Chronicle reader rep takes on trash
Houston Chronicle reader representative James T. Campbell gets rare column space today for an article on... a proposed Fondren Southwest trash transfer station?
No doubt, the trash transfer station is an important issue to folks who live in the area.
But at a time when the Chronicle is poised for layoffs and overall trust in the media is at historic lows, it seems an odd topic to assign the Chronicle's reader representative (as opposed to, say, a staff writer), whether it's in his back yard or not.
Other newspapers offer Campbell's equivalent a regular column to talk about editorial issues and to enlighten readers on editorial practices. I can't recall ever seeing Daniel Okrent or Michael Getler or David House getting space on the editorial page to complain about a trash facility in their respective neighborhoods.
It's a strange editorial decision even for the Chronicle.
Maybe it explains why I never got a followup to a question Campbell promised to answer for me but never did. Apparently, he was too busy researching trash to help me (and our readers) understand an editorial policy at his newspaper.
I know the Chronicle is a little shorthanded these days, but making the ombudsman moonlight on the trash beat seems a bit much.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/04/04 09:17 PM | Print | Comments (0)
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