All The News That The Survey Says Is Fit To Print

Do you have a few minutes to participate in our survey? Here's a news story. What do you think? Like this story?

How about this one? No?

In an effort to be relevant, the Chicago Tribune turned their subscribers into their editorial board. Before stories were published, short synopses were e-mailed to the people who buy the newspaper and who were willing to participate in a survey.

The stories that were used were stories that reporters were still working on.

Newspapers are supposed to report the news, but they have marketing departments that are designed to sell papers. The Tribune's marketing department spilled out of its cluster of offices and seeped into the editorial section, and the newspaper's editors and employees are up in arms.

They worry about things like journalistic integrity, and not having someone whose only qualification is that they buy the paper be given a story before it's finished. To what end? Is the potential reader to be allowed to decide what goes in the paper?

Tribune editor Gerould Kern had no idea that marketing was seeking consumer opinions on stories not yet published, and he's moved to stop the practice. He understands the news business, which is not driven by consumer surveys. He believes that the Tribune is there to tell people what's happening, whether they like the news or not.

According to Mr. Kern, the survey data never made it to his desk and it had no impact on how the paper was prepared every day.

He understands that marketing has its place. The newspaper is a business, after all. In future, however, marketing will have to keep to its place and not try to sneak into the editorial department.