Prospect a Bad Influence
Sierra County Prospect Encourages Children to Crime and Despair
An April 1 exposé’
The Prospect has received an anonymous email alleging some of the stories and advertisers it carries are "messing up our kids," encouraging them to a life of crime, and other excesses.
The managing editor of the Prospect was absolutely flabbergasted. "We had no idea so many children read the Prospect," he said, "or even any children. We thought they were too busy setting ‘Net Nanny’ for their folks."
The letter alleged that some of the Prospect’s advertisers were bad for kids. "You blatantly advertise political candidates" the letter’s author accused, "when studies have shown that every time the legislature passes a law, crime goes up." The Prospect was forced to admit that was true: "it is well accepted that laws are the primary cause of crime" the Prospect agreed in this published statement. "If there were no legislators and no laws, there would be no crime."
The anonymous writer pointed to specific political ads: "encouraging people to vote for sheriff is like encouraging people to vote for criminals, since law enforcement is always associated with street crime." Again the Prospect had no defense. "We have realized for some time that serious crime is nearly always associated with the presence of law enforcement. Perhaps we were in denial, willing to believe that the presence of law enforcement officers at crime scenes was coincidental."
It wasn’t only political ads, either. "The Prospect supports businesses who directly lead our children to illness and poor health."
Again the Prospect had no denial: "We did know that America is suffering an epidemic of adult onset diabetes in children, with a third of America’s youth described as ‘over weight or obese,’ and yet we have partnered with businesses who serve fabulously yummy treats, even to children."
The accusations grew scatological: "You feature among your staff a dog, a dog who admits to licking himself in public, who brags about eating disgusting things, and who periodically sniffs his own butt and the butts of others. Will the Prospect not be satisfied until the children of Sierra County are seen about the streets licking themselves and sniffing one-another?" The managing editor of the Prospect had little to say in the paper’s defense except "recalling when I was a lad, it’s the other way around you have to worry about."
The letter stated a little known fact: "Kids wouldn’t be able to find reference to some of these things without the Sierra County Prospect. They just wouldn’t think of surfing the internet on their own. Your newspaper is directly responsible for kids eating donuts and wanting to be sheriff. Only rock-and-roll music is worse for kids."
The anonymous writer exhorted the Prospect to change its ways: "I can no longer support a publication which contributes to the destruction of our young. Until you get your act together, I recommend children read more appropriate internet fare, like Teen People."
Completely unrepentant, the Prospect’s editor stated: "So what? Now that we know we have all the children of Sierra County reading the Prospect, we’re going to abandon reporting on the Board of Supervisors and the most recent ballot initiatives. We’re going with stories kids like, for example, what Zackary Gordon and Bella Thorne are up to, and how to access them on their secret facebook pages. To hell with those viagra ads we were shooting for, it’s all about zit crème and cell phones." 
Teen People Magazine
