Smith: Fire Coverage Strong, But …

I’m quite proud of our journalists this morning. Their work last night and through the morning was exemplary. Today’s paper is strong, but without portraying yesterday’s wildfire as the apocolypse. Still, the fast-moving story highlighted some of our technological weaknesses. As much as we strive to be competitive on the web, we were behind TV all evening in presenting visuals. We had photographers on the scene. But our laptops and cell phones were not working well. Calls were dropped, photos could not be uploaded, and even reporters had trouble filing their stories. We’ve equipped our staff with some of the best field equipment available, but are still overly reliant on cell networks. With the fire disrupting cell service from the field, we were at a real disadvantage/ Steve Smith , News Is A Conversation. More here .

* And in other debating about debates /Eye On Boise
* Getting info on the air first, or getting it right? /On The Air
* Bacon tastes good /Movies & More
* Wildlife coverage, softball, pikas /Daily Briefing
* Friday’s quickie political briefing /Spin Control 2.0
* Spanking and discipline /Parents Council

Question: Which media provided the best coverage of the Spokane County fires Thurday.