I spent a lot of time thinking about the city of Chester this weekend.
Our lead story on three consecutive days was tied to the murder of Rite Aid store manager Jason Scott McClay during an attempted robbery at the store at Ninth and Highland late Thursday night.
As usual, some people did not particularly care for the way we were presenting another negative story about the city. Saturday morning, some Facebook posts started to question the way we handled the story, including the normal references to us as the ‘Daily Trash’ and the ‘Daily Rag.’
I was sort of expecting it. That’s why I penned the editorial that appeared in the Sunday newspaper. In it I talked about the great strides the city is making, as well its continuing problem in dealing with violent crime. A lot of people in this county still believe Chester is not safe, a place to be avoided.
You’d be hard-pressed to convince the thousands who turned out Saturday for the annual Riverfront Ramble of that.
Our critics didn’t mention that we devoted two full pages in the Sunday newspaper to the Ramble, as well as the Plein Air Competition, hosted by Art on Avenue of the States. It’s just the latest event dreamed up by Linda Braceland, president of the Chester Business Authority, as well as Art on Avenue of the States.
Earlier in the week, we had written a story on Chester Photo Day, which also was Saturday. Residents were encouraged to take a picture of Chester somewhere in the city during a single 24-hour period on Saturday. The pictures will be displayed by Braceland in her galleries.
A few weeks ago, I got a visit from Braceland, Jackie Parker, head of the Chester Economic Development Authority, and a group of others to talk about the things going on in Chester.
There are a lot of good things going on in the city of Chester. And we’re covering them. But we won’t ignore the problems the city has, in particular the drug and street violence that remains the scourge of the city.
Does our coverage of crime issues in the city offer a skewed vision of the city? I’ll let you be the judge.
Would you like to talk about it?
I responded to my critic on Facebook that I would be willing to attend a town hall style in the city and talk about our coverage of Chester. If some civic leaders, including my friend Joe Kane, or possibly Mayor John Linder, want to put something together, all they have to do is tell me where and when, and I will be there.
My friend and former co-worker Stefan Roots, who writes the popular Chester City Blog that we host on DelcoTimes.com, posted an item that said the editor of the Daily Times was “threatening” the city of Chester. Actually the “threat” consisted of me actually coming to a town hall meeting. Now I know how people feel when they think they have been misrepresented by the media. Actually, I know exactly what Stefan was doing. I do it all the time. He was trying to drum up interest.
At a minimum, I would like to have Joe Kane and anyone else who would like to attend sit in for a session on our weekly live-stream broadcast, “Live From the Newsroom,” to talk about Chester, and the issues the city faces.
One of those issues is the fact that the city hasn’t had a supermarket in more than a decade. That will change this weekend when Philabundance opens its Fair and Square store.
We also devoted two pages in today’s paper to that story as well.
My guess is that’s not the only people will be talking about.
But by all means, let’s talk.
My offers stands.
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