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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Gadzooks! It’s Snowing! In Idaho!

Kerri Thoreson (via Facebook): When did normal winter weather in north Idaho ie: an inch or two of snowfall on any given day in January, become a major media event with breathless newscasters "crying wolf!" every time a winter storm arrives?

Colleen O'Brien/KXLY in response: I think snow becomes news when we can get information out to residents about plow progress, response from the city, traffic accidents to avoid on your way to work, updates to the forecast (@Greg) that in the last 12 hours has ...changed from a foot of snow to 6-8 inches (yes, mother nature changes her plans on us often). News is, after all, what's happening right now. I agree, media should not treat snow like war is upon us. But I invite anyone who thinks we make too big of a deal out of snow to answer our newsroom phones during a snow event.

Question: Do the local television stations make too much of "snow events"?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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