I write to you to take issue with your cover piece published on Friday morning, (Nov. 7, 2008, edition). The piece, dedicated to Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel's girlfriend, continues to the inside pages. What is the necessity for this article? Does it need to be on the cover page? Why does this have such high priority?
To me, it is disappointing that this light-hearted article should be so brazenly featured on the cover of a serious newspaper. For one, it was just two days after one of the biggest elections (both presidential and senatorial) of our lifetime, affecting thousands of the inhabitants of Columbia.
I work over at the MU Veterinary School and we regularly have interactions with the amazing staff and volunteers at the Humane Society.
The fact that this important society requires funds to stay afloat received such little coverage on your front page. To me it is extremely disappointing that as a news organization you do not give credence to such an important story above the article on the football player's girlfriend. The dogs that these people look after require homes. Without the adequate funds the society will not be able to operate, and many dogs will not be looked after or even perish. Yet your news organization finds it appropriate to put a non-relevant article as the main story. I agree that the story maybe of interest to some, but surely the Humane Society story (which I'm purely using as an example) is more important and urgent.
I understand the importance to your business model of selling newspapers, and maybe your Friday morning cover was very successful. But yet in these times when people are already cynical of the media, you are sending a very disappointing message. I am a new reader of the Missourian, but I will find it hard to read this in future should this be the ethos of your organization.