The Weekly Fare . . . July 17, 2003

Tell It like It Is

Whenever we travel to Bath County, Virginia, my wife and I always pick up a copy of the "Bath County Observer." Mostly to "ohh and ahh"over the local real estate listings that always show at least three or four of the "farms of your dreams." For several minutes we live in a never, never land of sublime and worry-free rural comfort - imagining the simple joys of wiling away evenings on our wrap around porch, lemonade in hand as the kids call the sheep and cattle in from the fields . . . But we are invariably yanked back to reality by the price tag or the idea of leaving the conveniences of city life behind.

"Maybe one day," we muse.

But one other reason we enjoy the Observer so much is the small town approach it takes to news. Everything, I mean EVERYTHING, is fair game when it comes to reporting - including one's indiscretions. "Ned Gwaltney" may be suspected of pilfering some of "Jim Thacket's" chickens, and if the observer gets wind of it - and it usually does - it's going to report it for "all the world" to hear. ("The world," of course, being little Bath County, plus or minus a few hundred yards.)

But that's about as bad as it generally gets - nothing like that hot bed of crime and controversy in nearby Stuart, Virginia . . .

A recent article in the Roanoke Times covered the trials and tribulations of local radio broadcaster, Jamie Clark, as he reported on "all the news that is news" in this relatively small rural community. Clark is generally known for reporting on "notices of homecoming ceremonies for soldiers, weather warnings and registrations at the local community college," but occasionally he's known to cover stories based on tips sent in from local citizens.

"If there's a stink in town, people turn to me to smell it out . . ." said Clark in the interview. And even in a small community like Stuart, there's always at least some aroma wafting by on the breeze.

A couple of weeks ago one particular whiff took Clark into a full blown report on the arrests of several local teenagers in Myrtle Beach S.C. They had been charged separately with "disorderly conduct, possessing drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and giving beer to a minor." Clark let it rip on the airwaves - giving names, ages, dates of arrests and court schedules.

Needless to say, parents of said teenagers were not particularly happy. One Darrell Bowling, a regular listener of Clarks, tuned in just in time to hear his daughter's name on the radio. He was not amused.

"Local radio (WHEO) is something the county desperately needs," Bowling said. "Normally, it's a good source of information, but I think they've used it as a stirring-up platform recently . . . It was totally useless - I just don't see where it's a local news issue . . ."

And he may have a point - to many it probably IS useless information. But to others it is likely a report of great interest. Do others have a right to know who among them is taking a dangerous and careless track in life? Do they appreciate the "accountability factor" that such reporting might bring to bare on at least some who contemplate carrying out such behavior?

My guess is yes on both counts.

Recently, daughter Gussie ventured off for her first week of summer camp. Of all our children Gus is the most independent at her age - an adventurer by nature, she took to the freedom and "room to run" of camp like we knew she would. Her 17 year old counselor "Bridget" - a pixy of a girl straight out of a Disney teen dance video - was not exactly General Patton, and Gussie, it would seem, had achieved an orbit well clear of the gravitational pull of any nearby adult.

When we picked her up last weekend, it was evident she was going to need a few days to achieve "re-entry" from the untethered space of "anything goes." She nit-picked her siblings incessantly and made bold contrarian statements to almost every suggestion she was offered. But after a few days of skipping recklessly off the atmosphere (that led to the loss of a couple of rearward "heat tiles") her chutes finally (and thankfully) deployed and Gussie made a safe landing back in "the family boat."

I'm glad she enjoyed camp, but I'm hoping next year she'll better balance her young perspective as she learns the "responsibility of responsibility."

The point here, of course, is that regardless of age, accountability goes a long way in determining our outlook and behavior. And in a modern society that is "summer camp" for most - free of any degree of accountability to one's neighbors, peers or community, reporting from small town papers like the Observer and Jamie Clark's WHEO seems remarkably refreshing.

Would the Roanoke Valley be a safer / better place if The Roanoke Times ran a small feature in the extra section every week reporting on "small time" news such as the outcome of DUI, traffic and drug offenses?

What do you think?

My guess is you know my vote.

Cast your vote here! (Scroll to bottom of the page.)