We had a spirited discussion this morning about the juxtaposition between our two main stories on Page One on Sunday. The first was a centerpiece about the disparity in arrests between white and non-white students in the public schools. The second was about officials trying to figure out what to do about the Friday night events for young people, which has turned into a disaster for the city.
Race plays a central role in both articles. The first was a story that was in the works for some time. The second was spot news, important developments after a shooting late Friday. Taken together, they could paint an unflattering portrait of young minorities. And they might appear as if we are piling on. The stories are not part of a package, but they are side by each.
Juxtapositions are sometimes unfortunate, and we work hard to avoid those that don’t have a legitimate reason for co-existing on the same page. But I think that the events from Friday night and the seriousness of those events pushed us into three possibilities. One, to move the shooting folo to another page or place on that page. I don’t like that idea because it’s an important story and it deserved to be in that spot. Two, to move the centerpiece or hold it. That’s a possibility, but it’s easier said than done, and we had already told readers it was coming. Three, to do what we did. To me, that’s the best of three difficult choices.
Let me know your thoughts.
Your host is Ken Otterbourg, the managing editor at the Winston-Salem Journal. It's a forum to discuss the media, from
In hindsight it is easy to see how the discussion was lively but the shooting of the young girl justified the front page. Nevertheless it appears the city should perhaps drop The Drop.
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