Who’s looking out for you?

Do you know who steals the street signs from the poles on the intersections in Wilkinsburg, and why they’re never replaced?

Ever wonder just how few police officers actually are on patrol in your neighborhood at night?

Curious about the average speed of vehicles along Ardmore Boulevard east of Channel 4 or along Forbes Avenue between Dallas and Braddock?

Of course you don’t know any of that. There’s nobody to tell you. There’s not even anybody interested in telling you. That’s because there’s no such thing as local news.

Here’s some news you can use: commercial news organizations are not in the news business; they’re in the advertising business. Whether it’s commercials on TV or display ads in print or click-tracking on-line, main-line news organizations are looking to appease advertisers, not to inform you.

If you happen to learn something useful or accurate during the time you spend with them, that’s cool. But don’t imagine any newsie cares about your community the way you do.

You might have noticed, for example, what once were TV news reporters have come to be called “personalities.” They’re described collectively as “talent.” You’ll see wardrobe and hairstyle credits among the final titles on any TV news broadcast.

Not that there’s anything wrong with any of this. It’s just how it is. People have to eat. Some even need to have facelifts. It’s just business.

It won’t help you to read the community newspapers that are published monthly and bi-monthly around town. Most of them have good-news-only policies. It says so right in the masthead. Most are published by political or commercial interests, such as chambers of commerce, community development groups or municipal government.

But don’t kid yourself that you’re being kept informed or that you have much chance of knowing what’s happening two blocks away unless you frequent a neighborhood saloon or coffee house.

Again, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Well, maybe there’s just one little thing is wrong with it ... big media keeps telling you how fabulously well you’re being kept informed.

Being an unrepentant news junkie, I'll try to slide some competent local news in here when I can. If you want to write to me, I'll write back. Don't worry -- I don't get paid or have either a wardrobe or a hair style.

Just remember -- if you really want to know what’s what, you better read the bulletin boards at the town hall and the library, and get yourself into a chair at the borough council and school board meetings. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of room. These things aren’t overrun by reporters any longer.

William McCloskey used to be a newspaper reporter. Contact him at wmpgh@msn.com.