Gray News-letter
The August 11 issue of The Gray News had four 'top stories.' They were:
Child Find
Good Shepherd United Methodist Church
Milfoil HELP!
St Gregory
Child Find was a press release about an organization's program, the others are church bulletins, and the Milfoil help was press release about another organization's efforts.
There was nothing originally written in the paper. Granted, it's high summer, schools are closed, and meetings have let up. There's not a lot going on...but there's always something going on- and it is the newspaper's job to find it. It takes energy, creativity, and aptitude, something the Gray Newsletter doesn't display.
That Friday, the Press Herald had a story about the YMCA closing and a nice feature about the an archeological dig. The Monument had big news about Fiddlehead and a nice feature about locals in the Beach To Beacon, a news article about New Gloucester and another about the missing police dog.
A paper becomes a vanity press when the publishers (in this case the Board of Directors and Editor) expect people to be satisfied with releases passed off as news.
The Gray News, in order to become a real paper again, needs to put news in it. Otherwise, it's just a newsletter for local organizations. And newsletter isn't a news paper, it's a vanity press.
Child Find
Good Shepherd United Methodist Church
Milfoil HELP!
St Gregory
Child Find was a press release about an organization's program, the others are church bulletins, and the Milfoil help was press release about another organization's efforts.
There was nothing originally written in the paper. Granted, it's high summer, schools are closed, and meetings have let up. There's not a lot going on...but there's always something going on- and it is the newspaper's job to find it. It takes energy, creativity, and aptitude, something the Gray Newsletter doesn't display.
That Friday, the Press Herald had a story about the YMCA closing and a nice feature about the an archeological dig. The Monument had big news about Fiddlehead and a nice feature about locals in the Beach To Beacon, a news article about New Gloucester and another about the missing police dog.
A paper becomes a vanity press when the publishers (in this case the Board of Directors and Editor) expect people to be satisfied with releases passed off as news.
The Gray News, in order to become a real paper again, needs to put news in it. Otherwise, it's just a newsletter for local organizations. And newsletter isn't a news paper, it's a vanity press.
posted by Gray Maine at
5:41 AM
7 Comments:
Let's start a citizen initiative to take the paper back.
By
Anonymous, at 9:26 AM
years and years of this.
I skim it and toss it.
By
Anonymous, at 2:20 PM
Jesus, folks, find something else to do besides picking on the Gray News. You need a life.
By
Anonymous, at 10:47 AM
Hello Anonymous. Thank you for your interest in my life. I have a life, a fine one, and it includes expecting better from a local newspaper. Have a nice day.
By
Gray Maine, at 11:00 AM
I am having a nice day, thank you. Expecting better from a local paper is fine. We all have a right to our opinions. Endlessly attacking said newspaper while being incurious about your own failings and culpability is not so fine.
By
Anonymous, at 3:31 PM
Good, that's nice. You have made several erroneous assumptions however. I differ with you in your use of 'endlessly attacking.' Calm and reasonable posts are not "attacks". And we also differ about "endless". A few months of discussion about how to make a newspaper better is not "endless".
Perhaps, if your patience with the subject matter has run out after this short time, I can suggest you read other blogs, or some books, even, so that your sensibilities are not damaged any further.
Also, you state that I remain "incurious about my own failings". You could not possibly know that is true or is not true, unless you are a psychic. Are you psychic?
Back to the blog's main topic, which is not my life, is not my motives, and is not my failings. It is "How the Gray News is abusing the community" and "How the Gray News can do a better Job" Do you have something to add to the conversation about the blog's actual topics?
By
Gray Maine, at 3:46 PM
Gray News could take the initiative and solve the problem. Hire real reporters and the Board could enforce the principles it was established on. If you can't...close up shop. problem solved.
By
Anonymous, at 6:28 PM
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