Local news? Do you get any via media?

**Roadking** · #1 08/07/10, 09:55 PM

Background; close to 2 months ago, drunk driver wiped out, Took out my and my neighbor's stone wall, admitted she was drunk. State police, fire and EMT show up, she abandons vehicle (plus plates and nursing ID badge), and still no info from state police (despite several calls). Okay, frustrating.
ran into some friends I haven't seen for a few weeks; The news (2 of them were the victims), 17 homes broken into in broad daylight, 7 businesses (one gun shop about .25 miles from her had three guns taken), and a dead body in the local park (apparent heart attack???? ) Not a stitch of it in the local papers, radio, etc.
FYI, the folks I mentioned are neighborhood watch, and have the unthankful volunteer job of being our eyes for the state police (response time is averaged at 30 to 45 minutes).
I have my little scanner, and I listen, but apparently, not enough. How do you get the news when the news won't carry it? Our only source of info is local word of mouth (except when they catch 5 terrorists training at the state game lands 5 miles away)?
Feeling disconnected and really paying a lot more attention presently. Anyone else?
Matt

salmonslayer · #2 08/07/10, 10:26 PM

We have a little weekly paper in our neck of the woods that reports everything. Even who had dinner with who over the last week, who went on vacation and where, and when someone does something wrong they seem to delight in mentioning every little detail up to and including who the grandparents are.

I think its more of a local thing Matt, where we lived before we never got info on what was happening but here they report everything and I cant even figure out how they get the information.

gone-a-milkin · #3 08/07/10, 10:32 PM

salmonslayer, do you mean the Mirror? because if you do, they most certainly do NOT report everything. Just so you know, they report gossip.

and piddly crap. but not the real news.

Have you met the Wright county sheriff, 'Bubba', yet? (and yeah he really goes by that name).

Beeman · #4 08/07/10, 10:32 PM

Our local paper is too concerned with presenting a fake image of the town and pacifying the GOB club. Of course this helps them sell ads. If you want the real local news around here you read the next largest town's to the east and west newspapers. They print all of the crime reports thereby making our town look like crap and their town looking better.

ronbre · #5 08/08/10, 01:01 PM

we have 4 local news channels on abc, nbc, cbs, and fox and there are several local newspapers but we don't purchase any, we get one of them FREE on Mondays...and it has the weekly ads in it free..and some news and classifieds

Wayne02 · #6 08/08/10, 01:35 PM

Local news is worthless here. Best place to keep up on local goings-on is at the local social gathering places such as Church and the Tavern.

Navotifarm · #7 08/08/10, 01:45 PM

Paper newspapers are going down the tubes because of the impatience (and even illiteracy) of modern day people. Some schools are producing output that can't even read and understand what's written on buses they need for transportaion. Some, perish forbid, can't even read the cooking directions on tv dinners. Well, I can't either because of the fly dooky sized print but that's also part of the newspapers' problem - tiny print! Or all that white space and teensy print or colored background so you can't even see the writing let alone read it, if you can read which many cannot. Or if they can read, prefer to get their news spooned into their brains by newscasters .
Editorial policy and budget affect what is printed in the paper or spoken on tv or radio. So many sections of the population take offense at their personal activities being publicized and cook up lawsuits.
Most newspapers probably have scanners so they may be aware of what OP describes he would like to learn about. But maybe they can't afford the space to print it? If you want to know, I suggest you write the editor and publisher of your local paper. Hey, maybe they will hire you as a stringer or correspondent! You can learn what's happening, share this delicious news with others and get paid, too!

Explorer · #8 08/08/10, 02:24 PM

"If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're mis-informed."
— Mark Twain

salmonslayer · #9 08/08/10, 02:34 PM

Quote:

salmonslayer, do you mean the Mirror? because if you do, they most certainly do NOT report everything. Just so you know, they report gossip. and piddly crap. but not the real news.

Have you met the Wright county sheriff, 'Bubba', yet? (and yeah he really goes by that name).

Thats the one Gone-a-Milking and I have not only not met the Sherrif I have only seen one deputy since I have been here and that was when I responded as a first responder to a bad accident on Hwy 5. We get a kick out of the paper (1 page of local news, 4 pages of church happenings, and maybe some local HS sports) but your bursting my bubble about them not reporting everything!!

I do know this though, since we stopped getting cable and went to just rabbit ears we are a lot happier. We buy the little weekly paper and we watch a local Springfield news station but not listening to the talking heads on cable has been a benefit to us. We spend our days on our little farm, we do a lot of volunteering and exploring and I guess I would rather not know about all the bad stuff since I cant do anything about it anyway.

Patt · #10 08/08/10, 03:22 PM

Any time I want to know what is going on I pop in at the feed store.

anniew · #11 08/08/10, 08:55 PM

roadking,
Call the News-Eagle or the two papers in Honesdale and ask if they get the press releases put out by the Blooming Grove PSP? If not, ask why not. I worked for the News-Eagle under a former owner, so don't know what they do now. Currently, I "collect" the PSP reports weekly for the area where I now live for a weekly newspaper.

**Roadking** · #12 08/09/10, 09:31 PM

Navotifarm and anniew, thanks for the input. Very good ideas that will be tried soon.
Patt and Wayne02, don't use the feed store much, nor the tavern, but locals and garage sales are a wealth of partial info.
Guess I've got some calls to make.
Thanks everyone for making me feel less out of the loop.
Matt
PS, how does one "collect" the press release, assuming they (I) am not a member of the press? Is there a legal way? since the SP won't even answer my questions? I'd love to know that...seriously. And be very grateful for any knowledge gleaned of an above board method...