Debbie Kornmiller who is the Arizona Daily Star's reader advocate - the voice of readers inside the newsroom.
She joined the Star in 1981 after graduating from Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism. She spent her first 10 years with the Star on the copy desk writing about 20,000 headlines and the second 10 years as features editor. She began as reader advocate on Sept. 4, 2001. As reader advocate, Debbie hears from up to 100 people each and every week, listening to the concerns of readers and explaining the Star's news-gathering standards and practices. She writes regular memos that are posted for all staff members to read. Readers' comments usually form the basis of her weekly column, which appears each Sunday in Opinion.
In addition, she organizes roundtable discussions with readers and top editors on how the Star covers specific topics such as the Mideast, and the relationship between news and opinion, and reader focus groups on new and existing sections and coverage issues.
She speaks to nearly 50 groups each year and invites readers each month to sit in on the Star's daily news meetings, where the next day's stories are discussed. Last year, nearly 100 reads joined editors for the Page One news meeting.
She spends at least an hour with all new employees explaining the Star's professional and publishing ethics and oversee the Star's orientation program for new employees to ensure that they are fully aware of the Star's standards and practices.
She also organizes and leads twice-a-year workshops to advise community organizations on how to work with the Star. Handouts used in those workshops are available year-round to readers. As a board member of the Arizona Daily Star Sportsmen's Fund's Send-A-Kid-to-Camp program, she coordinates the Star's efforts to $100,000 each year to send needy children to a week-long summer camp.

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