When a famous person pays a visit a small town, it's not uncommon to see the local media go into a tizzy like giggly little schoolgirls swarming Justin Timberlake's limo. Americans may not have a royal family to gawk at so celebrities serve that purpose instead. But the Glens Falls Post-Star acts like even when a minor celebrity is arrested!
Former Phish frontman Trey Anastasio was recently arrested in Whitehall, NY, near the Vermont border, for driving erratically. He was passing through on his way to New York City. He has since been indicted on the charge felony criminal possession of a controlled substance and lesser charges of driving under the influence of drugs and driving with a suspended license, reported the paper.
I had no problem with Anastasio's original arrest being on the front page. But you'd think eventually it would be relegated to the local section at some point like every other drug arrest.
Other figures have been on the front page recently because of their personal problems, like a local town supervisor and our then-Congressman. But these were elected officials with a responsibility to the public, not an aging guitarist that doesn't even live in the paper's circulation area.
The paper's editorial decisions continue to mystify. The charges against the once-moderately famous singer shared a front page with an article on a dog show and a piece on a change in ownership at a local steakhouse.
You had to turn to page A3 to read an article about an important report on man-made global warming and another about how the top American commander in Iraq contradicted the president's assertions that a 21,500 man troop surge was needed to secure Baghdad.
There's nothing wrong with having local news on the front page of a local paper. But can we be spared the tabloidesque soap opera?
1 comment:
And today, Sunday, the local section did go to the dogs.
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