Top online stories share unsavory themes
Courtesy photo Shasta Groene lives in Nampa with her two sons Lorenzo, 2, left, and Omari, 10 months. She is writing a book about being kidnapped for seven weeks by convicted serial killer and sex offender Joseph Duncan III from her Wolf Lodge home when she was 8 in 2005.
Coeur d'Alene High School Principal Tony Schueller poses for a portrait April, 24, 2017. The Press reported that Troy Schueller died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on March 21. Troy was born on July 31, 1975, in St. Maries and in 2016 he became the principal at Coeur d’Alene High School. (LOREN BENOIT/Press File)
To all the tender souls who insist that readers crave good news, cover your eyes, please.
This article will prove you mostly wrong.
An analysis of the Top 10 most-read stories of 2018 on cdapress.com supports long-held truths of media producers: Crime and punishment sells. Death and destruction compete for attention. Misfortune is magnificent — as long as it’s someone else’s.
(Editor’s note: Research shows print newspaper subscribers’ interests don’t necessarily mirror those of online viewers.)
With that introduction, here are the 10 most popular articles posted on cdapress.com thus far in 2018.
1. Face to face on her terms. Shasta Groene to abductor: ‘I want him to hear from me that he’s nothing.’ The good news in this June 17 story was that Shasta, who survived being kidnapped by murderer Joseph Duncan in 2005, refuses to live as a helpless victim. She’s planning to write a book, according to the article. The sad news? That she’s newsworthy in the first place.
2. Police ID nine in big drug bust. This June 14 article details the multi-agency bust at a Post Falls residence on North Spokane Street.
3. Hayden man charged with hate crime. You know how this one ends. Richard Sovenski was acquitted of a hate crime on Dec. 20. But back on July 19, The Press reported how Sovenski was facing charges stemming from an incident where he reportedly yelled racial slurs at members of a church youth group outside a Coeur d’Alene McDonald’s and struck one of the group’s leaders.
4. Sketch of rape suspect released by CDA PD. On April 16, The Press published a composite sketch of the man suspected of raping a woman April 10 at knife-point on North 18th Street at about 2:30 in the morning.
5. Tech leader charged with domestic violence. The July 6 news story outlined the arrest of entrepreneur Nick Smoot, a founder of the Innovation Den in Coeur d’Alene.
6. Coeur d’Alene High School principal dies. On March 21, The Press reported that Troy Schueller died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
7. Obituary: Grant H. Fischer. Mr. Fischer was just 28 when he died on May 27. Survivors asked that donations be made to the Suicide Prevention Action Network in Grant’s name.
8. Huge Cd’A neighborhood plan raises alarms. The April 25 article focused on citizens’ anxiety about the planned expansion of Coeur d’Alene Place, where 429 more single family homes may be built over the next eight years. In something of a theme for the year, people voiced worry about traffic congestion and impact on already crowded schools.
9. Tragedy again strikes CDA. On April 4, another CHS icon took his life. Former teacher and coach Dean Lundblad Sr., 78, jumped from the Veterans Memorial Centennial Bridge.
10. Obituary: Keeva Irene Peralta. According to the obituary, Ms. Peralta died at home on June 30. “Keeva was loved by so many, more than she could have ever imagined,” the obituary said. At the time of her death, Ms. Peralta was just 22.
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For the record, an August story announcing that American Idol was coming to Coeur d’Alene had more page views than any of the dozens of stories about Lori Isenberg. The most-read Isenberg story, ranked 15th, detailed how Isenberg’s husband died of a massive overdose of an antihistamine, which is used to treat allergies — and as a sleep aid.