Granted, every decision on story selection is a filtering process of
sorts, but, unlike the environment, I want my news/knowledge of the world
a little gritty- a little raw. I don't care for this paternalistic
approach; I'll spot my own trends (with a little help from editorials),
decide how frightening the crime statistics are, and remember stories
worth remembering- not written to force you to read the last line to
figure out the story.
That this paper seems determined to cover a large geographic area
superficially rather than limit it's focus and concentrate more on depth
and follow-up may reflect corporate reality, but don't try and make it
palatable with references to newspapers that are now merely AP wire
service relays; they read about the same to me.
Nor did I see any indication that innovative or 'visionary' changes were
being considered or even welcome as suggestions.
Bottom line; not much will change- deal with it.
Vera- your column is the best thing to happen to this paper in a long
time; hang in there!!
Jo Williams
tajs@potlatch.com