Updates on Advance Publication newspapers come with help from my friends

A travel-weary blogger sends traffic my way with this post: freefromeditors: Inside Out: Your source for Booth News today

The post includes background and an opinion on Paul Keep, who is mentioned in both the Tickling the funny bone post and Happy days in Muskegon. Free From Editors reminds us that Keep once was editor of The Flint Journal. The Muskegon and Flint newspapers are owned by the Newhouses through Advance Publications.

Twitter follower Todd Fettig thought my headline on the Happy days post was a bit too optimistic. He shared the link with this headline: Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

OK, as my grandfather would say - don't care what you call me as long as you're calling me to the table. I like readers so thanks, Todd.

Todd and I had a friendly Twitter chat this weekend about the Grand Rapids Press A1 Sunday. It helped me clarify that I believe local newspapers should focus on what's in their back yards.

1. 
   toddfettig This story I'm editing says @johncmayer insists on five chocolate chips per cookie. That's front page material. (And I am not kidding.) 13 Jun 2009 from web
2. 
   mcwflint @toddfettig your decision to make 5 chips per cookie front page news? Bump your head? 13 Jun 2009 from TwitterFon in reply to toddfettig
3. 
   toddfettig @mcwflint Those aren't just any chocolate chips. Those are @johncmayer's chocolate chips. (And there's a strong Grand Rapids tie.) 13 Jun 2009 from web in reply to mcwflint
4. 
   mcwflint @toddfettig I get GR angle but cookie chip counts ain't A1 news anywhere. (But perhaps I should consider which editor is still working) 13 Jun 2009 from TwitterFon
5. 
   toddfettig @mcwflint Not sold on @johncmayer's chocolate chips? How about Neil Young's favorite salad? (The front page story will divulge even more.) 13 Jun 2009 from web
6. 
   mcwflint @toddfettig Eating habits of musicians won't entice any eyeballs to a daily newspaper. Sounds like a retread. R all journalists on furlough? 13 Jun 2009 from TwitterFon in reply to toddfettig
7. 
   toddfettig Rest assured, @mcwflint: @johncmayer's chocolate chip capacity is not the only A1 news. Also a Gitmo North story. http://tinyurl.com/nu2r6q 14 Jun 2009 from web
8. 
   mcwflint @toddfettig Good story, but is it a Grand Rapids story? No. What's wrong with your backyard? Just saying ... If I were editor :) 14 Jun 2009 from TwitterFon in reply to toddfettig
9. 
   toddfettig http://twitpic.com/7cwgf - Thanks for the lively exchange tonight, @mcwflint. Here's the front page in question, @johncmayer and all! 14 Jun 2009 from TwitPic

-- this quote was brought to you by quoteurl
After reading the story the chips tease referred too, I owe Todd an apology. The story was about a Grand Rapids man who now cooks for musicians, not about the quirky eating habits of folks like John Mayer. And Todd did try to tell me there was a Grand Rapids angle - I just assumed incorrectly that Mayer was playing in that city.

I am still not convinced that putting Guantanamo Bay detainees in an Upper Peninsula prison that is 200 miles away is a Grand Rapids story. Or perhaps it is part of the newspaper's strategy to position itself as the largest home-delivered daily newspaper in Michigan.

What do you think?