Under the category of being careful what I ask for comes this perilous new tradition: A Reader Mailbag, where real people can ask real questions about real matters, of the real-ish editor of a real local news organization.
Said ed will answer with full truth, feigned alacrity and probably a few qualifiers, in the finest tradition of word-fudging. The digital envelopes, please:
Q: Settle a bet: What inspired CDN’s distinctive red/black logo colors, a bold statement here in the land of azure blues and ever-evergreens?
A: Our talented initial designer, Rowan Moore Seifred of Double M Ranch Design, came up with it as a sort of one-off departure from a slew of other cool designs, many of which are more in the blue/green family of local iconography. Something about the bold nature of the black, red and white logo, which lives on today, struck us. Everybody liked it. We still do.
Sometime later, she confessed to the inspiration: “Black, white and read all over?” We can only hope the subliminal message strikes home.
Q: How do you come up with subjects for your “Faces In the Crowd” feature?
A: They are selected by editors based on recommendations made by reporters, who often come across interesting prospects during their reporting or daily life, and from readers, who have already impressed us with a number of ideas submitted to our inbox, newstips@cascadiadaily.com. Keep them coming!
Q: Is Connor Benintendi, sports editor/reporter, related to MLB athlete and former Boston Red Sox player Andrew Benintendi?
A: We took this straight to Connor, who had to be awakened from a post-state-basketball-tournament hibernation. He said a family history project covering five generations of U.S. Benintendis (“good intentions” in Italian) did not provide clear proof. But he suspects he and Andrew, who is from Cincinnati, are “VERY” distant cousins. Further, Connor notes, “his beard game is incredible.” Even further: Connor once Tweeted cousin Andrew and got no reply; he has been taking out the emotional distress from this on the rest of us ever since.
In any case: We will get a better idea of possible shared DNA on July 16 at 1:05 p.m., when our own Benintendi is scheduled to throw out the first pitch at CDN Day with the Bellingham Bells at Joe Martin Field. Mark your calendars.
Also note: This may or may not raise questions about possible familial relations between your editor and actor Ashley Judd, scheduled to appear at Western Washington University this spring for a welcome-back event. More on this later.
Q: We are fans of your quarterly sports preview sections, featuring notable local athletes. Do you have plans for similar attention for non-athlete students? Thanks for considering this.
A: As a matter of fact, we do! In addition to our regular education coverage, CDN is planning an all-new pullout section, sports-star-style, featuring notable students with interesting and often unnoticed talents. It’s targeted for publication in spring, before graduation season.
Our reporters are putting out feelers for such student nominees — pending graduates of local high schools who are not valedictorians (they get well-deserved acclaim elsewhere). But as with everything else, we welcome reader suggestions.
Q: One of your Outdoors writers recently penned a piece discussing “bigfoot culture” in the Northwest. Does this indicate you, personally, are at least open to the idea of the creature’s existence?
A: Hard no. Remarkably, I once penned a 2,500-word essay about this subject — and how media coddling of such fantasy contributes to belief in other fictional constructs with far-more-dangerous consequences — for a certain Seattle-based publication.
I can boil it down here to eight words: Show me a dead one, and we’ll talk.
Q: Kudos on your print paper. The content is cool, but I mean the paper itself. It seems thicker and stiffer and cleaner than other newsprint. Is this done on purpose or is it just luck?
A: Definitely on purpose. We pay extra to use higher-grade, bright white paper. We think it’s a better product and especially beneficial for showing off our fine professional color photography and other imagery.
Not that that should guilt everyone who picks one up into buying a home subscription at cascadiadaily.com/subscribe or anything.
Q: We’re noticing more “supplement” sections in CDN these days. Do these have material created by the newsroom, or someone else?
A: Short answer: Both. We strive to clearly identify the source of all content in both digital and print formats. Many of our inserted sections, such as the quarterly Prep Sports Preview tabs mentioned above, are produced by newsroom staff, and labeled simply “supplements.”
Others, including the recent Reader’s Choice contest materials, and this week’s Healthy Aging insert, are products of our advertising staff. In the past these have been labeled as “special supplements,” but moving forward will be clearly identified as “advertising supplements.” The change didn’t occur in time for this week’s print insert. CDN regrets that error.
Ron Judd’s column appears on Wednesdays. Send your questions for future Mailbag columns to ronjudd@cascadiadaily.com or @roncjudd.
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