Nine months have swept by since I became public editor. In that time, I’ve received and read hundreds of your emails, and I have learned a lot about you and your relationship with The Dallas Morning News. As we launch into a new year, it seems like a good time to reflect on our interaction. Here are a few observations:
- When I refer to “your relationship” with The News, I mean it. Many of you have subscribed for decades, and you are invested in our work. I am always impressed by your knowledge of our reporters and columnists and by your smart analysis of their journalism. You understand the value and influence of our work and you want us to succeed.
- You consume our work closely. Some of you rely on us for specific news (often sports), but many readers spend considerable time with our content. (One told me it usually takes him an hour to get through the paper.) Your critiques target everything from major national stories to photos to public-safety briefs. And you sweat the small stuff. Many of you (especially teachers in our audience) are not shy about sharing errors you spot — including mine — involving usage, punctuation, misspellings, missing words and grammar. You are helping to hold us to our own high standards.
- You reflect our culture’s larger tensions. We are a divided nation. That certainly comes through in your emails. Many of you see The News as an extension of a media ecosystem that seeks to upend American ideals, although my experience with our journalists defies that suspicion. Some readers perceive every topic through the prism of politics, from our work on tolls and fentanyl to our choices about which comics to publish (and which ones to halt). And no political wing has a purchase on rage. Readers who identify as liberals are just as conspiratorial in their attacks as those who call themselves conservatives. Perhaps all those elections in 2024 fomented your anger. I hope 2025 is a calmer year.
- You applaud The News for being forthcoming about its mistakes — and some of you want us to do more. In fact, several of you have suggested that we run corrections on the front page of our print edition instead of near the bottom of Page 2A. My take: Unlike many news outlets, we take our mistakes seriously and are generally quick to issue corrections. That’s important in and of itself.
Grant Moise, publisher of The News, hired me to help reinforce trust with our audience via transparency, humility and accountability — and you appreciate this. Even when you and I disagree, you inevitably respond with: “Thanks for listening.” I see this as a reflection of your belief that we are all ultimately on the same team, fighting to preserve and strengthen our fragile democracy. This always leaves me surprised and heartened.
All of this is a long-winded way of saying: Thanks. Please do continue to email me with your questions, observations, concerns and kudos at public.editor@dallasnews.com. In the meantime, Happy New Year.
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