Is the Miami Herald a "family newspaper?"

Newspapers are full of cliched writing.

One of the more overused phrases you'll find in any American newspaper is, "family newspaper."

And of course when it comes to cliches, Miami Herald writers aren't immune. They trot that term out a dozen or more times a year.

Just last month, Herald sports columnist Greg Gote wrote, "What he actually screamed into his hand wouldn't do for a family newspaper."

A June, 2008 Herald story contained this phrase: "...his erotic mobile, Dangling Parts, too graphic to be photographed for a family newspaper."

You get the idea.

But fresh and imaginative writing has always been in short supply at the Herald.

But what's wrong with describing the Herald as a "family newspaper?

Don't families all over Miami-Dade set aside a time each evening after dinner when they gather in the living room and divvy up sections of the Herald and read it aloud...like a scene out of "Leave it to Beaver" or some other fifties TV show?




I'm pretty sure that the Herald's executive editor Anders Gyllenhaal actually believes that's what happens in thousands of South Florida homes every night.

Thus the term: "family newspaper."

But if that's the case, why did Gyllenhaal allow this "porn star" tease to run across the top of this morning's paper? My guess is that Gyllenhaal has never seen anything closely resembling porn.

Click to enlarge.

But I just can't shake this image of kids all over Pinecrest asking, "Mommy, what's a porn star?" after seeing today's Herald. It's your fault Anders!

This isn't the first time that the Herald has strayed from "family values."

But, it's time to decide Anders. Is the Herald still a family newspaper?

Because, as we all know, in the fifties when you said beaver you were talking about a TV show. But now...well, you catch my drift.