Don't fence me in (Image: Quinn Dombrowski)
There are days when reporters never stop running after a story. There are days when they battle with sources to get the information a well-informed public needs. There are days where Paris Hilton or Britney Spears does something. And then there are days like yesterday, when little of note happens, and we get this story from the Toronto Star:
[Julie Mannell] had planned to bring Ludwig, her 2-year-old domestic shorthair, aboard with her, but airline officials in Montreal said the cat would have to travel in the baggage compartment because she didn’t have a soft-sided carrier.
But on Tuesday, WestJet spokesman Robert Palmer said Ludwig’s cage was actually knocked to the ground as it was being loaded onto a conveyor belt inside Terminal 3…. The cage door popped open “and sure enough, Ludwig made a dash for it,” Palmer said, adding the cat was unhurt but “probably scared out of its mind.”
In fairness, the Star has a long tradition of covering the small issues that slip beneath the radars of other papers. Something smells fishy, though. Is the Star trying to recreate the runaway success of the Salibury Journal‘s “Dog injures nose”? Or was just a really slow news day at 1 Yonge?
• Cat missing in WestJet mix-up at Pearson [Toronto Star]
• UK: ‘Dog injures nose’ shocker pulls readers
Despite your view that The Star was covering a small issue, their stories actually reflected the much bigger issue of whether or not it is safe for pets to be checked as luggage on commercial airlines. The Star’s coverage was helpful in letting their readers know that it’s definitely not safe.
April 29, 2010 at 5:02 pm | by JayThe star is under the control of if not run by the hells angels. Dont believe me? Search the stars archive for a SINGLE article portraying the HA in a negative light.
April 30, 2010 at 10:02 pm | by B the good