Read the Matt Golas newsroom note. Also, here are his words from Marketplace on NPR:
Matt Golas is editor of the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader.
He says a different storm is prompting residents to
take action.
MATT GOLAS: "In the wake of Katrina, people take this
more seriously. They saw what happened down there. In
this case though it's not a hurricane, it's a
slow-rising river. It's one of those things where a
few feet will make a difference in millions of
dollars."
too bad no one could find a copy of it.
ReplyDeleteand when you did find it, that paper looked like a 5 center from 1881
Why the hell did they bail out? To set an example? Did they get strongarmed by the cops? The TL, with the CV, should have stayed put unless things got really dire.
ReplyDeleteThey got strong armed by the cops.
ReplyDeleteThey were asked by the powers that be to clear out.
ReplyDeleteNo one really thought the river would break the levee, but it wouldn't look really good if the papers just decided to blow off a direct order.
the cv still managed to put out a well-written paper. the TL, on the other hand. christ. what was that?
ReplyDeleteAgreement and disagreement:
ReplyDeleteYes, they need to obey the order. But the same order was not given to the tv people, who did not need to be in a lot of the places they were. Newspaper reporters can run/drive just as fast as tv reporters.
Yes, the tv people can keep us updated continually, while the newspaper comes out only once a day. But the papers' reporters should have been given the same passes; they are mature adults who should be able to make responsible decisions.
Both papers have second and third floors. Might cause problems for the presses, but not for the people.
I think the broadcast and print media should have been treated equally. My opinion.
So what you're saying -- and I'm not in NEPA, so I have no firsthand knowledge -- is that not only did the newspapers abandon their downtown plants, they also did not have people reporting on the ground during the curfew/evacuation?
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know. The officials would not issue "flood passes" to the CV reporters and, I suspect, to the TL reporters either.
ReplyDeleteeven CNN was forced out of the city to plains
ReplyDeleteI work for WBRE and we drove along happily all night... checkpoint through checkpoint. Mind you we didn't pull any rank games with cops or the national guard, but all were more than willing to let any member of the media through.
ReplyDeleteThat Wednesday into Thursday night was perhaps one of the easiest when dealing with officials. They respected what I had to do and we respected them. We stopped and made conversation at every point. If you were a member of the media and didn't get through that night it was because you didn't work the situation properly.