THE OMBUDSMAN
Editing out uncomical languageTHE GLOBE'S decision to drop the April 23 Doonesbury strip because it contained language "inappropriate for a general readership" brought protest from more than 150 readers. By the time critics called or e-mailed this office, many had seen the strip online, and, to put it mildly, they disagreed with the Globe's definition of "inappropriate." What I've learned over the past week helps their case.
I surveyed a dozen papers that ran the strip intact -- as the vast majority of subscribing papers did -- to see how their readers reacted to seeing SOB spelled out in the comics. I found that very few complained. At least in the context of this dramatic Doonesbury installment, it didn't seem to offend. For those who haven't followed Doonesbury recently, this recap: The strip for the week of April 19 depicted the character B.D., football player-turned-soldier, being injured in combat in Iraq. By midweek it's clear to readers, although not to B.D., that he has lost part of his leg. The Friday panel, the one dropped by the Globe, shows him waking up after surgery and discovering the amputation. His reaction: "Son of a bitch!" Long-time Doonesbury readers who have followed B.D. for 30 years found that the week's strip had an oddly personal effect, and to miss the Friday installment was unsettling -- although the Globe's explanatory note provided an online address, where many readers went. Newspapers I surveyed that ran the strip reported receiving just one or two complaints if any, and in no case more than 10. (I had expected more.) It seems likely that if readers in Poughkeepsie and Louisville and San Diego were not bothered by the language, Globe readers would be largely unbothered as well. Which makes me think that, looking back, dropping the strip was the greater loss for Globe readers. I'm not suggesting policy be set according to the number of complaints received. But in this case the near-silence provides insight into reader sensibilities, for future reference. Globe Editor Martin Baron said he objected to such language on the comics page, which attracts young readers. "Many parents would understandably and naturally object to their kids being exposed to language of a certain type," he said. As a parent, I'm sympathetic to that view. As the resident nag on the importance of respecting readers' diverse sensibilities, I'm even more sympathetic. When Michael Larkin, deputy managing editor for news operations, says Globe standards should not be set by cable TV, I nod in sincere agreement. But these are not simple times. Baron acknowledges the challenges of today's comics page. It is "a complicated page because of the variety of comic strips. Some are lighthearted and OK for kids, and some are more serious, dealing with significant and sensitive issues . . . including politics. That poses a tricky situation for a newspaper."
This was one of those tricky situations that called for a creative response. A bit of judicious substitution in the offending word ( Perhaps the Globe could have run the strip on a page not frequented by young readers. A few papers moved it to the op-ed page, and while there are some "slippery slope" arguments against that solution, it's better than nothing. Or the strip could have moved to a news or feature page, even if that broke with Globe tradition. If all that failed, I'd still run it. The use of "son of a bitch" was not gratuitous. It is probably the least profane thing a soldier would say under the circumstances. And it was an exclamation, not a personal epithet (which would not have been acceptable under any circumstances). It's not like the B-word never appears in the Globe. A quick archive search turned up 13 examples this year, and only one of them refers to a female dog. The rest are in titles (an album name, a book, etc.) or direct quotes, most often found in the Living/Arts sections, but also occasionally on a news page. "The decision to not print . . . Doonesbury comic strip smells of moral censorship," wrote reader Jim Tice, echoing the theme of other critics. "After viewing the comic on the website, the `language inappropriate for the general readership' was hardly offensive . . . I would hope that the Globe . . . does not fall into the censorship trap that other media outlets . . . have."
The ombudsman represents the readers. Her opinions and conclusions are her own. Phone 617-929-3020 or, to leave a message, 929-3022. Our e-mail address is ombud@globe.com. © Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
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#!) could have gone a long way, and at least half a dozen respectable papers did that, or something like that. But such changes violate the contract with Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes Doonesbury to 1,400 newspapers. (Creator Garry Trudeau refused to provide an edited or alternative strip. A syndicate spokesman says that the papers who edited it will be reminded of the protocol.)
