By: Erin Whalen Armchair critics and "Monday morning columnists" may find themselves becoming a little less willing to rush to judgment after taking the "You Be the Editor" challenge at the Chicago Sun-Times Web site this month. The purpose was for readers "to have fun and see some of the problems we wrestle with," said Michael Cooke, editor in chief of the Sun-Times and catalyst behind the exercise.
The quiz featured 10 questions based on real-life dilemmas editors face in determining news content. A dramatic photo of fire victims trying to leap to safety: Is it too graphic? A politician with a drinking problem: Should the paper print the story or protect his privacy? What about publishing the names of prostitutes' clients, even if it will cause pain to their families?
After completing the quiz, visitors were invited to see how other readers voted. The official results of responses compiled by reporter Gary Wisby show a nearly even split of opinion on the above-mentioned questions. Another query that produced a divided response: Should the paper publish the police department's findings on an at-large rapist to warn citizens -- or hold the story in case it might hamper the police investigation? The most lopsided votes: Should the paper run a story on the "outing" of a sports figure by a gay-rights activist group (no); print a story on a company considering expanding in the area even if it may lead to a loss of jobs (no); publish a gruesome Associated Press photo of a starving Sudanese boy, (yes).
Cooke pointed out that the quiz is far from a definitive method of determining what readers think, arguing, "There are no right or wrong answers. You could have a different answer in California than in Illinois. ... [It] all depends on the individual marketplace."
Sun-Times journalists also took the quiz, and the results show that the journalists agreed with readers' decisions over half the time (on six out of the 10 questions). The dilemma of whether or not to print the photo of the fire victims revealed one of the sharper differences of opinion between readers and journalists. Readers voted to hold the photo, while journalists were overwhelmingly in favor of publishing it.
(Editor & Publisher Web Site: http://www.editorandpublisher.com)
(copyright: Editor & Publisher July 24, 2000)
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