Exposing The Gazette Editorial Board

By Judi Whetstine

----

Is there a misunderstanding about what The Gazette Editorial Board does? “Who writes the editorials?” is a typical question. “Does the newspaper's editorial position influence the news reporting?” is another.

I observed a weekly editorial board meeting and afterward asked questions about the process.

The opinion page editor who coordinates the editorial board, Jeff Tecklenburg, was hired four years ago. Since then, some new practices have been implemented.

The board adopted its first mission statement in October 2010 and it was published with explanation. Tecklenburg said the board's general parameters and practices “should be put into writing and made public so readers have a better idea of our operation and also as a reminder and guideline to help us develop a consistent voice” in Gazette editorials.

The mission statement is posted online at thegazette.com (click Opinion, then the link at “Principles that guide us” above the list of editorial board members). It is consistent with SourceMedia Group (Gazette parent company) as described at company President Chuck Peter's blog, chuckpeters.Iowa. com: “Act as a convener on selected critical community issues. We expand our role from simply journaling, and truly engage knowledgeable and progressive community members to develop local, actionable knowledge.”

This mission statement clearly states general positions on public issues for which the board advocates. This transparency also fosters an open debate within our issue-oriented community and should meet reader concerns about hidden agendas.

The Des Moines Register and Quad City Times do not have mission statements, and such statements are not common, according to a quick survey of Organization of News Ombudsmen members. The Los Angeles Times editorial board has one, but its guidelines are more general than The Gazette's.

Supervision of the opinion page editor changed during reorganization, from The Gazette editor, now Lyle Muller, to the publisher, who is Tim McDougall. McDougall said that among the reasons for the change was the “desire to keep some separation between those reporting news and those writing opinion pieces.”

The L.A. Times editorial editor also reports directly to the publisher. The Des Moines Register and Quad City Times editorial editors report to the editor.

Some readers have questioned if The Gazette Editorial Board influences how news stories are produced. Tecklenburg said that “news reporters never see the editorials before their publication. There can be possible coordination in a breaking news situation in the opinion page staff obtaining some facts from the news reporters.”

The Gazette board members are the three opinion page staff (Tecklenburg and columnists Jennifer Hemmingsen and Todd Dorman), McDougall, content information Director Becky Lutgen Gardner, community relations Director Elizabeth Schott, Peters and company Chairman Joe Hladky. The president and chairman attend meetings only occasionally, but sometimes provide input, especially on election endorsements.

Tecklenburg creates a list of issues for potential editorials for the board's review. He moderates the discussion during the meetings.

I watched discussion defining the local or state issue and then a decision of whether or not there was sufficient conflict in public opinion to merit an editorial. Views on the issue were solicited from the board members and whether or not additional information was needed to develop an opinion.

Opinion page staff are also reporters seeking facts through interviews, research and discussion with invited guests, Tecklenburg said.

“People invited to meet with the board are involved and/or have expertise or special related experience on topics,” he said. “The topics generally are local or have local implications and have surfaced in the community or region. They are recurring, especially contentious, or seem to be generating lots of reader/community response.” People also ask to meet with the editorial board to discuss an issue. The board does not grant all requests.

Staff write editorials that “represents the institutional position guided by the mission statement, although they may personally differ with the conclusion.”

Tecklenburg writes some editorials and assigns others to the columnists.

The editorial represents the consensus of the board, Tecklenburg said. During the past four years, the publisher (then Dave Storey) has only “once overruled the board's consensus on the institutional position taken in an editorial.”

If you have an unresolved concern about the content or presentation of Gazette or KCRG-TV9 news stories or the opinion page, contact Judi Whetstine, SourceMedia Group's community advocate, at gaz.communityadvocate@gmail.com or by mail at Community Advocate, The Gazette, 500 Third Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401.

Judi Whetstine is not a SourceMedia Group employee. The longtime attorney, retired from the U.S. Attorney's Office, serves on the Cedar Rapids Board of Ethics and consults for the University of Iowa.