New Huntsville Times Editor Kevin Wendt
There’s gonna be a new face at The Huntsville Times and it’s got a scruffy goatee. Welcome to Huntsville, Kevin Wendt.
My hope is that he’ll turn the paper around and get rid of the leftie bias and incurious reporting. Huntsville needs a good newspaper, and deserves a better one than what we’ve got. I know that many people have just stopped getting the paper, because of the stench of liberalism that permeates the Times. In my own love-to-read family, we went from four full subscriptions to one weekend-only subscription, and think often of cancelling that.
Here’s the story of how Wendt became a journalist (must read):
Call it destiny or dumb luck, but the fact Kevin became a journalist at all can be traced to a chance meeting at Subway on freshman move-in day. He ran into Star sports editors Jason Schaumburg and Ryan Byrne. He and Jason had grown up together in Elgin. Even though Kevin was a chemistry major, Jason asked if he’d be interested in covering women’s soccer.
“Of course, I thought, ‘Hmmm. Women … soccer.’ So I started doing it. It was a good way to make some money. I didn’t have any when I went to college.”
Mercury News memo:
Kevin will be among the youngest newspaper editors in the country, and it’s no surprise to any of us. Since his arrival at the Mercury News in 2000 — wearing a degree from Northern Illinois University and a black eye delivered by some thugs he exposed in the campus newspaper — Kevin has shown an incredible aptitude for this business.
The Huntsville Times memo:
He has experience helping develop the newspaper’s convergence efforts between its newspaper and online operations. Among other stops in his career at the Mercury News has been executive news editor, assistant business editor covering internet/technology companies as well as the sale of the former parent company, Knight Ridder, and news design director, responsible for the overall visual report for news, local, business and sports sections.
The Society for News Design published an Interview with Kevin Wendt:
I was just really impressed by the Huntsville area, and I was really enthused by some of the things I saw the paper doing and imagining the potential to grow in print and online… my age (30) allows me to not accept “Well, that’s how we’ve always done it” as an answer to any question…
Visually, you just look at the sophistication of design and packaging these days (insert Apple reference here), and producing a product that feels authoritative — both in print and online! — is so important. And that’s not just design. Our stories must be clear and concise, and written with an authoritative voice. We must package our news in the most user-friendly way possible…
Journalism and newspapers are too important, and there are too many talented people still affiliated with both, for us not to create a sustainable business model that supports what we do.
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May 26th, 2008 at 2:48 am
Since most of the articles come from the AP wires, I’m not sure the “liberal” bias you are speaking of will be reduced.
May 26th, 2008 at 3:01 am
Matt - the editors choose which AP articles to run, they can ‘edit’ the AP stories and the Times writes headlines.
I was also thinking of the columnists they choose; for example, the ‘Life’ section (sexistly for women) has raging lefties Beth Thames (who advocates suppression of free speech - hush rush) and Rheta Grimsley-Johnson (IIRC on hiatus, but who blamed Bush for Hurricane Katrina - not just the response, but the hurricane). The Times finally put Ricky Thomason on the editorial page, because his rants were more politically-driven than entertaining.
You’re probably right, anyway, but I’m an optimist.
May 26th, 2008 at 4:57 am
I hear you. I usually don’t read much of that crap, so I will defer to you.
May 26th, 2008 at 4:58 am
I hear you. I usually don’t read much of that crap, so I will defer to you.
It is disappointing that almost everything comes from national wires, but then again it is much cheaper than paying for writers to fill that space.
May 26th, 2008 at 7:28 am
What liberal bias? Specific example(s) please.
May 26th, 2008 at 9:49 am
redeye - can we stipulate that David Prather and David Person are liberal? Can we stipulate that Beth Thames, Rheta Grimsley-Johnson, and Ricky Thomason are liberal?
Is there a conservative who works at the paper?
In today’s Huntsville Times ‘Forum’ section front page there are four articles: 1) “The End of an Endless Road” = cars are bad, we’ve “laid the environment to waste” = liberal point of view; 2) “Is America Doomed to Collapse” = Bush economy “greatest financial crisis since the 1930s” = liberal point of view; 3)”Big-box schools contribute to sprawl” = New Urbanist moaning about “car-dominated culture” = liberal point of view; and 4) “LBJ’s long but forgotten shadow: Obama’s rise can be traced directly to his programs” = “potential for a brand new progressive wave that we haven’t seen since 1964″, “even if Democrats gain the majorities this November to surmount hard-core Republican resistance” = liberal point of view.
That’s only today and only one page.
Want more? Even the ‘Enjoy’ section cites the Union for Concerned Scientists (can we stipulate that they have a liberal point of view?) in an article praising electric mowers, saying that “Running a lawn mower engine for an hour can belch the same amount of pollutants into the air as eight new cars…”
Is nothing sacred? An electric mower around here is about as worthless as teats on a hog.
BTW - note that I have a lot of respect for John Ehinger; his signed work is unbiased and informative. Also note that I’ve found Kenneth Kesner and Challen Stephens to be good reporters.
May 26th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
“An electric mower around here is about as worthless as teats on a hog.”
Some little piglets might disagree.
May 26th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
FWIW I passed by John Ehinger on I-565 recently and he had one of those “bright blue dot in a really red state” stickers on the car. Could have been his wife’s vehicle, but still…
I agree, though, that he by and large is decidedly non-partisan and objective in his work. It makes him a bit dull because he avoids the bombast, but I like that. No need for unnecessary sensationalism.
May 26th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Don, I stand corrected. It should read “teats on a boar hog”.
May 26th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Reactionary,
What’s wrong with someone being “liberal”? You say it like it’s a bad thing. Liberal=truth, justice and the American way.
Liberals may work for the Huntsville Times but they don’t OWN the Huntsvilles Times.
May 26th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Reactionary, I and probably everyone else knew what you meant, but I just wanted to have a bit of holiday fun with you.
May 26th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
redeye - so you agree with my characterization of the ‘Huntsville Times’ and those people as “liberal”?
May 27th, 2008 at 1:23 am
I agree with your characterization of the “those people” who work for the times as being “liberal”. But they don’t OWN the Huntsville Times, they are employed by the Huntsville Times. The owners are not liberal.
You still haven’t told me why you think being “liberal” is a bad thing.
May 27th, 2008 at 1:39 am
redeye - one step at a time, maybe two.
“The owners (of the Times) are not liberal.” Can you provide specifics?
Can we agree that “liberal” in contemporary US usage basically means secular democratic socialist? If so, then it becomes clear why being liberal is a bad thing - because socialism is a bad thing.
BTW - sorry to jump in and out of the conversation - but the only reason I’m writing now is that I’m taking a break from the pressure washer…
May 27th, 2008 at 3:28 am
What exactly IS “basic secular democratic socialism” Reactionary? And no we can’t “agree” that is what “liberal” means. Liberal means truth, justice for all, equal rights and civil rights, caring more about people than corporations and the American way.
The Huntsville Times is owned by the Newhouses’not the so called “liberal writers”.
Glad you jumped in.
May 27th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Devil’s advocate…
The HSV Times does mix it up a bit, providing a diversity of opinion. I particularly enjoy the frequent columns by noted Crunchy Con Rod Dreher. The paper also includes a left/right pair of columns from nationally syndicated writers.
May 28th, 2008 at 3:02 am
My beef with the Huntsville Times is they’ve bought into the “fair and balanced” Faux News Crap. The truth isn’t fair and balanced. The truth is non partisian. The truth shall set you free. I don’t mind the diversity of opinion but the news should stick to just the facts.
May 28th, 2008 at 3:48 am
“FWIW I passed by John Ehinger on I-565 recently and he had one of those “bright blue dot in a really red state” stickers on the car. Could have been his wife’s vehicle,”
I hate those stickers, They seem so condescending. When I read one, all I see is “I’m much more intelligent and enlightened than all the hicks in Alabama.” I am sure that is not the thought behind it for most most folks and maybe I am just defensive.