Of a bikini bar and Miley Cyrus

What do the News-Sentinel and Vanity Fair magazine have in common?

We were both criticized this week for presenting offensive material with sexual or at least suggestive overtones.

Did we show a lack of sensitivity? Did Vanity Fair?

We'd like your feedback.

Here's the background:

Our front page story last Saturday reported the opening of a "Bikini Bar" in Lockeford. It was accompanied by a photo of a female bartender dressed in a bikini halter top and shorts, holding up a bottle of beer.

Business reporter Marc Lutz mentioned that the establishment offers food, drink and dancing, including lap dancing. He touched on the controversy preceding the opening, which included delays in obtaining the proper permits.

The business is operated by Timothy Kruppe, former owner of adult businesses in Lodi, including an adult bookstore. Those businesses, when they opened, drew opposition from local residents. And Kruppe ultimately prevailed in a well-publicized lawsuit challenging a city law requiring his employees to undergo background checks and fingerprinting.

Several readers complained about our coverage, and at least two submitted letters to the editor.

These were the key objections:

• We gave the story too much prominence.

• It was free advertising for a morally questionable enterprise.

• We exploited sex to sell papers.

Internally, we discussed at some length how to report and play the story.

Marc wrote the story in a descriptive way, telling about the atmosphere and food. He mentioned the fact that women would be dancing in bikinis and that lap dancing would be available, but didn't linger on these aspects.

Ultimately, we felt the opening of this business was page one news. It had a public and controversy prelude. It appears to be a first for Lockeford. It is operated by Kruppe, a fellow who has drawn a fair amount of public heat in the past.

We felt readers would want to know that this business had finally opened and what, in general, it offered.

We had a selection of photos from which to choose. Some were rather generic, showing tables and an empty dance floor. We felt the photo of the bartender in the top and shorts offered some idea of what the business is like — without being too explicit.

It looks like our hunch that the story would be of high interest to readers was on the mark.

According to a "most popular" index at Lodinews.com, the story is the best-read on the site, having been reviewed by 2,343 visitors as of late Friday.

Another indicator could be our Pulse Poll on Lodinews.com, which asks visitors what they think about the new club. The poll is drawing near-record participation; more than 800 readers have voted so far.

Did we try to play up sex to sell papers? Frankly, if that were our intent, we would have at least put the photo higher on the page to spur the single-copy sales in our newspaper racks.

On a related note is the Vanity Fair dust-up. The magazine drew criticism this week after releasing photos from its June edition of the 15-year-old Miley Cyrus.

Cyrus is the star of a Disney channel hit, the Hannah Montana series. The photos in question were taken by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz. She has photographed many celebrities in her career, and some of her most notable images are of nudes or semi-nudes. Her famous cover shot of Yoko Ono and John Lennon showed Lennon, nude, curled up in a fetal position and embraced by Ono. Leibovitz shot the striking image of a pregnant Demi Moore, also for Vanity Fair.

The current VF photo spread includes one waist-up shot of Cyrus, her back bare and her breasts covered by her arm and what appears to be a satin sheet. It is described as "semi-nude" by most commentators.

The magazine, and its photographer, are drawing criticism mainly because Cyrus is 15 and the photos, to some, reflect the increasingly common sexualization of teen girls.

Cyrus herself issued a statement saying she was "embarrassed" by the images.

Disney's press people said, "Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines."

Leibovitz herself offered a apology, of sorts, saying she was "sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted ... the photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is quite beautiful."

News judgment. Art. Beauty.

Community standards.

So much, really, is subjective.

Did we stumble on our coverage of the Lockeford bikini bar?

Did VF stumble in its Miley Cyrus photo spread?

We'd like to hear from you.

Please send an e-mail to us as news@lodinews.com.

Or, if you are reading online, post a comment on this story.

— The Lodi News-Sentinel

Reader Feedback

wy wrote on May 10, 2008 2:13 PM:

" sam.... bahahahahah! you're funny! "

Report Abuse

sam wrote on May 9, 2008 7:14 AM:

" Maybe someone should tell LNS that if you turn your cookies off and refresh your browser you can vote on their poll as many times as you desire. Once the cookies are "denied" everytime you vote, you show up as a "new" reader. Silly guys.

One would have thought the poll showing the "Snappy Dresser" as the most important requirement for a superintendent would have been a dead give away. (Not the 45 year old ina a bikini.) LOL "

Report Abuse

Scrutiny wrote on May 6, 2008 12:19 PM:

" The picture in question does NO justice to most of the girls who work there. Most of them are pretty tasty! If you don`t enjoy the company of pretty ladies Metric, stay out! Please!? "

Report Abuse

Metric Time System wrote on May 6, 2008 8:53 AM:

" The photo was crucial in accurately summarizing what kind of business had opened. Welcome all who have no self-respect. "

Report Abuse

Lodian wrote on May 5, 2008 4:46 PM:

" Personally I would have been ticked off if that was my picture in the paper. Why? The picture turned out terrible. Maybe it was the subject (IDK), but the color etc was bad, not flattering. Your photogs are usually much better than that, but maybe it was the subject. "

Report Abuse

jpb75 wrote on May 4, 2008 2:04 PM:

" BRAVO! Well-written and well-said. Funny, the same people who get offended over where something is played or placed in the newspaper are the same people talking about that very story. And if that woman in that bikini portrays sex, your readers would be flabbergasted over what's on network TV! "

Report Abuse

SSG Jeremy wrote on May 3, 2008 3:55 PM:

" The Lodi News Sentinel did a fine job of reporting on the new bar in Lockeford. It is going to be a story that is going to raise public Ire, but who cares? You did your job, and reported the story, nothing more, nothing less. "

Report Abuse

Bob Loblaw wrote on May 3, 2008 2:32 PM:

" Gee, it's no fun when you ask us to comment. Unsolicited feedback is more interesting

The photos of Hulk Hogan rubbing suntan lotion on his teenage daughter's butt were way more offensive. Please print those! "

Report Abuse

papercut wrote on May 3, 2008 1:56 PM:

" News-Sentinel offensive? I'd say they are very defensive judging from the fact that they constantly either hide important articles or just use their own little white lie routine to make someone look good that really isn't or just plain cover it up. Funny, since these stories are usually in the Stockton paper. "

Report Abuse

T & C wrote on May 3, 2008 1:28 PM:

" Your paper did just fine! "

Report Abuse

nylodian wrote on May 3, 2008 8:10 AM:

" Compared to images on splashed all over TV on any given night, this is mild. I personally have no problem with the bare-back photograph, but think it's a bad choice for a 15 year old singer/actress who's fan base is mostly 8-10 year olds. However, I was creeped out by some of the poses with Miley laying across her father's lap. Eew!
"

Report Abuse

Comments on this story are now closed.

Archives

Story Tools

Indexes

Of a bikini bar and Miley Cyrus

News-Sentinel, Vanity Fair, both draw criticism for lack of sensitivity

Reader Feedback

Special Sections

Photo Reprints

Find Ads

Weather

Services

Contact Us

Office

Newsroom

Subscriptions

Advertising

Classifieds