A. Feedback (1)

     The Gannett newspapers use extensive polling and conduct focus groups to find out what readers want in their newspapers. Some of the findings include "more positive news, more human interest stories. Readers complain about too much negative news and news that's 'immoral,'" a Gannett columnist wrote. They complained about the coverage of "gays and AIDS."
     A Gannett guidebook for its 93 newspapers suggests covering "shopping trends and sales, new products and restaurants" and reducing the coverage "that is institutionally driven," such as the coverage of city hall and the local planning commission. Some of the areas recommended for coverage are health, fitness and local entertainment.
     Do a study of your own among residents. What do people want from their local newspaper?

B. Environment

     Two out of five Americans live in areas where the air is unhealthy, reports the Environmental Protection Agency. Also, 40 percent of the nation's rivers and lakes are unfit for drinking, swimming or fishing.
     "We should celebrate progress," says Fred Krupp, the executive director of the Environmental Defense Fund. "We have made a lot of progress in this country—even if it's also true that we've got a long way to go."
     Among the problems is controlling the runoff of fertilizers, silt and pesticides from farms and cities. The runoff affects aquatic life. One of the consequences is that 362 species of fish have been extinguished or endangered. Some experts say that the fate of the American landscape and waters and the creatures who live there is the major domestic environmental problem the country is not coping with.
     The National Biological Service reports that natural ecosystems amounting to at least half the area of the 48 contiguous states have declined to the endangerment point.
     More than 5 percent of the native plant species are lost or in peril in Delaware, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. In Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas, 3 to 5 percent are endangered.
     Most states have improved the quality of their air. New Mexico, Virginia, New Jersey and New Hampshire had a decrease in air pollution of more than 50 percent. But the percentage change in emissions of hazardous air pollutants increased in five states: Nevada, Alaska, Montana, North and South Dakota.
     Freshwater fish species are imperiled in the streams of every state. Those with 10 or more imperiled species are Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia and New York. Heading the list, according to the National Biological Service, are California, 42; Alabama, 30; Texas, 23; Arizona, 22; Virginia and North Carolina, 21; and New Mexico and Georgia, 20.
     Make an environmental study of your state. Where does it rank in cleansing its air and water and in protecting wildlife and plant species?