March 19, 2011
http://detnews.com/article/20110319/INFO/103190368Publisher’s note: Reviewers’ independence key
To our readers:
I want to share with you an episode that occurred last week which has sparked a vigorous discussion in our newsroom about the need to ensure the independence of our reviewers. Indeed, I owe our readers an explanation and an apology for the lapse that raised questions about our credibility.
Detroit News reviews run the gamut from cultural performances to restaurant dining, from computer gaming to auto introductions. Our writers are expert in their areas of interest, allowing them to write freely with authority and flair — and their well-informed perspective contributes much to our pages and to our online sites. We give our reviewers broad latitude to establish their personal "voice," even as we edit their drafts for clarity and readability and accuracy and fundamental fairness.
A few days ago, our auto reviewer, Scott Burgess, resigned in frustration after he was asked to change several passages of his review of the new Chrysler 200. This occurred after an advertiser complained that some material in the review was acerbic and disrespectful. The review had already appeared in our newspaper "Drive" section but we asked Scott to soften a few passages in the online version. The review was sharply critical of the 200 and there was no effort to change Scott's verdict or his reasoning.
While our intent was to improve the piece by making these passages less grating, our decision to make these changes after fielding an advertiser's complaint was a humbling mistake. As publisher and editor, I want to apologize to our readers and of course to Scott. Once the review was published we should have maintained the wording in all our formats and avoided any sense that we were acting at the influence of any interest aside from our readers' interest.
Why is that so important? The credibility of our journalism is our calling card to your doorstep and your digital screen. We simply cannot act at any behest but yours and we must avoid any appearance to the contrary.
It is a fact of life that our reviews will sometimes ruffle commercial feathers. For example, in our On Screen section Friday, one of our movie reviews appeared under the headline, "'Kaboom' is incompetent, absurd." Whether we are reviewing a movie or a new Thai restaurant or a $90,000 sportster, our readers must be certain they have the author's unvarnished opinion, free of any commercial or outside consideration. That's our ongoing commitment.
Jonathan Wolman, Editor and Publisher
