Responses to reader comments about what they see in The Gazette

A reader sent me a clipping of two-paragraph brief that was inside The Gazette one March day. The brief told about President Obama's proposed budget, which projects a $1.3 trillion deficit that would drop to $575 billion in 2018 with tax increases and tighter spending that Obama seeks.

Why is this not on front page? It is the most important news item. Do your job! Should be on Pg 1 daily.

I answered the question in my Sunday, March 25, column in The Gazette. Federal spending certainly has many people concerned. The numbers are so huge that people are paying attention, which isn't always the case when we run stories about government budgets.

The Gazette will continue to seek stories from our news services that explain federal spending. We'll aim the most insightful ones to page 1 but others will be published on our Nation/World page, some in briefs, others in longer stories. Consider each story a piece of the larger collection of knowledge you are receiving from multiple stories and news media.

On another matter:

I received this email after a photo on our March 9 back page showed just the legs of Michelle Obama and Safak Pavey, a member of Turkey's Parliament who lost her left arm and left leg in a train accident. Their faces were not in the photo and, of course, you plainly could see Pavey's prosthetic arm and leg.

Are you trying to “showcase” Ms Pavey's “disabled” legs in contrast to Mrs. Obama's “normal”legs? That picture is in VERY POOR TASTE; and if I was either of these women, I would be extremely offended!

I hope to see an apology and a “correct” picture, including their faces, in “The Gazette” sooner rather than later.

The photo we published was taken by the Associated Press and ran as submitted. It was taken with a purpose: to illustrate the personal side of Pavey receiving the 2012 International Women of Courage Award for her tireless work on behalf of disabled and vulnerable people, and to make you think about it instead of ignoring the photo.

I understand the reader's discomfort with the photo but it was provocative and, hopefully, made people curious enough to at least consider that disabilities should not have to matter when recognizing accomplishments.

Finally, I received a little more than a dozen emails about the “Doonesbury” cartoons about Texas' abortion law and the way The Gazette handled the comic strip. Most of those sending emails wanted the strip printed in the comics section, although all but a few were assuaged when it ran on the Saturday, March 17, Opinion page.

My favorite was this one:

Where was Doonesbury in the Saturday (Sunday colour strip) March 10th colour section? (oh and thanks for putting the comics back in their own section. I hated them deep in the body of another section)

I responded that the strip was in its usual spot on the comics page on page 4C with the Accent section features. The reader wrote back that comics are in section “W” section. The reader added:

I don't know what ‘Accent' is.

Where are you looking for this? I asked in a return email.

Lyle, don't know how to tell you this but I just looked at your sig. You are in Iowa, I'm in Montreal and the paper I'm referring to is The MONTREAL Gazette.

There is a bunch ‘o' red faced guffawing goin' on here.

Strange how most of this conversation made sense.