You know it’s Spokane when news meetings involve pirates

In Johnny Depp news, editor Steve Smith and managing editor Gary Graham have discussed the correspondent’s fictional piece about the film star (which Smith called “failed satire”) but it’s still fuzzy what happens next.

(For the backstory, click here for yesterday’s post )

On the Huckleberries blog is one thread where people clearly don’t separate correspondents from full time staff, said photo director Larry Reisnouer. Here’s part of a comment by MamaJD on the blog:

More importantly —- Where was the editorial staff on this? I understand she is a correspondent and somehow different standards may apply but I gotta tell ya, SR — the average reader doesn’t know the difference between reporter and correspondent.

“It just doesn’t reflect well on us,” said Carla Savalli, senior editor for innovation - It makes people wary that other content in the newspaper may be fiction also - which it isn’t.

Smith said if this had been one of S-R’s own full-time staffers, the piece wouldn’t have been published. Normally the post-gloop process is to investigate the issue, take recommendations, and Smith and Graham would make a decision.

Assistant city editor Dave Wasson suggests having Voices correspondents identify themselves as Voices correspondents, not “I work for The Spokesman-Review.”

The S-R editorial staff have yet to present a code of ethics for correspondents to sign, and Smith expects that the correspondent code will vary slightly from the newsroom code. Correspondents may have less restriction on conflict of interest e.g. community involvement, but newsroom standards about accuracy and truth still apply just the same. The Voices do have a different style for presentation of columns, or quasi-columns.

Thin slices

• School officials deny they’re ‘Net nannies’ . Features editor Ken Paulman said it’s amazing how often posted online content comes back to haunt people.
• At home in the historic Webster house has an accompanying slideshow.
• Pristina Pine closes, laying off 115 : Was this just as big of a story as Deaconess’ layoffs? Should it have been moved to the front page? No, editors said, because even though the jobs were similar in pay, the Deaconess coverage is more complicated and more long-term.
• Returning airmen welcomed home has a video component, first video by Meghann M. Cuniff:

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• Model-train buffs looking for new track comes with video.

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