NOOZHAWK, BARELY ALIVE, ASKS YOU TO HELP THEM PRETEND JOURNALISM STILL MATTERS

It appears the investigative titans over at Noozhawk, having 'tracked election results' (presumably by clicking refresh on the County’s website, just like the rest of us), are now soliciting 'feedback' on their 'coverage.' One imagines the bustling newsroom, teeming with intrepid reporters frantically updating their Twitter feeds, must have been a sight to behold. This, after their 'work on Noozhawk’s Elections section and voter guide started months' ago, which we can only assume involved a dedicated intern photocopying the League of Women Voters pamphlets.

Frankly, the Whipping Post applauds this bold move. Why bother with actual, you know, journalism – like uncovering who funds which candidate’s 'grassroots' efforts, or which 'non-profit' is really just a front for campaign consultants – when you can just ask the public to pat you on the head for showing up? It’s peak modern media: less reporting, more 'engagement.' We’re sure the feedback will be invaluable, perhaps leading to groundbreaking innovations like using slightly larger fonts or adding more stock photos of smiling, generic citizens voting.

The real story, of course, isn't about which candidate won the latest county supervisor race; it's about the ever-shrinking pool of anything resembling critical thought in our local media landscape. While Noozhawk busies itself with soliciting applause for its stenography, the real wheels of power – the developers cutting deals, the bureaucrats expanding their fiefdoms, the perpetually expanding tax burden – spin unimpeded, unexamined, and unscrutinized. But hey, at least they asked for your 'feedback,' which is nice.

So, by all means, tell them what you think. Just don’t expect them to actually print anything that challenges the establishment they so dutifully, if uncreatively, cover. The Whipping Post, for one, will continue to connect the dots the 'mainstream' misses, leaving the public feedback forms to those who prefer their news delivered with all the hard questions carefully edited out.