That collapsed bridge story

To the thousands and thousands of print edition readers who wondered why the tragic story of the Minneapolis bridge collapse wasn't on our front page this morning, I say this:

     In my humble opinion, we goofed. Big time.

   I'm not offering reasons or excuses for it. It was apparently an error in judgment and errors in judgment can hardly be hidden when they take place in a newspaper.

  Lucky for us that our online edition has  up-to-the-minute news as it unfolds today in Minneapolis.

  And Friday's print edition will also have much more on the story.

   It's also lucky for us that there will be a paper tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that  .... That allows us the chance to work hard to get it right.

Comments

[Chancellor Carlyle Roberts, II]

Newsguy, just because everyone else is reporting a particular story doesn't require you to report it.

I'm sorry but if everyone jumping on the bandwagon to report the same story (probably from AP, Reuters or some other newswire; thus, not original reporting) is what being a journalist or editor is all about then why do we need any more of them than the people over at AP, Reuters or the other newswires?

Of course, I wasn't saying the story shouldn't have been reported at all, I was saying that the story the News went with on that day was appropriate - particularly since the Buffalo News is a local newspaper and not a national paper like USA Today. You took a national issue (a possibly controversial candidate in the 2008 Presidential election) and showed how the issue affected local people. That's what's important in a local newspaper: the local connection.

Frankly, I'm tired of everyone taking a few stories that seem "sensational" and running on and on and on about them. Give me variety. Tell me what the national papers the cable news networks aren't going to tell me. Show me the local connection.

I'm sorry that she felt the need to apologize for not jumping on the bandwagon and reporting what everyone else has reported. Running the story she ran was a good choice because of its predominantly local focus.

[Newsguy]

I'm sorry, Chancellor, but your analysis of the News' error in judgement here shows you really don't know what being a journalist or editor is all about. Please know I truly respect your opinion. I will admit that there are stories out there that deserve coverage. I'm just saying a story of the magnitude of the bridge collapse needs to be covered by all media. No one is jumping on a bandwagon here. A bridge unexpectedly falling into a river is news. I give the News credit for admitting they "goofed." Before this blog, we would have never received such an admission.

Still, I will agree with Bobby Cat for once that it would have been interesting to learn more about why the collapse didn't receive a greater play. I will say that just because the cable networks are providing non-stop coverage is not necessarily enough of a reason for the rest of the media to jump on a story. A clear example of this was when the cable news networks dropped coverage of a war issue to go to live coverage of Paris Hilton being returned to jail. But in this case, the magnitude of the bridge story should have resonated inside the News' newsroom.

Yet, I'll admit that I've made my share of bonehead decisions over my long career as a journalist. We're human. We make mistakes. The thing is our mistakes are on display for all to see. When the typical working stiff in a cubicle makes a mistake, it may affect a customer or cost the company a few dollars. I've often joked that I wish I could go and look over the shoulder of someone who criticizes us in a very mean-spirited way for making a mistake. I'm sure I'd see just how "perfect" they are at their jobs.

In any event, thanks, Susan, for your candor here.

[Karen]

The Buffalo News needs some competition

[BobbyCat]

"We goofed" doesn't explain the 'why' of the backstory. Did you not see the wall to wall, team overage on all the cable stations throughout the evening and night? If you missed it, you're out of touch. If you did see it, how could you conclude that it wasn't the top story?

The mechanics of a bad decision can be more instructive and interesting than the story itself.

[Chancellor Carlyle Roberts, II]

No wonder the quality of journalism today sucks! If all you can say is that you should have jumped on the bandwagon of reporting a bridge collapse in Minnesota shows a major problem with media today: "Let's report what everyone else is reporting!"

Yes, the particular event is tragic. But how many other tragedies happened late yesterday that went unreported? Are they somehow less worthy of our attention?

I'm happy that you didn't jump on the bandwagon. The news story that did make the front page (Barack Obama's candidacy) is something that deserves further examination, particularly this racist notion among some blacks that Obama isn't really an "African American" because he didn't have ancestors who were slaves in the American south. Even worse were the cultish comments made in favor of the Clintons.

I'm sorry that you felt the need to apologize for not jumping on the bandwagon and reporting what everyone else has reported.