PressEthic

Chicago Tribune public editor Timothy J. McNulty recently picked apart an article that ran as the front cover story of the Tribune Sunday magazine. According to McNulty, the article titled “Flaunting It,” by Susan Chandler not only showed a clear bias against the owners of the newly constructed, modern mansions that surround Chicago’s Lincoln Park, but went so far as to depict those homeowners “more as caricatures than individuals.”

The article in question explored Chicago’s urban development and the trend of moving the mega mansion to the city, usually at the price of disrupting the flow of historical architecture already in place. Though most parts were accurately and fairly reported, others, McNulty writes, were not.

“…the piece became flawed, in my opinion, when it veered from the reporting of a worthwhile topic to holding the subjects of the article up to ridicule and treated them more as caricatures than individuals.

Tone and innuendo fueled parts of the story, as it began and ended with a negative and superior attitude that seemed to say ‘Look at The Rich, aren't you glad we're not that tacky.’ The article conveyed an attitude of reverse snobbery, of class superiority, against those who could afford to buy up swaths of city lots, take advantage of zoning rules, hire expensive architects and create an enclave by tearing down old houses.”

After reading the original article, I’d have to agree that many of the quotes used are either vulgar or belittling of the homeowners, subjects who apparently didn’t wish to speak to the reporter and offer their own defense. This is an obvious challenge for a reporter who is trying to construct something that resembles a balanced story.

McNulty writes:

“The article raised some issues for the newspaper to address in the future. Among them is the desire to write in a lively and responsibly provocative style, an admirable goal aimed at enlivening the traditional and often flat newspaper style of ordering facts and presenting events.

That is a challenge to help attract and engage readers. But it is often a fine line between writing and presenting a sprightly account versus being flippant and making people look like cartoon figures.”

While I noticed some of the negative biases that McNulty rails against (most apparent in some of the snarky opinions quoted from architects), I was more concerned with the sweeping generalizations about the “the rich,” and the houses they like made by the writer, especially when she didn’t actually speak to many of those “rich” people.

Though I do agree with McNulty that, “wealth or social status should not make anyone vulnerable to less straightforward and respectful treatment than any other newsworthy individual or family,” I’m a little more forgiving of a critical tone and the use of colorful quotes from supporting sources, even if they are condescending, though only because the article ran as a magazine story not a hard news one.