Fly, story, be free!

Opinion vs. the news

PAUL GREENBERG once advised his editorial writers to allow letter writers the last word. If we responded to every letter, we’d never do anything else. So just let it be . . . .

Unless you can get another good editorial out of it!

We are tickled pink to count Bethany Osborn of Fayetteville among our friends in Readerland. She, and others, have questioned a news story that the folks on the other side of the newsroom published several days back.

The story, which ran on the front of the Arkansas section, reports that Little Rock’s mayor, Frank Scott, “spent more than $3,000 on items like flights, lodging and taxis while traveling between Little Rock and Washington, D.C., on three occasions between November and January, according to city reports.”

The news side got that information by using the state’s top-flight Freedom of Information Act.

The mayor flew to the nation’s capital to attend the African American Mayors Association conference. (He serves as first vice president of the association.) Joseph Flaherty’s news article says Mayor Scott also attended a United States Conference of Mayors get-together. And then the big one: He was there for the signing of the bipartisan infrastructure bill that will provide billions to Arkansas, and no telling how much for Little Rock itself.

Here is a telling paragraph from the story:

“His one night at the Capital Hilton cost $270.36.”

Here is another telling paragraph: “He stayed for one night in the Hotel Washington for $240.25, records show.”

Now, back to our friends in the letters section: Under the headline “Story doesn’t fly,” letter writer Bethany Osborn implies that the newspaper ought to be ashamed of ourselves. Or, at least, we infer that. (Another lesson in grammar that Paul Greenberg taught us: Learn the difference between imply and infer.)

From our friend in Fayetteville: “Little Rock’s mayor did not spend taxpayer money irresponsibly. A recent article in the Democrat-Gazette would have you think otherwise.”

And she continues: “Records provided by the Democrat-Gazette show Scott regularly flies from Little Rock to D.C. at 6 a.m., which is one of the cheapest times to fly. He stayed in hotel rooms close to his meetings. None of these expenses are egregious for a business traveler. Rather they show that a mayor traveled to the nation’s capital to communicate his city’s needs to the federal government and attend a meeting of the African American Mayors Association; he is the vice president.

“While the front-page story never explicitly states the mayor spent taxpayer money irresponsibly, the decision to pursue and publish it on the front page strongly suggests malfeasance. As journalists, it is our responsibility to hold public officials accountable when there is clear evidence of wrongdoing. However, the actions of Mayor Scott clearly do not meet this test, and the irresponsible actions do not lie with him.”

Now there’s a strong opinion! Bethany Osborn would make a great editorial writer. At least she takes a line! Which is something too few editorial writers do in American newspapers. We thank her for waking us up. Strong opinion makes for better mornings than coffee ever could.

But we’d remind all of our friends out there that the newsroom’s role isn’t to report whether the expenses for a mayor’s trip(s) are reasonable or not. That is up to the reader. And opinion writers. (And, for the record, we agree with Bethany Osborn that $270 for a hotel in Washington shows a measure of frugality that the people of Little Rock should note in their mayor. Washington, D.C., isn’t a cheap place. To spend $3,181.25 for three trips there—plane fare included—shows a respect for taxpayers. Because getting an executive suite at the Watergate will run you a cool grand for just one night. An “ambassador suite” goes for $2K.)

Once again, we eagerly take this opportunity to guide Gentle Reader to our “Statement of Core Values” on page 2A. We publish it every day. And it says, in part:

Credibility is the greatest asset of any news medium, and impartiality is the greatest source of credibility.

To provide the most complete report, a news organization must not just cover the news, but uncover it. It must follow the story wherever it leads, regardless of any preconceived ideas on what might be most newsworthy.

The pursuit of truth is a noble goal of journalism. But the truth is not always apparent or known immediately. Journalists’ role is therefore not to determine what they believe at that time to be the truth and reveal only that to their readers, but rather to report as completely and impartially as possible all verifiable facts so that readers can, based on their own knowledge and experience, determine what they believe to be the truth.

When a newspaper delivers both news and opinions, the impartiality and credibility of the news organization can be questioned. To minimize this as much as possible there needs to be a sharp and clear distinction between news and opinion, both to those providing and consuming the news.

The expenses for the mayor’s trips are completely reasonable and responsible. That much is self-evident. If our friends in the letters section are upset that the news side of this outfit didn’t take a side, and say as much, well, the newspaper thanks you for not misunderstanding.

The news section reports the news. No matter where it leads. No matter any preconceived ideas on what might be most newsworthy.

To comment on the right of the matter, as God gives us to see the right, is the editorial page’s job.

And yours.

Thank you to all our readers, for whom we write and report. And, often enough if we’re lucky, opine.