With the publication of our editorial on the Virginia U.S. Senate race on Friday, we will have completed the endorsement process. Our cards will all be on the table.
Some of you have called to take exception with us. That’s fine. We welcome you to put your opinion in a letter to the editor (by Oct. 30, please) or post it here (one caveat: Please don’t libel anyone; I won’t post it).
I offer some random musings on letters to the editor.
1) When we had limited space for letters, we received far more than we could print.
2) Now that we have made more space available, fewer folks are taking the time to write.
Perhaps, we are not controversial enough? Is the news of late rather humdrum? Or is everyone on vacation?
The Herald Courier is having this discussion. We currently run one page of stocks each day the market is open. That averages five pages a week. We are trying to decide if the money and space spent on stock tables could be reinvested in other parts of the news product - enhancing local news, for example. What if that space was used to expand the amount of stories about local businesses, new companies in the areas, local business trends, etc. If so, would readers gain far more than what they lose in dropping the stock tables?
Many readers - our most loyal and longest subscribing - are who will most likely complain about dropping the stock tables. They have used them for years. But many of them check the newspaper stock tables out of habit - and use the web for other things. So it is not an easy decision. Can we get people to value a product more, with different content?
That is just one of the content issues we’re wrestling with as we plan for the future.
Let me know what you think. Do you use the stock tables? How often? If they were gone, what would you want added back?
Steven Kaylor, Editor
The decision to publish the photo was the result of several evening conversations among editors. It was not hastily made. We could have run it inside. We could have decided not to run it. But we felt readers needed to be reminded of how violent this war is and that many of the victims are civilians - in this case children.
We didn’t put it above the fold on purpose - we were avoiding the sensational label. You had to buy the paper before you saw the picture in full.
So if you were the editor, would you run it? Would you show the horror of war, as Tom Hanks did in his movie ‘’Saving Private Ryan.’’ Or would you opt for the sanitized version of war, like the old John Wayne flicks?
Tell us what you think.
Steve Kaylor, Editor
Here’s a rundown of some of the topics we will comment on editorially in the next few days. Feel free to chime in on this blog or e-mail me directly at ahopkins@bristolnews.com
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- Virginia Senate takes steps to end the budget standoff. Now, it’s up to the House to come to the table and negotiate in good faith on a long-term transportation funding mechanism.
- Bristol’s Convention and Visitors Bureau wants more money for its efforts to bring tourists here. Kingsport, Johnson City and Abingdon are all doing more to fund their tourism programs. Bristol should step up to the plate.
- CONSOL Coal Co. wants to discharge water from an underground mine into the Levisa River, potentially threatening drinking water in Pike County, Ky. Coal is vital to the economy, but so is clean water.
- Two animal cruelty cases involving puppy mills highlight the need for more oversight in this area in both Tennessee and Virginia.
Weigh in on one; weigh in on them all.
Andrea Hopkins
Today’s paper may feel a little different. It is a more convenient size and a good deal brighter and more colorful.
You’ll see some of your favorite columnists in new places. We’ve added more sections to better organize our news and advertising. We expanded our space for letters to the editor on Mondays and Tuesdays. That way readers can discuss local issues with each other.
The changes we’ve made are driven by several things, but primarily by what we’ve been told in the past by readers like you. A full list of the changes is included inside today’s newspaper. We hope you like all of them.
In response to an earlier post, Lewis asks a question we often get: Why do endorsements?
Truly, my life would be easier if we didn’t. But good newspapers have, I think, an obligation to help voters determine who would best lead their governments and courts. So we try to sift through the same information voters get - and talk to as many folks as we can - to figure out who might be the best steward of a public office.
We make mistakes. Every newspaper has endorsed someone who later turned out to be a real loser, if not a crook. Sometimes we endorse the same folks the majority of voters ultimately support. Sometimes voters go in a completely different direction. What is important is that the newspaper foster a discussion of credentials, provide a fair portrayal of abilities and then make a recommendation that we can defend.
We’re counting down toward the night we will start our new presses and unveil our new look in the Monday April 24 newspaper. You’ll find a lot of changes that day - some large and some small.
Among those will be the addition of color throughout the newspaper. Our editorial page will have color on the political cartoon of the day. Our comics will in color every day. We are creating extra space for letters to the editor on Mondays and Tuesdays so more readers can take part in discussions of local issues - and to take us to task for our own views and opinions.
You will notice that the paper is changing size. It will be a little shorter and a little more narrow.
As promised, a preview of some editorials in the works. Please send me your thoughts on the matter. You can e-mail me directly at ahopkins@bristolnews.com or post your thoughts here.
In the works, our take on the Virginia General Assembly’s special session on transportation, which starts March 27; on college students using their spring break to help Hurricane Katrina’s victims; on a Tennessee lawmaker’s suggestion that the state flag needs its own pledge; and a look ahead to race week and all the craziness that entails.
Andrea Hopkins
When we started the blog, one of the goals was to give readers a chance to voice an opinion on editorials before they appear in print – as sort of an ad hoc member of our editorial board. We don’t promise to change our minds, but we will consider the arguments made.
So, here goes. We are working on editorials on the Tennessee Ten Commandment bills, which seem to fly in the face of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision; the competing Virginia transportation plans; and the recent arrest of former Bristol pharmacist Harry David Johnson on a DUI charge while on bond in his murder case.
Additionally, I am working on a column explaining the newspaper’s position on election endorsements. You can post thoughts here … or suggest other topics that we should cover in the next few days. Or you may e-mail me directly at ahopkins@bristolnews.com
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Andrea Hopkins
Consider this a second request. The newspaper’s editorial board is preparing to interview candidates in Bristol Virginia and Sullivan County. We’ve got plenty of questions for them, but we want to ask your questions, too.
Send me your questions. We’ll let the candidates know that the questions are from our readers, but you don’t have to give your name. Post questions on this blog entry or email me at ahopkins@bristolnews.com .
It’s your right to know, after all.
Andrea Hopkins
The start of a busy election season is upon us. Bristol Virginia voters will pick City Council members and School Board members in May.
On the same day, Sullivan County voters will make their choices in the Democratic and Republican Party primaries. Contested primaries include the county mayor, Circuit Court clerk and several judicial races.