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EWSPAPERS OF
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ICHIGAN
P
AGE
6
April 5, 2012
It's no secret that I have been
doing this for a long, long time.
Too long, I often think. But during
my decades of writing, editing,
designing and producing newspa-
per pages, I have amassed some
great war stories. Some about peo-
ple who should never have been
anywhere near a newsroom and
some about politicians who
should have never been anywhere
near a gavel. Most of the best ones,
however, have to do with my own
learning curve and some of the
errors I either made, or that got by
me in the editing or composition
stage of putting together a news-
paper every week for all these
years.
This week, my son, who knows
how I enjoy recounting some of
these horror stories, sent me a few
examples of the mistakes others
in this business have made and
whichmade it all theway to print.
He sent them, I choose to
believe, to assuage my own guilt
about a few typos and mis-
spellings that have gotten by me
recently. OK, more than a few, but
still.
Here are a few of those he sent
me that are suitable for a family
newspaper. Jay Leno has nothing
on the guy who compiled these,
trustme.
Bridges help people cross.
City unsurewhy the sewer smells
Study shows frequent sex enhances
pregnancy chances
Meeting on openmeetings is closed
Man accused of killing lawyer
receives a newattorney
Puerto Rican teen named mistress
of the universe
County to pay $250,000 to advertise
lack of funds
Caskets found as workers demolish
mausoleum
Federal agents raid gun shop, find
weapons
Statistics show that teen pregnancy
drops off significantly after age 25
Meat head resigns
Barbershop singers bring joy to
school for deaf
Homicide victims rarely talk to police
Hospitals resort to hiring doctors
Man with 8 DUIs blames drinking
problem
New sick policy requires 2-day
notice
Parents keep kids home to protest
school closure
Police arrest everyone on February
22nd
Rally against apathy draws small
crowd
Starvation can lead to health haz-
ards
Total lunar eclipse will be broadcast
live onNorthwoods Public Radio
Rangers get whiff of Colon
Miracle cure kills fifth patient
Honestly, I didn't make any of
those up…they all appeared in
print. There
were lots more
that I redacted
in an effort to protect the guilty. If
I were creative enough to have
dreamed these up, I'd be on the
best seller list, not in the newspa-
per business.
Currently, two legal issues have captured the attention of
American citizens across the country.
It is no different here, as conversations continue to shift to
either the health care issue before the Supreme Court or the
shooting of TrayvonMartin inSanford, Florida.
In both these instances, the public interest has been firmly
affixed to the outcome of the decision made in the courts.
Both of these instances will leave an indelible mark on the
fabric of our judicial system and no matter which side of
either issue onemay favor, almost everyonehas an opinion.
Across the country, citizens await the decision of nine peo-
ple entrusted with the responsibility of determining their
future well being and access to health care, with or without
the plan currently in question. Opponents are just as vehe-
ment as supporters and there have been pickets and demon-
strations outside the U.S. Supreme Court inWashington, D.C.
on both sides of the issue, where the public is demanding
that their voices beheardby the justicesmaking the decision.
Good for them.
If those demonstrations remain on target, and include
opinions and beliefs about the issue being decided, we
applaud all those who have the courage of their convictions
and take the time to make their beliefs and wishes known to
those deciding their fate. Which side they are on in this issue
isn't the point here. To us, the point is that these people have
taken the time, interrupted their lives and believed strongly
enough in an issue to take to the streets in Washington to let
those in control of the situation know how they feel and what
theywant.
That's the America we should all be proud of and an
example of the liberty that so many in other countries envy.
The Arab Spring, as it is now called, was a larger, far more
dangerous and widespread effort at emulating what these
people are doing in D.C. The difference is that in many of
these Middle East countries, those demonstrators and pro-
testers were killed, maimed or injured in trying to let their
leaders knowwhat thewill of the peoplewas.
Here, we see it every day. And yes, we know, some of those
local demonstrations have gotten out of hand when citizens
have been pepper sprayed or even bludgeoned----but none of
themhave been killed sinceKent State in the 60s for attempt-
ing to communicatewith their leaders.
These days, many of those leaders understand the impor-
tance of listening to the citizens and voters. They now realize,
usually on the state andnational front, that the flood of public
opinion can determine the next election. Once the sleeping,
apathetic American public is waked, leaders better pay
attention, or say goodbye.
Waking that public, however, is not an easy task these days
when the economy requires all their attention, when they are
working two jobs or trying to find some employment to sup-
port their family, when they are fighting home foreclosure
and trying to figure out how to pay the extraordinary cost of
gas to even get towork. No, waking themto a national or local
issue isn't easy. But if they are awakened, they are a mighty
force, indeed.
And that brings us to the case of TrayvonMartin, the black
child killed in Florida by a Neighborhood Watch member.
The mighty force of public opinion and the American sense
of justice have been awakenedwith a start and there are only
a mere handful who don't have an opinion about what hap-
pened in that Florida town that evening.
Americans want justice. They have been raised believing
they are entitled to it. They begin learning about it in kinder-
garten and through every facet of their education. They
believe they deserve justice and they believe others share
their innate sense of what is fair.
They are awake, these usually apathetic Americans, and
they want a decision on health care that isn't based on politi-
cal party affiliation or personal religious conviction and they
want a decision in the killing of an unarmed teen that isn't
based on race, personal prejudice or loophole-filled local leg-
islation.
These Americans are awake and those responsible to
thembest pay serious attention.
‘State of’
addresses
need change
Headline errors are good for a giggle
”
Public is shrugging off apathy and being heard
Americans want justice.
They have been raised
believing they are entitled to it.
It's spring, when a young man's
fancy turns to thought of romance.
Municipal leaders and managers,
however, are consumed with
thoughts of their annual “State
of…” addresses.
Let's save some time.
Everything is just peachy. There
have been some problems, but
everybody is working hard to over-
come them. Efforts are beingmade
to attract new businesses and new
development. Revenue is down,
but the newplans for consolidation
of services and pay cuts will help
and show the dedication of all the
municipal workers to helping the
community weather the storm. I'm
doing a swell job…
See? Look at the time we just
saved you.
These annual messages, which
emulate the U.S. President's
required annual message to the
House and Senate, have become
almost as disingenuous as many of
the political campaigns we've seen
during the years.
Do we think any community
leader is going to stand before an
assembled group and talk about
the real, ongoing problems he or
she is attempting to manage suc-
cessfully? Are any of them going to
discuss any issue for which they
don't have a pat and prepared
euphemistic answer which implies
that everything is going to be just
swell if everybody works together
and continues on the path they
have set?
Voters and residents need to
hear from the officials they have
elected. They need reassurance
during these difficult times. They
need to know that there is some-
one in charge, someone doing for
them what they don't have the
See
Address,
page 7