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TNT editors update you on news decisions and coverage

Monday, May 12th, 2008

Posted by Jeff Standaert @ 06:26:01 pm

Among the top local stories in Tuesday's News Tribune:

•Puyallup triathlete Gary Tucci qualified for the 2008 Ironman World Championship in a most unusual way – by buying a spot in the competition with a $55,100 bid on eBay.

• Clover Park parents aren't universally happy with the school board's choice for superintendent. And they planned on showing up at Monday night's board meeting to make their sentiments known.

Categories: Briggs
Posted by Karen Peterson @ 03:04:10 pm

If your paper looked like mine this morning, the colors didn't exactly match up, causing the pictures and graphics to have a blurry look.

In fact, the color plates were out of register.

As you probably know, we create color in the paper by laying four layers of ink - red, blue, yellow and black - over one another. Each color is printed with a separate plate.

When we printed today's paper, the plates weren't lined up properly. The problem was the plate "bender," which prepares the flat plates for the rounded cylinders of the press.

Here's the note we received this morning from our production manager, Robin Semegen: "We had a failure on one of our plate benders last night. It was bending plates out of square. It was not noticable till they went to mount plates on the press at starter time. They had to remake 30 to 35 plates causing us to be late. And worse is the fact we are out of register on many of our copies we did produce."

So in addition to having some out of register papers, some may have been delivered late.

Robin tells me the problem has not been completely corrected, but adds: "We will just do a better job of monitoring so we catch it and correct it sooner than we did last night. Should be cleared up by Thursday."

Sorry for the problems. Thanks for your patience.

Categories: Peterson

Friday, May 9th, 2008

Posted by John Henrikson @ 11:25:33 am

We all got a kick out of today's Non Sequitur comic in SoundLife. Maybe a little too close for comfort.

In my opinion one of the great things about the print edition is the comics page. You can view comics online - here's Non Sequitur, for instance. But it's just not the same. On the other hand, some papers are having success with animated Flash cartoons. Check out what Newsday's Pulitzer-prize winning political cartoonist Walt Handelsman is doing.

Categories: Henrikson

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

Posted by Hunter George @ 06:54:26 pm

I spent much of the past two days filling in for a reporter as the Reader Representative. I thought I'd share highlights from some of the more interesting calls and e-mails from TNT readers:

* A reader named Michelle says she got "a whopping $371" economic stimulus payment from the feds, and cautions that the media need to be careful to make sure the public understands individuals get up to $600. The way some media reports shorthand the issue, it makes it sound like everyone gets $600, she says. Good reminder, Michelle.

* A Vietnam vet complained that he hadn't heard whether we plan to cover a golf event on Friday for nearly 450 wounded and amputees from Iraq who are getting treatment at the American Lake Veterans Hospital. It sounds like quite a special event, and we do plan to cover it.

* Bill wants to know why Tacoma's reservoirs are so low. We're working on a story about that - and the relation to the incredibly deep snowpack. The story should run early next week.

* Bernadine wants to know if a message she got in an e-mail is true: Does Barack Obama really want to salute "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" instead of the National Anthem because he feels the anthem conveys "a war-like message"? Answer: No. This is an urban legend debunked by snopes.com and factcheck.com, both of which determined that it was a satirical column written by an Arizona writer that's now being circulated as true.

* I helped a handful of readers find stories that were buried deep within our vast Web site. Said a reader named Loretta: "This is wonderful. I couldn't live without the TNT."

Categories: George

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Posted by Jeff Standaert @ 05:53:45 pm

Among the top local stories in Wednesday's News Tribune:

• DaVita, which employs more than 850 people in downtown Tacoma, is running out of space for its growing business. Where it will find the space it needs is Tacoma's latest economic conundrum.

• Lakewood has plans to change the identity and reputation of its notorious Ponders neighborhood, known to many as a nexus of drugs, prostitution and violent crime.

Categories: Briggs 3 comments

Monday, May 5th, 2008

Posted by Jeff Standaert @ 05:32:46 pm

Among the top local stories in Tuesday's News Tribune

• At a time of year when many people are planting flowers or doing their spring cleaning, dediated skiiers are still on the slopes, thanks to last winter's incredible snowfall.

• If you're trying to sell your house, the latest news from the Multiple Listing Service won't leave you feeling terribly optimistic.

• Puyallup is voting on whether to renew Sound Transit's lease on a downtown parking garage. It's a controversial issue in downtown Puyallup, where some feel the garage is hurting the community's identity.

Categories: Briggs

Friday, May 2nd, 2008

Posted by Matt Misterek @ 06:57:07 pm

The newsroom rode a roller coaster of emotions this week -- high that we could usher a colleague into a well-earned retirement, low that we were saying goodbye to a consummate newsman and cornerstone of The News Tribune.

Rob Tucker worked here nearly 30 years as a reporter, city editor, editorial writer, sports editor, business editor and consumer columnist. (Not all at the same time, although he would have tried if we asked.)

I said it at his retirement party, and I'll say it again now: It's hard to think of anyone who better personifies the values of teamwork than Rob. When asked to provide his 10 biggest stories at the TNT, Rob largely submitted things that he worked on with other reporters: the Sheriff Janovich scandal, Mount St. Helens eruption, Atlas Foundry explosion, to name a few.

In 2003 when I arrived as Rob's suburban team leader, he had been working as the Puyallup Valley reporter for eight years and was probably ready for a change. When I asked him what he wanted to do, he didn't try to set himself up for a career move; instead he said: "I'll do whatever you need me to do."

Rob worked three more years in East Pierce County and his final two covering Lakewood, Fircrest, Steilacoom and DuPont.

The new Lakewood reporter is Brent Champaco, who has covered University Place and Gig Harbor for more than three years.

Our managing editor described Rob Tucker as a "gentleman journalist." Others at his sendoff said they will remember him for his encouraging ways (he only ever got angry at his computer) and deep experience covering floods, storms and local history. One reporter gave this metaphor: Some people are books, but Rob is a whole bookshelf.

Rob's last day was Wednesday. I miss him already.

Categories: Misterek 1 comment

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Posted by Jeff Standaert @ 05:15:51 pm

Among the top local stories in Friday's News Tribune

• OK, it may not solve all your problems, but those federal economic stimulus payments are starting to arrive. Many local folks, reporter Scott Fontaine discovers, are planning to do just what the government wants – spend the money fast.

• There's no sign yet of the person or persons unknown who vandalized the long fir on the Chambers Bay golf course. But an arborist believes the tree can be preserved.

• Waiting for your test results can be agonizing when you suspect you may have cancer. Now a joint screening clinic being set up in Tacoma should dramatically cut the waiting time for possible breast cancer patients.

Categories: Briggs
Posted by Hunter George @ 01:19:41 pm

A couple of readers posted comments on the story about the attempt to chop down the only tree at Chambers Bay Golf Course. They wonder why we put it on the front page.

Lots of factors go into deciding what to put on the front page. The list includes - but isn't limited to - such categories as breaking news, impact, how many people it affects, a heartwarming tale, an appalling tale, local news and food groups (meaning, we try not to put three state government stories on the front page, or three military stories or three of any type of similar content).

But there's another category that I'd call the "Oh my gosh!" category. As in, "Oh my gosh, did you hear that someone tried to cut down the only tree at Chambers Bay?!"

That was the reaction throughout the newsroom yesterday as word of the vandalism spread. It's also the top story on our Web story today (in terms of page views), so that's often an indication that we picked a good one.

Categories: George

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

Posted by John Henrikson @ 11:39:00 am

I'm serving as Reader Representative this week, which is always interesting. Several readers have phoned or written in protesting our publication of a paid in memoriam from the family of David Brame. It was five years ago last weekend that he killed himself and fatally wounded his estranged wife Crystal Judson in a Gig Harbor parking lot.

Here's a representative letter from Carol, "a disappointed reader in Federal Way."

It was very inspiring to see the parents of Crystal enjoying a bite during Friday's fundraiser. I was un-aware that they have founded "The Crystal Judson Foundation" in her honor. This is so very much needed in honor of all the victims of domestic violence. Then, I continue on to page 4 of the same section of The Tacoma Tribune and there is the monster who killed his wife in front of their children and then took his own life. This is a disgrace to the people of Tacoma, all your readers of the newspaper and your subscribers and most of all the family of Crystal.

Here's my response:

Dear Carol,

Your letter was forwarded to me as this week’s reader representative. I wanted to get back to you personally with a response from the newspaper. I understand your point of view – it’s one that we’ve heard from a number of readers.

Our perspective: We sell obituaries and in memoriam space to the community as a service. We let families express themselves and grieve in the way that they want. We don’t want to be in the position of picking and choosing whose memorial ad we run or in editing the content. On the other hand, by accepting an ad, the newspaper is not endorsing the message.

Our news coverage decisions are made separate from advertising. We listen to everyone, but journalists do make decisions about what to write about based on facts and reality.

Categories: Henrikson 1 comment

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

Posted by Jeff Standaert @ 05:27:55 pm

Among the top local stories in Wednesday's News Tribune:

• After a month of simmering racial tensions, students at Bethel High School are volunteering to help reshape attitudes among their fellow students

• The City of Tacoma is working on a new budget strategy in response to the economic slowdown affecting the region and the nation. The city is looking at a “hold-the-line” budget later this year as officials begin work on the next two-year budget.

Categories: Briggs 1 comment

Monday, April 28th, 2008

Posted by Jeff Standaert @ 06:29:14 pm

These are some of the top local stories in Tuesday's News Tribune

• A civil war of sorts is brewing in the Wollochet Harbor Club neighborhood. It pits waterfront property owners against uphill residents concerned about preserving their view of the water.

• Restoring the Titlow lagoons near the Tacoma Narrows could help restore native salmon runs. But there are many questions to answer before the proposal goes forward.

• A Tacoma woman was killed in a car crash Saturday night. The driver, a 20-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of vehicle homicide after investigators found reason to believe he was under the influence of a hallucinogenic drug at the time of the crash.

Categories: Briggs

Thursday, April 24th, 2008

Posted by Jeff Standaert @ 06:15:54 pm

Among Friday's top local stories:

• Sandy Johnston has been a careful rider for almost 30 years. But her caution and experience was no protection earlier this year when she was struck by a car as she pedaled through Fircrest on her way to the home of a friend.

• The Tacoma School Board planned to choose the district's new superintendent.

• The rice shortage has hit the South Sound area.

Categories: Briggs 1 comment

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

Posted by Jeff Standaert @ 05:17:25 pm

Among the local stories in Thursday's News Tribune:

• Sen. Patty Murray wants to know why the VA is using two sets of estimates on the number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have attempted suicide.

• Fort Lewis has done so well preserving the blebird population on post that it's exporting them to other areas, including the San Juan Islands.

Categories: Briggs

Monday, April 21st, 2008

Posted by Jeff Standaert @ 06:55:40 pm

Among the top local stories in Tuesday's News Tribune:

• You can call it "Extreme Makeover, Lakewood style." A controlled burn last month was one of the more dramatic moments in what will become a new start for the John and Mary Haas family.

• Alan Ingram, an official with the Oklahoma City Public Schools, got a strong show of support from a number of community leaders Monday as he pursues the top leadership spot in the Tacoma School district. Ingram and Interim Superintendent Art Jarvis are finalists for the job.

• The state Department of Transportation has taken out a policy to insure the new Tacoma Narrows bridge in the event of an earthquake or tsunami. The state even bought a special rider to cover terrorist acts.

Categories: Briggs

Friday, April 18th, 2008

Posted by Hunter George @ 12:11:26 pm

Several of us spent a fascinating four hours Thursday with 10 Russian journalists who are visiting the Puget Sound region to learn more about investigating corruption.

(Insert "they came to the right place" joke here.)

I came away with an appreciation for the tools that are available to American journalists. Despite the ridiculous number of exemptions to our public records and public meetings laws, our new friends from the Krasnoyarsk region in central Siberia don't have such luxuries. Bribes, harassment and intimidation are part of the way of life over there. The group we met Thursday is working to change that, so they had lots of questions about investigative journalism.

They chatted with Managing Editor Karen Peterson, crime/breaking news editor Randy McCarthy, investigative reporter Sean Robinson, and myself (Public Life editor, overseeing coverage of state and county government).

Their questions were starkly different than the queries we get on a daily basis from South Sound readers. They repeated some questions - saying, "we hear your 'official' answer, but what really happens?" - because they had a hard time believing our answers to questions like these:

* They wanted to know if government officials intimidate us into not publishing tough stories (nyet, they wouldn't dare).

* They asked if government officials retaliate against negative stories by sending in workplace inspectors (nyet, they don't).

* When we edit investigative stories, they wanted to know if we just edit for grammar or if we go deeper than that (our stories are edited for content, and investigative stories usually go through multiple drafts; reporters will tell you it's never fun).

* They asked if reporters must pay libel damages out of pocket (generally, nyet; but we haven't dealt with a libel suit in years because of all that careful editing).

* They asked if our laws give reporters more access to government records than regular citizens (nyet; while reporters certainly use the open-records law more than non-reporters, we all have the same access).

* They said the King County executive's office told them that if a reporter wrote something objectionable, they'd cut off that reporter's access to leaders (Ron Sims' office said WHAT???). We got a kick out of that, figuring that maybe Sims' office didn't realize the Russians were meeting with us too and would share that tidbit. We replied that various government officials have tried to cut us off before, but it doesn't work because there's usually another source who can tell us what's going on, and fighting with the press is rarely a good idea anyway.

The group's visit is part of a multicultural exchange funded by the U.S. government.

The Community Connections Program, managed by the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and administered by World Learning, is designed to promote public diplomacy through the exchange of cultural ideas and values among participants, U.S. families and local community host organizations. It seeks to establish and strengthen links between U.S. communities and communities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.

The Russians spoke little English, so we relied on two hard-working translators, both of whom live in the South Sound. At one point, one of the Russian gents said to me in his thick accent, "Alaska is best state." I agreed that it's an amazing place, and I added that it has a fair amount of political corruption. He laughed and replied: "Old Russian tradition!"

After lunch at a Chinese buffet (they're sampling various cuisines) in Tacoma, we parted ways. They've already visited The Seattle Times, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and The Stranger. Their next stop was the glass museum.

We said goodbye through the translators. If I could have at the time, I would have told Natalia, Evgenia, Vladislav, Boris, Irina and the others: Udachi i khoroshego nastroeniya.

According to this site, that means "good luck and keep well."

Categories: George

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

Posted by Hunter George @ 05:44:44 pm

Last year, the state Department of Ecology sent warning letters (the state calls them "education" letters) to some 20,000 people.

But the department refuses to give us the list of who got those letters. That doesn't seem right, does it?

Here's the issue: The Department of Ecology encourages the public to report people who litter. You may have seen the ads promoting the "Litter And It Will Hurt" campaign. You can call a hotline - 866-LITTER-1 (548-8371) - or fill out a form on the agency's Web site. Basically, if you see someone toss a cigarette butt (or anything else) out of a window, you note the vehicle license plate, description of the vehicle, date and time and location.

The state can’t issue a citation since a cop didn’t see it. But Ecology has an arrangement with another state agency, the Department of Licensing, to identify the owner of each license plate that's reported. Then Ecology mails that person a warning a letter that says, in effect, "a fellow citizen saw someone throw litter from a vehicle registered to you; if you’re ever caught in the act, you'll pay a $1,025 fine."

We believe the list of people who get that warning letter from the state should be a matter of public record. The state, after all, has taken an action, even though it's a warning and not an actual citation.

But Ecology won’t give us the names. The agency's public disclosure officer discussed my request with two assistant attorneys general who represent the agency, and they decided that the information is protected by the federal driver privacy law.

Here's what Ecology told us in response to our request:

=> Read more!

Categories: George 4 comments
Posted by David Zeeck @ 11:45:54 am

Reader Naceem Navidi writes:

I find it astonishing that you would allow your editors, reporters and writers to use the seriously out-dated term "American Indian" versus "Native American".

We don't see headlines saying Barack Obama attended a "colored" or "Negro"
church, for example. American Indian was considered old and even insulting as far back as the 80's.

A change would help the News Tribune seem more modern and in touch. Thank you.

Here's my response:

As you can see here:

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aihmterms.html

and here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_name_controversy

there is still a lot of dispute over both these terms. The US government and the AP stylebook, which governs how newspapers and most news organizations use language, use American Indian over Native American.

A lot of tribes prefer Indian. Russell Means, for instance, who no one would call a sissy as a native-rights or Indian-rights advocate, hates the term Native American and would much rather be called Indian.

I don't think this issue is as settled as all of us might like, but I certainly don't think American Indian is derogatory or out of date.

What do you think?

Categories: Zeeck 3 comments

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

Posted by Jeff Standaert @ 06:18:06 pm

On Thursday's front page:

• That heavy snowfall in the mountains may have been great for ski resorts, but it knocked the stuffing out of the state's snow-removal budget.

• A Stryker brigade soldier pleads guilty to accidentally shooting his platoon sergeant to death last year in Iraq. Cpl. Tim Ayers admitted firing the shot that killed Sgt. 1st Class David A. Cooper Jr. on Sept. 5 at their base in Baghdad.

• Police in Seattle and Pierce County are investigating whether a man killed in an explosion on the South Hill is connected to a homicide in Seattle.

Categories: Briggs

Monday, April 14th, 2008

Posted by Jeff Standaert @ 06:25:10 pm


• Students from half a dozen Pierce County schools traveled to Seattle Monday to listen to the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan spiritual leader told the students that compassion and affection are essential to a healthy life.

• The Metro Parks commisioners are voting tonight on several controversial proposals to raise the district's revenues without raising taxes.

• The Puyallup School Board planned to vote tonight on a policy that would require athletes to earn a 2.0 grade point average to be able to compete.
Categories: Briggs


Inside the newsroom

Dave Zeeck has been executive editor of The News Tribune since 1994. He was a reporter and editor for 20 years at The Kansas City Star before moving to the TNT. He's been active in journalism education and several professional organizations, and is president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. He's married to an employment lawyer; they have two sons, both of whom are college students. Here's a link to his full bio. Email Dave

Karen Peterson has been managing editor of The News Tribune since June 2005. She joined the paper in 2000 as suburban team leader. She has been a reporter and editor for newspapers in Hawaii and Indiana, and for an Army publication in Germany. During her husband’s first tour at Fort Lewis in the late 1980s, she wrote for The Lakewood Press and started the monthly Pierce County Parent. She is a board member of the Associated Press Managing Editors. She and her husband, a retired Army officer, have two sons and live in Gig Harbor. Email Karen

Deputy managing editor Dale Phelps has been a senior editor at The News Tribune since 1998. He oversees both the sports and business departments. Before coming to Tacoma, he was a copy editor and assistant sports editor for 19 years at The Kansas City Star. He's a past chairman of the Northwest Region of the Associated Press Sports Editors. He lives in University Place with his wife and two children.| Email Dale

David Montesino has been the Assistant Managing Editor/Visuals for The News Tribune since December 2005. Montesino oversees the operation of the photography, graphics, design and copydesk departments. He worked at The News Tribune as the presentation team leader in 2000. He has worked as a graphics editor for The New York Times, art director at the L.A. Times and managing editor of The Honolulu Advertiser. Born and raised in the Philippines, Montesino immigrated to the United States in 1984 and studied journalism at Humboldt State University. | Email David

- - - - - - - -

Occasional contributors:
* Randy McCarthy: Crime/breaking news
* Hunter George: Public life
* John Henrikson: Tacoma, education
* Matt Misterek: Subruban, military
* Jeff Standaert: Crime/breaking news
* Marcelene Edwards: Business
* Jeremy Harrison: Photo
* Norma Martin: Soundlife
* Sue Kidd: Lifestyle
* Craig Sailor: Arts & Entertainment
* Mark Briggs: Online
* Jim Kresse: Copy desk
* Mary Anderson: News administration
* Toi Britton: News research
- - - - - - - -

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