WED 11-05-08 Covering the biggest election in a generation

Leave it to the staff of the H-P to completely miss the mark on the easiest story to cover in decades.
The election of Barack Obama was the most compelling event of the year, yet it only merited a tiny corner of the H-P's front-page coverage. Instead of running a story across the top of the page with a picture of the President-elect, the H-P brainstrust decided to run three head shots of members of their own staff, plugging their blogs on their website.
You've got to especially love the glamour shot of Jennifer Kannon. (her actual last name isn't Kannon - as a would-be actress/singer/performer, she uses a stage name).
Even the elementary school mock election of John McCain garnered more coverage than the actual election. By the way, that elementary election also was judged to be a bigger story than a local company eliminating 200 jobs.

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A behind-the-scenes note on the election coverage: Mr. Davis sent a high school student who works part time for the H-P to the county clerk's office to, in his words, "cover the election." He didn't explain to her what would be going on there, who she needed to talk to, or what she needed to find out. She's 17 and has never even voted. How was she supposed to know what to do? What a horrible example of leadership and mentoring.
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On the sports page, the story of the day was apparently the weekly press release about the Huntington University athletes of the week.
Secondary was the season-opening game for the HU women's basketball team. Sure, there was a picture, and a score, but where's the story?
At least the score was timely, unlike the men's opening basketball game, which made the H-P three days late.