I’ve finally caught up on email and phone calls after vacation, and a couple calls and letters caught my attention. A few readers were mightily angry that the newspaper June 6 had nary a story noting the 64th anniversary of D-Day.
Frankly, I’m wrestling with what I think about that. Did we commit a foul, or is unreasonable to expect that every year (until when?) the newspaper will run a story reminding readers of the Normandy invasion. I’m fascinated by World War II history and have studied the war in depth. So I’m not coming from a place of ambivalence about the war - the opposite is true.
Is it news every year? Some years, it’s easy to make a case that a historical event is newsworthy - the 50th anniversary, the 75th. Is every year noteworthy? Maybe it truly is an expectation of a majority of readers that every year the newspaper takes note of the historic event. We get similar angry calls on the few occasions we’ve failed to publish a story about the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Which historical events qualify for unending annual coverage? Do readers expect us to be as much historical mile marker as we are a journal of the immediate day’s news?
For now, I don’t have the answers. Just pondering the questions, and the intensity of the anger accompanying the complaints.
2 Comments
You have got to be kidding me…
You received angry letters and you are still “wrestling with what you think”? You still don’t get it, do you? We don’t care what you THINK - you’re a newspaper whose job it is to REPORT THE NEWS.
D-Day is an important part of American history. Who do you think fought for your right to print such drivel? You mention Thanksgiving every year. You mention April Fools Day for crying out loud. How is that more significant to Americans than D-Day!?!
So, to help clarify, I will attempt to answer the questions you posed in your post this morning.
1. Did [the Eagle] commit a foul? YES
2. Is it unreasonable to expect that every year (until when? I DONT KNOW… MAYBE UNTIL WE’VE LOST A BATTLE SUCH AS NORMANDY AND YOU’VE LOST YOUR RIGHT TO?!) the newspaper will run a story reminding readers of the Normandy invasion? NO, IT’S NOT UNREASONABLE TO EXPECT THAT THE NEWSPAPER HONOR THOSE WHO FOUGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM AND LOST THEIR LIVES DOING IT.
3. Is it news every year? I THINK WE COVERED THAT WITH THE APRIL FOOLS DAY COMMENT.
4. Which historical events qualify for unending annual coverage? WHERE DID YOU GO TO JOURNALISM SCHOOL? WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS? WHO HIRED YOU? WHAT ARE THE EAGLE’S PRIORITIES?
5. Do readers expect us to be as much historical mile marker as we are a journal of the immediate day’s news? YES.
You go ahead an “ponder the anger accompanying the complaints”. Meanwhile, we’ll find another paper to read.
By the way, I’m going to copy and send this to your e-mail address. It is apparent by this blog site that no one cares what you’re writing. Three comments since April, total? Hmmmmm. Maybe they know what I’ve just now begun to figure out.
- A.U.H.R.
I was disappointed that there was no mention of the D-Day anniversary. The number of WWII vets living are dwindling daily - and you lost an opportunity to honor a local living vet from that conflict.
Too soon there will be no more - and we will all miss their personal anecdotes. The time to thank them for their incredible sacrifice is now - while they are still living.
There are a few events in US history that truly effected the course of world events. I think these important events should be noted yearly.