Well, the good news is the Register finally took down those “Our marriage is great because of M.E.!” click-thru marriage education ads, which have recently tortured anyone attempting to access the paper online. Guess someone found them tasteless, considering.
The bad news?
In case you hadn't heard, on Saturday night Orlando Cho of Yorba Linda shot and killed his wife and three of his four children. The fourth child, 14-year-old Ian Mercado, is recovering from a gunshot wound to the torso. Read to the bottom for details on how to donate to Ian's cause.
The killings are described as the worst in Orange County's recent history – debatable. What's not debatable is that the Register is taking an impressive amount of flak over their so-called flawed coverage of the story.
From the very first comment once the story went on-line, readers expressed their indignation:
canyonrob wrote:
Why do CNN and the San Diego U-T both have larger, more detailed stories about this local event than the Register…and why is this not on the front page? If someone from another city was to come here looking for more information on this story, they'd be seriously disappointed. Great LOCAL coverage, Register…keep up the bad work!
bronsonator wrote:
I agrew with canyonrob. I wrote the editor at OCR (via email) with this at about 8:50 this morning: A murder – suicide leaving 5 dead in Brea happens at 11PM Saturday night. On Sunday morning, not only was it not in your paper (deadlines, I know), but it wasn’t even listed on your website under headlines OR local news at 9 am Sunday morning! Yet, Foxnews.com has it via the AP. Sucks to see the national boys have got my local paper scooped on a story in their own backyard. Makes me wonder why I’m still subscribing when I can learn all I want for free on FOX.
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Some, apparently a bit unclear on the concept of journalism, rallied in defense of their hometown rag:
DIZY5150 wrote:
OMG>>some of you need to take a chill pill. First of all the police do not release information on a pending investigation. Secondly, it is not protocol for a Records Clerk to give the media information. So you can tell this was very preliminary information
ocnewsjunky wrote:
Diz, then please explain why all the other media sources have MORE detailed stories on this crime than the hometown paper?
For some, the Register's poor coverage seemed more important than the tragic story the paper was covering:
Frenchy34 wrote:
I found the L.A. Times website much more informative,and it does not install those annoying “pop-under” ads in your browser!I have to run a anti-spy ware every time I exit the Register's web site..sorry to stray from the point,but the Register has to be THE worst newspaper in the industry.Now,getting back to the story….Mr.Cho apparently had some brushes with the law,they included firearms violations….we need tougher gun control.
Tougher gun control? Right, because the NRA wouldn't have a syphilitic fit if we tried to take guns out of the hands of fathers with children to protect. You know, protect or gun down.
My favorite comment:
simonoh2007 wrote:
Does anyone know of any way I can help the family? Either financially for their family or funeral costs or anything like that? I really would like to know because I really want to help them out.
2/24/2008 11:02:35 PM
A fund to benefit Ian Mercado has been set up at:
Washington Mutual
2500 E. Imperial Hwy, Suite 194
Brea 92821
Acct. # 3954785497
