This morning’s N&R runs above the fold with the U.S. missile strike that killed 12 Afghan citizens. Fair enough, it’s a big story. But —guess what —- I have is-yus.
Remember back during the holidays when N&R editor John Robinson explained the paper’s decision to run with the initial ‘Underwear Bomber’ on page A7 of the Dec. 26 edition. Robinson said he “had a brief discussion with our national editor, Janet Brindle Reddick, and told her to use her best judgment on how it should be played in the morning newspaper.”
Reddick’s explanation —in her words:
Was it a big national story? Yes. But if we truly are a local paper, we still don’t have any local connections, it hadn’t raised the terror alert level, no one was hurt, and we had it on the front in quick read.
And yesterday I was the local/national editor, and the local editor in me won out, with the local stories truly affecting peoples lives more – Economy/jobs? Traffic? Good human interest? Local landmark closing?
Robinson added that Reddick “made absolutely the right call.” Honestly, there may have been another national editor on duty last night. But I’ll still note that the paper’s philosophy evidently has changed between Christmas and now, when an international story suddenly overrides so-called local stories truly affecting peoples lives. I can’t help but wonder why.
