To the Editor,
As a journalism student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I’ve heard the horror stories of newspapers that have declined or fallen out of business as a result of increased use of other media such as the Internet. Being raised in Washington, I have come to respect The Washington Daily News for continuing to go strong.
I am quite familiar with the strategies of the Voice of the Pamlico. I was raised reading the comics over my Cinnamon Toast Crunch before going to John Cotten Tayloe, John Small and P.S. Jones. The Washington Daily News may as well have been a third parent to me.
There is one thing about the Pulitzer Prize winner that, I think, has been overlooked. It is a dark horse to its continued success in these early 2000s. That is, chiefly, the Pets of the Week column.
“Hold your horses,” you say.
“Nice pun,” I reply (because horses are pets, too).
“Thank you,” you reply, respectfully. “But do you mean to say that the secret to our success has been a weekly column about broadcasting local pets for adoption?”
“Yes,” I say, like a young journalistic professional.
This column has all of the makings of accomplishment. Care for local animals is encouraged, thumbs up. High-definition pictures of cuddly cats, dogs, hamsters, the occasional bird, etc. await eager readers who flip past the mumbo-jumbo about the latest drug busts to get the real news with their coffee. Furthermore, with names for these pets ranging from the uncomfortably human (Bill and Tim) to the downright peculiar (Kal and Precious), as well as thoughtfully detailed descriptions of the physique of these animals, citizens of Beaufort County are kept on the edge of their rocking chairs for the next week’s installments. Keep it up!
James Martin
Chapel Hill