As a Midland blogger on occasion I'll receive an email from someone purporting to be a reporter or writer from out-of-state or out-of-country seeking interviews or information about some aspect of Midland; their primary interest being George Bush or his early days here. The other local bloggers have, no doubt, received similar entreaties.
Some longtime Midland residents simply don't want anything to do with those reporters. They say they have been burned before and don't want it happening again. One of those long time residents complained about a visit from a foreign tv crew saying that the resulting show put Midland in a bad light, and by the way, the resident didn't get much face time on the show. (It's a little like the old joke about the bad restaurant: "The food there is absolutely inedible. And the servings are too small.")
But, I can see their point. You just know that European and Canadian networks, particularly the government run ones, don't like George Bush. And, there's that sneaking suspicion that they've already written the story, but they just need some local color to make it seem authentic.
A couple of weeks ago when a reporter from Dutch public television was looking for locals to interview it took someone courageous to step up to the microphone. And, two local bloggers did it. Hats off to Wallace at Streams and Julie at Yellow Bug News who accepted the challenge and put a bright forward looking face on Midland. Someone had to do it. It must have been a tough, thankless job, and they were the right people at the right time. So thanks, y'all!
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