Sometimes newspapers go beyond "just the facts" and actually create news, as when editors commission polls, for example, or decide to publish information widely sought but difficult to obtain. Recently, The Sun did just that, twice, making news that generated floods of response from readers and the media.
First, the newspaper commissioned an independent poll that showed that 68 percent of city residents think crime is the most important issue in Baltimore. The results were detailed in a July 16 front-page article with the headline, "City Seems 'Obsessed' With Crime" and in a separate article about dissatisfaction with then-Baltimore City Police Commissioner Leonard D. Hamm. The articles were seen as a key factor in Hamm's decision to resign on July 18.
Several days later, The Sun reported details from the closely held final volume of the popular Harry Potter series three days before the book's highly anticipated release.
The stage for that journalistic coup was set when the newspaper learned that a copy of the book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, had been sent accidentally to a customer in Maryland before the publisher's official release date of midnight July 21. Reporter Stephen Kiehl wrote an engaging front-page article about this unexpected early arrival .
The Sun also assigned reporter/critic Mary Carole McCauley to read and review the book, Her review was published - first online and then in the print edition - sparking widespread reader commentary and media attention.
The Sun and The New York Times (which also published a review in the same news cycle) had no obligation to adhere to the publisher's publicity campaign, which built around a "news embargo." The Sun did not break any laws or, in my view, act unethically. The only reason other publications did not critique the book ahead of publication was that the publisher, breaking with convention, refused to make the book available for review.
After much discussion, Sun editors agreed that they had a responsibility not to spoil readers' enjoyment by revealing the book's ending. So, as with most book and movie reviews involving suspenseful conclusions, the book's ending and other essential details were not included in the review. And readers could choose to simply ignore the review, which was preceded with warnings about its content.
Still, The Sun's decision to reveal any early detail from the book disturbed the spirit of the Harry Potter phenomenon. Based on the hundreds of e-mails and calls that the newspaper received, the review either enraged those who honor the Harry Potter mystique or was considered frivolous by those who had little on no interest.
Reader Jim McCormick's response was typical: "It was inexcusable to publish a review prior to the scheduled release. Even if you had a right to publish, it clearly was not the right thing to do."
Another reader said: "Isn't anything sacred anymore? There are lots and lots and lots of kids out there who may have the ending spoiled for them or at least the plot."
The crime poll articles also drew criticism. Some readers questioned the use of the word obsessed in the headline of the article detailing the public's frustration about crime in the city. Others thought the stories gave Mayor Sheila Dixon incentive to push for Hamm's resignation. Still others wondered whether middle-class readers might be turned off by "negative" news.
In my view, The Sun's poll articles were significantly in the public interest. But I also agree with readers that the use of obsessed in the headline was unwarranted because that conclusion was not supported by the article.
The Sun drew widespread attention to itself with the Harry Potter brouhaha. Visits to the newspaper's Web site went through the roof. McCauley appeared on MSNBC's prime-time Countdown program and was interviewed by news organizations in the United States and Britain. Other newspapers, including the Orlando Sentinel and the Seattle Times, published The Sun's review before the book's release.
In my view, The Sun's scoop was on solid journalistic ground. Alas, it ended up on shaky ground in the court of public opinion.
Paul Moore's column appears Sundays.