Naming the girl - redux

Controversial news decisions are almost always re-addressed the following day, and yesterday’s decision to name a teenage sexual assault victim was no different. Smith summarizes the pro/con arguments on News is a Conversation today, feel free to jump in to the discussion.

Consensus around the table was more or less unchanged. Some appeared to feel uneasy with the decision, but no one felt strongly enough to suggest we made the wrong call. We discussed the possibility of using an editor’s note to explain our policy and why we were diverging from it.

Typically, editor’s notes run at the beginning of the story, creating a situation where perhaps more attention is drawn to the controversy than warranted. Reporter Tom Clouse pointed out, however, that there’s nothing etched in stone requiring us to put the editor’s note at the beginning of the story (this may seem like a no-brainer to most people, but we’re creatures of habit around here).

Good news

The Spokane Valley Food Bank’s call for donations was heeded by the community, and they now have enough food to provide holiday meals for anyone who needs it. A little publicity always helps, and the need is always there, so we’re considering a standard page one presence to help drive interest.

Bad news

Another sign of the times - Gary Graham reported that the Christmas Bureau ran out of toys yesterday. Every year, the fund buys around $250,000 worth of toys at a discount from area retailers, and when the bureau ran out, organizers found that the retailers’ generosity could be stretched no further. They opted instead to give the remaining 100 or so families $15 per child to purchase toys on their own, borrowing from next year’s fund to cover the difference.

Valley editor Jeff Jordan reminded the group that the majority of people coming to the Food Bank, as well as to the Christmas Bureau, have jobs. The cold reality is that for many people, working full-time isn’t enough these days.