Okay, I need your help. I’ll keep this short.
There’s a lot that goes on in Orange County that gets reported in the news. We’re lucky to have multiple news outlets around the area, so our aggregate coverage is fairly comprehensive. Beyond that, we’ve got several good outlets for discussion and debate, where people can raise the bigger-picture issues that don’t necessarily fit into the daily news. Between all of those, we collectively do a good job covering most of what’s important in Chapel Hill-Carrboro.
But that “most” is the operative word. So here’s my question:
What is the biggest issue in Orange County that ISN’T being talked about, in any way, in any news outlet?
Any answer is acceptable here. I’m talking about issues that affect people’s lives here in Orange County in a real and direct way, but that aren’t getting any discussion on WCHL or the Chapel Hill News or the Daily Tar Heel or the Chapel Hill Weekly or the News of Orange County or Orange Politics or Chapel Hill Watch or any other major news outlet that covers our community.
(To give an example of what I’m thinking about: domestic violence. There are several advocacy groups in the Chapel Hill area who work directly with this issue, but it’s not a problem you see much discussed in our local media. There were articles written last year, after Chahnaz Kebaier’s murder, but this year there’s been very little; DC Swinton tried to raise the issue of a domestic violence shelter during the Town Council race, but his campaign never really took off and no other candidate picked up the issue.)
I don’t mean this to be an indictment of the local media, by the way. With so many issues worth discussing, there’s always going to be something that gets left out. That’s how it is.
But let’s do what we can to bring those issues back in. I’ve got this space here on Chapelboro; let’s put it to good use.
What is the biggest issue or hidden problem in Orange County that isn’t being talked about?
Reply in the comment section below, or email me at akeck@wchl.com, or send me a tweet @AaronKeck, and tell me what you think and why. I’ll talk about the responses I get* in a later column—and I’ll take at least one of those issues and delve into it further down the road.
* If I get no responses at all, I’ll write a column about how everything in Chapel Hill is A-OK and everyone in town is perfectly happy, and it’ll be your own fault.
