I’ve noticed a tendency among people to believe the worst.
Maybe you remember the news story reporting the federal government paid $16 apiece for muffins at a conference in Washington in 2009.
Well, it turned out the news media were inept when it came to reporting this story. Perhaps a reporter didn’t get all the facts, or maybe didn’t check them. In any event, the story was a mistake.
Instances like these that undermine the credibility of all reporters. Many people around here have little use for the “East Coast” reporters and say they don’t trust them. The good news (for us at the Gazette, anyway) is that most folks cut local reporters a little slack – when it comes down to it, they acknowledge they don’t put local and national reporters in the same box. They find it much easier to believe us – maybe because they know us, or at least know how to get hold of us. It’s hard to call a national newspaper or TV network and actually get to talk to somebody who can address your issue.
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