In our small town of Hermann, we now have three news organizations ....... plus, of course, Hermann Hearsay which is a completely different kind of "news" site altogether. HH is more of local news analysis site. HH reports on the reporters.
Sometimes I feel that we must have more reporters per 100 residents than any other place in the entire world. We seem to have two or three reporters covering every local event or public meeting. I've been wondering if there is so much news to report in our small town that we really need three news organizations to cover it all.
With all of this "news reporting" fire-power, one might think that "no stone is currently going unturned" in the frenetic search for the BIG local news scoops.
Our three news organizations are: The Hermann Advertiser-Courier (a traditional newspaper with an electronic newspaper option), Hermann News (an online news website) and County News LIVE (another online news website).
Between these three news organizations, what kind of news stories do they cover? Well, let's just take an inventory:
- city government news
- county government news
- state government news
- community news
- community events
- civic organization news
- civic organization events
- school news
- school events
- obituaries
- display ads
- classified ads
- birth announcements
- engagement announcements
- anniversary announcements
- sports (high school, collegiate and professional)
- weather
- fishing reports
- human interest articles
- news reports about news site record-breaking performances
- and so on and so on.
So what kind of news stories are they NOT covering? As I see it, if the story is complex, potentially controversial or requires a fair amount of investigation or analysis over a long period of time, then the story just doesn't get covered. Afterall, why not just take the easy way out and report on the easy stories? Why not avoid controversy and avoid making enemies? Why not take the path of least resistance? In my opinion, that seems to be the thinking by our local news media.
And why does this kind of "lazy" reporting continue? Why is it the same with all three news organizations? To answer that question, let me pose the following questions: Are the businesses and organizations which advertise with these three news organizations demanding more hard-hitting investigative reporting, more thorough and complete analysis? Are the subscribers to these three news services demanding that the quality of reporting improve?
Well, I think we have our answer. There is no pressure on local news media to improve the quality of their "reporting". We really have no investigative reporting to speak of at the local level. News organizations here at the local level are primarily interested in selling subscriptions and advertising. Hard-hitting investigative journalism tends to make waves, ruffle feathers. Hard-hitting investigative journalism stirs controversy. Sometimes it even makes enemies. The truth can sometimes embarrass important people. And that can be harmful to daily readership and subscription rates which in turn can be harmful to advertising support.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Jimmy! That's all fine in theory! But what about in actual practice? What are some of the stories which should be investigated? And why are these stories so much more important than the local high school baseball scores, the obituaries, the fluff pieces about somebody's pretty flower garden, the photos of the muddy, mangled, overturned vehicles, etc?
OK, fair enough! Here are some of the stories which I think should be investigated and reported on:
- How much exactly (based upon county records) has been spent on the maintenance and preservation of the County Courthouse in Hermann during the past 10 years? By comparison, how much has been spent on maintenance and preservation of county courthouses and administrative offices by surrounding counties? Why has so little been spent to maintain and preserve our county courthouse? Is it not a valuable asset which should be maintained and preserved? Who has been responsible for this gross negligence and dereliction of duty? Who has been arguing to budget more for courthouse maintenance and preservation?
- How much in the way of over-charges via double-billing, billing for tires and services improperly received due to conflict of interest, etc. has been paid to county tire suppliers over the past ten years? How did this occur? Why have there been no management and financial controls in place to prevent this over-payment for tires and tires services? Why, when it is the general practice in the industry to do so, were no credits given to Gasconade County for the used carcasses of large truck and grader tires? Why has the tire and tire service bid specification been so woefully incomplete and inadequate for so many years when we have had two commissioners who have years of experience in the retail tire and tire service business?
- How many elected Gasconade County officials are guilty of using county assets for personal business or entertainment purposes? County assets like vehicles, tools, computers, etc.? Does the county have written policies prohibiting the personal use of county assets? If not, why not?
- State auditors conducted thorough audits in 2002 and 2006. Their audit findings and recommendations were presented to the County Commissioners after these audits. What has become of the recommendations made by the state auditors?
- Why are Lowenbaum and Associates of Clayton, Missouri being retained at a cost of $1200 per year to provide legal counsel to Gasconade County when the county already pays hefty salaries to the Prosecuting Attorney Ada Brehe-Krueger and her Assistant, also an attorney? What is the current hourly charge for legal services? What will be the increased hourly rate after July 1? How long have Lowenbaum and Associates represented the county? Why? What is the last time this service was bid out? Should law firms headquartered within Gasconade County be permitted to provide this legal service, if indeed really needed?
- How many people are on the Hermann City payroll for the City Streets Department and the City Utilities Department? What do they all do? Why does it take them so long to complete projects?
- What's the story behind Pigg Hollow Drive? How much money has Gasconade County spent on this road near Owensville over the years? Why has this county road with so few residents living along it received so much attention?
- What are the results of the 2010 state audit of Gasconade County? Why will the results of these audits NOT be reported until AFTER the elections? State level politicians scratching the backs of county level politicians?
- Why have the citizen volunteers stopped doing work at the Gasconade County Courthouse? Which county office holders have encouraged volunteerism? Which county office holders have discouraged it?
- Etc., etc., etc. I could go on and on.
If you agree with me, I suggest you contact the local "news" service(s) upon which you rely for your "news" information and ask them to begin investigating and reporting on the REAL stories in the Hermann area and in Gasconade County.
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