Dear Mr. Editor:
I’d appreciate it very much
if you would just hear me out on a couple of suggestions I just want to share
with you.
Suggestion 1. Provide Separate Coverage:
If you could, Dear Editor, please
offer a separate section to cover “Trump News.”
Therein, you might disclose the latest “scandal,” the late-night
“Tweets” from the politicians and the other elites like actors, artists,
celebrities-celebrated-for- something-we-no-longer-recall, and slanted
editorials masquerading as journalism on the subject of Donald Trump.
Suggestion 2. Offer Some Traditional Journalism:
Also, if you can, train some
new hires as “journalists.” Yes,
reporters who uphold the principles of the American Society of Newspaper
Editors (ASNE) as contained in the ASNE Statement of Principles.
Interesting piece of work,
this Statement of Principles is. Among
other things it includes the following:
In
Article I Responsibility “The primary purpose of gathering and distributing
news and opinion is to serve the general welfare by informing the people and
enabling them to make judgments on the issues of the time.”
It
goes on to state in Article IV, “Every effort must be made to assure that the
news content is accurate, free from bias and in context, and that all sides are
presented fairly.” Hmmm, I like the
sound of that.
Next,
Article V Impartiality advises that, while there is nothing that requires “the
press to be unquestioning or to refrain from editorial expression. Sound
practice, however, demands a clear distinction for the reader between news
reports and opinion. Articles that contain opinion or personal interpretation
should be clearly identified.”
Lastly,
Article V Fair Play requires that “Journalists should respect the rights of
people involved in the news, observe the common standards of decency and stand
accountable to the public for the fairness and accuracy of their news reports.”
If you could include the
work of these “newly trained” new hires in a small section called “Traditional
Journalism.” You know, the kind that allows the reader make up his own mind and
is both accurate and unbiased. And, if
it’s not too much to ask, let it be impartial—clearly separating reporting of
events from editorial opinion—and observe common decency. And, while I understand just how difficult it
would be (and this is why I ask for only a smallish section of your paper),
stand accountable for the accuracy of what you say.
Go ahead and devote the rest
of your paper to “celebrity news,” and the latest foibles of Donald Trump and
his friends and family. One more thing, I like what
you’ve done with sports—providing a “Scoreboard” that is separate from the
latest scandal about sports endorsements, drug use, ridiculous monetary
compensation practices, and “celebrity sports news.” Now this may just be a personal preference,
but if you could make the Scoreboard the first page of the sports section, followed
by regular columns from a few knowledgeable sports commentators with a sense of
humor—WOW! Would I ever like your paper! (I know, I know, I promised to only offer two
suggestions and this sports thing is probably a third one altogether. Sorry.)
Thanks for listening, even though
you probably felt the urge to edit the dickens out of this one from the start.
Your Subscriber and Reader
of Some Parts of Your Paper,
Me
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