Why not?

Corpus Christi editor shoots back at critics

After a week in which her paper drew both praise for breaking the story of Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident, and backhanded insults for being some kind of small-time rag, Corpus Christi Caller-Times Editor Libby Averyt has shot back with a column in which she defended her paper's reputation and said scooping larger, nationally-known competitors should not surprise anyone.

"While the White House press corps seemed stunned that the Caller-Times broke the story on Dick Cheney's hunting accident, our local readers expected it," Averyt declared in her piece that also ran online. "And we were glad to meet their expectations. Frankly, the newsroom had some difficulty understanding what all the hubbub was about last week. As national newscasters asked repeatedly why a local newspaper first reported the story instead of the White House press, we kept asking, 'Why not?' "

The Caller-Times, a 57,591-daily circulation paper owned by E.W. Scripps Co., gained international attention on Feb. 12 when its Web site first reported that Cheney had shot his friend, attorney Harry Whittington, during a hunting accident Feb. 11 on a nearby ranch.

... "We all heard our newspaper and this community falsely described as 'Podunk' and 'small town,' clearly proving that some of the national press had failed to do their homework," Averyt wrote.

[Source: Joe Strupp, Editor & Publisher]