At the risk of sounding even more crotchety than I usually do, I continue to be dismayed at the cherry-picking approach displayed by our local media when it comes to covering events.

Last night’s Metro Council meeting was instructive. The television types were well represented, as was at least one print outlet, but most were there to cover the ongoing saga of the guns-in-parks bill (which would let Metro opt out of newly passed state laws). When that vote happened, they scurried out the door for the most part.

However, Councilmember Megan Barry’s bill to add sexual orientation and gender identity to Metro’s nondiscrimination policies also hit the floor for a second reading, and there was some pretty heated commentary. It had just weathered a very combative subcommittee hearing as well.

As I said, there was at least one other print reporter on hand, so it wasn’t as though the issue was ignored; we’ll see how the coverage plays out. But back in the day, I can remember going to county-commission meetings and staying gavel to gavel, then back to the newsroom to write and file the story.

I suppose the corporate types who run the biz these days have forgotten, and the new crop of reporters doesn’t know because they have precious few mentors in the newsroom to ask, but people actually used to buy newspapers to read about what their governing bodies are up to – all of what they’re doing, not just one or two hot-button issues.