Sunday News-Register merges the front page with the editorial page
Okay, a question for all those local readers with a good memory or for those who know what to expect from our local "newspapers."
Here are the five headlines from the front page of today's (Sunday's) Wheeling News-Register. One story had the largest headline, the highest word count, and the biggest picture. Which one was it?
A. Boy Scout Earns Honor Medal For Saving Life
B. Right-to-Work, Budget Deadlock Shape Session
C. Polka Fest Rolls out the Fun
D. Hilliard has High Hopes
E. Kasich: Americans Have Similar Goals
Those of you from outside the Wheeling area probably expect the answer to be B; those from the local area know it's E. Even more bizarre is that if you read the story you quickly realized that the story is not about the governor of Ohio who is running for president. No, as the sub-headline reveals "Governor's Wife Promotes Better Lifestyle," it's all about John Kasich's wife. So while this morning's News-Register provides few details on the disastrous state legislature (even then, it's an AP story) and you have to turn to A5 to see how Donald Trump is scaring even more Americans, we do learn from the News-Register that Ohio's first lady, Karen Kasich, believes that "Americans have similar goals." How is this front-page news? The local Boy Scout saved a life and the polka band is going to play at Oglebay Park so these stories have relevance for West Virginians. The Kasich story has none.
Turn to the "opinion" section and you will find another glowing Kasich editorial -- with unintended irony its titled "Getting Kasich In the Spotlight." There's a primary in Ohio on Tuesday in which West Virginian's don't get to vote and I would think that there are very few Wheeling News-Register's readers located in Ohio since there are two Ogden-owned newspapers right across the Ohio River. Like the front-page article, why is this in the Wheeling paper?
Getting Kasich in the spotlight? Yes, publishing relevant stories for West Virginians be damned, they have a candidate to push and that's all that matter.