The Friday Joplin Globe featured the news that the Joplin R-8 School District had made the state's top 10 list thanks to the achievements of six schools on the MAP tests.
In any community newspaper except the Joplin Globe that would have been page one news. On the Globe, it made page three and may have just been an afterthought since it came two days after the news release was issued by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and two days after it was featured on the local TV stations and on the Joplin Daily website.
The Globe continued its emphasis on regional news, carrying page-one articles on overcrowded jails, a request for Jasper County commissioners to impose fees on operators of the proposed Southwest Regional Landfill, a "quieter than usual" Jasper City Council meeting, and two national stories, the collapse of the Dubai ports deal and the news that senior citizens are retiring earlier. Somehow, a smashing success by the school district, not only the key to community development, but also one of the biggest employers in Joplin, could not break into that stellar field.
It couldn't even break into the hometown headlines at the bottom of page one, though those featured a Jay, Okla., lawsuit, the fact that the Pierce City boys basketball team is looking forward to next season, and "Petite player packs a punch for Lady Lions."
Page one is where newspaper editors show what they think are the most important stories of the day. Apparently, successful stories about the Joplin R-8 School District do not pack the punch of petite players.
The readers probably are lucky they didn't have to wait for the story to appear in the Herald. Didn't the publisher/princess say there wasn't enough room in the Globe for Joplin news?
ReplyDeleteThe Globe's school coverage is a joke. Its almost too embarrassing to read. It's the reason why I've switched over to the new paper. Theyve done an excellent job not only covering the public school district, but the Joplin private schools, as well.
ReplyDelete