Globe ombudsman plans online forum for readers

Hoping to strengthen ties between the Globe and its readers, Richard Chacon, the newspaper's new ombudsman, plans to start an online forum for complaints, concerns, and suggestions, and set up regular meetings for community leaders to share their thoughts with Globe staff members in person.

Globe publisher Richard H. Gilman said yesterday that he wants more dialogue on issues that concern the paper and the public. In June he named Chacon, the Globe's former deputy foreign editor who recently completed a Nieman fellowship at Harvard University, to succeed Christine Chinlund, who held the post for three years and is now an editor.

In his new role, Chacon, 40, will be investigating readers' grievances, fielding their suggestions, and advising Globe reporters and editors, Gilman said.

Chacon, who reports to the publisher, will also write a twice monthly column critiquing journalism and the Globe, starting Sunday. The column is moving from Monday to Sunday, the most widely read paper of the week.

''The existence of the ombudsman assures our readers that their concerns will be carefully evaluated, and that there is someone here to advocate for them whenever it's necessary," Gilman said. ''Richard has an excellent background as a reporter and an editor. I know him to be thoughtful, concerned, and open-minded. I'd say he's going to do an excellent job."

Martin Baron, the Globe's editor, said that while many newspapers do not have an ombudsman, Chacon, who has a keen interest in public service, will continue the Globe's nearly 30 years of bringing the community's perspective into the newsroom through the ombudsman's office.

In his decade at the Globe, Chacon has covered Latin America, higher education, and Boston politics. Chacon, an El Paso native, was an editorial writer for Newsday in New York; deputy media director for the 1992 Democratic National Convention; and a speechwriter for then-New York Mayor David Dinkins.

Chacon said he is aware of the tension that arises between the ombudsman and the newspaper he scrutinizes. ''I am sure that there will be moments when we're going to have disagreements, whether it's with me and a reporter, me with an editor, me with some of the top editors, or me with some of the people in our front offices. . . .I don't think the job has to be one of constant conflict."

Megan Tench can be reached at mtench@globe.com.