In praise of local newspapers

And there you have it, folks. Investigative journalism at its’ best. Saturday’s editorial (9-3) explains the incorrect percentage of the unvaccinated in Paradise after someone at the E-R was assigned to fully check out the data source, in this case, the California State Department of Health. The population input for Paradise was wrong by a significant factor which led to an unsettling low percentage of 18%. I was indeed worried that my cautious attempts to socialize again were perhaps ill-timed.

There are many positive reasons to read the local paper, but this one reason should be at the top of the list: local editors realize that certain information can be detrimental to the health of their community and so they dig deep to verify the veracity of that information. I can’t be the only one who saw that 18% and decided to not attend a social event in Paradise until their numbers improved. Imagine how much business our Ridge would lose if that number wasn’t corrected.

A big thank you to the editor and staff of the E-R.

— Marcella Seay, Magalia