More feedback about our Zehm coverage

“It was the substance of our reporting that moved the mountain,” editor Steve Smith (back from out of town) said of recent coverage. It reflected the power of newspapering to affect change and bring longer-term benefits to the community, Smith said.

The Doug Clark column from Sunday has been bringing a lot of feedback from readers, including between 30 and 40 emails from readers that Steve estimated were in a 12:1 ratio of positive:negative. There’s also been a “flood of phonecalls” to the publisher.

Snippets

• The Bush vulgarity wasn’t a big deal this morning but Smith (back from vacation) said the F-word would have caused more discussion.
• Clotheslines are apparently outlawed in many Spokane neighborhoods. Features editor Pia Hansen has been receiving a record amount of feedback (record number in 5 months) including from one man who said he line-dried even his “personals”. “The word was ‘personals,’” Hansen said.
• Mr. Daily Briefing returns next Monday. Smith has seen a deficit of online snarkiness.