The widely regarded excellence of the St. Petersburg Times derives from one man, Nelson Poynter, who purchased controlling interest in the newspaper from his father in 1947.
It was an auspicious moment. The newspaper was poised to profit handsomely from Florida's population boom over the next half-century.
But Poynter's idealism — his lofty sense of a newspaper's role in democracy and civic culture, and his willingness to invest richly in both people and equipment — is what drove a provincial newspaper into the ranks of national respect.
Soon after Poynter acquired the paper, he published his "Standards of Ownership" to guide himself and his heirs. In truth, he didn't always live up to their spirit. His hostility to labor unions, for example, belied his liberal politics and his commitment to above-average wages and profit-sharing.
But when he republished the standards year after year, they served as a beacon and reminder that responsible journalism is, as he put it, "a sacred trust and a great privilege."
The Times reprinted the Standards of Ownership last June, on the 25th anniversary of Poynter's death. There are 15 of them, but the first four and the tenth describe most clearly how Poynter saw a media owner's public responsibility:
1. Ownership or participation in ownership of a publication or broadcasting property is a sacred trust and a great privilege.
2. Any publication or broadcasting property has unusual obligations to the community in which it operates, and any new owner must be sensitive to this.
3. The owners of a publication or broadcasting station cannot compromise with the integrity of the news and information that is sold or given to the public.
4. A publication or broadcasting station must be aggressive in its service to the community and not wait to be prodded into rendering that service. A publisher or broadcaster must share the zeal and enthusiasm for what is new each day. He does not belong as an owner unless he has such enthusiasm.
10. A publication or broadcasting station cannot best serve its community if it is encumbered with outside interests. Its editorial policy should not be tinctured with ownership in enterprises not related to newspapering or broadcasting.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2003.