Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Front Page News

I’m used to fielding complaints from readers about our front page.

It goes with the territory.

So I was not surprised to get an e-mail from a reader commenting on our coverage of Michael Vick.

I was sure we were about to be taken to task for our editorial supporting the Eagles’ decision to offer Vick a second chance.

This was about Vick all right, but not exactly what I expected.

The reader wanted to comment about our choice to lead Saturday’s front page with the fallout from the Vick affair.

In case you missed it, something else newsworthy happened in this county on Friday.

In a bizarre accident, a 19-year-old girl was killed when a car went out of control, went up on the sidewalk, and struck 19-year-old Nicole Gallo. She was killed instantly. A friend was seriously injured. The driver of the car, who police indicate may have been distracted while adjusting an iPod, was not injured.

The reader, clearly someone close to Gallo, believe Gallo deserved more attention than a guy returning to football after serving time for running a dog-fighting operation.

Actually, Gallo’s story was covered fairly thoroughly on Saturday, and it was teased off the front page. And we followed the story for an update on Sunday.

But the reader was right. It was not our lead story either day. The reader believes she deserved better.

Here's what the reader wrote in an e-mail:
I’m used to fielding complaints from readers about our front page.

It goes with the territory.

So I was not surprised to get an e-mail from a reader commenting on our coverage of Michael Vick.

I was sure we were about to be taken to task for our editorial supporting the Eagles’ decision to offer Vick a second chance.

This was about Vick all right, but not exactly what I expected.

The reader wanted to comment about our choice to lead Saturday’s front page with the fallout from the Vick affair.

In case you missed it, something else newsworthy happened in this county on Friday.

In a bizarre accident, a 19-year-old girl was killed when a car went out of control, went up on the sidewalk, and struck 19-year-old Nicole Gallo. She was killed instantly. A friend was seriously injured. The driver of the car, who police indicate may have been distracted while adjusting an iPod, was not injured.

The reader, clearly someone close to Gallo, believe Gallo deserved more attention than a guy returning to football after serving time for running a dog-fighting operation.

Actually, Gallo’s story was covered fairly thoroughly on Saturday, and it was teased off the front page. And we followed the story for an update on Sunday.

But the reader was right. It was not our lead story either day. The reader believes she deserved better.

Here is what the reader had to say:

"It is such a shame that a young girl 19 years old is killed by a freak accident and the front page of the Daily Times is focused on Michael Vick. Where is the news that matters. Not because someone is a celebrity or in the public eyes. He is a convicted felon and yes deserves a second chance in society, however, should be banned from the NFL just like they did to Pete Rose. Look, Michael Vick is irrelevant compared to what happened to Nicole Gallo today and if anything should be on the front page, it should be that, not Michael Vick. It is a disgrace of what hits the front page of the newspapers anymore. I don't think I will purchase the Daily Times again. I should just wait to see it on the news because whatever they feel is important to put on the front page they will. The big headline news on channel 6 today was about Michael Vick not about the tragic accident involving the 2 girls in which 1 died or what the families are feeling at this time. Who really cares about Michael Vick, who he signed with or how much money he will be getting. An innocent child's life was taken and another one is critically injured in the hospital. Where are the priorities in the news today?"

I’m not sure I disagree.

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