In Monday's 'N&O': ALL TITIANS ALL NUDE
Seems like not everyone was pleased with that News & Observer decision to warn readers about the internal Michelangelo nudity , including many of the reporters who forwarded us the following note from Public Editor Ted Vaden's internal blog:
Today's Life Etc. front, depicting Adam in all his glory, caused a
little stir in Readerland today.
The famous Michelangelo painting from the Sistine Chapel was explicit
enough that The N&O felt it prudent to post a notice on the front page
warning readers about the nudity. As of this writing, I'm aware of
only one reader complaint about running the art — but two for posting
the notice.
"Just who is it The N&O is protecting from one of the most well-known
pieces of art in Western Civilization?" asked Gretchen Engle of
Durham. "...If you really want to protect readers from things that are
upsetting or offensive, you'll need to start running advisories about
all the stories of war, poverty, and exploitation that — appropriately
— run every day of the week."
Comment: Oh well, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of reader
complaints. This is a family newspaper, after all. My guess is that
the notice drove more readers to the Life Etc. section. We should do
that more often.