[Villages Kahuna]

I've come to know a reporter on The Daily Sun, and I have also communicated with both reporters and columnists of a couple of other big city daily papers. They all say essentially say the same thing..."of course the content of what a reporter or columnist writes has to satisfy the desires of the newspaper's owner and his appointed publisher and editors". But they all go on to say that the owner/publisher/editor can't require those writing for their papers to lie or in any way misrepresent the truth. Even a demand by the owner of media to tell only one side of a story violates the principles of good jounalism.

They all explain that it's always a greater struggle for the news reporters, who sometimes would like to include more information or news from the side counter to the owner's. They all explain that the "counter" news is never completely eliminated, but sometimes it is presented with less emphasis than the reporter might like. But like a lot of businesses, if he wants to keep his job, he must keep the boss happy.

The issue is a lot more defined when it comes to columnists. One reminded me that unlike reporters, a columnist's job is to write articles and opinion that create controversy among the publication's readers. One explained to me that many readers don't understand the difference between reporters and columnists and often accuse the publication of one-sidedness after reading the writings of columnists.

The Morse family, the developer of The Villages, clearly wants their media (the Daily Sun, WVLG and VNN) to emphasize the friendly lifestyle of TV as well as their own political preferences in both the choice of news articles, but particularly in the choice of syndicated columnists. The "news" is always decidedly local and designed to emphasize the wonderful lifestyle we all enjoy here. The opinion and columnists chosen by the owner/developer is always pretty far to the right--their preference which they have every right to present.

They own the media and have the right to orient their editorial staff in the direction they wish to emphasize. As readers, our choice is to read the publication or not, to listen or view WVLG and VNN, or not. There are alternatives, of course. CNN or Fox are excellent news sources; USA Today or the Orlando Sentinal can be used for news. And even though it's not available via home delivery, the New York Times is readily available in TV.

My earlier criticism in this topic had to do with the absence of attribution or contact information for articles published in the POA Reporter. Others have expressed opinions one way or the other about both the Reporter as well as The Daily Sun. I just think it's quite important for all of us to understand what the balance is between the rights of the owners of media and their responsibility for sound journalism.