Readers speak out at Coffee, Tea & VDT
Published 1:34 pm Tuesday, May 7, 2019
- Dean Poling | The Valdosta Daily TimesValdosta Daily Times Editor Jim Zachary meets with a few of the readers who attended Coffee, Tea & the VDT Monday evening.
VALDOSTA — The Valdosta Daily Times asked readers what was on their minds about their newspaper.
And readers responded.
About 30 people attended the Coffee, Tea & The VDT event Monday evening at the Holiday Inn.
Readers talked about what they like and don’t like about The Valdosta Daily Times.
They shared issues regarding political leanings, sports, the weekly Sunlight Project stories, the one-time Rant & Rave column, puzzles and other matters.
Valdosta Daily Times Editor Jim Zachary reviewed the newspaper’s Lifting the Veil project. Lifting the Veil seeks to make the newspaper and how it operates more transparent.
The Valdosta Daily Times advocates transparency from local government, Zachary said, so it is only fair the public expect transparency from its newspaper.
Zachary reviewed Lifting the Veil initiatives such as the weekly live reporter budget meetings on Facebook, the weekly Video Editorial featuring Zachary and Executive Editor Dean Poling sharing insights into editorials appearing on the newspaper Opinion pages, “The Story Behind the Story” podcasts where Zachary and Poling talk with reporters about various articles and issues reporters faced bringing articles to publication.
Coffee, Tea & the VDT participants also held a few mini-debates among themselves.
For example, one reader suggested the Rant & Rave return to the newspaper. Zachary said the Rant & Rave never went away — all the paper asks now is people sign their names to what they have to say; if a person is willing to say it, they ought to be willing to put a name to it, Zachary said.
The reader said people don’t always want to sign their names and a signature shouldn’t be a condition for comment.
But another reader said demanding people sign their comments increases the validity and credibility of both the comments and the newspaper.
Zachary said events similar to Coffee, Tea and the VDT will be held in the future.