A LITTLE-noticed wire story in The Virginian-Pilot last month revealed a staggering breach of public trust by Pentagon leaders, who were seeking to achieve "information dominance" through a program that sabotaged traditional journalism.

A POSTCARD Maria Carrillo received in January 2006, four months after she was named managing editor of The Virginian-Pilot, is taped to a shelf in her office, where she's likely to see its message at least once a day. "12 out of 13 miners ARE DEAD!! You got it wrong. Do not run articles making excuses. Retake journalism 101."

IT WAS April Fools’ Day at the Chrysler Museum when the spectacle of The Virginian-Pilot’s acute discomfort with nude art — most notably of a self-portrait painted by a 17-year-old girl — began to unfold in public. The paper has become the butt of jokes — and intense criticism — since that day.

COLLEEN McDANIEL, the first-ever female Sports editor of The Pilot, joined the staff about seven months ago. She is a Wisconsin native who began cheering for the Green Bay Packers as a child. The passion for sports she developed as a youngster has shaped most of her working life since she completed Syracuse University's graduate program in journalism.

A NEWS STORY in The Virginian-Pilot on March 12 illustrates how information can be correct and yet simultaneously misleading, or, in the eyes of some critics, just plain wrong. The opening sentence of Richard Quinn's story about the financing of an expansion project proposed in Virginia Beach is, in fact, correct: "The newest tower at Town Center could cost taxpayers $30 million."

ON THE DAY after Virginia's primary election, students in Fred Schecker's intro to journalism class wanted some explanations about how The Virginian-Pilot covered the outcome. They were unanimous on one conclusion: "The newspaper was biased in favor of Obama."

THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT'S advertising team pushed into uncharted territory about three months ago and recently discovered its judgments are out of sync with community sentiments. Perhaps we should have known better than to run ads for erectile dysfunction remedies but, alas, we had to be told.

Newspaper editors are inclined to liken the unpredictable flow of news to being dealt a wild card on a daily basis. Their duty is to play their hand with the "skill and character" defined in the credo of former publisher Frank Batten Sr.

Coming on board as public editor with the news that Landmark Communications, and with it The Virginian-Pilot, is likely to be sold is a daunting endeavor. An end to the century-old tradition of leadership by a family with a historic commitment to public service journalism is a troubling prospect for Hampton Roads.

By Lee TolliverThe Virginian-Pilot
Now that Mother Nature has turned off the turbo fan, it’s time to get back to fishing. Of the ever-increasing possibilities, flounder could provide some of the best rewards.Aside from the great taste provided by flatfish, the opportunity to catch a trophy is better now than it has been in quite a few past springs.Numbers of citation-sized fish weighing more than 7 pounds are better than they’ve ever been.“It’s the most ever by this time of year,” said Claude Bain, director of the Virginia Saltwater . . .