Predictions

I - ahem - accurately predicted, I believe, two items making headlines around the state today.

The first is Vic Kohring's resignation, which I predicted at the beginning of the month.

The second is ChangePoint's decision to turn down the 1-point-5 million for its SportsDome. I didn't predict this one, per se, but I did make clear that I thought the governor was likely to veto it. Given Sarah's presence at the announcement today, I'd like to think she played a fairly significant role in the decision, even if she never actually pulled out her pen.

(Along with my Lance Mackey prediction, these are the only three predictions I've ever gotten right in my entire life.)

The larger point here is about the power of the media. When the ADN or KTUU shines a light on an issue in this state, things happen, particularly when the light is shined on any of the number of egregious examples of stupidity that take place in state government.

Kohring has been complaining these last few weeks that he's being tried in the media. He's right about that and I doubt he'd be making the same decision today if the ADN hadn't pressed him so hard on it. My difference with Vic, though, is that the ADN just pushed him towards the right decision he should have had the honor to reach on his own.

Given all this, how come the ADN and KTUU don't use their spotlight more often? Rather than sending more reporters around the state to ferret all the stories they routinely miss, the ADN continues its trend of reducing staff, filling its pages with stories from organizations, and generally failing us as a newspaper. Maybe the indictments that led to Kohring's resignation wouldn't have been such a surprise if the ADN or KTUU had more than one reporter in Juneau. Perish the thought.