Behind the Headlines

By Stephanie Ariganello; stephaniea@monroenews.com

I’ve just got to tell you - I love the text message scandal story that’s been a-brewing in Detroit the last two weeks. First off, it’s juicy. It’s got all the good makings of a prospective Law & Order episode. And while it’s true that there are actual people at the heart of this who may end up wounded - not just a good story - it’s can still be a positive thing.

I won’t lay on you the whole self-righteous “the people who suffer in this are the people of Detroit.” We know this. But it seems to have broken open what some have always suspected: a long, winding trail of corruption in Michigan’s largest and hardest pressed city. It’s only when the light shines and we’re able to see what we’re dealing with that change happens.

But aside from all that, I love it because of what it does for newspapers. There’s all this talk of newspapers grasping for air, clutched little hands held fast over our news-mongering hearts, trying to understand the what and why of our own story. There is a general bad feeling about media, a mistrust, or even worse a dismissal of traditional news outlets. And then along comes the Detroit Free Press story on the explicit text messages. Suddenly, everyone is paying attention to the printed word again.

When the story first broke, I delighted in reading the comments on the Freep forums. Most skewered and barbecued the mayor. Some of them defended Kwame and commented that they finally came up with something, after intense scrutiny and wouldn’t we all have something that we would like to hide?

Or they verged on the edge of “this is a private matter between him and his family.” This stance gulled me. One person asked if the Free Press invaded the Mayor’s and his aide’s privacy by taking info off of their phone/pagers and wondered if it was legal. It’s fine to question, but it should be made clear: the devices they used in their affair were city issued. That means, every text, every phone call, every directory assistance is funded by taxpayers. And, additionally, what the texts seemingly revealed is that both people involved perjured themselves, possibly costing the city upwards of $9 million - and counting. That is nowhere near a private matter.

Bloggers can blog, commenters can comment, but what it really came down to is reporting. The release of the messages, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act - something any person in the country can and should use - was the first step. (Albeit a step that took much effort and tenacity - which it shouldn’t since it’s public info…) Now we have a person who abused city resources who has resigned, a mayor who is being investigated, a full city council investigation into budget matters and city spending and possible criminal charges to be filed. Isn’t this what newspapering - the watchdog of the media - is all about? Reporting what has been overlooked, seeking truth in matters that affect all people of a particular place whether they realize it or not and shedding light into the dark corners?

Yes, websites and other media can cover issues like this (and the Free Press took full advantage of its site during this story), but they didn’t. And when stories break elsewhere, on different media that is, it doesn’t seem to generate quite the same amount of buzz and permanence.

So maybe print is going out of fashion, but let’s not forget its purpose.