PRESIDENT'S
MESSAGE
By Pam Platt

At the top of this page you see, in big, bold letters: ONO.

For those of a certain age, that’s a very famous last name belonging to a very famous woman who was an artist in her own right, but who also happened to be married to a very famous Beatle.

For those of us in the ombudsmen business, “ONO” is a bit of an in-joke having to with our jobs. It’s a homophone for “oh, no,” which is a not unfamiliar reaction to an ombud’s approach.

But for this site’s purposes, ONO stands for the Organization of News Ombudsmen, which means it stands for a group of professionals whose jobs stand for providing transparency and accountability in the gathering and dissemination of news – important work in building and maintaining credibility with the public.

I would argue that function is needed now more than ever – because of the sheer volume of news and information bombarding the public from every direction, every portal and every platform.

Forty years ago this year, my news organization – The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky. – became the first in the United States to appoint a news ombudsman. Other news outlets followed and, in 1980, ONO was formed and now includes members representing print, broadcast and digital news media from around the globe.

Even in that relative blink of an eye, the world of communication has transformed from Voice-of-God dominance by a few networks and news conglomerates to the fragmented media scene of today -- as traditional outlets such as newspapers, and broadcast and cable news expand their brands in cyberspace and compete directly with digital media outlets and options that were unimaginable 10 years ago.

No wonder then that “Ombudsmen in a Time of Transition” was the theme of ONO’s latest conference, held in May 2007 at Harvard University.

In his address to the group, Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian, said, “Readers’ editors or ombudsmen – and women – also face a challenge. They can explain us to them, and them to us. Sometimes they manage the even harder job of explaining us to us.”

Of an ombud’s work, Rusbridger continued, “. . . It’s sometimes an awkward place to be, involving real-time mediation, examination and explanation. It’s not to be confused with customer relations, yet in most news organizations, in terms of the actual journalism it’s the best we offer.”

Yes, we’re all that. And more.

I believe journalism is one of the hinges upon which democracy swings . . . open or closed. The ombudsman’s work has to do with keeping that hinge oiled and operating and in working order for public and press alike – no matter the platform, no matter the language, no matter the continent.

Please take a look around our site, and please feel free to contact any member of ONO if you have a question about the group or the job. If you have questions or suggestions for the Web site, please contact me or our Webmaster Kerry Sipe of The Virginian-Pilot at kerry.sipe@pilotonline.com

Pam Platt
ONO President
Public Editor, The Courier-Journal
Louisville, Ky. USA
pplatt@courier-journal.com

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