Public Editor # 1: The Collected Columns (with Reflections, Reconsiderations, and Even a Few Retractions) of the First Ombudsman of The New York Times

Newspaper Research Journal, Fall 2006 by Pardue, Mary Jane

Public Editor # 1: The Collected Columns (with Reflections, Reconsiderations, and Even a Few Retractions) of the First Ombudsman of The New York Times, by Daniel Okrent (New York: Public Affairs, 2006) 291 pages, $22 (hardcover).

Reviewed by Mary Jane Pardue

For anyone who has ever wondered about the inner workings of The New York Times, Public Editor #1 by Daniel Okrent is an engaging read. Okrent, who was named the Times' first ombudsman in December 2003, has compiled some of his most memorable columns, supplemented with notes and commentary, into an edition that provides an insightful look inside the Times and the issues print journalists struggle with today.

A reflective introduction describes how the decision to appoint a readers' advocate came about at the Times and how Okrent was recruited for the job. He candidly describes his reception by the Times staff as "polite indifference." Not surprising to any present or former print journalists, Okrent writes: "In general, people at the paper began at least to tolerate my presence - largely, I believe, because they had learned that no matter what I said in my column, when they came to work on Monday morning, the paper was still theirs."

He describes how he chose topics for his semi-weekly column in the Sunday Week in Review section and what he perceived at the outset as his purpose. But more important than the reader's vicarious dip inside the Times culture are the viable issues Okrent raises for discussion. Throughout the 291 pages, in reprinted columns, he takes on, among other things, concerns about the principles of journalistic objectivity, the use of confidential sources, the power of photos, the right to know versus the need to know and the use of experts and analysts in news stories. For those who haven't read his columns, the book is an opportunity not only to see the issues raised in the context of the Times' daily coverage, but also to read Okrent's reflections months, and in some cases years, after original publication.

Calling himself the readers' "surrogate" in his Dec. 7, 2003, introductory column and disclosing that his training and experience come from his work as a magazine writer and editor, author and book editor, Okrent's writings spanning 18 months examine the Times' coverage on many fronts, including political campaigns, polls, weapons of mass destruction and the Tyco trial.

Of particular interest is Okrent's piece on the changing philosophy of news coverage today and the results that new philosophy brings. He writes:

Those readers who long for the days of absolutely untinted, nothing-but-the facts newspapering ought to have an Associated Press ticker installed on the breakfast table. Newspapers today and especially this newspaper are asking their reporters and editors to go deep into a story, and when and where you go deep is itself a matter of judgment. And any judgment, it appears, offends someone.

Okrent explores the ramifications of today's news coverage strategies with examples of Times-bashing and readers' spewing attacks on reporters in the context of specific stories.

Also worth noting is his column on the highly debated issue of objectivity that ran on Nov. 14, 2004. In it, Okrent attempts to explain the journalistic ideal of objectivity to readers by tracing its roots to the early 20th century. He then offers a discussion of journalistic objectivity in practice. While the column, which ultimately questions journalists' relentless reliance on experts and analysts as sources at the expense of "a brave willingness to stand behind" what they know to be true, is informational, the real value of the discussion to readers of Public Editor #1 lies in the commentary. There Okrent points out that in today's changing media landscape "predisposition and opinion are the starting points for the news and information sources that many Americans are increasingly turning to-namely the blogosphere." A discussion about objectivity, whether in the classroom or the newsroom, cannot be held within the strict confines of traditional journalistic values. It must be considered in the context of today's changing media environment and journalists' growing participation in that environment through blogs and commentary.

Okrent notes at the end of the book that as his term ended, the Times appointed a new public editor, Byron S. Calame, formerly of The Wall Street Journal, a testament to the success of the public editor experiment. Both he and Calame had demanded and been granted independence, "and I would like to believe that the paper's readers have come to expect the presence of an uncensored critic in the paper's pages. " He concludes: "It's one of the nice things about newspapers: generally speaking, readers will get what they ask for." For those interested in journalistic ethics and practices, Public Editor #1 is a yet another opportunity to bring to mind those daily dilemmas that journalists face.

Pardue is an assistant professor of journalism in the Media, Journalism and Film Department at Missouri State University.