A criticism of newspapers is often that we focus on negative news. While
we certainly cover news that can be construed as negative, a close look
at any newspaper will reveal that the vast majority of items are of the
positive variety.
In fact, much of what we do can be termed ‘promotional.’ That is
certainly the case when we promote concerts coming to town. While the
stories are promotional, the benefit for hardened newshounds is that we
get to interview rock stars and other famous people. It’s one of the
perks of the job, plus the stories help get to know the entertainer
coming to town which, in turn, helps ticket and album sales.
For example, Teresa Mallam’s interview with Canadian rock legend Tom
Cochrane was a gem.
But then Big and Rich came to town. When the concert was announced, the
Free Press immediately got on the list for interviews. Big and Rich are,
well, a big act. They sold out in 45 minutes.
That’s when things changed. We received a call from the Big and Rich
people just before Christmas saying that because the concert was sold
out, they wouldn’t be doing an interview with us prior to the show. Big
and Rich are, apparently, very busy, and would focus their interview
time elsewhere i.e. where they haven’t sold out.
For me, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It leaves me with the
impression that they are only concerned about the money. A story, even
with a sold out concert, is all about the readers – the fans.
As far as I’m concerned, they’re just too big and too rich.