Look to this morning's Intelligencer for an answer

Here are this morning's top-of-the-front-page headlines for major U.S. newspapers as illustrated by Kiosko.net:

New York Times:

24 Million More Among Underinsured Under G.O.P. Plan

USA Today:

ACA repeal may boost uninsured 24M

Washington Post:

CBO: Millions fewer insured under GOP plan

Did the morning Intelligencer cover the story? Yes, an AP report appears on page 9. The top story on its front page deals with West Virginia's budget crisis. Okay, that's also important to local readers. But are there other front page stories whose importance necessitated moving the health care story (which will easily affect over 100,000 West Virginians) to the back pages? Yes, and this one's my personal choice:

Bill Johnson Addresses High School Students

(For those outside the area, Bill Johnson is the local Ohio congressman and an Intelligencer favorite.)

Some of the important points found in the story include Johnson's personal history:

“We actually farmed with mules up until I was 13 years old. We had no indoor plumbing. Everything we did every day was a matter of survival,” said Johnson, adding that even the mule was borrowed from a neighbor.

And a short lecture on European government:

"We’re not like the great nations of Europe, where the president can abolish the legislature and resign and say, ‘We’re going to rewrite the constitution and we’re going to start all over again.’"

(Yes, Europe is known for all of its banana republics.)

Johnson also included some memorable metaphors in his speech:

We’re a pass/fail system. We either pass together, all of us, or we fail together, all of us.

And:

There is no exit ramp in the Constitution of the United States. Whether we like our president or not, we put up with them for four to eight years.

I think I would be embarrassed if I gave this speech.

Are the two stories related?

Two months ago, Representative Johnson said:

“ObamaCare has failed the American people; it is broken, and must be repealed and replaced. The American people deserve better and Republicans in Congress have been given a clear mandate to make that happen.

I hate to judge based upon a high school address but maybe Johnson's speech is indicative of the thought process of some of the congressmen who strongly support repealing the ACA. As for the Intelligencer's decision to put Johnson's speech on the front page while relegating coverage of the CBO report to page 9, it certainly demonstrates what they believe is important and what needs to be hidden.