Opinion Content May Be Trimmed. Duh?!

Disclaimer on the editorial page
of The News & Observer (Raleigh NC)

On April 19, in my blog, Actions and Reactions II, I wrote about editing (actually butchering) of op-ed opinion columns in The News & Observer. 
The story, All The News That's Fit or All The News That Fits (click the title to read), addresses how The N&O, deliberately and recklessly reduces the work of well-known and insightful columnists to basic lip-service in the name of making sure the column fits the available space in the print edition (and therefore the e-edition) of the newspaper.

For several weeks and possibly months, the newspaper's publishers, executive editors, managing editors, and editorial staff said the reason for short-changing its readership with cutting meaningful and crucial parts of the columns was to make the story fit on the editorial page, usually the story across the bottom of the page.

Those newspaper officials claim to make some attempts at keeping the overall gist of the op-ed material while at other times the column ran in its original state until space ran out. That's when the exacto knife was used to end the story, never in mid-sentence but it might as well have been, sometimes leaving white space at the end.

Sometimes, after reading the newspaper, I researched the author and the subject and seek out the original story, scanning the two versions side-by-side to examine the differences and to digest the entire opinion. When complaining to the various staff, they all blamed it on the page make-up production department, saying they have no control over the edits. After a few complaints, the responses began, "As explained to you previously..." Not much to do after that but laugh. In many cases, the conclusion (punchline) of the column was cut, leaving the reader dangling.

McClatchy (The N&O owner) is a media company in bankruptcy. The N&O has reduced its Monday, Tuesday and Thursday papers to 16 pages, much of it filled with the coronavirus and COVID-19 and obituaries. The Wednesday and Friday/Saturday combo are 20 pages; and its Sunday newspaper is maybe 24-28 pages. Each day, there's a reduction of the good work of respected journalists to rubble, all in the name of what, just filling space.

Running a few additional letters to the opinion forum would be more interesting. The newspaper could possibly save a few bucks by unsubscribing to syndicated editorial sources which would be better than to dish-off its pension obligations as it's trying to do in its bankruptcy proceedings. It has decided to reduce its content to its customers.

And, at the same time, McClatchy newspapers (and newspapers every where) are pleading for additional financial support through national efforts for donations. Ask for money; cut content. Maybe that's the slogan McClatchy needs to embrace.

Not sure when it happened, but in the last few weeks, The N&O included a disclaimer to its editorial page: Opinion content from syndicated sources may be trimmed from the original length to fit available space. Did I cause that? I like to think I contributed to it being added.

Cutting to fit available space is one thing; reducing content that changes the writers opinion is another. Every time a column is cut to fit the space, the opinion of the writer is altered. It's doubtful the editors in the page layout room discuss the changes before cutting to fit the space.

The staff of The N&O takes no credit for the butcher job on syndicated sources on the opinion pages. At the very least by understanding what's been cut (looking for the same column printed by other sources) we are told the used outside opinions simply fit the space instead of it being fit to print in its entirety.

Curb your dogs: Please, no more urinating and defecating in any yard

It's not a new problem or issue to solve. Ever since there have been dogs, there have been dogs that urinate and defecate on lawns, shrubs, and flowers belonging to someone other than the dog owners, and at the urging of those owners walking their dogs with the primary purpose of voiding those little and large darlings' bowels and kidneys. It must stop! (Dogs do have kidneys, don't they?)

With the coronavirus keeping us home more than not, we notice these things much more. Some dog owners have a specific time of day to walk their pets; others pick weird times of day, probably to avoid homeowners from watching the crime of nature take place, especially on their property, ruining grass and flower growth and without one damn apology.

We recently acquired a sign of a dog with one of its hind legs lifted. Obviously, the dog is male and peeing. Across the body of the dog it says "No!" in hope the dog-walkers will keep those precious and precarious animals from making a stop at our mailbox to do their thing. We prefer not to confront the owner, just let them see the message and hopefully heed it and take steps, such as jerking the leash, to prevent the culprit from relieving itself on our flowers, grass and shrubs.

A few months ago, we noticed a neighbor placed several "Please curb your dog" signs along its yard frontage. Then we saw a next door neighbor add a "No!" image of a dog squatting to drop its excrement, fancy word for "stuff," in his yard. After watching two or three neighbors walking their dogs but not doing the neighborly thing by holding back Rover or Mutt, keeping the dog pee from hitting our property, we opted for the sign with the dog with leg lifted, hoping the humans will get the message.

I want a sign that says, "If your dog craps or pees on our yard, please leave your address so we can return the favor." My wife vetoed that idea.

I'm not sure what's happened in the yard of another concerned neighbor, one who also walks dogs and who recently added interesting yard art along their curb. It's of a little man, a squatting gnome, taking a dump. Next to it is a small sign that says "No!" Makes me wonder if there's someone walking a dog or if a dog is walking someone.

In the golf ZONE: two-under par 70!

A few days ago, I was in the zone, the golfer zone, hitting shots that were hard for me to explain, making putts that were difficult to read much less hit with a magical stroke on aerated greens, and missing putts that if made could of pushed me to shooting my age, darn it! 

My week of golf was interesting, exciting and frustrating, and probably boring to many, but this diary--Jim's COVIDiary--is about me. So there. First a short look back.

Since early April, I've played 20 rounds, doing my handicap duty and posting every stroke immediately after the round. The World Handicap System (WHS) updates handicaps daily, and it can be fun to see how each round figures into my WHS Index, sending it up or down. 

The first three months were brutal to my index. Starting with a 6.8, it was over 10 on April 1. Scores of 79 and 75 brought it down to to just over 9.0 and it stayed nearby through June 2 with 14 scores from 80 to 89. Having a high index is good for the game, not my game but the mythical $6.00 game we play three days a week.

Then came last week which started with an 80 on Monday and book-ended with another 80 on Friday. After that Monday round my WHS index was at 8.9. Sandwiched in between the two 80s was Wednesday, that magical day, that day in the zone, one that golfers can appreciate.

I shot a 2-under par 70. I was in the zone, hitting 8 of 13 par-4 and par-5 fairways, climbing onto 16 of 18 greens in regulation, getting up and down for par on the two greens I missed, three putting just once for my only bogey and having three birdies including concluding each nine with birds on the 9th and 18 holes. I had 32 putts total. 

As far as shooting my age--I turned 68 on May 26--I needed to birdie the three closing holes which, as I stood on the 16th tee, seemed improbable. With three holes to play, I was one under par. 

On the 16th, a 341 yard, par 4, I missed an uphill putt of 8-feet for birdie, and then left my birdie attempt on the par 3, 17th hole inches short. I played the 18th hole with an unusual confidence, striping a drive on the 425 yard, par 4 to within 150 yards of the front pin, With no hesitation, I pulled my eight iron, sending the ball on a dead straight course at the pin. It landed and stopped about 10 feet from the hole. No break; the putt went it. Two nines of 35 with closing birdies on each. Total of 70 strokes!

This round was from the Wolfpack tees, a layout of 6032 yards, a course rating of 68.8, and a slope of 123. I believe it is my best-ever round at Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NC State University.  

It was a great day for me, one I'll remember for a long time. And, that WHS index? Well, since the system uses just eight of my last 20 rounds, it dipped considerably, from 8.9 to 7.1. So I must compete with fewer strokes. That's the bad news. 

The good news: I'm capable of going low on occasion, AND, the next two scores to drop off are a 79 and a 75 from early April. Unless I match those scores, which is a goal, my handicap rises and I get an additional stroke or two, good for competing in the mythical $6.00 game we play.