Big boo-boo for Philly Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA -- Don't normally like to disparage fellow members of our industry, but it hasn't been a good weekend for the newspapers in the city of Brotherly Love. Good luck finding copies of the Inquirer or the Daily News, especially if you're staying by the airport like I am. A lot of gas stations don't even carry them, with three telling me today to find a street box. Found two Daily News street boxes that took my quarters but wouldn't give me a paper (they did return the quarters at least).
The writing and photography have been pedestrian at best and the Inquirer has completely sold its soul with a large ad from top to bottom covering a third of its sports front for Comcast's coverage of the Phillies. That looks absolutely ridiculous and they should be embarrassed.
Things got even worse for the city's old gray lady today. The Inquirer ran a three-quarter page ad on the back of its front section for Macy's --- trumpeting the sale of back-to-back World Series champion merchandise.
Talk about a major oops. They've already issued an apology. How nice of them. Hey guys, instead of plastering huge ads everywhere -- even wrong ones -- how about making sure people can actually find papers when there's a major event in your town?
---Mike Harrington
