Editors and reporters get a lot of interesting voice mail from readers. What if The Spokesman-Review could use these voice mails in podcasts (or now, on the radio?)?

This may include complaint calls and rants, readers leaving unusual story ideas (to put it mildly)...

The biggest concern was an issue of privacy, editor Steve Smith said. When a reader calls a reporter or an editor, is it right for a reader to expect privacy, to expect that their message is only heard by the recipient? On the other hand, when readers leave voice mail, they do realize they're being recorded - Is this a digital parallel to Letters to the Editor?

Adding for clarity: It is legal for S-R to broadcast voicemails. The discussion this morning was whether it's ethical.

The San Francisco Chronicle apparently has podcasted with voice mails from readers. There was a discussion at Poynter Online last year in a comments thread.

This topic came up this morning after Smith said he received voice mail from two very angry ladies about the ultimate crossword puzzle mix-up...

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