Welcome to the editors’ blog
Posted on November 2nd, 2007 – 3:37 PMBy Nancy Barnes
Star Tribune editors will answer your questions and share thoughts about the work in both the paper and online. We welcome reader feedback and comments.
14 Responses to "Welcome to the editors’ blog"
Judging from Editor Barnes’ column, a lot of readers are as disppointed as I am with recent developments at the Strib.
I am a 50 something reader who has subscribed to the Strib all of my adult life - a core customer, your base if you will. Home delivered print news is probably a dying business, but if you had continued to serve your base of loyal readers, there would still be a long live left for the Strib.
But the strategy seems to be “let’s reach out to people who will never read print media anyway at the expense of our readership base.” It would seem to make more sense to strengthen your base than to alienate it. I think your existing course will only hasten your ultimate decline.
Here are a few of the problems:
The “Redesign” of a few years ago - really the USA Todaying of the Strib.
More recently, the loss of virtually all of your thoughtful/humorous columnists (Coleman and Kersten are laughable caricatures of themselves - both phoning it in for a long time).
The Sale to Avista - Hedge funds can’t run a newspaper.
The Righting of the Editorial Pages - Avista thinks it makes sense to turn the editorial page into middle of the road mush - apparently in an attempt to attract other hedge fund owner readers - oh wait, there aren’t very many of those guys…
The decline of the front page - from real news to half page silly pictures and pieces that belong on Page 4 of the Source section.
The “local” emphasis - the commitment is fine - but it seems to be a commitment in name only. The covergage seems superficial and the 4 region stragegy brings me stories about silly issues in bedroom communities of the County that I frankly don’t care about. What’s next - school lunch menus?
I hope you can turn this around but I am pessimistic. I look forward to more quality online local coverage - Minnpost, etc. The day will come that the ritual of reading the morning paper at the kitchen table will be overtaken by just opening up the laptop and browsing the net. I think the current course the Strib is on will hasten that day.
Good luck.
To Nancy Barnes:
Let me add to what I can only assume is a chorus of disappointment at the turn of events at the Strib.
Why, in a world that becomes flatter everyday, where global issues outweigh local in their eventual impact on my future quality of life, do you slash this viewpoint from your pages?
Even blatantly forcing your editorial leadership to reduce its international coverage? Why, so I can read more stories about Jimmy’s dog biting Suzy in the butt in Coon Rapids?
That is one focus group I wish I had been invited to attend.
Steve Bonoff
Minneapolis
The editorial pages are not under the editor\’s domain, but the news pages are. We are constantly looking to find the right balance of local news, which is something only we provide, and national and international news that generally is available in a lot of other places. At the same time, we know not everyone is logged on to the web or watching TV. My question to readers is this: How much do you rely on the daily paper as a primary source for national and international news? If you think we do not provide enough of this news to satisfy your needs, how much is enough?
The problem with the Star Tribune is that it is almost completely pseudo-news. It is entertainment first and informative second. The irony being that this strategy will mean the continuing decline of the Strib as newspapers will loose the entertainment battle with other media sources almost every time.
The paper has completely given up on real journalism in favor of a mix of; stories reprinted from other sources, softball pieces that contain no useful information or analysis and promoting their own interests. While the first of these problems is understandable the second two are unforgivable.
The paper overlooks things like the obviously racist and self serving Dog Breed legislation John Lesch has proposed to capitalize on the recent dog attacks. They ignore the obvious corruption in Minneapolis as city council people request donations for their campaigns from local developers who need city permissions to move projects forward. Hoping big mouthed, poorly informed columnists like Coleman, Kersten and Jones will make up for a lack of real journalism is very short sighted. I can get what they are saying on any number of blogs and have the bonus of being able to talk back if I feel like it.
Meanwhile the paper promotes stadium boondoggles that cost the citizens billions in order to enrich and entertain the wealthy. More importantly the stadiums will ensure that the local sports teams will still be around so that the Strib can maintain the one reason anybody ever buys their paper, the sports section.
The credibility and therefore value of the Strib is about as close to zero as a functioning media outlet can possibly be.
I agree with everything the above writers said.Is what I intended to write today only they said it better.
I am sick about the gutting of this newspaper. I live in Moorhead and wonder where the new regional sections of the paper leave readers like myself.I feel the many readers of the Twins City area are forgotten. Yes, I am aware of the sad state of newspapers for all of the reasons there are, but does not mean I have to like it.I like to read state news also which was always done so well.I miss so many of the people who wrote for years.Seems strange to miss people I never met. This paper is my main source of news. I watch the news channels also.For many years before online and 24 hr news stations this newspaper was my main source of what happens outside of the area my local newspaper covers-it still is.In that way I feel like now I am losing an old friend. I never miss a day, but I’d miss it less if I did. I read news papers from all over the country and the world that friends bring me from trips as am a “newspaperholic”. My final peeve is being told to read reviews on line. Will the paper soon be just a guide to what is on line?Thanks for reading this. I am a reader and not a writer.
I’m another one of your very disappointed, ready to cancel my 20 year subscription to the Star Tribune, customers. Several weeks ago one of the front page stories was about some disagreement at the Wayzata County Club–c’mon guys, this is ridiculous reporting. I can read the Sun Sailor for this type of story. Minneapolis is a major metropolitan area with lots of intelligent, free thinkers–bring back our old newspaper or you will lose your base readership. This paper used to be filled with bite and sass, now its pablum. I have always started my day with the Tribune and counted on it to keep me informed on world news first, followed by great coverage of local news, which I found in the local news section. L. Maki
Yes, I almost canceled my subscription of 40 years the day the editorial page contained editorials from small towns around MN and even some of the news items. Cut and paste news is something I can do. I really don’t care about increased local news or small town MN news; most of what you’re offering for specific local coverage has been covered in my weekly area newspaper. I don’t want a magazine format for a NEWS paper. Locally, I do want intelligent reviews of movies, theater, music, art, and dance. And good analysis of the political scene. Even my local weekly is of little interest to me except for the crime report. Last week I picked up the NY Times to see if I could supplement national and international news. To see that other readers are pining for more such coverage and you are intending to respond is heartening and feeds a healthy democracy. Don’t dumb down anymore. In fact, reverse some of what you’ve implemented. I use computers a lot, but prefer to read the paper in the morning with my coffee too.
Today’s front page carried a New York Times article with this paragraph: “Polls show that two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the way the president is handling the war in Iraq; in a recent survey by the New York Times/CBS News, a majority said Bush’s troop buildup was having no effect, or making things worse, despite evidence to the contrary.”
Everything after the word “worse” is different from the original New York Times version: “Polls show that two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the way the president is handling the war in Iraq; in a recent New York Times/CBS News survey, a majority said Mr. Bush’s troop buildup was having no impact, or making things worse. The White House pays close attention to military families, an important constituency, yet surveys, including a New York Times/CBS News poll in September, have also shown an erosion of support for the war among them.”
Question: Who at the Star Tribune decided to replace the mention of military families’ eroding approval with a reference to unspecified “evidence to the contrary” which Americans are presumed to have ignored in their disapproval of war strategy?
If this kind of sleight of hand is standard editing practice in the news section, I will indeed be relying on the Star Tribune a lot less.
The other night I checked my igoogle site before going to bed. I saw, on BBC, that England was worried about major flooding. I saw, on Reuters, that Bhutto was being detained. I saw, on NPR, an article about the unrest in Burma. I checked the Startribune site and saw no mention of any of these issues around the world.
Yes, I can get world news at other sites, and no, I won’t find anything about the Twin Cities suburbs there, generally. But after 25 years of getting the Star Tribune and expecting to get the majority of my news from it I am disappointed. Must Minnesota be this myopic? I want world news, and I still want it in print. I don’t know what I need to subscribe to or if I can get it delivered, but I’ll be shopping.
Dear Nancy Barnes,
What’s more important the right mix of local and national news or what doesn’t get into the media news. I’m referring to the newspaper and television. This past week a vote was taken in the House and past whether to impeach Vice-President Chenney. It’s in Rep Conyers hands now if the judiciary committee will proceed with an investigation. Twenty years ago or less that would have been on the front page plus the three major tv networks. It wasn’t even mentioned on any of them nor in your newspaper. Why? The belief is that the cooporate heads are making the decision of what will read and heard over the tv. Thanks GE
Although national and international news can be obtained from other sources (Internet, television, weekly news magazines, monthly foreign policy magazines, etc.), the newpaper has a unique role to play in delivering this news. The newspaper can provide relatively rapid response to developing stories, along with discussion of the implications of what is happening. The newspaper can also provide the reader with connections to related developments. Internet news sites and television provide only cursory overviews of national and world events, more or less in real time. Magazines can provide some additional depth of coverage, but these cannot generally respond with coverage of breaking events as quickly as can be done in a newspaper. National and international news coverage and analysis should be a strong and major focus of the Star Tribune in my opinion.
I do think that the Star Tribune overdoes coverage of “celebrity” entertainment news. The entire inner front page of the newspaper is full of worthless drivel. Somehow it does not bother the editors that celebrity information is in oversupply in all media, from the Internet to newspapers to magazines, yet the editors are only concerned about “duplication” of national and international news coverage in the Star Tribune!
The Star Tribune could really differentiate itself by running well-written, compelling stories about the events unfolding in our nation and world, while providing the connections to show how those stories are relevant to the everyday lives of its readers. If written well and organized in a readable fashion (unlike the current paper format, where the pages are cluttered), I’ll bet that it would be possible to both inform and delight current readers AND increase readership.
Judging by the critical nature of these comments and the growing reluctance of the Strib to tolerate criticism in its pages, I’m betting this site goes dark soon.
I couldn’t help but comment on the elimination of the Sunday TV Guide (ok - it’s not the real TV Guide but you know what I mean). How shortsighted!! That’s the main reason many folks get the Sunday paper.
I’ve read that you’ll soon have some online TV Guide capability but only online. It is mysterious to me why you would push people away from a subscription they are paying for towards a free online product.
I’m guessing this will accelerate the decline in paid subscriptions.
After reading the previous comment I will add that my elderly mother is disappointed about the Sunday TV guide and the little puzzle that was in it. That and the coupons are the reason she buys the Sunday paper.
I did not mean to say because I live in Moorhead that my city should be covered,just that I miss state news. I really liked Chuck Haga’s coverage and consider the Strib our state newspaper.
I like the reviews as we often go to things in Mpls and like to know what is happening there.
Much of the paper seems light and fluffy these days.
I guess I would just have to reiterate much of what has already been said. I’m often confused as to why a story makes it above the fold when there are others that actually have more impact on our lives. Turning the Metro section into more of a regional section is too limiting. I want to know more than just what’s happening in my backyard. I’m a resident of Minnesota, not just a corner of it.
Like others, I’ve also noticed that stories are increasingly re-printed from other sources. That’s fine as long you’re using a vast variety of sources in an effort to control bias. It’s also frustrating to see valuable space go to fluff pieces or an interesting picture instead of a story.
The balance of reporting seems to indicate that the inner cities are just a series of decrepit neighborhoods and all the good stuff happens in the suburbs, which just isn’t true.
This may not fall under your umbrella, but I’m also disappointed in your use of Katherine Kersten. I understand wanting to balance columnists with a more conservative voice, but her style is inflammatory at best. She doesn’t offer a different point of view, just anger. Perhaps this is the StarTribune’s foray into shock journalism a la Bill O’Reilly or Rush Limbaugh. I don’t think it’s beneficial, though. Mostly, it’s just divisive.
