Here’s my coverage of the paper that, well, supposedly covers Whitewater. First, though, a trenchant observation from the Phantom Stranger, received over the weekend. Always my pleasure to hear from him, and here’s what he had to say about recent issues of the Whitewater Register:
…and to make matters worse, their news is two weeks old…I mean, the Wisconsin slogan story as a headline on the March 26 edition (story happened March 16); and the March 14 candidates forum is the most recent story on the website — 2 weeks later, still—!!!
He’s right. Until today, March 30th — two weeks’ time later — the candidates forum still led Whitewater news stories at mywalworthcounty.com.
The banner headline of the Register‘s March 26th issue, entitled, “Wisconsin is the Place to ‘Live Like you Mean It’ refers to a new state slogan covered elsewhere far earlier. The story, from correspondent Amber Benson, oddly acknowledges that the slogan was unveiled on March 16th. The slogan is not, itself, a Whitewater story, and deserves less coverage in a paper that proudly places Whitewater in its title.
Inside, on page 2, the Register acknowledges reporting that Associated Press reporter Ryan Foley, a prominent reporter, has written about others who have used this slogan already. Foley’s reporting, entitled, “Originality rules in Wisconsin? Not in new slogan,” deserves more than an inside-the-paper mention.
(See, at Forbes.com, Foley’s fine reporting: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/03/23/ap6201724.html.)
The Register‘s headline story is neither timely, nor unique to our city, nor curious about how a slogan that so many others have used before would be launched as though it were fresh. That’s the kind of curiosity that makes for good reporting. Curiosity about those in power, how politicians and bureaucrats present themselves, and what lies behind their statements.
One notes, too, how variable the number of pages in the front section of the Register can be — in the March 26th issue 14 pages, in others, as few as 10. That’s a big shift in potential ad space, or copy space. Most papers try, even in this recession, to keep page space more fixed, issue to issue. It’s not a good sign for the Register.
Another more telling sign, at the my.walworthcounty.com website: when I clicked on “Whitewater news” on that page, I found that the ‘site sponsor’ was…wait for it, Whitewater…myracinecounty.com.
Too funny – not even a fine out-of-town sponsor connection, like Madison, Cambridge, or Williams Bay. Instead, a sponsor connected to a different kind of place, Racine County.