Readers Want More … and Less
By Jody Brannon, Inside MSN Editor
Last week I asked you to evaluate our news judgment -- to pinpoint a story or feature that you thought was a hit or a miss and to share it.

Writing from Lovingston, Vt., Robert says, "MSN reporting is basically scattered and frivolous except when reporting about money topics." Sacramento reader Lissa wants deeper coverage on religion. David in Birmingham, Ala., says he wants more on energy legislation. Sandy, of Huron, S.D., would like additional tips on reducing credit-card debt.

Meanwhile, Chicago resident Jack wants less on 9/11 conspiracy theories, and Matt in Hudson, Fla., wants more.

Jack and Matt make us happy. The prevailing opinion in most newsrooms is that if the feedback from users is split, then we're doing our job well. Our mission is to strive for both balance and breadth. And Mike of Arlington, Va., thinks we do it pretty well -- perhaps better than we think we do.

Mike writes: "Greatness: You achieve that daily. I have MSN as my homepage -- eye candy and substance: What more could you ask for?"

Well, we would love to ask for more letters like Mike's, when we deserve them. But we know we fall short sometimes -- and we give ourselves a good talking to when that happens.

Meanwhile, we consider all feedback that reaches us, and I think Alan of Cheyenne, Wyo., makes a good point. He strikes me as a realist -- someone whose words have plenty of truth to them, so I'll share his comment in its entirety:

Wrong priorities
"After reading some of the letters posted ... I have to agree that people in the U.S. have their priorities screwed up ... me among them sometimes.

"We put so much effort and coverage into things that don't matter -- Hollywood, sports, etc. We need to hear more about the teacher who is making a difference, one student at a time; the police officer who kept the neighborhood kids in line and helped them understand they can be successful; the doctor who donates time at the free clinic; and the dad or mom who work their tails off and still come home and raise wonderful, respectful, intelligent kids who grow up to be productive members of society.

"We need more reality, not reality TV ... I don't know of anyone who has ever had 23 women falling all over them for marriage over the span of two weeks like you see on 'The Bachelor.' That's not reality."

It's also not reality, as editors staffing a portal, to be perfect every day, especially when it comes to the volume of news, variety of news sources (or lack of them) and other newsroom pressures (which will be discussed in coming weeks). But each day we give it a new shot. And each day, we welcome your letters.

http://specials.msn.com/InsideMSN/default.aspx?Gt1=8816

The following is my letter to the editor...

Untill Sept 11th is covered, and you as reporters and editors step up and do your job and ask the hard questions and demand the answers that are owed to the American people, mainstream media in America has lost all its credibility.
When as much airtime is given to why WTC7 fell in 6.7 seconds (freefall speed), symmetricly, into its own footprint from a "fire" as is given to Paris Hitons latest girlfriend...
we can begin to trust you again.

When you ask why the "corprate execs" forbid you from airing the collapse even when running a story about those "crazy" 9/11 conspiracy theories,
we can begin to trust you again.

When you ask why the Secret Service abandoned its primary mandate, and left the President sitting in a classroom full of children while our country was "attacked" instead of rushing him to safety as protocol requires,
we can begin to trust you again.

When you ask why NORAD stood down, and failed to intercept any of the "hijacked planes" and why they needed to change the timeline of events on two different occasions,
we can begin to trust you again.

When you ask why The 9/11 Commission Report says Cheney arrived at the PEOC just before 10am, when in fact Norman Minneta testified
he got to the PEOC at 9:20 am and Cheney was already there and in complete control,
we can begin to trust you again.

When you ask why the EPA declared the air and water in Manhattan safe, when it was indeed toxic and has now sickened or killed sixty percent
of the first responders, and who ordered the EPA to declare it safe,
we can begin to trust you again.

When you ask how a "plane" being tracked from Ohio to DC, is not only allowed to penetrate the most secure airspace in the country, but also the most secure building in the country, all without any interception from either the Air Force or the missle batteries surrounding the building,
we can begin to trust you again.

When you ask the Vice President what order was given, and why an aide comes into the PEOC and tells him "Sir, the plane is fifty miles out, Sir, the plane is thirty miles out, Sir,do the orders still stand?" and what he meant when he spun his head and said "Of coarse the orders still stand, have you heard me say anything different?" as testified by Norman Minneta,
we can begin to trust you again.

When you ask why PNAC in its Rebuilding Americas Defences document stated a "New Pearl Harbor" would be needed to make the American
citizens support a massive buildup of our services, and a change to a preemptive strike policy and these very same Neocons that signed that
document ended up in this administrations cabinet positions and in fact got the "Pearl Harbor" they were so desperate for,
we can begin to trust you again.

When you ask why Sibel Edmonds is the most gagged person in the history of the United States after raising her concerns that the funding for the
9/11 attacks came from prominant politcal families within our government,
we can begin to trust you again.

When you ask why this administration tried to block any investigations at all into the attacks, and ask why the Vice President and President refused to testify under oath, would only be questioned together, censured all notes taken and provided no transcripts,
we can begin to trust you again.

When you ask why there is absolutely NO coverage of the families call for a new, completely independant investigation into the murders of those they loved, one involving the victims relatives asking the questions they want answers to,
we can begin to trust you again.

When you cover 9/11 the way it should be covered, and ask for an explanation to the thousands of inconsistancys in the Official Report, and actually
demand an answer from those that should be held accountable, in other words, DO YOUR JOB,
we can begin to trust you again.

Untill this happens, no matter how flashy your webpage is or how well produced your newscasts are, you will ,in the minds of at least forty percent of the population, be considered complicit in covering up the truth about the day that changed all our lives forever.

I eagerly await your form letter response...

Thank you for your time.
Justacitizen.

Plz note: the comment section only allows limited text, I had to go to the "contact the editors" section to accomodate the length of the letter. That link is available here...

mailto:letters@msnbc.com?subject=To the Editor

Im thinking we should flood them with demands for 9/11 coverage.