Spectator criticized for presentation, coverage at town hall

WEB EXCLUSIVE. As newspapers across the country are learning to cope with the changing forms of journalism, the Spectator sought input on how to address these changes on Monday evening at its first Town Hall in two years.

Over 40 members of Spectator staff, students, and community members came to the event to offer critique on Spectator’s content, presentation, and ability to make use of new media. The event, intended to garner feedback and criticism, was moderated by media attorney Stuart Karle, CC ’82, formerly of the Wall Street Journal. Karle previously served as Spectator Editor in Chief.

Audience members largely discussed the newspaper’s format and the way that material is presented both online and in print. Spectator editors said that they were attempting to keep up with the proliferation of multimedia use in news organizations while operating under a tight budget.

“I think the most salient issues right now are increasing our online presence and increasing our multimedia use in a way that we’re not just [making] multimedia for the sake of it but considering what our audience wants,” Melissa Repko, BC '10 and editor in chief said, stressing the need for the paper to develop more informative multimedia projects.

Many commented on the layout and usability of Spectator’s newly redesigned Web site, and much of the criticism centered on the site’s seemingly haphazard display of articles on the page. Staff members said that they planned tweaks and clearer prioritization to make the Web site more user friendly.

“Internally, we are going to face challenges that come from trying to move further into the world of 21st century technology,” campus news editor Joy Resmovits, BC '10, said in an interview after the event. “Distinguishing between the content we post online and print in the paper is becoming more and more a part of the metabolism of the news section.”

Audience members urged Spectator to incorporate more online interactive graphics such as maps, photo blogs, and videos. Repko said she plans to integrate suggestions such as an online Classifieds section for students to buy and sell materials, and would like to see readers upload their own material to the Web site. Repko said she also hopes to increase the efficacy of advertising in the paper by including advertising that is more relevant to students, and replacing ads for things such as egg donations.

Though most of the time was spent discussing presentation, Karle also asked audience members about their thoughts concerning coverage. Amy Chen, BC ’10 and Student Government Association Vice President-elect of Student Affairs, said that she felt that there was not enough Spectator coverage of the SGA elections relative to the Columbia College Student Council elections. She specifically addressed the lack of coverage concerning candidates’ platforms. Resmovits responded that it is difficult to have reporters at every event. She added that there is often web-exclusive coverage concerning elections when there is not enough space in the print edition.

Helen Rosenthal, chairperson of Community Board 7, attended and also questioned Spectator’s lack of coverage. While she acknowledged the need for a stronger focus on Community Board 9 given its proximity to Columbia’s campus, she did not understand why there was relatively no coverage of CB7 the past two years.

She applauded Spectator’s increased coverage of CB7 the past few months, stating that a news reporter has finally been regularly attending meetings.

Last year a readership survey was distributed to collect feedback in lieu of a town hall, but Repko said it was useful to conduct an open forum, explaining that, “it’s nice to meet readers face-to-face and to sit down with staffers and talk about how we’re doing.”

CCSC President George Krebs, CC ’09, said that he was impressed with the changes that Spectator made in light of last year’s criticisms.

Tom Faure, CC '09 and Editor in Chief of the 132nd Managing Board, noted how this Town Hall stood apart from the one conducted two years ago: audience members were focused on user-related aspects of the papers such as “what can be done to improve readability and usability for users, where a couple of years ago there was focus on sensitivity issues and coverage issues.”

Staff members also expressed their hopes that readers would continue to contact the newspaper about concerns on a regular basis. Repko said that she hopes to put out a readership survey next semester. Resmovits, echoing other editors and members of the Spectator, said she hopes “to give the impression that I am available for feedback to the people that we represent—24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

NOTE: The editor-in-chief, managing editor, and campus news editor recused themselves from the editing of this article since they helped plan the event and participated in it.