A day never goes by without readers calling to comment about the paper.
The feedback covers the gamut from angry rants about perceived bias in political coverage to praise for investigative stories well done.
So here's what some readers are saying about The Bee, along with one of my own observations.
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More than a few readers called or e-mailed to complain about the paper's decision to make a recent opera review available only online at sacbee.com.
Opera fans were upset that the review of Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca" by Sacramento Opera was not in the paper as prior performances had been. They said The Bee was sending mixed signals, because it had run an extensive "Tosca" preview in Ticket, and they were anticipating a follow-up review in the paper.
"I want you to know that I think it's grossly ignorant of The Bee to stop printing arts reviews in the paper by moving them to the Internet," e-mailed Darryl McGuire of Sacramento. "It's also a complete disservice to the struggling arts organizations of Sacramento, e.g., Sacramento Opera, Ballet and Philharmonic to name a few. What kind of warped thinking is this with today's declining newspaper business? Are you now trying to rid yourself of your most loyal readers?
"This is not a negotiable issue with me. I detest The Bee's decision and have cancelled my subscription. I'll get my daily dose of ordinary blues elsewhere."
Frances Pendleton, a retired Sacramento schoolteacher, was not as vehement but was equally disappointed.
"This is a break from the past," she said in a phone call.
Pendleton, 79, and a longtime newspaper and opera subscriber, said her beef was the paper's inconsistency, citing both the comprehensive "Tosca" preview and a separate package on the challenges facing Sacramento opera in last week's Ticket, both of which she praised.
Pendleton said she ended up reading the online review, which she enjoyed. But, she maintained, it also should have been in the paper.
Turns out there was a mistake and the review should have been in the paper, said Managing Editor Tom Negrete, who oversees Ticket and the Scene section. He said he was to blame for the miscommunication.
Negrete only recently took over supervision of the features department and he has had ongoing discussions with editors there about changes.
He said he wants to emphasize more in-depth coverage of the arts via personality and issue pieces, for example, that interest more readers beyond those who are ardent fans of the opera or the theater.
Reviews still will be printed in the paper, he said, particularly of shows with multiple performances.
What he wants to stop are reviews of one-night stands, where a performer or event are long gone by the time the review is published.
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A few readers noted a case of fuzzy math in a story and graphic about teenagers' affinity for caffeine- and sugar-powered energy drinks, and how that has some school and health officials worried.
The front-page story was illustrated by a graphic charting the caffeine and sugar content of various energy drinks and comparing them to a cup of coffee.
"Please, people, do the math!" wrote reader Kristin Dzugan in her e-mail. "The (graphic) states that a cup of coffee contains 134-240 (milligrams) of caffeine. Later in the article, it claims that a teen's 'total of about 240 milligrams of caffeine' equals 'the equivalent of about three cups of brewed coffee.'
"What? According to your own data, three cups of coffee would contain somewhere between 402-720 (milligrams) of caffeine. 240 isn't even close. Don't you have editors to catch this kind of error?"
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Some readers called to praise a story that appeared on sacbee.com last Wednesday and the next day in several of The Bee's weekly regional editions.
The story by reporter Stan Oklobdzija detailed the failure of several area cities to make public the financial disclosure forms of elected officials.
He found that seven of 13 county or city election offices – including those in Roseville, Rocklin, Folsom, Placerville and Galt – failed to comply with state law.
For example, they didn't have the documents readily available or required citizens to fill out forms identifying themselves and their affiliation.
As a result of the findings, some cities said they would re-evaluate their policies and make sure they were in compliance with the law.
Reader Preston Reese of Gold River was among those who praised the story, saying it was an example of good, straightforward public service and watchdog reporting.
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The NBA unleashed a full-court media press last week in Sacramento, led by its longtime commissioner David Stern.
He was in town lobbying for a new arena for the region's only major professional sports franchise, the Sacramento Kings, at the expansive but old Cal Expo fairgrounds.
He made the rounds, talking to local politicians as well as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers.
He made a public presentation to the Cal Expo board of directors, who voted unanimously to work with the NBA for the next six months.
The two sides will attempt to work out a business deal that leads to a new arena, a revamped Cal Expo and extensive private development on the fairgrounds to pay for it all.
Stern's travels included meetings with a Bee reporter and columnist Wednesday morning, an interview in his limousine with another columnist after the Cal Expo vote and a meeting in the afternoon with the paper's editorial board.
Readers, however, weren't told about any of that.
Seems to me, if the paper is noting who else Stern and the NBA-Cal Expo delegation were lobbying, a reference to The Bee's spot on the itinerary should have been noted as well.
The Public Editor deals with complaints and concerns about The Sacramento Bee's content. His opinions are his own. You can contact the Public Editor by mail at P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852; or by calling him directly at (916) 321-1250.
