Thursday, April 7, 2011

Why Newspapers are Critical -- At least the good ones

Based on the absence of comments, I guess no one agrees that the Philadelphia Inquirer series, “Assault on Learning” is a masterpiece. 
Maybe it’s because we don’t have violence issues in Chester schools, or that Philadelphia is a world far far away from us down here.
What great newspaper reporting does best is get people to act, and that series has stirred politicians statewide. 
Mayor Nutter promised action on school violence Tuesday after holding high-level meetings on the subject last week as The Inquirer was publishing an investigative series that described brutal attacks in classrooms.

The comments come as legislators from around the state and other officials called for change in the aftermath of The Inquirer’s seven-part series, “Assault on Learning.”
My intent is not to hype the series - they will certainly be awarded for their work- but I’d like to remind you how valuable good journalism can be. 
It takes a lot of talent, time, and money to do a year long investigation. Heck, in that year, The Inquirer was going through new ownership and near bankruptcy. But, the professionals with their journalism degrees and investigative skills did what no rinky-dink local paper or part-time blogger could ever create. 
I salute The Inquirer for being one of the last great daily newspapers in America. My admiration was boosted after my visit to Atlanta last week, as I was totally blown away at what their Atlanta Constitution has become. I used to look forward to reading that paper, but honestly, the Daily Times does more for Delaware County than the Atlanta Constitution does for Atlanta. It was a disgrace. 
Wouldn’t it be great if Chester had its own daily paper run by a group of professional journalist? Imagine what could get done.

No comments:

Post a Comment