William Donald Schaefer stopped by The Baltimore Sun last week to talk with a large group of newspaper managers. What he had to say is instructive, especially on this day of the year marked by good tidings and generosity toward our fellow citizens.
The governor's remarks were aimed at this newspaper's treatment of public officials and government. But there was a broader message, too.
"It's now fashionable to be negative," Mr. Schaefer said. "When I read the paper, I'm depressed as hell. Somewhere along the line, you've got to be positive."
That's been his approach, the governor noted. Be upbeat. Fix the problem so lives can be better. Don't tear down and be critical.
And yet even Mr. Schaefer conceded, "To write something on the positive side is very difficult."
Why is it so difficult? Because of this era's politics of negativity, in which attack ads and hyper-critical campaigning is in vogue. Because of this era's right-wing talk-radio phenomenon in which the negative is always highlighted and all public officials of the opposing party are viewed as inherently corrupt and venal. Because of the television talk-show phenomenon in which viewers tune in to see what new salacious wrongs have been committed.
Everywhere you look, the world is seen through skeptical eyes. Newspapers are no exception. They are in competition with radio and television for the scant leisure time of American families. And when you compete, you often adopt your competitors' successful techniques.
In this context, government is usually viewed as The Enemy, in which reporters try to find out what's going wrong -- not what's going right. Those who defend the actions of government aren't usually portrayed in a favorable light. Those who would tear down government and block all action are viewed more positively.
Good guys and bad guys. Heroes and villains. Journalists are telling their readers stories and the best way to "grab" a reader is to tell a gripping story filled with good and evil, heroes and villains.
It is a sad fact of life that few people would pick up a newspaper or watch a TV news show if all that they read or watched was good news. Picture a front page of this newspaper with headlines such as, "Governor Lauds Elderly Group," "President Delights School Children," "Mayor Encourages Citizens to 'Be Kind to Your Neighbor'," "Schools Report Good Attendance Marks."
It's just not news to report, "Mail Delivered on Time" or "Government Did Its Job Yesterday."
Editors try to mix in positive stories among the day's events of crime, political controversies and community disputes. But those happy stories have to be interesting, too. Too often, the positive stories just aren't very interesting.
Reporters are no different from others in the work force. They want to do their job well enough to get ahead. That means finding the big "scoops," slaying a dragon. The objective is not to explain the daily workings of government or to act as a booster for government programs. That's where the conflict comes in with public officials such as Mr. Schaefer.
At times, reporters are merely looking at an issue differently from public officials. They seek out a variety of points of view. They don't take the official pronouncement as gospel. The temptation is always there to debunk the official statement, to give greater emphasis to critics than supporters, especially if the critics are vocal, media-smart or large in number.
That's the nature of the news business in the 1990s. And yet Mr. Schaefer, despite several decades of complaints about his press coverage, has thrived. He's dominated the news in this town and this state. To a large extent he's done so by avoiding the negativity and attack-ad mentality that afflicts too many other politicians.
His is a simple philosophy. Try to do good for people. Be positive. Don't ever give up hope or give up trying to help.
Throughout his career, Mr. Schaefer has overwhelmed the negative news stories by adhering to this philosophy. Good deeds speak louder than criticisms. Achievement speaks volumes. Newspapers may record the daily activities of a politician, but a leader such as Mr. Schaefer is far greater than the sum of the parts of these news stories and editorials.
Journalists have a job to do -- as chroniclers and critics. It is a legitimate and necessary undertaking in a democracy. Politicians and government officials have an equally necessary job assignment. Friction is inevitable. But the good politician -- and the good citizen -- will keep his or her eye on the ultimate goals. To do good for people. To be positive. To never give up hope or give up trying to help.
Barry Rascovar is editorial-page director of The Sun.