped in this pool, sometimes without success. Ventura County Star eventually went back to giving comment links. I think it gives our online readers one more reason to become engaged.

In the past month, we have had the uneviable task of publishing stories about the death of soldiers killed in Iraq. Friday, reporter Jennifer McLain was at Ontario International Airport where Sgt. 1st Class Rudy Salcido was brought home. Some might question whether we should be covering these stories, but no matter what side of the war you are on, the deaths of San Gabriel Valley natives need to be acknowledged. Most families have welcomed us, some have not, and we take a family's feelings into account if we do cover the story. But I do think there needs to be a way of publishing stories about the soldiers who are over there now, and not wait until they are brought home to be buried. I'll be working on that in the next several weeks.

This post is not about who holds anti-or pro-war sentiments that was a major element in the elections but about accurately portraying events. The LA Times and NY Times had photos tying it to Veterans day, set aside for all who have battled wars. LA had a picture in Santa Barbara and NY had a photo in Santa Monica. Both said it was a memorial for fallen soldiers by Veterans for Peace. What neither noted was that the group has been strongly anti-war and opposed the 2003 invasion. Once again, it's not about the group's stance but giving readers' context.

I have a card that shows the state law that allows me, as a journalist, the right to get on to school grounds. Districts that have stopped me usually gave me the exemption "for safety reasons or disruption of class." It's an occasional fight against some administrators who forget the public pays their salaries. Bob Sipchen, from the LA Times, has a interesting read today about the hassle getting into a Halloween party. As he rightly puts it, "aside from parents' narrow experience with their own children, reporters are the only eyes, ears and noses people have to alert them when something smells - which may be why the urge to keep journalists in the dark runs so deep."
- It's also in Spanish.
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The Times has another story about a state Supreme Court decision limiting access to police hearings now being used as a cover for others. It's a fight the legislature should take up, but doubt if they will.

I’ve been here for nearly seven weeks, and I’ve been overwhelmed, in a mostly good way, by readers’ responses to the latest changes in the paper, story placement or even lack of stories. It’s not the type of interaction I’ve ever had to deal with. As a reporter, you can decide, for the most part, what stories you write. But you still had to follow an editor’s command, the news cycle or time. As a part-time freelance editor, I just dealt with grammar, spelling and flow of story.