October 20, 2008
The exceptions prove the rule
By Bill Kraus
A few days ago, I blogged about the disappearance of news reporting in Wisconsin.
The blog post focused on the $20 million Laird Research Center expansion in Marshfield that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel covered without sending a reporter to the announcement event in Marshfield or sending one to Marshfield at all. Indeed, the paper hasn't sent a reporter farther than 30 miles north of Milwaukee for years.
Since I wrote the original post I've learned that the reason the Journal Sentinel even covered this story at all is that Tom Still, a former Wisconsin State Journal editor who now heads the Wisconsin Technology Council, attended the Marshfield event, noted the absence of reporters and managed to prevail upon a Journal Sentinel reporter to write something about it.
Worse yet, while the Marshfield News-Herald covered the story, not even the Gannett papers in Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point or Green Bay picked up the feed. The Wausau Daily Herald is the only Gannett paper in the state that used the Marshfield News-Herald wire story, and none of the non-Gannett papers that subscribe to the Associated Press used it either.
When reporters don't cover important stories the best we can hope for is to have wire stories and interest-group PR agents feeding stories to reporters. And even under these degenerated standards, only a few papers throughout the entire state found room for the story.
post a letter about this blog »
The lack of reporting of the Marshfield event is all the more scary because of the Tribune Company's undermining of Associated Press. Maybe we won't even have wire services!
-Bruce Fetter | Milwaukee, WI | October 21, 2008
current
--------
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004