Behind the Headlines

The Herald-Leader editors have been lazy bloggers this summer.  We haven’t posted anything for nearly two months. Sorry about that; we promise to do better. 

However, during that time readers haven’t asked us any questions, either.  Is there anything about the Herald-Leader’s news coverage or opinion pages you want to know? Anything you want to take issue with?  If so, send me an e-mail.  That’s the beauty of the Web.  Print is a one-way conversation, but you can talk back online.

Part of my excuse for not blogging this summer is that I went to China on a trade mission with former
Gov. Martha Layne Collins that was organized by the Kentucky World Trade Center and the University of Kentucky’s Asia Center. We went to Shanghai, Beijing, Nanchang and Jiujiang, which a sister city of Louisville.  It was fascinating. I learned a lot, and took lots of photos, such as this one of a man doing his early-morning exercises on the waterfront in Shanghai. I wrote about the trip for Business Monday. I also plan to write a travel story and do an online photo slideshow when I can find the time.  (In case you’re curious, I paid my own way.  The Herald-Leader’s ethics policy prevents staff members from accepting freebies, such as travel. I did this trip on my own time and my own nickel.)

One night while I was in China, I got a call from Herald-Leader Editor Marilyn Thompson, who said she was leaving Lexington to head up investigations for the Los Angeles Times from its Washington bureau.  Like her predecessor, Amanda Bennett, she was at the Herald-Leader for only about two years.  Marilyn came to us from Washington, where she was Assistant Managing Editor for Investigations at The Washington Post.  We’ll miss her.  She is an outstanding journalist, a great person and a good friend.

Tom Eblen
Managing Editor