Naples daily news1/1/2024 Now management is eliminating two pages of opinion in the weekday edition. It’s behind ceasing to publish on holidays (and so completely missing the big local story of the death of Eko the tiger at the Naples Zoo as it happened at New Year’s.) It’s what’s behind reducing the comics to two pages from three. It’s what’s behind moving the printing to Sarasota and the design out of Florida. It’s what’s behind the smaller size of the newspaper itself and its thinner stock. What really appears to be behind this is a continuing cutback in the size and cost of the newspaper. But ceasing to publish opinion also cuts off the outlet for local voices, institutions and agencies that may have urgent or compelling messages for the community-or who simply inform readers of their good works. Such feebleminded readers may think when the opinion pages are no longer published they’re not being indoctrinated by op-ed writers. Anyone who feels that a printed opinion is dictating what he or she should think is probably too feebleminded to be reading a newspaper in the first place. Opinion pieces seek to inform and persuade, not dictate. They provide outside perspectives of what other people think so that readers can make up their own minds. But it’s precisely in the pages of local newspapers-and media outlets of all types-that these opinions need to be aired and discussed.Īnd opinion pieces do not tell people what to think. Of course there are strong opinions and divisiveness on both national and local issues. But there is a healthy appetite for thoughtful local commentary, as well as respectful discussion on truly local issues in the form of letters to the editor.”įrankly, that’s garbage. You’ve grown weary of divisive political commentary that has no bearing on local issues, and as a result, we have worked to eliminate ‘one-sided editorials’ and syndicated national columns. What we learned is that our readers don’t want us to tell them what to think. It’s an action that smacks of cowardice, abandonment and flight.Īs the editors explained on the front page yesterday, June 1: “Recently, our company conducted research on how residents view opinion material published by our news outlets. By doing this the newspaper is failing democracy, its community and most of all, its readers. The decision announced yesterday, June 1, by the Naples Daily News to cease running weekday opinion pages in its print edition-and, apparently, online-removes an essential public forum from the citizens of Southwest Florida.
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