Provo (Ut.) Daily Herald misses out on national story in own backyard

[Stitch]

A guy dies after being stuck in a nearby cave for 24 hours. Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune have staff writers covering story.

The Daily Herald relies on AP for the news. I would be ashamed of putting out such a crap product if I were the editor or publisher, but the one look at the paper would tell you it needs a new approach. They did send a staff photog.

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_ed05e3cc-daa1-11de-bb8d-001cc4c03286.html

This isn't the first Utah County story I've seen the Herald pass on and just rely on AP. If you have to use AP for a local story, it tells a lot about how good a newspaper is.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Re: Provo (Ut.) Daily Herald: A rag?

Is it that way in the paper or just on the Web?

I worked with their top editor when he was just a design guru and I thought he was one of the more reasonable people of that type, meaning he cared what the story said almost as much as he cared how the page looked. In other words, a pretty good journalist.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Re: Provo (Ut.) Daily Herald: A rag?

The death that guy suffered is my worst nightmare, down to the last detail. I can't read about that without wanting to vomit.

 

[Stitch]

Re: Provo (Ut.) Daily Herald: A rag?

Is it that way in the paper or just on the Web?

I worked with their top editor when he was just a design guru and I thought he was one of the more reasonable people of that type, meaning he cared what the story said almost as much as he cared how the page looked. In other words, a pretty good journalist.

I don't know if the paper was any different. But this paper keep getting scooped on local stuff. In my neck of the woods, the big daily picks up local news from the AP bureau, when it should be providing copy to the AP.

Newspaper publisher rail on the AP for the lack of perceived value, but if you can't even cover what's in your own backyard, then that money doled out to the AP seems to be a bargain.

 

[Stitch]

Salt Lake Tribune was on the ball with quick Web updates. Deseret News still didn't have an update saying the guy got stuck again until a few hours after the Trib's story.

I'm just surprised more people didn't get stuck when the cave was completely open until a few years ago.

 

[Roving_Gambler]

The DailyHerald had a brief, shining moment during the Olympics, but then lost its top editors along with columnist/humorist Eric Snider, the publisher and other senior executives were run off or they bailed out, and the paper finally was sold by Pulitzer. Its philosophy for the past five years or so appears to be, "save money at all costs and rely upon wire copy as much as possible."

Throw in the egocentric editor, pandering to readers with user-generated content and constant redesigns, and it's a storyline not unlike many newspapers.

 

[friend of the friendless]

Sirs, Madames,

Chuck Tatum, a model for us all, wouldn't have missed this story but he was working in Albuquerque.

Chuck (left) with Leo Minosa (obscured with the armpits down)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_in_the_Hole_(film)

o-<

 

[Stitch]

The Daily Herald's back at it with horrible journalism. You can't cover a national story, but this story is put on the Web.

The owner of the local D-League team challenged Michael Jordan to come and play Byron Russell in a one-on-one game at halftime for charity. The Herald said that Jordan was spotted in a local cafe. Too bad they can't confirm anything.

(Edit: The Herald updated the story to reflect Jordan didn't show, but the original story made it seem to think he was in town without any source to back it up.)

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_d623c5d8-e36c-11de-937a-001cc4c03286.html

 

[Roving_Gambler]

What an embarrassment. Laughably bad, really. Even funnier, in a sad way, is that less than a decade ago, the braintrust at this paper decided upon this URL for its web site: www.harktheherald.com

You can still type that into your browser and it will redirect you to the actual newspaper name these days. Nice branding.

No doubt many other papers would have found great success on the web if they had used the same approach at the dawn of the decade:

New York Times: www.timesonourside.com

San Jose Mercury-News: www.freddiemercurynews.com

Philadelphia Inquirer: www.inquiringmindswanttoknow.com

 

[Stitch]

What an embarrassment. Laughably bad, really. Even funnier, in a sad way, is that less than a decade ago, the braintrust at this paper decided upon this URL for its web site: www.harktheherald.com

You can still type that into your browser and it will redirect you to the actual newspaper name these days. Nice branding.

No doubt many other papers would have found great success on the web if they had used the same approach at the dawn of the decade:

New York Times: www.timesonourside.com

San Jose Mercury-News: www.freddiemercurynews.com

Philadelphia Inquirer: www.inquiringmindswanttoknow.com

It was trying to appeal to the LDS readership. I didn't know of too many people who took the Herald over the Deseret News.