Story prompts conversation on coverage of Ypsilanti
A story published Saturday about the Midnight Madness event in Ann Arbor has led to a discussion about our coverage of Ypsilanti. We welcome that conversation, but are moving those comments here, since they aren't directly related to that particular event.
Here are comments that were posted in that conversation thread.
From Cash:
I feel transparent! Am I the Ghost of Christmas Ypsi? Transparent to all Ann Arbor.com writers? Now, once in a while the Corner Brewery (coincidently owned by Ann Arbor business folks) gets a nod which is great. But Downtown Ypsilanti DOES exist. Yes, Virginia there is a Downtown Ypsi. It exists in the heart of all who grew up in the Ypsi area and remember Kresges Dime Store (now J Neils) and Food and Drug Mart, now Pub 13, McLellans Dime Store, Nissly's Hat Shop, the Dixie Shop, the Bop Shop, Mellencamps.......and we support our downtown. It seems if Downtown Ypsi lives in our hearts, and we help support this site, seems like we'd get a nod. I do faithfully read the Ypsi Citizen (YpsiCiti.com) but I also look here for news of my area and PAY a subscription to the print edition as do my neighbors. So, yes Virginia, people in Ypsilanti DO have money and we DO help support this site. And we would like some positive vibes given to Ypsilanti by Ann Arbor.com. Remember Santa is going to be at J Neils at Michigan and Washington Downtown Ypsi today, and there will be some coal in the AnnArbor.com stocking if it isn't covered!
From hypsi:
If the Ypsicitizen stories stream onto your site, then why aren't all the stories streaming..instead when you click on the link, it takes me directly to the Ypsilanti section where the first two/three articles are all crime. Can you suggest a place to continue this conversation please? Thanks. Freedom of Speech..hmmmmm.
From iceman:
annarbor.com is not "ypsilanti.com".....FYI.
From hypsi:
Yeah, it's only ypsilanti.com when a crime needs to be reported..right? If I remember correctly when this entire blog/newspaper idea was to start, annarbor.com said they were going to make sure to continue reporting on communites outside of A2, as that was a big concern, as well as a good marketing tool. Maybe I'm mistaken then?
From Cash:
Iceman, no it isn't. However, it was marketed as a site and print edition that would include surrounding communities and it is marketed in the Ypsilanti area. I have no problem with going to and supporting the advertisers of Ypsiciti.com. I have no problem on Monday canceling my subscription to the print version of Ann Arbor.com. I had no idea that Ypsilanti was to be excluded and that sure isn't how the subscriptions were sold. The coverage was to be for all communities in Washtenaw County. Thanks Mr Dearing for being honest about the intent of this site and your print edition.
From tdw:
Although I hate to defend A2.com,but it should be noted that A2.com is a private bussiness and not connected with the government so there are no constitutional issues involved here,so they can post not post or delete whatever they see fit.How ever it still does'nt mean people can't complain
From hypsi:
Since my post was deleted I'll ask again. Thanks for the link, but if you are streaming everything from the Ypsicitizen..why is it when I click on the link it only pops up crime for the first two articles? Oh and good for A2 for having a downtown event, must have been really nice..the pictures are great. (just so I'm commenting on the article above as was told to do or else take my conversation elsewhere.)
Just to clarify, the deleted comment hypsi is referring to is one of the comments moved here.
We invite people who are concerned about this issue to continue their commenting on this post.
Comments
Cash
Sat, Dec 12, 2009 : 7:19 p.m.
Tammy, THANKS!!! your offer is appreciated!
Tammy Mayrend
Fri, Dec 11, 2009 : 11:48 p.m.
As one of the contributing writers for AnnArbor.com I often do post articles about area events - events beyond Ann Arbor. Events in Chelsea, Dexter, Ypsilanti, wherever. I encourage anyone to send me ideas of events in the area too. Now that being said, I am only one person, and I am doing this because I want to deliver good inexpensive family fun to area families. Luckily for me, the "area" in general has a plethora of these types of events!
pseudo
Fri, Dec 11, 2009 : 3:32 p.m.
Cash, yes, Ypsilanti could spend a little less time being bothered by the ignorance of others and a little more time working on the initiatives at hand. As for crime coverage...homefair.com has some interesting results about say zip codes 48197 and 48104. It may be that Ypsi city does better with crime than parts of Ann Arbor.
Cash
Fri, Dec 11, 2009 : 1:16 p.m.
Thanks for that information, Ypsigirl! Fabulous!
ypsigirl
Fri, Dec 11, 2009 : 11:47 a.m.
While I am on my daily soapbox. what about better coverage for the schools in Ypsilanti. There are actually three different school districts that are in Ypsilanti. Lincoln, Willow Run and Ypsilanti. About the only time you see anything in the "paper" about any of these districts is when something goes wrong. Good things actually happen outside of Ann Arbor Public Schools. Lincoln was just on television about one of the best districts in the area. They have an award winning Robotics Team. Willow Run and Lincoln actually have good things going also. People need to know that good things happen in Ypsilanti not just burglaries and other crime. I will promote my town when I can. Ypsilanti has good neighborhoods also where crime is actually down. There are good things about Ypsilanti.
Cash
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 8:23 p.m.
lorie...wait "Ypsilanti needs to build a better relationship with the area"? Do you read the posts here by Ann Arbor folk about Ypsilanti...the stereotypes, the crime comparisons Ypsilanti to Inkster(today), (draw your own conclusions), the "look down your nose" type posts are here regularly. Maybe we should try to build a relationship with people in areas who accept us and don't look down on us. I saw some nice folks coming in for relaxation downtown from Canton. That's a start. We all have our opinions...... and are entitled to them.
Cash
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 8:08 p.m.
Mr Dearing, I'm sure you feel that you must defend your website and I understand that. I respect your opinion.
pseudo
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 1:53 p.m.
@cash: here is the issue I'm getting at. If you are saying that Ypsi people are the only ones that should be covered in the Ypsilanti news articles and if you are saying that because because the owners of both The Corner Brewery and Arbor Brew are defined as Ann Arbor people because they own a business there, then I wanted that clarified on this blog. It is not an opinion I share. I know those folks well enough to know that they are huge Ypsilanti people. They live in Ypsi, they love Ypsi, they go way our of their way to support efforts in Ypsi. They intentionally buy local. They are what more of us Ypsi folks should be like. If what you are saying is that Ann Arbor.com should stand in for the old Ypsilanti Press, I remember that paper well and I don't believe the coverage here is worse or less accurate than that paper. I have had my complaints about coverage of certain subjects covered here. I am hoping for improvement but part of being a local blog is the process it takes to grow into a reliable flow of information and reliable readership. Now one of the things I have appreciated here is clear statement by the staff here that they cannot provide the coverage we want in Ypsi. I made my suggestions earlier but I think its going to be important to consider that bent I see of "only Ypsi for Ypsi" is sad and unhelpful for a city that needs to build better relationships in the area.
Cash
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 9:06 a.m.
lorie, AnnArbor.com seems to choose a majority of it's BUSINESS news based on it's advertisers. Simple as that. While it's not the only media doing it, some business can't afford A2.com advertising and maybe with some recognition by the media COULD afford some advertising!! BTW, I'm not a business person in this county and I'm not an investor in these businesses. I'm interested in hearing about ALL local businesses.
pseudo
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 5:49 a.m.
my comments on coverage in general are that I would love to see a better balance on in the coverage of crime v community happenings and better delineation between what happens in Ypsilanti City proper and the township. These communities are VERY different with very different political leadership and very different issues - especially crime and enforcement.
pseudo
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 : 5:44 a.m.
@Cash: 1)please explain the qualifications of being an Ypsi person 2)please explain why that matters if they own a business and help to promote Ypsi?
ypsigirl
Wed, Dec 9, 2009 : 2:38 p.m.
I agree with the majority of people. We used to have The Ypsilanti Press then they were "absorbed" and we were promised Ypsilanti coverage in the Ann Arbor News. Most of the press Ypsilanti seems to get is negative press. Crime and fires. Good things do happen in Ypsilanti. Maybe people ought to put more effort into seeing the good side of Ypsilanti. There seems to no end to the trivial Ann Aror stories but nothing much good about Ypsilanti. We have considered stopping our subscription because we want "hometown" coverage and we don't live in Ann Arbor. Under "neighborhoods" none of the Ypsilanti neighborhoods are listed. Maybe someone needs to come out with ypsilanti.com and make an effort to cover Ypsilanti the way it should be covered. Not as an after thought or a website filler. We were promised better coverage when you all were trying to get our money to subscribe to your new venture.
Cash
Tue, Dec 8, 2009 : 7:59 p.m.
Thank you for moving this, Mr Dearing. I do sincerely hope that we see positive eastern Washtenaw coverage. This side of the county has an amazing history and I think an amazing future. But the inability to communicate regarding activities and opportunities in the area does make survival more difficult.
Sandy Castle
Tue, Dec 8, 2009 : 12:58 p.m.
@Ypsi-Booster - It is what it is, with many newspapers going out of business in this economy. I am grateful that annarbor.com is around. I like to know what's going on locally and right now this is the best venue available and they are working to improve the coverage. Perhaps we can all work together to improve on it. One thing I like ALOT about the online news is the comment sections. You have to pay attention to what you're reading, and discard some of it, and weed through some negativity, but often the comments are wonderful forums for information about your local community and what's important to them on many different issues. You certainly didn't get that to any extent in the paper news.
Ypsi-Booster
Tue, Dec 8, 2009 : 12:34 p.m.
This website is still a poor substitute for a news medium. It doesn't add to your credibility that you pull in content from other "news" sites such as the amateurish ypsiciti.com.
Sandy Castle
Tue, Dec 8, 2009 : 12:26 p.m.
Thanks, Tony. I do understand this is a new venture and the coverage areas will continue to improve. Thank you, too, for the link for the sports. However, my daughter plays volleyball and the news coverage was sporadic at best and rarely mentioned Ypsilanti's wins and losses, mostly losses. I understand that stats weren't called in by anyone on the team, but I noticed stories from other areas that often mentioned wins/losses, but not stats. Ypsilanti was most often not mentioned, however I can't say I paid enough attention to know whether the same thing was occuring with any other areas in the county. There was a brief mention when Ypsilanti beat Pioneer in their first quad match of the season, but never mentioned Ypsilanti beating Lincoln in their last match of the season. I will check again next year. Perhaps by that time the coverage will be coordinated in a better manner, and we may be reporting stats at that time, as well. Thanks for your response, Sandy
Cash
Tue, Dec 8, 2009 : 9:24 a.m.
Could this at least be linked to "Ypsilanti" so people can locate it?
Cash
Mon, Dec 7, 2009 : 10:43 a.m.
Perhaps those of us interested in eastern Washtenaw news and the Ypsilanti/Superior Township areas can get M Live to use the YpsiCiti site link and perhaps help Ypsiciti.com out a bit in the process.
treetowncartel
Mon, Dec 7, 2009 : 10:31 a.m.
I really, really, really miss Ann Arbor is overated.com, he wowuld have had a field day with all the material avialable to him on this website.
Alan Benard
Mon, Dec 7, 2009 : 12:05 a.m.
Tony Dearing: "This is a story about an event in downtown Ann Arbor. If commenters would like to continue a conversation about our coverage of Ypsilanti, we invite them to start a new conversation elsewhere on the site"Where nobody can find it. You have no ad revenue for Tony.
Ralph
Sun, Dec 6, 2009 : 8:33 p.m.
I always find it interesting when the A2 Observer prints the monthly crime map, all the crime that does not seem to make the newspaper. Something happens in Ypsilanti or at Eastern and it becomes big news.
Sandy Castle
Sun, Dec 6, 2009 : 7:51 p.m.
I started out reading Annarbor.com every day, but now only check every few days. Although I do see some coverage of Ypsilanti, it's very limited, but so I think is the coverage of most of the county other than Ann Arbor. I hope this will change as Annarbor.com becomes more established. It does a disservice to Ypsilanti to only post the crime reports, and not the good things happening here. And, yes, we have many good things happening in Ypsilanti. My biggest disapointment has been the sports writing. It's very rare to see anything regarding Ypsilanti High school sports, which I could find in the Ann Arbor News and read diligently. I have taken to reading the Ypsilanti Courier and the Ypsilanti Citizen, but they too are limited in their coverage. The Ypsi Citizen covers more of the Lincoln School District and Willow Run, over the Ypsilanti School District. Hopefully the coverage here will get better. I get tired of reading about Ann Arbor, and find myself coming to this site less and less because it doesn't provide the news I'm looking for.
tdw
Sun, Dec 6, 2009 : 9:40 a.m.
I'ts Ann Arbor.com not Ypsi.com that is until something negitive happens
Cash
Sun, Dec 6, 2009 : 9:24 a.m.
My point remains that I had hoped this website would bring us information about Ypsilanti events as well as downtown Ann Arbor events. That was the discussion that was moved here....not to be personal but to discuss whether or not the Ypsilanti element would be or should be at this website. I believe there was some confusion about whether or not those items would be posted here, or be printed in the paper edition. And that confusion led some to think they were misinformed when they subscribed. Whether or not that is true, is up for debate. Regardless, Ypsiciti.com remains available for our Ypsilanti news.
Cash
Sun, Dec 6, 2009 : 8:47 a.m.
Dilly, I've done a great deal...but I do not want to post personal information here. That is NOT appropriate.
dillymay101
Sat, Dec 5, 2009 : 10:43 p.m.
Cash - I understood your point. The folks who own the Corner Brewery aren't Ypsi enough and the coverage of an event that is happening in Ypsi is some manipulative way of really promoting Ann Arbor. Are yo aware of the fact that the Shadow Art Fair is organized, in part, by people who are committed to the development of Ypsi (in addition to indie art). The owners of the Corner Brewery provide a location but they don't do any of the work to organize the event. How about the Ypsi Symphony event? Or the woman opening her house in Ypsi for some sort of tour? How about the Ypsi news related to the government and politics? Are all of those stories also just reported as a way to promote Ann Arbor? My point is this: what have you done to promote Ypsi other than express your displeasure on this site?
Spencer Thomas
Sat, Dec 5, 2009 : 7:09 p.m.
Are Matt & Rene Greff really "downtown Ann Arbor business people"? They live in Ypsilanti and also own a business there. Why does that qualify them as "Ann Arbor business people" and not "Ypsilanti residents and business people"?
Cash
Sat, Dec 5, 2009 : 2:50 p.m.
Dillymay: To clarify: yes the Shadow Art Fair was mentioned. The event is in the Corner Brewery and is owned and run by downtown Ann Arbor business people.I expect that coverage for that business will continue here. Just to clarify, I have emailed and asked for specific coverage and specific business people in Ypsilanti to be highlighted. Mr Dearing, I am a fan of YpsiCiti.com and have been since they began their service. I was among their first visitors. I continue to visit their site and support their advertisers. I absolutely agree that they do an excellent job of covering positive Ypsilanti news stories and as well covering crime stories. I am also a fan of the Eastern Echo site as well as some local blogs.
dillymay101
Sat, Dec 5, 2009 : 1:35 p.m.
I do seem to remember a nice article about the Shadow Art Fair this week on annarbor.com. As a suggestion, if you find coverage of Ypsi lacking, why don't you notify annarbor.com before the event or assist in putting out a press release for the event? Find a constructive way to get Ypsi in the news. I hear a lot of people sounding displeased, but I feel as though I don't hear them doing anything to change the reason they are so displeased.
Cash
Sat, Dec 5, 2009 : 1:30 p.m.
I think I got the message. That kind of coverage won't be happening here. At the "Ypsilanti" link, under shopping..... links to the article about Downtown Ann Arbor's shopping last night! I have nothing against the Ann Arbor Downtown merchants. I just happen to live in the Ypsilanti area, as I have for 65 years, and support my hometown. I also have nothing against this site or the print edition NOT publishing Ypsilanti events and accomplishments. But please also stop running the police blotters as your Ypsilanti news. And clearly define your range.....perhaps a banner running across the top....Ann Arbor.com where the news stops at Carpenter Road unless it's negative.
hypsi
Sat, Dec 5, 2009 : 12:47 p.m.
Heck, I'll start. So why wasn't the Ypsilanti Starlight Spree covered on your blog/news?