AFTER DEADLINE

By David Butts

"The Advertiser's business coverage is too negative" is a comment I've heard at business luncheons and on radio talk shows.

I wanted to take this opportunity to respond.

Almost everyone likes to read positive economic news: Tourist arrivals are up; unemployment is falling; consumers are spending. When the news is positive, people feel confident about the future and are more likely to invest and spend money. It can create a virtuous cycle that leads to more good economic news.

I, too, like positive news.

My two sons will enter the workforce soon, and I hope they will find many opportunities here.

I own a house in Kailua and want to see its value rise (which hasn't been a problem lately).

So why not fill the paper with positive stories, or at least emphasize the most positive aspects of each day's news?

First, there is the issue of credibility. If every day the Advertiser's business coverage had nothing but positive stories, how long would it take before you begin wondering what we weren't telling you? Eventually you probably would look elsewhere for more believable coverage. A news organization that reports from only one viewpoint loses credibility.

The Wall Street Journal has credibility. "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell has credibility. They don't just give good news. They tell it as they see it. And when they have something positive to say, you trust it more than a source that is always giving news with a positive spin.

Then there is the question of whose definition of positive we would use. When a major company lays off hundreds of workers, that is seen by the workers as a negative event.

But in most cases, the stock price of that company will rise on the day layoffs are announced. Investors see it as a positive development because the company is cutting expenses. So we report the impact of an event from as many different perspectives as we can identify and fit in the paper.

Finally, there is the issue of thoroughness. When we receive a press release that touts a public company's strong sales growth but hides the fact that expenses are climbing even faster, do you really want us to report only the sales figures?

Of course, in business, people always want to put their best face forward.

I was responsible for Japan sales (as well as news coverage) when I was Tokyo bureau chief for United Press International in the early 1990s. I knew the company was struggling financially, and it was beginning to cut into our news coverage. But I didn't say that when I met with the Kyodo News Service to negotiate renewal of a $100,000 monthly contract.

I told them about all the wonderful things UPI was doing: the new products we were introducing and the triumphs of our recent coverage.

As anyone in sales learns, you highlight the positive aspects and minimize the negative.

Journalism is not sales.

It is digging to find the complete story, to give the reader as full an account as we can. That doesn't mean we are looking for evil behind every story. We are looking for all of the story, not just the portion the sales team wants to put forward.

I'm under no illusions about our ability to do this. I realize in many cases we are only getting a small piece of the story. But we strive to get as much as we can and report it fairly and accurately.

News judgment is not a science. When you think we have missed an important part of the story, or placed emphasis in the wrong place, we would love to hear from you.

That's why my phone number is published at the top of the business section every day, and the reporters' numbers are at the bottom of their stories. Your feedback is like gold to us and is always welcome.

A couple of years ago, First Hawaiian Bank CEO Walter Dods Jr. warned a group of business leaders embarking on an altruistic mission that in this town, "no good deed goes unpunished."

That is not my intention as business editor. I enjoy reporting good news. I get a real kick out of days when all the stories are about success in our community. What makes it sweeter is that I know we didn't shy away from negative news. We surveyed the events of the day as completely as possible and reported our findings. We didn't emphasize our view of the positive or the negative. We emphasized what was new and had the greatest potential impact on the community.

I hope this approach will win your trust.

David Butts is business editor of The Honolulu Advertiser. Reach him at 535-2453 or dbutts@honoluluadvertiser.com.