If you’re looking for a good reason why local newspapers are losing readers, look no further than Wyoming. For the past two days,the Liz and Mary Cheney controversy has stoked national buzz. But in Wyoming, the press is reportedly greeting it with a collective yawn.
The first reporter (I saw) who noticed Mary Cheney’s controversial Facebook post was the New York Times’ Jonathan Martin (formerly of Politico.) Martin obviously grasped the newsworthy-ness of the story, but this has apparently escaped Wyoming reporters. Last time I checked, he was pretty good at breaking news and driving traffic. (Or maybe Martin isn’t really a good reporter? Maybe the reporters back in Wyoming have this business model all figured out? Maybe Martin is just a tabloid reporter??)
“These types of tiffs between the two sisters, that really isn’t the headline drawer for us,” Kyle Roerink, the State Reporter for the Casper Star-Tribune, Wyoming’s most influential paper, told POLITICO. “What we want to report on here in Wyoming, what matters most, is where they stand on policy. It’s clear where both the candidates stand on gay marriage, and its been clear since day one.”
Not a drawer? This is a dramatic story about the daughters of former Vice President Dick Cheney (who has weighed in on the controversy) having a very public fight about a pretty big issue right now. … Oh yeah, and Liz Cheney is running for U.S. Senate in Wyoming.
Another quote from Politico:
“Jim Angell, the executive director of the Wyoming Press Association, said the battle between the Cheney sisters “seems to be an unimportant piece of the debate,” the kind of fodder that could find its way to “a gossip column” but wouldn’t have any real effect on how people vote.”
Well maybe if you discussed it, it would impact how people vote. Think of the questions this raises. For example, is Liz Cheney pandering and misleading voters — or is she really out of step with her famous father?
Yes, there is too much gossip in the news today. But it’s not like Liz Cheney isn’t running for Senate in your state. Putting aside the fact that gay marriage is a hot-button issue, this story is packed full of drama. Heck, it even raises the carpetbagger issue (or is that not relevant?)
This story should be utterly especially irresistible to local Wyoming reporters who, let’s be honest, could probably use a little excitement in between stories about the start of hunting season. And yet, this story isn’t worthy? They could drive readership by covering all facets of this from a local angle. They could appear on national shows letting us know how this plays in Wyoming …
Look, I’m not saying it’s Watergate, but maybe they could try just a little?
UPDATE: The NRSC’s Brad Dayspring and Politico’s Dylan Byers had a Twitter debate over whether or not the Wyoming press really ignored this story:
@BDayspring @mattklewis The point is it’s more of a Washington story than a Wyoming story.
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) November 19, 2013
@DylanByers @mattklewis Was it on Politico front page? Washington gossip is always loud, but front page on three papers is noteworthy
— Brad Dayspring (@BDayspring) November 19, 2013