For Post readers, our community coverage can't just be on the surface... we have to be willing to go deeper
For Post readers, our community coverage can't just be on the surface... we have to be willing to go deeper
Quite often, when I attend attend community events or speak to community groups, I am invariably asked about our coverage priorities.
"What type of news coverage does the Post consider to be the most important?" a reader may ask.
"Does does the Post even still care about Local news?" another may inquire with a look of puzzlement.
Well, the answer to the former would be that we consider our "watchdog" role to be our highest priority. A primary reason for that is because the Post is still the only media organization in Palm Beach County with the resources to go below the surface, and find out why your tax money is being spent the way it is. To find out why your water or air quality has diminished. Or who is actually behind trying to oust a local city councilperson.
As for the latter question, the answer is simply, "You're damn right we do."
That's why, with the continued support of our subscribers, we've beefed up our community coverage. In addition to Valentina Palm joining veteran reporters Wayne Washington and Jorge Milian, Lianna Norman has replaced Katherine Kokal in North County and Jasmine Fernandez has begun filling a gaping hole in our South County coverage. (By the way, Kokal is now half of our new Schools reporting duo with Giuseppe Sabella.)
My point: We don't consider watchdog and community reporting to be mutually exclusive, but an important combination. That we can still cover the city council meeting, the weekend festival event, latest restaurant closing, and even pumpkin patch opening. But we can also take our time to report and explain how something that impacts a community came about. And typically, these stories resonate beyond a particular community.
Take Norman's well-reported, well-written story this past week on a mysterious $75,000 check offered to the Town of Lake Park from a Saudi Arabian benefactor using the local head of the Republican Party as a middle man. Yes, you heard correctly. And if you haven't read the story, you really should. Here's the beginning of the tale:
"LAKE PARK — This summer, the town of Lake Park received an unprecedented $75,000 check from a Saudi Arabian Humanitarian Relief Center that it won’t ever cash.
The check came from a company the town didn’t know and whose local agent is the chair of the Palm Beach County Republican Party. The money came from a charity created by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to provide international relief by way of an ambiguous LLC.
And the agent gave the town 48 hours to accept the money, saying the company, Medequa LLC, was “leaving town soon.” The company has never done business in Florida, according to Sunbiz.org.
The town commission voted 3-2 to reject the money on Aug. 17, following a debate that touched on the tight timetable, why Mayor Michael O’Rourke didn’t inform commissioners about the matter as it was happening — and how useful the $75,000 could be to help pay for Lake Park’s 100th birthday celebration next year.
“It’s all very strange how this took place,” Vice Mayor Kimberly Glas-Castro said before joining O’Rourke in voting to accept the donation. ..."
You can say that again.
We're not just watchdogs, we're your community watchdogs.
And here's a final reminder about a cool community event that the Post is hosting this coming week:
Join The Palm Beach Post and 7 storytellers on Sept. 14 for stories on food and family
I want to invite you to attend our live storytelling event Sept. 14, where we'll feature local folks telling stories about Food and Family. Our last Storytellers show in March was an unqualified hit, and we'd love for you to join us at Lake Park's Black Box Theater to laugh with us, cry with us and remember what it's like to be part of a community.
Thanks again for your continued support.
Check out more of our subscriber-only content from the past week below.
I hope you enjoy and continue to support local journalism.
And please, tell a friend.
Rick Christie
Executive Editor
Remember, you can always reach out to me at rchristie@pbpost.com and find me on Twitter at @rchristiepbp. Or send in a news tip to breakingnews@pbpost.com. Subscribe to independent reporting that supports democracy via subscribe.palmbeachpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Post community coverage also goes deep below the surface
