The Editors' Desk http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk Posting about issues and topics affecting the Post-Dispatch and the news industry. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:29:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 en 1 The Editors' Desk http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/images/yahoo/stl_pd_logo.jpg http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk 143 50 STLtoday.com Newspapers varied in Page One display of Fort Hood massacre http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/newspapers-varied-in-page-one-display-of-fort-hood-massacre/ http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/newspapers-varied-in-page-one-display-of-fort-hood-massacre/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:29:37 +0000 Steve Parker http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/?p=2498 Editors at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch decided shortly after the assault at Fort Hood Thursday to devote a major part of the front page to that story. We weighed whether to cut back to one or two local stories on…

]]> http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/newspapers-varied-in-page-one-display-of-fort-hood-massacre/feed/ High School principal explains decision to pull stories on tattoos http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/high-school-principal-explains-decision-to-pull-stories-on-tattoos/ http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/high-school-principal-explains-decision-to-pull-stories-on-tattoos/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:07:31 +0000 Steve Parker http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/?p=2486 The Community Section of Wednesday’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch carried a short item from the Suburban Journals in which the principal of Timberland High School in Wentzville defended his decision last month to pull stories about tattoos from the student newspaper.…

]]> http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/high-school-principal-explains-decision-to-pull-stories-on-tattoos/feed/ Fox News was the runaway choice of election night viewers http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/fox-news-was-the-runaway-choice-of-election-night-viewers/ http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/fox-news-was-the-runaway-choice-of-election-night-viewers/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:17:40 +0000 Steve Parker http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/?p=2484 Fox News was the clear choice of election night viewers, nearly doubling its normal prime-time audience, according to Nielsen ratings.

The Los Angeles Times reports on its Top of the Ticket politics blog:

If you followed the suspense of Tuesday’s elections, odds are…

]]> http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/fox-news-was-the-runaway-choice-of-election-night-viewers/feed/ Were the elections a referendum on President Obama? http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/were-the-elections-a-referendum-on-president-obama/ http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/were-the-elections-a-referendum-on-president-obama/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:45:55 +0000 Steve Parker http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/?p=2480 Were Tuesday’s elections a referendum on President Barack Obama?

Before Tuesday, it was easy to find both yes and no answers. Today, it’s still easy to find both.

From an analysis by CNN political editor Mark Preston:

Victories in New Jersey and Virginia…

]]> http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/were-the-elections-a-referendum-on-president-obama/feed/ Tribune newspapers to test life without the Associated Press http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/tribune-newspapers-to-test-life-without-the-associated-press/ http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/tribune-newspapers-to-test-life-without-the-associated-press/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:46:44 +0000 Steve Parker http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/?p=2476 If the St. Louis Post-Dispatch went a  week without content from the Associated Press, would you notice?

The Chicago Tribune and other Tribune newspapers hope to learn just how essential Associated Press content is to them — and their readers.  Tribune media writer…

]]> http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/tribune-newspapers-to-test-life-without-the-associated-press/feed/ Numbers show increasingly partisan media audiences http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/numbers-show-increasingly-partisan-media-audiences/ http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/numbers-show-increasingly-partisan-media-audiences/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:43:37 +0000 Steve Parker http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/?p=2473 John Harwood, in a New York Times Caucus blog titled “If Fox Is Partisan, It Is Not Alone,” presents evidence that “partisan fragmentation throughout America’s news media and their audiences has grown significantly.”

Harwood — noting that he appears on CNBC and…

]]> http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/numbers-show-increasingly-partisan-media-audiences/feed/ Aide to Jerry Brown resigns over secret recording of reporters http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/aide-to-jerry-brown-resigns-over-secret-recording-of-reporters/ http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/aide-to-jerry-brown-resigns-over-secret-recording-of-reporters/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:50:11 +0000 Steve Parker http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/?p=2470 An aide to California Attorney General Jerry Brown has resigned after admitting that he secretly taped telephone conversations with reporters. The aide said that Brown and others in the office were unaware of the recordings.

According to the Associated Press, communication…

]]> http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/aide-to-jerry-brown-resigns-over-secret-recording-of-reporters/feed/ Denver Post beat writers no longer predict outcomes of games http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/denver-post-beat-writers-no-longer-predict-outcomes-of-games/ http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/denver-post-beat-writers-no-longer-predict-outcomes-of-games/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:49:11 +0000 Steve Parker http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/?p=2467 Sports writers at the Denver Post no longer predict the outcomes of games involving teams they cover.  Westworld.com reports that the Post’s editor, Greg Moore, says it’s a matter of ethics.

Moore told the Westworld news blog:

“Sports writers are no different than other…

]]> http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/11/denver-post-beat-writers-no-longer-predict-outcomes-of-games/feed/ Schwarzenegger’s office denies using coded obscenity in veto letter http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/10/schwarzeneggers-office-denies-using-coded-obscenity-in-veto-letter/ http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/10/schwarzeneggers-office-denies-using-coded-obscenity-in-veto-letter/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:16:11 +0000 Steve Parker http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/?p=2463 The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office denies that it used a coded veto message to send the f-bomb to San Francisco assemblyman Tom Ammiano.

According to Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross:

A straight reading of the guv’s letter laments…

]]> http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/10/schwarzeneggers-office-denies-using-coded-obscenity-in-veto-letter/feed/ Are our unedited blogs resulting in erroneous information online? http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/10/are-our-unedited-blogs-resulting-in-erroneous-information-online/ http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2009/10/are-our-unedited-blogs-resulting-in-erroneous-information-online/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:16:52 +0000 Steve Parker http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/?p=2458 The author of a new book on journalism ethics (The Ethical Journalist: Making Responsible Decisions in the Pursuit of News) says he thinks newspapers are making a huge mistake by allowing their staffers to blog without an editor reading behind them.

In…

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