Only five stories in the entire “news” section

The front page had four of them. Colin McGuire, a reporter from another Ogden paper in Frederick (MD), compiled a report from a couple of Ogden reporters on how residents were adapting to stay-at-home orders. The article contains little, if any, insight; I do not understand why this was published other than it took up space. The biggest story on the front page was

New Moms Get Different Kind of Mother’s Day

It is a report on how Wheeling Hospital has adapted its delivery department during a pandemic. Another story details how two of our local assisted living facilities are dealing with Mother’s Day. Finally, the front page reprinted West Liberty University’s PR release on yesterday’s online commencement exercise. Page 3 carries the first half of the only AP story in the paper: a report that six “day car” workers in Kanawha County have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The 8-page front section had a total of 5 stories. There is also a page of obituaries. The rest of the front section is advertising. (Ogden’s half-price advertising sale disguised as a “grant” apparently got some takers now that the state is beginning to open.) There are no national news stories anywhere in the paper. Ogden charges $2.00 for the Sunday edition. Maybe it is time to put this Sunday “news” online.

Mike Myer mails in another column

In today’s column, the News-Register’s editor calls attention to the fact that blacks make up only 3.2% of West Virginia’s population but are 7.2% of the coronavirus cases in the state. (He also cites similar figures nationwide.) He asks:

What’s going on, here?

COVID-19 is a bigger problem for black Americans than for whites. Why? Is it the virus, the physiology of its victims – or something else?

As with last week’s column on the closing of national parks, he mentions some possibilities but does no research despite the fact that this topic has been researched and analyzed nationally. Here is just a recent sample of what is out there:

From Vox:

Every aspect of the coronavirus pandemic exposes America’s devastating inequalities

From the Washington Post:

What white Americans can learn about racism from the coronavirus

From Business Insider:

All but one coronavirus death in Virginia's capital have been black Americans. The county's health director isn't surprised.

I am glad that Myer is concerned about the plight of African Americans in the pandemic; concern is easy, however. Why not fill us in? Why not detail what others have found? No, as with last week’s column, it is a lot easier to simply ask questions.

A Michele Malkin bonus

Michelle Malkin is one of the syndicated-columnists that you will usually find on the editorial pages of the Sunday News-Register. Her columns usually come from the far, far right (see here) and inevitably display her racism, nativism, or both. She is also into conspiracies. Yesterday, she was spreading a conspiracy theory about a coronavirus vaccine (from Bill Gates) that does not exist:

I will not take the Gates Vaccine. I will not bow down to jack-booted globalists. I will question the corrupted public health industrial complex & its financial conflicts of interest. I will use my platforms to share silenced views of whistleblowers & dissidents. #FightTheCensors pic.twitter.com/K6l2QMIXP7

— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) May 9, 2020

Sadly, I'll bet that Malkin will still get published even if Ogden cuts out its Sunday paper.