BAD JUDGEMENT IN THE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

What's a citizen to do when there's only one daily newspaper in town? The St. Louis Post Dispatch seems to dwell in the muck when there is an opportuniity to say something uplifting. Sure, bad news sells. But why not uphold some higher journalistic principle than selling papers in the tired "if it bleeds, it leads" school of thought? Here's what I mean. This past Sunday (9/24/06) the Post carried a story in the Metro section about a statue of Lewis and Clark that had been given to the City of St. Louis. The story in the paper actually focused on re-enactors of the expedition. They had landed in St. Louis the day before in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the original landing. The 4-line mention of the statue was buried inside that section. What's the big deal about a statue of Lewis and Clark? It is 3 tons, 24 feet high and - this is the best part - a gift to the City from private individuals who parted with $1,000,000 to have it sculpted by noted St. Louis sculptor Harry Weber, cast in bronze, and erected on a granite and limestone base between Eads Bridge and the Gateway Arch, two world-class landmarks. There were no strings attached. A gift. More than 2,500 people attended the dedication, including the Mayor and a descendant of William Clark and National Park people, and Native Americans. Want to guess what was on the front page of the Post on Sunday? A bold headline and photos about 3 children who had been found dead in a washer and dryer. What else was on the front page? A story about an overweight woman who was complaining she couldn't get by on $16,000 a year. Sad, unfortunate stories, yes. But to leave no room on the front page for an inspiring story, for an act with lasting, postive reverberations to be felt in the city for decades to come... now that's an act of omission that's worthy of supermarket rags and street-corner madmen. Yes, the Post used to be a good paper. It was worthy of the Pulitzer name it carried. Today, I'm afraid, it's lost its way and thinks the road back is via the checkout lanes at the grocery store.