Beachcombing
Feedback is a good thing. It tells us when we are doing something good, bad or otherwise.
Kay stopped by our offices the other day to complain about the page one photos of youngsters diving into the Naples canal, which she claimed was illegal. Thankfully I was not there to hear her BS, because some of us have a life.
Then she telephoned me to complain about those photos, apparently because she doesn’t have a life and doesn’t think that youngsters on summer break should have one either.
If our photographer had taken photos of cars doing donuts in the middle of an intersection – an illegal act – we would have run those photos on page one as well. It’s news.
If our photographer had taken photos of someone climbing the outside of a downtown high-rise building – also an illegal act – we would have run those photos as well. It’s news.
What is news? It’s anything with one or more of the following: drama, controversy, celebrity, local, recent, magnitude, oddity or impact.
A photo showing any of the above is good. A photo showing kids, pets or people having a good time is even better.
It’s important to know that calling us to complain about something printed in the newspaper will be received in the same manner as a phone call to a radio talk show, where your message will go in one ear and out the other. The proper way to communicate with us is in writing. We call them “letters to the editor” and they are typically viewed by lots of readers – versus a phone call going in one ear and (you know).
Complaints? We get a few. And then again, too few to mention. Most are related to problems like not getting the paper delivered or not wanting the paper delivered, which get forwarded to our carriers. An average of one delivery call per month is not bad, considering a total circulation of 36,000.
Mostly we get compliments about those numerous stories reporting City Hall shenanigans.
Going back a couple of decades, we used to get complaints about Fantasy Ranch ads that showed attractive women in sexy poses. Our male readers did not seem to mind them or call them obscene. Obscenity to me is spelled Vladimir Putin. Obscenity is thinking that they had assault rifles when the 2nd Amendment was written and it’s okay for anyone outside of law enforcement to have them.
Our current website poll asks if LA County D.A. George Gascon should be recalled. 75% say “yes” and 25% say “no.” Add your opinion at www.beachcomber.news (bottom of page one) and email comments to editor@beachcomber.news.
The prior poll asked: “Which is worth saving, Community Hospital or Queen Mary?” Community Hospital received 31% of the votes while the Queen Mary came in at 10%. “Neither One” got 42% and “Both of Them” received 17% of the total votes cast.
Reader Ward Johnson shared the following about “Inflation: How bad is it?”
- My neighbor got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.
- CEOs are now playing miniature golf.
- ExxonMobil laid off 25 congressmen.
- I saw a Mormon with only one wife.
- McDonald’s is selling the quarter ouncer.
- Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America.
- Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children’s names.
- A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico.
- A picture is now only worth 200 words.
- When Bill and Hillary travel together, they have to share a room.
- I called to get the Blue Book value on my car. They asked if the gas tank was full or empty.
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