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April 25, 2005

Dear AP Sounding Board,

In question No. 32, we sought your story suggestions for then-upcoming funeral of Pope John II and the Vatican conclave that chose his successor, Pope Benedict XVI. A second part surveyed your thoughts on AP's new initiative on optional leads for major spot stories, and whether optionals work for your newspaper.

First, a summary of reaction to the optionals, which drew six responses. The general tone was positive — "love having a choice," commented one editor. Others indicated a preference for the straight-news approach, mostly for space reasons. Yet optionals will get the nod if the writing resonates. In the words of one editor, "I just need to get used to them."

— David Minthorn

Dave Butler, editor, Los Angeles Daily News:

— The optional ledes are a good idea. It's too early to figure out how much they'll be used because the wire editors need to get used to them and need to be sure to compare them to stories available from all of the other wires. The time difference with Rome should prove to be a good test.

Don Thompson, wire editor, via editor Mark Bowden, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa:

— Once in a while, on a softer or lighter story, the optional leads are useful. Otherwise they seem to be a simple (though clever) reworking of the AP stories. On harder news stories the optional leads often make me (and/or the reader) work more to figure out what the story's about. I don't like that. The optional lead story also take longer to cut or condense, since I have to hunt a bit for the essentials.

Arnold Braeske, chief wire editor, The Star-Ledger, via managing editor Rick Everett:

— Yes, we like optional leads, although we've yet to use one. We could write our own but it's helpful when the original writer (or editor) crafts it and adjusts the story body accordingly.

Optional leads are particularly appealing when an essential hard news story has gone stale late in the news cycle. I think they could also inspire copy editors to perk up headlines for such stories.

Anjuman Ali, national/foreign editor, Wisconsin State Journal, Madison:

— I've not used the optional approaches thus far. While I have liked some of them, I've shied away from them for breaking news stories, perhaps because I prefer the straight news lead, which gives the details quickly and directly.

— I think so far the number has been right. I haven't seen any optional lead which has made me wonder why it's been written. I think AP's using them for the main stories and so far that seems like the right approach.

— Is AP sending some kind of a list of optional leads? (AP response: Optionals are listed on News Digest updates and are slugged as optionals).

— Might use it for the royal wedding today.

— I'd be inclined to use the traditional approach on a straight news story, and an optional one when the story has been around for 12 or more hours and thus has moved from being a straight news story to one looking forward to events to come.

— They are useful, I just need to get used to them, and pick them up when they interest me.

Jake Sherlock, night editor, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne:

— I'm a big fan of the optional lead. By the time our paper hits our readers' doorsteps, chances are TV and radio have already beaten us on a wire story. The optional lead is a good tool for getting readers to learn more about a story. A standard lead is likely only going to repeat what they heard on TV — an optional lead can hopefully get a reader hooked on the story and teach them something in-depth about a topic, which TV and radio don't do.

— So far I really like what I see. I would encourage AP to keep adding optional leads. Wire editors love having a choice.

— Yes. It's usually mentioned in the daily advisories and at the top of each standard-lead story.

— Anything regarding the federal government. In Wyoming, our readers feel very isolated from the rest of the world (and to an extent, we are). The best optional leads are the ones that clearly spell out how a decision at the federal level will impact John Q. Public.

— Only one factor (dictates use). How much space I have.

— I'd like to see this new initiative trickle down from the national desk to the West wire and the Wyoming wire.

Roberto Villalpando, assistant national editor for wires, Austin American-Statesman:

— 1. Two factors, a shrinking news hole inside the A-section and a crowded front page at the Statesman, make the use of optional, featurized lead paragraphs less likely to be considered. Although, having a choice is appreciated and should not be discouraged, I find that, given our space constraints and based on feedback from our copy desk, the straighter (faster-reading) leads are often what we count on AP delivering.

— 2. AP is offering the right number of optional leads, but i would only ask that editors be more judicious and deliberate in deciding which stories ought to get the optional leads. Some stories, in which the facts and the events are arguably dramatic enough, don't merit them.

— 3. It seems the advisories are adequate; but I may not be as conscientious about checking AP advisories as I should.

— 4. In the case of the Eric Rudolph sentencing hearing, the use of the optional lead became an issue for me and the copy editor. At first, I thought the optional lead worked well: We had a story that was previewed in previous days' coverage, and the optional lead gave readers more prose and context, where the writing could shine a little more. But the copy editor found the approach too slow and thought the news of the day — his statement and plea deal — was so compelling that the story needed to jump right into it and not futz around with too much prose. I soon agreed.

— 5. In the case of the Michael Jackson trial, the Statesman has been very careful about how much to cover, so we've kept the coverage to a minimum and granted front-page presence only in rare circumstances (first day of trial, accuser testimony or simply photo teases). Because of this strategy, the optional leads end up being edited out or not used at all. Our preference is to focus on the major turns in the case and leave the featurized coverage to other publications.

— 6. Factors I would consider in using the optional leads include: how dramatic or compelling is the story on its own merits? are we burying the relevance and importance of the story under too much prose? does the story need a featurized approach to humanize it? For instance, the familiar story that summarizes a scientific study often benefits from the optional lead because it can demystify an arcane topic for a reader.

Steve Bell, managing editor, The Buffalo News:

— it's very hard to "handicap" the cardinals, but it would be useful to know who the top perceived leaders are .... maybe just capsules of 10-15 major ones. You wouldn't even have to rank them as much as pick a few from each region and say these are the leaders and why.

— It would be very helpful — and I say this from a city/region that is two-thirds catholic — to include some primers on all this. It only happens about once every 25 years. What's the Sistine Chapel got to do with it? Where do they burn the ballots? Are they still using paper ballots this time? Are they really locked in? Talk to church historians. Do some politick? Are deals made? Are votes "bought" in terms of influence or aid in the future?

— Given the success of the DaVinci Code, there is this inside Catholicism rage going on and it would be good to keep that all in mind.

— In the down days between the funeral and the conclave, some of the past papal conclaves would be interesting to review. Long and short ones, successful and not so much.

— Another story I'd like to see is on why everyone assumes no American will become pope. Are they too liberal? Tainted by the sex abuse? Envied for their wealth and power? Not respected among the cardinals?

— Think there is a good story from around America on how non-Catholics, especially non-Christians, view this whole thing. In the past it seemed a side show, for "just Catholics." Because of the nature of John Paul II and the globalization of media, this seems to be taking on a larger and also more intimate feel. It's like the world's father confessor died and now it's up to the kids not to screw up the next one.

— The coverage, I must say, has been excellent. The pictures — we've used anywhere from 10-20 a day — are superb. AP does this well and it's living up to its reputation.

This is a huge story for us, for the above demographics, and we have a reporter there. But these are the sorts of stories he can't do. Vic Simpson and others could probably write them in their sleep.

(AP wrote profiles of all the major contenders; a glance on conclave rules; a transition glance; a short on Dan Brown; a separate on where the Cardinals will live during the conclave; a separate on Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel; a separate on history)

Dave Butler, editor, Los Angeles Daily News:

— I don't think high interest begins to describe this story. It's absolutely amazing. What does that tell us? Lack of leaders people look up to? Need for communal mourning in these troubled times? Everyone's fond of (Pope John Paul II) ... The biggest problem at the moment is that we must have 10,000 stories today — and every day — from the various wires, and essentially nothing happened in Rome. One thing you might remind the brass at the AP regarding the funeral — most will have it only in their Saturday papers — the smallest day for space for many; the worst display space for many, and a lack of full color capacity for many. Lots of newspapers are likely to run leadalls and not a lot more because of the timing, both for Friday and Saturday editions. Pictures will carry the day. By Sunday, will we care as much?

Mark Bowden, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa:

— Story — One thing I wondered about is how the cardinals all communicate w/ each other... Is it set up like the United Nations w/ earphones and interpreters? Or are all cardinals required to be fluent in Italian, or English, or Latin, or what?

— Story — Will there ever be an American pope? Why/why not?

— Story — Finances of the Vatican. Any insight on the church's budget for the pope and the Vatican. How much money and where does it go.

— Story — Urban legends about John Paul II.

— Story — Have the Dan Brown novels, "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons," increased interest in the papacy, the Vatican and Rome? Maybe the author would speculate about that.

— Story — Has/will the pope's death bring lost Catholics back into the fold or spurred interest among protestants to become Catholics?

— Story — Pope John Paul II, in essence, spurred religious plurality with his overtures to Anglicans, Orthodox Christians, Jews and Muslims. Did this just muddy the water about Jewish/Christian/Muslim religions, or did JP II actually clear the air, so to speak, about a place for all religions at the table?

— Graphic — "leading contenders" for the pope's job... pics and short bios

Louise Seals, managing editor, Richmond Times-Dispatch:

— I've seen lots of stories about the millions of ordinary people flocking to Rome. Yesterday the line to view the pope's body was cut off with a 24-hour wait. Hotels are bursting. Many are sleeping in the street, where even blankets are a luxury.

— There will be lots of pomp and circumstance, but I'd read a story about the suffering and dedication of people who came just to be close, not knowing how or if their basic needs would be met. Are they disappointed in the planning, or willing to fast and pray in less-than-ideal circumstances as a part of a group asceticism?"

— By the way, you are doing a very good job on this.

Mary Anne Pikrone, Richmond Times-Dispatch:

— One possibility: So much has been written about how the world viewed the pope— defeated communism, apologized to Jews etc., and this is positive. However, some people feel the internal workings of the church are a mess— the church itself is in deep trouble, and that negative legacy of his has not been examined enough. Liberals are probably more upset than conservatives. Witness that conservative groups are now defending the church re the sex abuse scandal. However, liberal and conservative Catholics will agree that there's a priest/nun shortage crisis. Also, fewer Catholics are going to church on Sundays, let alone following other "Catholic" practices. How about a story by Peter Steinfels, former N.Y. Times religion reporter who's written a book about the crisis in the American church?

Arnold Braeske, chief wire editor, The Star-Ledger

— I'd like to see some pieces demystifying the workings of the Vatican.

— 1. I suspect the selection of the pope may have some similarities to American presidential primaries, with all the same maneuvering and horse-trading. Although the cardinals are holy men, they're also very savvy politicians and leaders who've risen to the top of their "industry." Though the cardinals are sworn to secrecy, there must be some way to get the nitty-gritty of papal selection.

Do we know now, for example, the inside of how Karol Wojtyla got to be pope: Did he lobby for it, lay groundwork years before?

One cardinal was quoted this week as saying that no one really wants the job: Is that possible?

— 2. The pope is head of a billion-member organization. How much of a manager does he have to be? If he's not the manager, who is? Does the Vatican have clerics with MBAs? Is there a training ground in the Catholic church for finance people, PR people? Does the Vatican run its finances from a single computer center? Do they farm out some of the work to civilian firms?

— 3. How much power do the entrenched Vatican people have? Have these people traditionally been Italians? If, for example, the pope had sought to be be buried in Poland, could they have countermanded him, arguing that such a move would be damaging to the centralized church and the prestige of the Vatican?

— These kind of topics would be much more edifying than the color stories we know are coming.

Anjuman Ali, national/foreign editor, Wisconsin State Journal, Madison:

— Looking forward to the conclave on April 18, I've liked the profiles of the main contenders, and hope to start using them in the next days. I have used some stories of the daily coverage of the funeral and succession. I would like to see more stories/analyses about 1. challenges facing the next head of the Catholic Church, 2. what kind of an individual would meet these challenges, 3. the possibility of the next pope being from Africa or Latin America and what that would mean for the Catholic Church, 4. where the Catholic Church stands in the United States and its challenges.

Jake Sherlock, night editor, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne:

— Short of a definitive answer on why John Paul's body was not embalmed, I think AP has all its bases covered.

Dave Minthorn, manager, AP News Administration, coordinates the questions and answers. Newspaper editors wishing to suggest a topic can send an e-mail to Minthorn at dminthorn@ap.org.

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