Farewell to an editor who always put the reader and quest for excellence first

In Mike Stanton's recurring nightmare, newspapers are rolling off the press and he is trying to fix a mistake on the front page, using a pen. It is impossible, of course, as the papers move faster and faster.

"I can't keep up correcting them with my pen," he told me last week, as we discussed his retirement, which starts today. The nightmare reveals a lot about the kind of editor and leader he has been throughout his career, especially the last 22 years at The Seattle Times. Stanton's titles over the years here have evolved from news editor to executive news editor and most recently managing editor for news, editing and presentation. But the consistent role he has played is as standard-bearer — for accuracy, ethics, fairness, balance, introspection and sensitivity to reader expectations.

I began writing "Inside The Times" in 1992, and it wasn't long before I first quoted Stanton to give readers insights into the methods and motives behind our work. He probably felt as though I had anointed him spear-catcher for reader anger, as I turned to him over the years to explain our decisions and mistakes.

The fact is he could always be counted on for thoughtful, understandable and wise responses. That's because he was always thinking about how we could improve the newspaper and its service to readers.

Quality control can't be done with a pen in the pressroom. It's a constant process of shared values and articulated standards, hiring the best people and holding them accountable for doing their best. And owning up to mistakes when we make them.

Stanton has embodied that in this newsroom. He made his mark in formal ways, such as strengthening the role of the copy desk, chairing the standing committee on ethics and standards, and implementing a system to reduce mistakes and improve the clarity of corrections.

But his impact happened even more powerfully in personal conversations and wise counsel. He was a mentor, champion and confidant for many on the staff. When necessary, he could be a withering scold, but he made his most lasting impressions with goodwill, a great sense of humor and robust laugh.

Some of his perspectives about reader service come from his having worked outside journalism and having been on the newsmaking side of the ledger earlier in life.

Stanton grew up in a blue-collar family in Connecticut and earned a bachelor's degree in English from Holy Cross. He was working as branch manager of a bank when the possibility of being a journalist was tossed at him by a guy applying for a loan.

The applicant talked about his job as an assistant city editor for the newspaper in Providence, R.I. It sounded much more interesting to Stanton than his own job. Banking is a great profession for some people, Stanton said, but "I was bored out of my mind."

In the end, Stanton turned down the loan application because the house in question was in a flood plain. That didn't stop the journalist from telling him to come to the paper if he ever decided to change careers.

One Friday, he went home and told his wife, Barbara, that he could see himself as a middle-aged man, sitting at his bank desk knowing exactly how many days until he could retire. The following Monday, he went to the newspaper office, applied to be a reporter and was subsequently hired.

That was 1968 and Stanton says, "I have never been bored a single day since. There have been ups and downs, good days and bad, but there was no day when I didn't want to go to work because of the job." That's because the "intellectual give-and-take keeps you interested and thinking."

Not all of the intervening 40 years were spent at newspapers. He served 4 ½ years as press secretary to a Rhode Island governor, which was a great education for returning to journalism.

"Everybody in this business should spend some time seeing us the way other people see us. They will come back to the news business with a little bit more humble view of ourselves and how close to perfection we aren't."

He was reluctant to answer when I asked what he would want readers to know about his career. He knows from experience that his answer will be misunderstood by some.

"As a human endeavor, this newspaper tries very hard to examine news through an independent prism without being driven by political ideology or financial self-interest," he said. "That is rare today and is worth preserving.

"When you say we deeply care about that, people hear you saying that we are perfect. We're not. But we try every day to make the newspaper as honest as it can be.

"Most people don't understand how hard we try to be fair, accurate, thorough and everything else they want us to be," he said, adding that the challenge is "so difficult, and we are never as good as we want to be."

Despite what Stanton calls "flaws, failures and biases," he believes strongly that "the values that permeate a good newspaper newsroom are vital to democracy."

He sums up his career as "40 years of having fun, doing the best I could, working with great people and doing something worthwhile. I wouldn't have traded this for any other job."

Later today he will head to Arizona to join Barbara, who has been in their new home the past three weeks. On behalf of The Times, its staff and readers, I want to thank Mike for all he has done.

Best wishes for a wonderful retirement, health, happiness and nothing but sweet dreams.

Inside The Times appears in the Sunday Seattle Times. If you have a comment on news coverage, write to Michael R. Fancher, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, call 206-464-3310 or send e-mail to mfancher@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists