Having done the newspaper thing for a few years, sometimes we think people understand the business like we do but we're often reminded that that's hardly the case.
For example, I looked in todays Daily Times and wondered how big the paper would be if they didn't use press releases and submissions.
Here are the numbers from the Friday, May 14th Delaware County Daily Times:
Associated Press Articles: 30
Press Releases: 11
Submissions from corespondents: 10
That's 51 articles from sources outside of their newsroom, not including movie and tv listings, comics, and classifieds.
Now, that's not a bad thing but it demonstrates that there is a lot of sharing going on in the media. Hardly anyone has the resources to fill a paper or blog from their own staff.
That's just the way it is.
Stop trying to make a point. We get it! There is nothing original about your paper. They get most of their sources from press releases. Give your reader some credit. We can read and write. Stop trying to justify what you do.
ReplyDeleteI like making points. A lot of folks don't get it. I'm not a reporter, columnist or journalist. Those of you who are are encouaged to use this blog to publish your work. This can become the Huffington Post of Chester.
ReplyDeleteSadly, a lot of folks can't read and write as demonstrated in Chester's test results. I've worked in the schools and have witnessed the horrors of miseducation first hand. There is not a lot of reading going on in our homes.
When it becomes a crime to deliver information specifically targeted to Chester, Paul Bennett and I will both pack it in. Until then, I'll keep doing what I do.
If any of you have suggestions for content that would justify you taking the time to check in occasionally, please share. I'm curious what y'all want from a Chester blog.
Thanks for giving your readers a forum to address these issues and to do it anonymously. But that's beside the point, the "folks" who can't read or write are probably not reading and responding to your blogs.
ReplyDeleteAgain I ask, what do you think readers and writers want to read and write on this blog? I'd love to know where I'm missing the mark.
ReplyDelete