We got a call the other day from someone who wanted us to do something — and we agreed with the caller — but the person just had to use a tired fallacy: “It would be good for you to get some positive news in the newspaper because there is so much bad news.”

Sigh.

When a person says that, it is more of a reflection on that person’s reading habits than it is a statement on the Albert Lea Tribune’s content. It means that person likes to read only the bad news and just skips over the loads of good news we print daily. As a result, that person only remembers the bad news.

We appreciate feedback. We always do. And please contact us any time you feel like it.

But claiming there isn’t good news in the paper makes us wince and probably makes the readers who actually do read the good news wince, too.

As a side note, our news staff just sees news as news. Just like art is in the eye of the beholder, determining whether news is good or bad is up to you, the reader.

For instance, when the Farmland Foods plant burned down in 2001, the reporters reported the news. Most readers then judged it as bad news for Albert Lea. But today, some folks even say losing the foul plant was good for the city. So the question stands: good or bad? That’s up to you.

Absolutely, we sometimes have to balance many coverage requests from several different groups and people, but we make an effort to be inclusive and fair and to find a way, if possible.