Having read the recent Pagosa Daily Post series on the town’s land use code (LUDC) something stood out. But it had nothing to do with the code itself.
After we bought our Aspen Springs property during our first visit to Pagosa in 2000, we returned to the area at least once every other year. The pandemic, and personal health issues, have interrupted those regular visits, such that we have not been back since 2019.
Not withstanding absence from Pagosa, thanks to the reporting in the Daily Post, I know more about the goings on in local government there than I do about my own locale (Brevard County, Florida). Our own local newspaper can’t hold a candle to the Daily Post in reporting local news.
Considering our paper is a subsidiary of USA Today — owned by the Ganett media corporation — that speaks highly of the Pagosa Daily Post. Gannett, with all its corporate resources, doesn’t even come close to the in-depth analysis of local issues as the Daily Post.
The Daily Post reporting focuses on the issues, and only references the officials involved when that is relevant – such as quoting them, or when it’s germane to the article. For instance, as in the LUDC series about who has business experience.
Gannett, and all the other large media outlets, seem to do the opposite. They appear to devote their resources to covering issues that accentuate the personalities involved — particularly political party affiliations. Propagandizing, rather than informing, seems to be their objective. It’s like reading Pravda or Isvestia in the old Soviet Union.
I’ve written in this forum before that the news media on both sides of the political spectrum fan the flames of partisanship through how they cover stories. So it’s refreshing to read coverage of issues without gratuitous politicization.
Other Daily Post coverage of local issues has been equally informative. The “Weight of Water” series earlier this year is another example of in-depth analysis of a issue critical to the community.
While not a glamorous subject, public discussion of the efficiency of the system of managing wastewater is far more important to quality of life than the political persuasions of those responsible for it. Analysis of problems with the system and what must be done to fix it, rather than a focus on attaching blame for the problems, contributes to finding solutions.
Too often public officials are more concerned with covering their own assess than actually doing their jobs. A major contributing cause of that B.S. is how the media covers issues. The media seem to believe their role is complete once a responsible official is singled out — regardless if a solution is found!
That’s because many contemporary ‘journalists’ (as they like to call themselves) are basically lazy. I learned that during my time as a spokesman for a public agency. It’s less work to point fingers than take the time for in-depth analysis of the nuts-and-bolts of a topic.
In addition to coverage of local government, the Daily Post opportunity for us columnists to pontificate to its readers. Though I don’t always agree with them, I enjoy reading Louis Cannon and Harvey Radin in particular.
Good writing is good writing regardless of the point of view. Lack of quality writing is another failing of today’s ‘journalists’ — and why they can probably be replaced by AI which doesn’t require an employer to furnish health insurance.
The geographical extent of the Daily Post readership is fascinating. A disadvantage of being required to have an e-mail publicly listed with the Florida Bar is that I’ve been called an idiot, and a variety of unprintable names, from readers nationwide in response to some of my Daily Post columns. Writing for publication is not for the thin-skinned.
So you who live in Pagosa Springs, and those of us who have an indirect interest in the actions of the local government there, are fortunate to have a better source of information than far larger locations with corporate news outlets.
The Daily Post is an example of what a local news source is supposed to be. I wish we had its like here in my hometown.