Reading Eagle business stories are train wrecks

By Steve Reinbrecht

How silly are these stories in the Reading Eagle’s business weekly?

They give the ideas that business is great in Berks –“Reading might become an inland rail port!” 


Actually, the train story isn’t that bad, but the headline and presentation are ludicrous, and add evidence that the editors pitching and picking stories at our watchdog institution are clueless, or are following some strange agenda other than doing journalism about Berks County, but they have to pretend to do journalism. It’s that hypocrisy that irks me so.

Like this train story. The section cover has a magnificent picture of train cars in Reading and the top headline: “Reading: An inland port designation?”

And over the story: “Reading: a future inland port?”

But the news, such as it is, is all about Bethlehem, 40 miles east, in Northampton County, which possibly, someday, maybe will become an inland rail port, and then vaguely how it’s better for everybody to ship stuff on trains not trucks. [The Eagle loves to write about what MIGHT happen, because then it doesn't have to nail down facts, which is hard work, facts such as, what did Mayor Spencer actually do in 2014, or harder yet, say he was going to do but didn’t?] 

The first mention of Reading is in the story's 19th paragraph:

• "With a potential inland port so close to home, the question arises: Could Reading be considered an inland port?"

We learn from “Frograil Rail Tours” that lots of train tracks surround Reading.
But then we learn in the article’s climax, its pay-off, if you will:

• "Both Edward J. Swoyer Jr., president of the Greater Berks Development Fund, and Jon C. Scott, CEO of the Greater Reading Economic Partnership, said they are unaware of anyone ever raising the possibility of an inland port in Reading."

The next story is just as bad: “Toothbrushes, metals, plastic parts drive Berks exports growth.”

It has a chart, but Berks isn’t on it. So the toothbrush business has boosted exports by 50 percent. Reading Plastics sells “one part” to Sweden. Eagle Brass says less than 5 percent of its business is exporting. So there is the Reading Eagle’s take on Berks County’s exports. 

Who edited these? Such out-front travesties make me think I’m simply the only one not in on the joke that no one is going to seriously report Berks County’s business news, not even the legacy newspaper. Or, Berks County needs better journalism.