From the Editor

When I meet people these days, whatever the setting, I usually end up hearing how they get their news.

After I asked readers a few weeks ago to comment on public distrust of American news media, I heard mostly from people who echoed the bitter sentiment reflected in recent surveys.

A newspaper editor could get depressed about recent public opinion surveys on media, but instead I wanted to share some observations and ask what readers think.

I thought readers would appreciate the back stories on two major Bee efforts: Phillip Reese's deep look at lobbyists' gifts to legislators and other government officials, published last Sunday; and the "Going Broke" series on California's cash-flow woes (by Steve Wiegand and Reese) that begins today.

Behind recent coverage of Jaycee Lee Dugard's release from captivity is another story about how some "news organizations" are erasing ethical and journalistic boundaries.

Dozens of readers e-mailed, called or posted online comments in response to last Sunday's column in which I argued that debate among Americans these days relies too much on name-calling.

Investigative reporter Charles Piller was doing research and interviewing for his piece on Sacramento's water use when he did what all good reporters do: He went out to see some of the activity that was showing up in the numbers he was reviewing.

Next weekend, you'll find a new features section in your Sunday Bee: Living Here Sunday.

A reader wrote the other day to ask if The Sacramento Bee was no longer "a Democrat" in its leanings.

Here's a cause we all should join: Free Laura Ling and Euna Lee.

Around July Fourth weekend of 1933, the year that unemployment in the United States soared near 25 percent, you might have expected the columns of The Sacramento Bee to be filled with despair and hardship.

Our search for a new editorial page editor at The Bee offers an opportunity for a broader conversation about opinion coverage, and here's your chance to weigh in.

Sacbee.com's live webcast of an interview with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gave the public a front-row seat to the sometimes rambling, but always fascinating celebrity governor.

David Holwerk has no trouble remembering his first Monday on the job as The Bee's editorial page editor: Sept. 10, 2001, the day before the terrorist attacks on the United States.

If it's Thursday morning, Jon Ortiz is bound to be on the phone talking with readers about that day's edition of "The State Worker" column.

As elected leaders get back to work on balancing California's budget, voters who rejected their last try have a chance to be heard before the deal is done, not afterward.

Few parts of the paper divide readers as much as The Bee's ONTV guide: Those who use it rely on it, and others skip it entirely.

I don't know about you, but when someone tells me they're looking out for my financial interests, I put my hand on my wallet.

The woman who left me a phone message the other day echoed a familiar theme when she exhorted The Bee not to abandon print readers in favor of our online edition.

Most mornings before work, I run out to the patio to check on the tiny fruit beginning to form on my "improved Meyer lemon," the first citrus tree I've ever grown.

Tired of the recession? You have company.

You'll see some changes in The Bee this week as we adjust the paper to reduce expenses amid the ongoing recession.

We expect strong reaction to today's front-page story about people with criminal pasts working in Sacramento's Child Protective Services division.

A few years ago I was invited to a meeting meant to get citizens involved in debating the future of journalism. Few showed up.

The Bee has covered countless disasters and crises in its 152 years, and amid the great recession of 2009 we're returning to a fundamental idea: How can we help people get through these tough times?

Until recently, the future of newspapers has been debated mostly on the Internet and in industry publications – but not in newspapers themselves.

Rarely in our lifetimes have decisions by government seemed so closely and immediately linked to the well-being of ordinary families and communities.

Dozens of readers and Bee news staffers responded to my column a few weeks ago posing various journalism ethics questions.