TRIFLES OVER TRIBBLES

"Trib Hands" in action at the State Thursday

I'm deep into my research to foster a CONSTRUCTIVE dialog about the Texas Tribune's business practices. One thing I want to make clear is that I have no interest in joining those that seem intent on offering less-than-constructive comments.  It seems clear that there's a great deal of animosity out there over this. I don't see that it is either warranted or helpful. 

Now, I walk a tightrope of seeming either too soft or too hard on the Trib. What is the right relationship? The philosopher Wittgenstein said that when a man says that a particular coat is his favorite, you really don't know anything about his relationship to it.  But when you see that he wears it all the time, then you know something. By this standard, we know what a lot of people think of the Tribune. They rely on it as I do. The Trib has a significant relationship with the public. What we have now is an opportunity to deepen it.

Last year, the Colombia Journalism Review published a thoughtful look at the evolution of this New Media experiment now well on the way to becoming an institution. "The Tribune is here to stay. The question is: What does it become next?" Richard Parker asked.

The debate and discussion over the ethics of its business model is an opportunity to shape it. It is the occasion for fans and foes alike to take ownership of what can and should be a PUBLIC institution.

Once again, let me be clear again as to my intentions in engaging this matter. 

I'm not a journalist, so I don't have to worry about the professional problems that might go with being outspoken here. Still, I know enough about the profession to be useful in facilitating the discussion that is simmering under the surface. So my task is opening and facilitating the conversation. I will resist coming to my own ethical judgment. Again, I do not hesitate to recommend reading James Moore's reporting and judgement. I just think that, at this point, engaging the community in this reflection is the proper process. We may or may not come to closure as he has. Whatever the resolution, engaging the community in this process is what is most needed now. 

One curious phenomena has shown itself time-and-again as I seek on-the-record comments for my story. Bill Minutaglio, the excellent reporter who brought (among other things) the "Dallas Buyers Club" story to the world, first noted it in a piece he wrote about the Trib in 2011.

I took a very unscientific poll and called several editors, consultants, reporters and educators across the state. What startled me, and I have no precise explanation for it, was how many folks instantly went off the record when they wanted to criticize the Tribune.

So far, all of the professional journalists I've spoken with have done the same.  What is behind the omertà? Some have been very clear in explaining their reticence. They don't want to seem petty or jealous for their criticisms. That's legit. I don't like having anonymous sources, but I'm going to have at least a few here. Rest assured, these are NOT petty or jealous attacks. In fact, they are honest concerns that are difficult to express in this situation. Most of all, those that I've talked to want to know what the Trib has to say for itself. What of their claim, a fundamental principle for their ethics. Can disclosure cure all ills?  

Oh, I have also gone out-of-market to be sure to get plenty of on-the-record comments. This is a larger-than-Texas issue. We ALL share the same fate if we fail to arrive at a workable, ethical business model for journalism in the Online Era.  

Please, no.

Some seem to think this is some kind of conflict, a cause where we should be taking up sides. I don't see the value in such "closure" now. It just seems to be a justification for animosity. Let me repeat and expand on a response I made to one harsh critic:

....the dislike I see for Evan Smith is inappropriate. Let's give the man credit - he HAS set something quite remarkable in motion. Part of the problem is that our sense of how great the Trib might or should be can belittle what is. Now, that's an enviable predicament for a not-for-profit.

And as for those calling for his head? The real concern is what to do if he moves on to other challenges.

...If he isn't already, (Smith) certainly SHOULD be on the short list at PBS for when Charlie Rose retires. In fact, one of the major concerns should be what will they do IF he leaves to fill Charlie's shoes at PBS. Has he sufficiently empowered this organization so it has taken on a life of its own, or is it crippled without him?

This doesn't mean I will shy away from the kinds of critiques I've already made about the Trib and other media.

That being said, a clarification seems to be in order.

Some mistakenly understood my last post, a lukewarm reaction to the election Livestream, as being insulting or demeaning. My poor attempt at wit in titling it "The Trouble with Texas Tribbles" succeeded in being provocative. Alas, some misunderstood the meaning of my parody of the celebrated Star Trek TOS episode. Tribbles, it would seem, are fuzzy, harmless critters. Obviously, that is not a positive characterization for a news organization. But that is not all there is to the tribbles! The story's happy ending turns on their ferreting out the Bad Guys.

Tribbles may not be watchdogs, but they get the job done.  

What about events announced AFTER the deadline???

On other notes....SXSW is underway. I had hoped to provide some coverage of some of the more provocative offerings, including an appearance (via teleconferencing) by Edward Snowden. Alas, the SXSW public relations people are one of the only conference people I've encountered that specialize turning media away. I'd successfully pitched an editor at a reputable publication, but they had closed accreditation - even for an event announced after their deadline.  No, they didn't have the professional courtesy to even respond to my request.  

Well, I can still watch on the Texas Tribune's "Livestream"....

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Tips? Suggestions? Ideas? Drop a line to carl (at) inanityofsanity (dot) com