The Heron’s Nest: Shining a ‘spotlight’ on Newspaper Woes

By Phil Heron
Daily Times
August 10, 2016

http://www.delcotimes.com/opinion/20160810/the-herons-nest-shining-a-spotlight-on-newspaper-woes

I get asked all the time to explain the problems facing the newspaper industry.

It struck me again as I sat near tears in a movie theater watching the Oscar-winning move “Spotlight,” which detailed the investigative team from the Boston Globe and their work in uncovering the massive problem with predator priests abusing children in the Boston Archdiocese.

The sadness for me was two-fold: First, as a Catholic, the move could not possibly have painted the church in a worse light, one by the way I believe was richly deserved. Much like what took place here in Philadelphia, the church’s reaction and policies concerning child sexual abuse by priests was abhorrent.

But I felt another sadness as well, one that stems from more than four decades in the newspaper business.

The move clearly showed what we are in danger of losing in this racket, our mission of being a watchdog on what is going on in our towns and schools.

Much of it is not especially sexy. Township supervisors’ meetings rarely are.

It may not get ‘clicks,’ the mantra of today’s online journalism, but it is very important.

Maybe most important is the idea of what can happen when that ‘spotlight’ - literally shedding light on the governmental process, goes dark.

Bad things happen.

Things that may never see the light of day.

That is what community newspapers do - and part of what we strive to do here at the Daily Times every day.

In that vein, I have a new hero.

His name is John Oliver. I had never seen his show until this past week. I was vacationing in Colorado and was channel surfing when our hosts suggested his show, “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.”

Oliver is British, and he offered up one of the best explanations of the problems facing today’s journalism I have ever seen.

You want to know about the problems I face as a newspaper editor every day?

I highly suggest you watch this.

It’s not so much what we are doing, but what increasingly we are in danger of no longer being able to do.

Thank you, John Oliver.

Check out his piece here.

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SOME ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGHS

Having just returned from a week in Colorado, I have a few observations, comparisons - and recommendations - about life here in Pennsylvania.

• It’s nice to see green again. No, not Eagles green. I mean as in green grass. Unless you water religiously, you do not get much that’s green in Colorado. Remember, you’re a mile high, and not just from legal marijuana (more on that later).

• I had to chuckle at people in the Mile High City complaining about the heat. Yes, it has been in the 90s much more than normal out there this summer. But the truth is that 92 degrees in Denver is like 80 here in Pennsylvania. Plus, there is no humidity out there. Of course, I would not be the best judge of that since I happen to like the humidity.

• We like to joke here in Pa. that if you don’t like the weather, just wait 15 minutes and it will change. Out in Colorado, they mean it. I was sitting in gorgeous sunshine enjoying a scenic lunch at the spectacular Red Rocks Amphitheater one second, and the next it was raining after a storm blew in over the foothills.

• You get used to showers out there. Every afternoon about 4 or 5 o’clock, you get those puffy white clouds rolling in, then they turn darker and offer a shower. Then 15 minutes later the skies turn blue again. Weird.

• I have a new favorite ballpark. I’m a huge fan of Citizens Bank Park, but I have to admit that Coors Field in Denver is a better experience. And here’s why, something I’ve always said should have been done here in Philly. Coors Field was built in downtown Denver, and it’s the centerpiece of a huge development in the downtown area. Downtown Denver is packed on game nights, with tons of restaurants and nightspots reaping the rewards. Sorry, but Xfinity Live down at the South Philly sports complex just doesn’t cut it. I always thought the Phillies new ballpark should have been downtown. A trip to Denver only reinforced that belief. They got it right.

• Here’s a suggestion for our representatives in Harrisburg, who are constantly looking for new revenue streams - while not raising taxes. Take the high road. Literally. I’m talking about legalized marijuana. As you may or may not know, Colorado now has legalized pot. It’s sold in dispensaries and it seems as if there is one on ever street corner. Here’s the important part. Weed is taxed in Colorado. We’re talking about a cash crop that is pumping millions into the Colorado revenue stream. Much of that money is being funneled into education. Sound familiar, Gov. Wolf? This sounds like an issue tailor-made for our own Sen. Daylin Leach.

• No, I did not partake in the legal version of being ‘Rocky Mountain High.’ I’m afraid those days are long gone, merely a mirage in the rear-view mirror. Oddly enough, I did not get even a single whiff of weed on the streets as I traversed the state last week.

• I did, however, develop a new appreciation for the state’s famous beverage. Yes, I’m once again a Coors man. Granted, the Rocky Mountain suds does not have the same mystique as it did back in the ‘70s, when you could not get it east of the Mississippi. And here’s an even weirder note. I’ve never been a light beer guy. If you’ve ever seen me, you’d know that weight is not exactly an issue for me. For some reason the Coors Lite bit me big time out there. Unfortunately, a planned tour of one of my old stomping grounds, the Coors factory in Golden, Colo, never happened. I love Coors - and the notion of the free samples at the end of the tour - but a two-hour wait? We decided to pass.

• I still have not found a prettier campus than the University of Colorado at Boulder, and this comes from someone who has a bit of a fetish when it comes to college towns. I will go out of my way when it comes to getting a chance to check out another campus, and of course another stadium. Nothing can touch Boulder, which sits majestically at the foot of the Flatirons.

It took me 38 years to get back to Colorado. A lot of things have changed out there. One has not. The state is drop-dead gorgeous. Even the notorious brown cloud, which often hung over Denver like a shroud when I was out there in the mid-’70s, seems to have improved.

Here’s hoping it doesn’t take four decades for me to get back out there again.

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LIFE IN THE FAST ‘LANE’ FOR EAGLES

Call it life in the fast ‘Lane.’

This is probably not what new Eagles head coach Doug Pederson had in mind two days before his Birds take the field for their first pre-season game.

There are numerous reports this morning that starting right tackle Lane Johnson will be suspended for 10 games after testing positive for PEDs.

Yes, this is the same Lane Johnson who the Eagles gave a big money contract extension to in the off-season.

And if Pederson is less than thrilled, Eagles owner Jeff Lurie just must be doing backflips.

Pederson has been working hard to put his own stamp on this Eagles team. So far his training camp could not possibly be more different than what was run the last couple of years by Chip Kelly.

So far Johnson and his agent are denying any suspension.

Bob Grotz has all the details here.

But going 10 games without Johnson would be a huge blow to the Birds. One of the top priorities of this team is to keep starting quarterback Sam Bradford upright. The often-injured QB now is looking at possibly playing most of the season without his starting right tackle.

Oh, and just in case you missed it, starting left tackle Jason Peters, the guy who protects Bradford’s blind side, is on the shelf right now. He will not play in the preseason opener Thursday night.