Staff Blog
Dignity! Getcha Ice Cold Dignity Herrre!
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| Patrons upon learning Inquirer accepts story pitch, assigns writer for coverage |
| Gerald S. Williams/Inquirer |
I've decided to start on a positive note. Nice story, Inquirer, with April Saul's feature on Jesus White in the Sunday paper.
Enough positivity for now. For, just when you thought it couldn't get journalistically sluttier to dole out front-page ads, our paper of record again proved us wrong. As in, 1,200 words on the cool "vibe" at Copa Too. Sure, they snuck in a couple stats about, well, how many restaurants there are, and how - news flash! - mom and pops are losing out to chains. But c'mon, maybe, MAYBE, in the food section, or even in that Image thing that offers nothing but a crossword and a chance to see who was so attention-starved that the invited the Inky to their wedding.
Philadelphia can't afford to lose small gems like this, says Meryl Levitz, director of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corp. "They are the authentic places that give a sense of place and spirit - and make the city different than anywhere else."
But they're fragile, she says. "Anytime something new opens, it's going to take people away. In time, they come back. The key is whether Lisa and other little places like hers can weather it, because larger restaurants are capitalized to be able to withstand fluctuations."
You know what else we can't afford to lose? Little gems like newspapers with hundreds of writers that go out and find, you know, "Local News" in "Philadelphia & the Region." Oops, too late. (But maybe not for Copa, an establishment I've always dug thanks to their primo margaritas, since, word on the hospitality street has some local investors actually looking to swoop in as opposed to, oh, I don't know, the Applebee's or Fox & Hound types referenced in the piece. Just sayin'.)
For shame.
[...] 1 May 2007 Briefly: That is a very high horse, with a saddle made from massage parlor ads. Posted by Editor under briefly , links :: Why the fuck is Brian Hickey taking some kind ofmoral high ground over the Sunday Inquirer doing a story about a bar. Please explain in comments. [...]
Because I expect more from the city’s newspaper of record. And, because I’ve yet to write a front-page piece about one of our “massage parlor ads.” Thanks for writing.