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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Public meetings in Jackson County for May 4-8, 2015 Dozens of drivers nabbed in Medford pedestrian sting VIDEO: Highland Games going on in Wimer today Class of 2016 can get a primer on senior year Emergency services, May 2 Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Dozens of drivers nabbed in Medford pedestrian sting Emergency services, May 2 Gold Hill man torched his foreclosed property No leads on who smashed about 20 windows in Ashland before dawn Thursday Ashland man allegedly dragged woman with vehicle Politics and Elections BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Education More kindergartners vaccinated in 2015 Elementary students honor local police officers Levy backers eye final push Two seats contested on Central Point School Board Neal Simon: This is a test Environment Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Residents say armed mine supporters sully Josephine County's reputation Armed protesters gather at Medford BLM office over Sugar Pine Mine dispute Jackson County's wildlife services agent seen as both killer and savior Biomass technology: Creating products out of former waste State News US, Canada unveil rules to boost oil train safety Cylvia Hayes public records case goes before Salem judge Fixit tag for Portland's noted Portland Building: $175 million Fee targets rail cars that haul oil, other flammables Boyfriend of psychic sentenced in con of Oregon timber heir Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Tim Lawrence Yockey Penelope Catherine (Turner) Martens William "Bill" Geisslinger Alice Irenia (McFall) Calkins Dennis Dean Ekwall Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Making her pitch Wheeler's hit boosts Challengers Rams take Beavers' Mannion in third Raiders go 1-1, advance to today Singler shines in Raider spring game Varsity 541 College Sports Raiders go 1-1, advance to today Singler shines in Raider spring game National champ SOU's spring game is tonight Oregon coaches, players ready to ‘split up and play’ Donahue, Beavers down USC at home Pro Sports Rams take Beavers' Mannion in third Singler shines in Raider spring game Hawks beat Nets 111-87 to wrap up series in Game 6 Mariota eager to get to work 49ers keep Ducks' Armstead close to home Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories Blog: Do You Want Cheese with Your Wine? Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Comcast deal dropped along with Pac-12 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option Real Estate News Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option New home in an old house Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house GREEN ACRES: Southern Oregon provides escape from the maddening crowd People In Business Transportation Erickson finds room to work at Medford airport Lithia Motors nets $40.7 million in first quarter Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Business briefs Medford airport's record run continues Agriculture 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, May 2 Other Views: Gun-bill recalls misguided, futile Philip Maddocks: Candidates eager to reconnect with everyday billionaires Matthew T. Mangino: Baltimore boils over again Granlund cartoon: Cities and fire starters Editorials Other Views: Gun-bill recalls misguided, futile Our View: Bill gives ex-convicts a glimmer of hope Our View: Medical marijuana market not at risk Our View: Don't wait on public records reform Our View: Yes to faster speeds, no to lane splitting Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 2 Letters to the Editor, May 1 Letters to the Editor, April 30 Letters to the Editor, April 29 Letters to the Editor, April 28 Columns Michael Gerson: A pastor's faith in Baltimore George Will: What stands in Lindsey Graham's way Dana Milbank: Billionaire politics Kathleen Parker: Comedy, tragedy and fear of free speech Michael Gerson: Weighing the baggage Hillary brings Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan The Medford School Board was wrong: 'American Pageant' is a political agenda, not history The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework Guest Opinion: Removing barriers to walking, biking benefits everyone Lifestyle Latest stories Go with the (low) flow Find the starry ‘kite’ in the eastern sky Life Lessons & Loves: An ode to the sane and wonderful mothers-in-law Dr. Murray Feingold: Turn down that noise Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Food Andrea Honaker: Mexican-inspired dips for Cinco de Mayo Set a table from your local farmers market Let's do brunch! Page H. Onorato: Enjoying good food just for the fun of it Page H. Onorato: Food items appear in the funnies Home and Garden Betty Montgomery: You can have a variety of ferns in your garden Clean out household chemicals Friday and Saturday Dear Monty: 10 tips to avoid tenant complaints Home Help: Upgrade your entryway with simple DIY projects Costa Living: Basking in flower power Health Dr. Murray Feingold: Turn down that noise Health Watch: Pack your pantry with healthy items HealthStyle: It’s all in the family dinner 'Game changer' for heart patients Health Watch: Tips for protecting your eyes Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Milestones and Achievements ENGAGEMENT: Sellers-James Witham's birthday bash draws hundreds for 1950s prices Charlesworth-Murphy Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories 5 picks for live entertainment Live Music in Local Clubs Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' Camelot Theatre presents 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Theater REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Some Oregon Shakespeare Festival crew members seek to unionize Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' 'Much Ado' at SOU Thanks for the Memories stages 'Company' one night only Music Thunder's Edge, Steel Cranes tonight at Club 66 The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Live Music in Local Clubs Trio Brasileiro plays Old Siskiyou Barn Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour Community Events Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Rogue Valley Earth Day 2015 Foreign language film festival set at SOU Movies Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ has a lot going on Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ knows how to party Catching up with the Avengers Interview: Sofia Vergara talks ‘Hot Pursuit’ Quick Flicks: ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Insurgent’ and more Dining Taqueria Picaro offers casual Mexican cuisine Restaurant inspections: April 26, 2015 Island Grindz serves up Hawaiian specialties Have you wandered down the Bear Creek Wine Trail yet? Restaurant inspections: April 19, 2015 Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' ... Dozens of drivers nabbed in Medford pedestrian sting ... VIDEO: Highland Games going on in Wimer today ... REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' ... Dozens of drivers nabbed in Medford pedestrian sting ... VIDEO: Highland Games going on in Wimer today ... OUR VIEW Our View: Sensation and sensibility: a balancing act MailTribune.com Writer Posted Apr. 26, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Apr. 26, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> It's a dilemma as old as the news business: report on a gruesome murder trial and people will accuse you of sensationalizing the news "just to sell papers," even while the public devours every installment and comes back for more. That was certainly the case with the trial of Susan Monica, the Wimer farmer convicted last week of murdering two men more than a year apart, dismembering them and feeding their remains to her pigs. On the one hand, it was easily the most bizarre murder case in recent Jackson County history, and there was already a great deal of public interest, even though 15 months had elapsed since Monica's arrest. It was a story that could not be ignored, but also a story that offended some readers. The details were indeed horrifying, made even more so by Monica's matter-of-fact accounts of shooting the two victims. Her videotaped confessions to detectives were played for jurors during the trial, and she took the stand to describe her version of the events. What many readers may not know is how much deliberation goes into deciding what to report from a case like this and what not to report. As gruesome as some of the coverage was, there were details that emerged in court that Mail Tribune editors chose not to include. Some readers took us to task for playing the story on the front page every day during the trial. That's not unusual; coverage of high-profile murder trials often brings a backlash from readers who would rather not be confronted with such news over their morning coffee. But at the same time, those stories attract more attention than more everyday coverage does. We in the news business have always known this, and readership surveys have borne it out — after the fact. Now, however, with the Internet's instantaneous sharing of information, we have tools to track reader interest in real time. And those tools confirm that, in the age-old newsroom phrase, this story had legs. Data from the Mail Tribune website show the Monica trial story was No. 1 or No. 2 every day it appeared, and on one day, two separate stories captured both the top spots. Two and three days after the verdict was reached, that story and a followup item about the makeup artist that helped transform the defendant's appearance for trial continued to hold the top three spots. The story of Monica's conviction also was picked up by a national website, which brought nearly 100,000 additional readers to our online story. The accusation of hyping coverage to sell papers had much truth to it back in pre-television days when competing big-city newspapers sought to boost single-copy sales with sensational headlines. Later, with the growth of television news and fewer and fewer cities with more than one paper, home delivery subscriptions were the most important measure of success and were used to determine advertising rates. One high-profile murder trial doesn't have that much impact on subscription numbers. It can, however, drive traffic online, where crime-related stories are often near the top of the list of what's being read. It's our job to inform our readers about the news of their community and also give them the news they want. That means at times we must perform a balancing act because, as evidenced by the Monica story, readers don't always agree on what the definition of that news is. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Apr. 26, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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