A One Newspaper Town [or Towns]

I don't intend to trash the Valley News. It's a good local newspaper. I've known a lot of folks who have worked there over the years. I think it does a great job of local news, and they try very hard to be part of our 30 or so communities.

But the greater picture, the global and national view, seems a problem right now. What got me thinking of this at all was reading on some blog, www.dailykos.com I believe, that 8 US military had died in Iraq on Sunday. Did you see that? Did I see that? I might have missed it.

I might also have missed the big articles on the Rove/Bush/Cheney Traitorgate, a story that dwarfs Watergate and certainly makes Monicagate, which grew out of a joke called Whitewatergate, into an even bigger joke. There's been some writing, but it's small and understated. so far. Did you get to read about the 8 or so CIA officials who gave testimony on this affair?

I certainly missed any references to Jeff "Male Prostitute/Friend of the White House" Gannon. Most people in the Upper Valley would stare blankly if I asked who Jeff Gannon is and why he was a news story.

So we're going to look at article size, placement, and tone compared to what we know via the full story out on the web. Look, articles on strawberry crops and store openings, fine, but we, as a people, are being asked to know something about the crucial stuff. Is the Valley News doing its job? Stay tuned!