An open letter to Miami Herald executive editor Aminda 'Mindy' Marqués

Miami Herald, Sept. 17, 2015, page 2A.
Click here to enlarge.

Dear Mindy:

 In your Sept. 17 column about the Herald's new look, you wrote:

We packaged all news in the A section to underscore our emphasis on local news. This is what we do best and a key reason why so many of our readers turn to us. Our reporters and editors produce coverage unmatched by any local source — from the halls of municipal governments to the state Capitol and across the Caribbean and Latin America. These are the stories we are uniquely poised to bring you.

_________

Come on, Mindy, why not tell the truth? The Herald's local news coverage is almost non-existent....especially on weekends.

It's time to level with your readers and tell them the Herald is no longer able to adequately cover local news.

I'm sure by now, you've read attorney Roy Black's critique of the Herald's local news coverage. On the re-design, Black had this to say: "I think they merged the sections to cover up the reduction in local reporting."

I'm afraid I have to agree with Black.

This is a screen shot of your website this morning.

The story, posted yesterday, talks about flooding on Indian Creek drive in Miami Beach.

The problem is that the photos used to illustrate the story are 6 years old.

Click image to enlarge.

Really, Mindy? This is your definition of "emphasis on local news?" Six-year-old photographs?

This morning's paper has four pages devoted to yesterday's Dolphins game. Sports coverage is fine, I suppose.

But local news is important too.  The Herald couldn't find a photographer to take some pictures of the flooding? You had to resort to using 6-year-old old file photos?

But wait. It gets worse.

In this morning's paper, the Miami Beach flooding story was relegated to page 6A...paired with a photo of the moon taken in Berlin, Germany. Whose idea was that?

So, how about it, Mindy?

Why not write an honest column that tells the truth about the current state of the Herald? Here, let me help you: "We killed the local section and buried what's left of our coverage inside another section to underscore our emphasis on local news."

But please stop blowing smoke up your readers' asses. Instead, why not shine a bright light on the Herald's failings? Your readers aren't stupid.

Tell your readers that the days of the Herald producing "coverage unmatched by any local source" are a thing of the past.

And while you're at it, why not include a paragraph or two on how your ineptitude cost the Herald a Pulitzer this year?

Come on, Mindy, let it all out. Tell the truth for a change.