A week from today , , ,

[Reality_Check]

. . . we'll know whether M.L. Elrick and Jim Schaefer earn journalism's top honor for reporting on you-know-what.

Some national media watchers believe they're favorites for the investigative reporting Pulitzer Prize, though judges could move the entry to public service [[awarded to the newspaper).

The hometown heroes and Free Press newsroom colleagues last month received a $20,000 investigative journalism prize at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.

Whatever is announced next Monday afternoon, try to ignore the predictably bitter bile sure to flow from Joel Thurtell. He may have valid gripes against his ex-bosses, but the Freep's game-changing work last year is a reminder of why strong local papers are indispensible.

Or should be.

[nouthen]

I agree that strong local newspapers are a key. I think the real problem is that the two big newspapers are so busy buying photos and stories from AP press that they have lost their swagger and feel on the city some time ago. I also believe that when a newspaper starts endorsing say a political candidates or imposing it's view then that paper has a conflict of interests.

The presses job is to report the story not give personal commentary and devote pages and pages to personal opinions. If you look at the business model you will see the flaws...why write in an old letter to the paper when I could just blog, twitter, or live-journal and still have the same effect.

Instead of just being like everyone else and telling everyone how they should think...try to just report the stories and and relate it so people can understand and I am sure you will have a winner.