SAN JOSE: '... trapped in a self-contained
and
self-reinforcing world-view'
by Jay Harris, former editor, The San Jose Mercury News
The major New York-based news organizations
seem trapped in a self-contained and self-reinforcing world-view
that permeates the "Bos-NY-Wash" corridor and the various elites
who live and work therein. It is the regional equivalent of "inside
the Beltway" thinking that at times makes Washington-based journalists,
and the public figures and institutions they cover, seem out of
touch with the rest of the nation.
That said, the concentration of
major news organizations in New York is not a problem for the
Mercury News. If anything, it constitutes a competitive
advantage for us.
Our daily report is more relevant
to our readers, more reflective of their priorities and perspectives,
and therefore of greater utility to them.
Such differences in perspective
lead us to approach some stories differently than our brethren
in Manhattan -- both in the priority we give them and the approach
we take.
A few examples may help make the
point:
* We recognized the importance and
potential impact of the Internet earlier than most news organizations.
We committed heavily to the story of the emerging news medium
for commerce and communication years before others did.
* Early on, thanks in part to feedback
from our substantial Asian community and in part to the diversity
of our newsroom staff and leadership, we took a more skeptical
view of the government's allegations in the Wen Ho Lee case than
some New York-based news organizations.
* In November, when a major Japanese
firm agreed to pay a $4.6 million settlement to the relatives
of Chinese who were forced to work under slave-like conditions
during World War II, it was a front-page story for us. In the
national edition of The New York Times the story appeared
on Page A16.
In the same way, we have been more
aggressive as a business -- and as a news organization -- in responding
to the reality of the increasing diversity of our audience.
As long as we chart our course by
our own compass, the perspective and priorities of New York-based
media are no threat. Rather, they provide a useful point of comparison
and valued supplement to our own endeavors.
Jay Harris has spent thirty years in journalism
as a reporter, editor, educator, and executive. He is a member
of the Pulitzer Prize board.
