You are not dumb, dear reader

  • Dick Farrell
  • March 25, 2013
  • 299
                        
I think at some point in the ’90s, a lot of newspaper editors morphed into weenies. It wasn’t their fault, mind you. It was about the time when accountants took the reins of the newspaper industry and decided immediately that they knew better how to sell newspapers than the working stiffs in the newsroom and on the beats. I’m sure that’s how the first “letter to readers” column, written by a newspaper editor, happened. I’m sure it was a bean counter’s idea. The idea, I think, was to explain to readers why newspapers did the things they did – you know, like how that stupid headline found its way onto the front page. Problem is that those “letter to readers” columns over time turned mostly to puff pieces – promotional ads for the papers – with a tone such as “Dear Reader, you are not very intelligent….” I resisted writing such columns for the Sunday paper because I figured that most people would prefer to read something about their communities and because I wasn’t really that good at explaining away a dumb mistake. And I hated talking down to people and that seems to happen frequently when editors pen those “letters to readers.” A case in point is a recent column by Columbus Dispatch editor Benjamin J. Marrison, who is a good, progressive editor and whose paper has done exceptional work over the years. The headline over his column (at least online) was: “Newsroom finds facts; editorials are opinions.” Now, he may or may not have written that headline, and I’d love to quote some additional material from his column but I can’t because I reached my limit on free stories (and, no, I am not going to subscribe because if I did for every media outlet I read I wouldn’t be able to afford lunch). You get my point, though. The headline talks down to readers, and it assumes that readers don’t know the difference between news and opinion. I always assumed that a reader asking a dumb question was not the norm but the exception. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t try to explain the difference between, say, an editorial and a news story. I just didn’t subject everyone to the discussion. I think readers were better-served when editors wrote about issues that mattered to their communities, state and nation. If you don’t know what an editorial is, well, you’re probably not reading this anyway. *** I thought the closing of Regal Cinemas’ screens in New Towne Mall in New Philadelphia would depress our young people, who have complained about having “nothing to do” for generations. But I did a quick (but limited) survey of them, and the closing of first-run screens in their community doesn’t seem to be a big deal. It seems that they’d rather travel to Canton or Massillon for the experience of newer theaters such as Tinsel Town near the Strip in North Canton. Tinsel Town offers the latest in the digital cinema environment along with comfortable seating. Just about every trendy chain restaurant in operation is located within a short drive. My survey results indicate that the New Towne theater complex lost its primary audience – young people – some time ago by not keeping up with the changing times. And while the kids will be OK with the closure of the local theaters, it’s certainly not good for the overall health of New Towne Mall, which opened in the late ’80s amid a lot of fanfare. There are four major anchors in the mall – Sears, JCPenney, Elder-Beerman and Kohl’s – three of which (excepting Kohl’s) give me pause as a consumer. Simply they do not have the stuff that I want. The good news is that retail sales seem to be improving, and JCPenney seems to have grasped that shoppers do indeed desire sales on merchandise. What would happen to our important retail center if one or two of those anchors were to close? What impact would that have on the entire retail area that includes shops, restaurants, a supermarket and any number of peripheral businesses? Want a truism? Shop locally. Read more of Dick Farrell at TuscBargainHunter.com.


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