What journalism is all about…
John M. Glionna works for the Los Angeles Times–a big-time national newspaper. And he apparently thinks it’s just sooooooo cute that the cub reporters working for the 21,000-circulation Concord Monitor in New Hampshire get to cover the big campaign. In fact, these adorable little cubs sometimes even scoop the big-time reporters. Imagine that!
But, alas, the campaign will eventually end:
Then staffers, many in their early 20s, return to covering the school board meetings and local sewer issues that are the stuff of small-town dailies.
“It’s not true depression but more like ‘Do I really have to go back to covering this stuff?’ ” said Monitor editor Mike Pride. “They go from reporting on why Howard Dean didn’t back sending troops to Iraq to whether a local town should buy a new school bus.”
The problem with this is that, to the community, the decision to buy a new school bus is anything but trivial. And any reporter who doesn’t understand this also doesn’t understand his/her impact on the community as a journalist. While I’m sure it’s fun to be a big-time insider, the fact of the matter is that such seemingly mundane political decisions are the stuff of life for most communities.
Further, the community doesn’t need Mr. Big-time Glionna taking such journalism less than seriously.
As someone who spent the better part of four years covering school board meetings and drainage districts and property tax valuations, I offer a hearty “amen” to this post. If there is to be a salvation for small to mid-sized local newspapers in the future (and I think there will be), it will be a return to the emphasis on local news that is of direct import to readers. Of course, that would require hiring more reporters and paying them better, and … oh, nevermind.
Good post, though.