Herald puts too much focus on negative news

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, January 11, 2023

As a business owner, I read a newspaper from time to time that is delivered to my local business. Two recent headlines were examples of journalism at its worst. The two articles were about a politician who swore at a guard (“Sutherland to pay $2.5K to settle ethics violation complaint,” The Herald, Jan. 6) and a former deputy charged with theft from a local merchant (“Snohomish County deputy charged with felony theft from Home Depot,” The Herald, Jan. 5). As if reporting and editors’ reviews aren’t already tasteless and meaningless, to report these two articles as lead stories is an embarrassment to The Herald and another attempt to decry any form of leadership; left or right.

There used to be a day when you pick up a paper about something positive in a headline. The Herald has resorted to the downward spiral of The Washington Post due to its lackluster efforts to report news. There are so many good things happening in local communities. Rather than journalists reporting on hearsay and writing from a cubical in their closed environment, they should get off their lazy stylz (stet) and visit the citizens of their communities at the local coffee shops, churches, Boy Scouts, senior homes, events pages (on Facebook) and report on what will bring the community together instead of offering distrust and disgust.

I hope this will not fall on deaf ears. And, yes you have my permission to post this.

Greg Byrum

Arlington