It was pathetic. The news section was six pages. And we wondered why, even with publishing ahead of time, they weren't able to take actual news stories breaking on Thursday and expand their coverage of those stories to have actual news in the news section?
But then it got much worse when one of us noticed, "This isn't the weekend edition."
It was Wednesday's USA TODAY.
An actual day when they publish, supposedly, actual news.
The top story on the front page? About how there is hope that the displaced Puerto Ricans in Florida could tilt the mid-term vote to either the Democratic or Republican party. The middle of the page story? The bust of an illegal after-hours party in Pennsylvania. It gets worse. The bust took place . . . last May. Five months ago. This passes for news? The other front page article in USA TODAY's hard hitting coverage? "1 in 88 quadrillion: So then there's a chance . . ." about winning the MegaMillions (on the day before, we should note).
Dear Pulitzer Committee, please don't overlook the brave investigative reporting of USA TODAY when next handing out awards!!!!
Page two? Continues the Puerto Rican vote story. For half the page. The other half is a paid advertistement that's intended to look like a news article (to fool readers) and is entitled "Costly Joint-Pain Injections Replaced By New $2 pill."
Page three? Two articles. The first? "Saudis 'denied any knowledge'" regarding the alleged murder of CIA-asset and WASHINGTON POST journalist (redundant?) Jamal Khashoggi and "Deth toll from storm rises in Florida's hardest-hit county." (Yes, Florida makes both the front page and page three.) Page four has two articles: "Mattis: Never discussed leaving job with Trump." That 'report' seems to be one that requires no more than one sentence but they stretch is out for three colums while also managing to feature "Rare, polio-like diseaswe hitting more children, officials say."
Page five of the news section is their op-ed page (opinion columns, editorials and letters). Page six? Continues the ain't-no-acid-in-this-house house party article from page one.
That's what passes for news to USA TODAY. Why does anyone bother to work for this paper? Is there any pride in saying, "USA TODAY employs me!"?
This is the "flagship" of GANNET? That's truly sad. (And, in fairness, turns out that USA TODAY WEEKEND EXTRA actually had more news on its front page Sunday.)
