Latest on the comics selection poll

For the ongoing comics poll, “It’s not even a contest,” said features editor Ken Paulman. Tundra is winning by far.

Thin slices

Dan Pelle photo
• Great photo of pears, editor Steve Smith said. And the story fills our pear coverage quota for the season .
• Festival keeps Slavs rooted which goes with a Soundslide by Dan Pelle .
• Pia K. Hansen’s column today is about naming rape victims.
• Blanchette column (look for Elvis reference)
• wire story: Supreme Court cases , though reporter Jim Camden said it would have been better if the story featured a case that was more relevant to Washington readers. The story was about requiring voters to show government-issued ID. Washington State already has ID rules .
• Editors received an email from a reader who asked why the theft of a rabbit made front-page news.
• There’s a hearing for Larry Craig’s case today, but he won’t be there in person.
• The last Visual Arts column is tomorrow. The features department said to prepare for lots of feedback.

Photo sharing quasi-policy

The Longview, Wash., newspaper called last night and asked for a photo of Fred Russell. Assistant city editor Dan Hansen brought it up this morning to ask how the photo department handles photo sharing. It was very late last night so there was no one available in the photo department, but typically the department shares photos if the requester is non-competing (e.g. it’s a newspaper from another area, etc.)

But this applies to photos that have already been published in The Spokesman-Review, photo director Larry Reisnouer said.

The department doesn’t charge regional papers because they return favors for other times, but say if The New York Times were to request a photo, they would have to pay up.

Coming up for 7: Zombie culture

Wait, that’s an oxymoron. Editors concluded that zombies are one of our most overlooked reader demographics. There may have been a few bad puns thrown in there too. The S-R never gives zombies enough coverage, never publishes their anniversaries or obituaries.

“It’s problematic,” Camden added.

“What a bunch of frustrated comedians,” said Carla Savalli, senior editor for local news, who refrained from using any zombie jokes.

“Mummy never taught you how to pun?” said Smith to Savalli.