THURSDAY'S LETTERS: News Council Raises Questions About E&P's Spokane Story

By: E&P Staff A big short-staffed in the week before Labor Day, we have not run any letters this week, our apologies, but here is one received today, along with a brief reply.

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Thanks for your piece [Aug. 29, 2006] about the Washington News Council's agreement with the Spokane Spokesman-Review. It's great to have Editor & Publisher focus on what we think is an extremely significant project for a news council.

However, there were a few errors, which we hope you'll correct online
and in the forthcoming print version:

1. The Spokesman has NOT "hired" the WNC. We have a contract with
them to pay part of the costs, but we are also providing matching
funds from foundation grants and our own budget. Our Council/Board of Directors felt it was vitally important that this project not be
entirely financed by the newspaper, for appearance of conflict reasons.

2. There is NOT a "three-person team" doing the review (Steve Smith
got that wrong, too). Our co-chairs for the project are Cliff Rowe,
founder of the journalism program at Pacific Lutheran University and
Media Member Emeritus of our News Council; and Chuck Nordhoff, former state director for U.S. Senator Slade Gorton and a Public Member Emeritus of the WNC. But several other of our Council/Board are also on the team, both Media and Public members. Most of the research, interviews and writing will be done by Bill Richards, a former
Washington Post and Wall Street Journal reporter whom we are hiring
on a short-term contract. But he will work under the close
supervision of our project team, who will act as his editors.

3. The newspaper's funding limit is NOT $10,000, as your story said,
but $15,000 -- as noted in the agreement that Smith posted on their
website and you linked to in your story. We already have a $5,000
grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation
earmarked for this project, and are seeking another $10,000 in grants
and donations.

Look forward to seeing these corrections at your earliest
opportunity, with a note to your readers that the original story was
incorrect.

John Hamer
Executive Director
www.wanewscouncil.org
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E&P replies: The Spokesman-Review approached the Washington News Council for this review of its coverage of the River Park Square controversy, and contracted for them to do the work of the review. That meets the definition of a work for hire.

E&P was misinformed about the size of the team overseeing the work of freelance reporter Bill Richards. We will correct that on the original article, as well as provide a link to the letter above. The article is not in our print edition so no correction is required there.

The reference to the $10,000 limit was based on an interview conducted before the agreement was finalized. The Spokesman-Review will be paying $15,000 in three installments.