The Valley isn't a hotbed of freaks

Simply Sleight/Kari Sleight

Several people in the Mat-Su community have pointed out to me over the years that they believe some Anchorage media take every opportunity available to portray Mat-Su residents as backwoods, uneducated or criminal.

In fact, I had two people mention it to me again just this past week. Fortunately, those of us who live here know this isn't true.

Mat-Su is full of talented, articulate, well-educated, law-abiding citizens who care deeply about their community. Sure, we have our share of colorful characters, as every community does, and, you have to admit that life would be pretty dull if they weren't a part of our society, but the majority of us are normal, hard-working and sane, at least on most days.

I hope that the other media outlet's unfair portrayal of the Mat-Su community isn't intentional; most likely it's just a case of not being familiar with who we really are, as is usually the case when someone isn't deeply embedded in a neighboring community.

I can understand how they would have a tendency to form inaccurate opinions about an area they are not familiar with, as usually the first contact many reporters may have had was an assignment they were given to cover a major crime or an extremely divisive issue, either of which tends to bring out the worst in people.

Today's news culture tends to lean toward reporting on major crimes and the highly emotional, controversial issues, especially in media outlets that cover large areas.

Reporters are generally trained to look for major stories in outlying areas to fill their obligation to statewide or a broad coverage area. Unfortunately, that same news culture has also come to believe that only those major crimes and controversial issues are what sells

the news.

The news-consuming public contributes to this belief, as the newspapers or newscasts that lead with these stories often bring the greatest sales or viewing audience. This perpetuates the cycle for news gatherers, as we view the high viewer ratings or newspaper sales as the kind of news the general public wants to read or hear about.

Balancing the coverage in a community newspaper is no easy task. Each day we need to make decisions on which events or incidents we should direct our reporter's efforts in covering. The challenge of choosing which stories serve the greater good of our community are compounded by being a part of a growing and dynamic community. There is never a shortage of news and information to report on in any given day and it would be an impossible task to staff a newsroom large enough to cover it all.

In our newsroom, we are aware of the diversity of our community and, while we may not cover every topic you are interested in every day, we strive for a balance that reaches out to all over the course of time.

We also make every effort to include not only the news that is controversial and criminal, but also news about real, everyday life in the Mat-Su Valley. Features such as "Our Neighbor," which publishes each Friday, and the lead stories we feature on the front page of the Valley Life section were designed to capture Mat-Su at its best, and we're proud to take the lead in sharing positive people and good news that is every much a part of true Valley living as the harder news is.

I always appreciate hearing from our readers, good or bad.

If you have comments about the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman or suggestions on how you think we can improve, I would welcome your input.

Publisher Kari Sleight can be reached at kari.sleight@frontiersman.com or by calling

352-2255.