Keep an Eye on the Moon’s Phase, Then Read Spout Off

Without a doubt, a great majority of Herald readers pick up their copy to read Spout Off. Each week, those rambling sentiments from the public demonstrate (not in this order) wisdom, ignorance, mean-spiritedness, humor, understanding (or lack thereof) of the governmental process, thankfulness, pettiness and puzzlement.
For some particular reason, Spout Off contributions seem to peak around full moon. Why that may be, I have no idea. It is one of the chief reasons that, when I ordered a new alarm clock, it was one that showed moon phases.
That is one of the most important things to remember in this job of shepherding comment from the people. A good offense is always a good defense.
Letters to the Editor also follow the same pattern, although they are, by far, tamer than those anonymous Spout Offs.
Not all Spout Offs or Letters to the Editor see the light of day.
We try, although public officials may disagree, to ensure there is truth (whatever that may be) and nothing of a libelous nature in them. Has our filter worked without fail? Has anything?
Being human, we fail to understand all the nuances that someone may tuck into their submission.
One of the weirdest was a Spout Off about a particular rooster that was bothering some Lower Township residents. Never mind the initial caller said the rooster laid eggs, which resulted in an avalanche of replies for obvious reasons.
What we were accused of doing was pandering to racism because “rooster” was, according to the writer, a derogatory term for African Americans.
I’m no spring chicken, and I’ve heard a lot of off-center slurs and comments, but never in all my days have I ever heard that one. To be sure, the work of an editor is never boring, but filled with different twists on a daily basis.
As the late Joe Zelnik wrote in one of his columns, “You can’t make up this stuff.”
On-line Spout Offs are a breed unto themselves. They don’t come under my radar screen, as do regular ones, except when they cross a line and impugn someone’s sensibilities or name.
As with many on-line offerings, we, at the Herald, rely upon users to provide the oversight and policing for that forum.
I know the public appreciates the opportunity afforded by that tool to speak on any issue, but we expect, although we do not always get, cooperation from them to supervise their peers’ comments.
I firmly believe Spouters, especially on-line contributors, know who they are, so transgressors may also be known to them. If they cross the line, they can be shut down. Such action is taken when a person repeatedly crosses the line.
At a 4-H Fair, when I stood at the Herald’s booth for a couple of hours, the resounding statement made by all who stopped briefly was “I love your paper and I love Spout Off.”
Of course, for reporters, who stay up late to cover meetings that can be as exciting as watching paint dry, hearing such a statement is a mixed bag. At least the public is picking up our paper. To play second fiddle to Spout Off takes some wind out of our sails, but it goes with the turf.
Maybe, just perchance, as readers tear through the pages getting to Spout Off, they will be hooked by a headline on a story that may affect their homes, taxes or lives more than Spout Off ever will. We live in that hope that, after reading Spout Off, there are other interesting stories we produced that readers will enjoy as much, if not more than, Spout Off.
If anything, Spout Off is labor intensive. Each submission must be retrieved from the Web site or from our e-mail. It is then placed into a file for my primary culling.
If it passes that criteria, and many don’t because they fail to attach a hometown, work begins to correct spelling of names, grammar (ugh!), and striking offensive words.
That done, it is screened by a completely different set of eyes for more editing, second questions about what is meant or stated. Finally, would you want your daughter to read it? If it passes that test, it goes to the composing room.
If you have a beef about your boss or landlord, don’t except to read that in this paper. If you have a grudge against your neighbor, and it is really specific, I may alter it to take away some of the hatred.
Should you report personal matters and name names of individuals in a derogatory manner, they will immediately get deleted.
While it may not seem so, we attempt to maintain a product that is both informative, conveys the caller’s or sender’s intent, but does not demean anyone.
Once in a great while, something good may even come of a Spout Off.
But, if you paint a town with a broad brush in a negative light, that gets scratched. (All people in Dullsville are thieves, for example, would not make it.)
As we move into the next generation of newspapers, much will be interactive, on-line. We offer a comment section under stories on our Web site (www.capemaycountyherald.com). They, too, are monitored, and we TRY to follow the same guidelines as other comments, but sometimes, due to a deluge, offensive words or items get posted. When we are notified, in many cases, we erase the offensive post.
Keep in mind, we do not agree with anything posted, we provide only the forum for a community discussion. Keep it clean and all will benefit from those comments.
We are working to produce a button that will allow readers to “Report Offensive Post.” We do not guarantee all offensive comments will be removed, since we want the community to keep its ability to comment, but we will try to maintain a demeanor that would allow anyone to read the product and not feel ashamed.
We are safe for this week, it is the “dark of the moon.” But stand by, another full moon’s a-coming!