MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN

Kudos and caution on Alvarez stories

The Miami Herald and its readers have been locked in a big wet kiss in recent weeks over the reporting of pay raises given by Miami Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez.

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN

Cyberthief's ethnicity wasn't crucial to story

Albert Gonzalez, the celebrated cybercriminal, is Cuban American. But is his ethnicity relevant to report in articles, or does doing so unfairly stigmatize the Cuban-American community?

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN

Editorial-opinion firewall isn't perfect

Kenn Finkel is a retired Miami Herald journalist, and so his concern as a reader carried informed weight when he wrote me to raise alarms about the position of the new opinion editor, Myriam Marquez.

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED JULY 26, 2009

Herald readers sound off on story mix, 'dumbing down'

Is the Herald dumbing down? Below are a sampling of the many thoughtful notes I received in response to my column about the Page 1 story mix, plus some answers.

NOTE FROM THE OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED JUNE 7, 2009

Labels stick, so be judicious with 'liberal,' `conservative'

The day after President Barack Obama announced the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, The Miami Herald ran a front page profile of her by Michael Doyle from McClatchy Newspapers' Washington bureau.

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED MAY 17, 2009

When a kiss is just a kiss?

When is a matter a ''scandal?'' What if it involves two adults doing nothing unlawful or offensive? Jim and Mary kissed on a beach, for example. Or Jim and Jim.

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED APRIL 26, 2009

Recent stories on economy have carried hopeful tone

It is the most significant current dilemma over which editors fret and readers complain: Is The Miami Herald's coverage of the current economic crisis undermining consumer confidence, and thereby making the recession worse? Or is the reporting so positive that it misleads readers as they make decisions on what to do with their savings, their jobs and their lives?

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED APRIL 12, 2009

Miccosukee claims of bias in fatal accident stories don't hold up

The lawyers representing the Miccosukee Tribe used strong language in criticizing The Miami's Herald's coverage of a car crash involving tribal members in which a Kendall woman died.

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED MARCH 22, 2009

2 new columnists bring balance to Herald's lineup

The Miami Herald finally has added not one, but two, conservative columnists, and in the second month of the change I judge it a resounding success.

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED MARCH 1, 2009

Noting suspect's immigration status can be relevant, or unfair

Two stories on MiamiHerald.com last week on the revival of the murder case of Chandra Levy were on the same subject, but in referring to the prime suspect they couldn't be more different.

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED FEB. 15, 2009

Front-page error that hurt Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter was an understandable one

What should The Miami Herald do when it discovers that it was wrong in a front-page story accusing the mayor of Broward County of impropriety?

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED JAN. 25, 2009

Fine line between scrutinizing, feeding Fidel Castro death rumors

Paroxysms of rumors on the Cuban dictator's demise periodically sweep through the Cuban community in South Florida and reach The Miami Herald, putting the newspaper in an uncomfortable position. How do you report rumors that may or may not be true?

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED JAN. 11, 2009

Columnists report, decide, delight, infuriate. Do they belong on news pages?

Grimm, Oppenheimer, Marquez, Reinhard -- these are The Miami Herald's famous ''news columnists.'' They write their opinions in such a distinctive voice that we know them like neighbors. But that's the problem, too. What are they doing in the news pages, many readers ask? Why are they also reporting? And why doesn't The Herald just fess up and admit that it mixes news and opinion?

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED DEC. 14, 2008

Newspapers' voices changed once, and might again

We surely all had the same question upon reading the story last week that real-estate developer Jorge Perez and sugar magnate Alfonso Fanjul have had talks to buy The Miami Herald. Given the sad economics of newspapers today, what would be their motive to own this one?

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED NOV. 30, 2008

There are many views on the role of columnists

Fire and ire. That's what many opinion columnists in The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald inspire. When I wrote to slap the hand of El Nuevo's Adolfo Rivero Caro for being irresponsible with facts, many of you responded with passion about the freedom of op-ed columnists in both papers.

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED NOV. 16, 2008

Facts should be foundation for published opinion

Marián Prío, a reader from Key Biscayne, was upset. She had just read a column in El Nuevo Herald, the newspaper of record for the substantial segment of South Florida that is Spanish dominant.

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED DEC. 16, 2007

Looking for ways to tame poisonous words on Web

You might not normally link Sean Taylor and Benjamin Franklin, but the two are linked in ignominy with part of The Miami Herald's website. Of the three, only the murdered football player comes off well.

MIAMI HERALD OMBUDSMAN: PUBLISHED NOV. 18, 2007

Herald must pay attention to news of Iraq

Most of us wish the Iraq War would just go away. In one way, you might think it slowly has: the pages of The Miami Herald.

Contribution to Clinton campaign weighed

The Miami Herald has made a financial contribution to the campaign of Hillary Clinton. As readers or supporters of other candidates, have you and I just been defrauded?