The trouble is figuring out their constantly changing definition of what significant news is, and knowing where to find it. For the most part, they have given up the franchise. Used to be, when a councilmember proposed an ordinance or the legislature took up a bill, the paper wrote about it. That gave people who cared a chance to cheer, or holler, and maybe affect the process. Today, too often, a story appears only after the bill is passed.
Exceptions exist, as in the debate on the takeover of the Detroit public schools.
But even here, the exception proves the rule. Stories are now being written about the appalling physical condition of the schools. I am such a bitter old man, but my daddy wasn't a dentist. Next week, though, I'll tell you how he and I dropped dynamite into Lake St. Clair Sunday to celebrate the National Rifle Association' s victory over the people.