Opinion | Readers critique The Post: Pulling a fast one with Ramadan recipes (2024)

It is difficult to mention food at all, given the famine in Palestine.

Catherine Caden, Herndon

Would you be so kind as to reveal to your readership the logic of the sorting of the Table of Contents on Page 1 of your printed edition? It is not by page number; it is not alphabetical; it is not by import; it is not geographical; it is not chronological; it is not by word count. What are we missing?

Dennis Askwith, Germantown

Since The Post auto-plays a new piece after another concludes in the audio section of its app, could the volume please be modulated so there is a modicum of consistency between articles? One article is often at low volume, followed by the next blasting the volume. It is particularly problematic when one wears earbuds. I cannot be the only listener encountering this problem — it’s extreme!

Joan Winters, New York

This glossary of “newfangled language to describe different types of trips” offered a term for almost every type of vacation, outing and excursion. To make the list complete, I suggest adding “Oy vey-cation” to describe any kind of vacation that went sideways in a hurry. The phrase could also be used to describe a journey that ought to be fun but likely won’t be, such as an upcoming trip with the in-laws.

Robert Wagman, Potomac

I thought that in a city where Andrés already helped revitalize downtown D.C. with such restaurants as Jaleo, China Chicano, Oyamel and Zaytinya, many would know who he is. Perhaps that explanatory article was aimed at an international audience, for whom such a question might be logical. But devoting print real estate in the local paper to such an article does not make as much sense. Furthermore, why not connect the two ideas and publish an article about how Andrés helped reshape downtown D.C. and has since expanded his mission to the rest of the world?

I understand that the world of journalism (especially print journalism) has changed. That said, I’ve seen a trend of The Post trying to be more of a national newspaper, with articles on out-of-state topics, although a reporter could find connections to the same topics within the DMV area. Please tailor the print edition of the newspaper more locally so that readers including me who still get it delivered daily will continue to want to do so.

John Seelke, Silver Spring

The Big Ten held its wrestling championship tournament on March 9 and 10 at the University of Maryland. More than 11,000 fans attended each of the four sessions, over both days, to watch some of the best teams in collegiate wrestling, and there was nary a word in The Post. I saw Manchester United results. I found out who won some distant golf tournament. And I learned that the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert is in trouble for accusing a referee of tanking a game to cover a bet. But I can’t get a report on a major college sporting event in my own backyard?

Maryland native and four-time state high school champion Aaron Brooks of Penn State won his fourth consecutive Big Ten title. A Maryland program making strides put two wrestlers into the semifinals. And Penn State won its second straight championship and eighth in the past 10 years. There were some major upsets, classic comebacks and sudden victory decisions in overtime, as in any tournament. But anyone who relied on The Post’s Sports section for an update would have missed all the excitement. Also missing was the NCAA’s announcement that women’s wrestling could be afforded a championship tournament as early as 2026. Perhaps by then, wrestling will have earned its place in the paper.

Malcolm Wilson, Wheaton

The March 16 Metro article “U-Md. ends limits on sororities, fraternities” included the names of the fraternities still under scrutiny by University of Maryland, one of which is Phi Sigma Kappa. Unfortunately, the photo accompanying the article showed the Sigma Kappa sorority house, not the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity house. This gave the impression that this sorority is under investigation. It is not. These young ladies deserve better.

Claire Gunster-Kirby, Poolesville

The article was clear in stating that in most studies, pollinating insects gravitated to native species rather than manipulated versions of those plants (“nativars”), and that true native species have genetic diversity that makes them more resilient.

Yet the article went on to support the purchase of an echinacea nativar that failed to attract any pollinators by gardeners “who want to make an environmental impact,” if such nativars “are readily available at local nurseries.” Attracting and feeding local wildlife should be the primary environmental reasons that people install native plants — not because they are “all the rage.” The fact that a local nursery carries only a nonfunctional nativar is the wrong reason to buy it; instead, ask the nursery to stock true native species, or shop where true native species are sold.

Unfortunately, many gardeners are unaware of which nativars work in their own areas. Fewer still are likely to carry around a list of nativars that might outperform natives in one region but might not support local pollinators in another. Luckily, people can learn which native species work where they live by checking a state or regional native plant society website, such as those offered in Maryland and Virginia, and by going to native plant sales and nurseries where people can find the best native species for their location.

It was also a shame that all the photos in the article depicted nativars, rather than straight native species. Choosing these would disappoint both native plant shoppers and the pollinators!

Finally, though the article talked about long-term challenges for native insects, it would have been helpful to mention one of the greatest immediate threats to pollinators: anti-mosquito yard sprays. These kill all pollinators that come into contact with the chemicals, not just mosquitoes. With these sprays, there might be no insects to visit any plant, either straight species or nativar.

Kasha Helget, Alexandria

I recognize that it’s necessary that some stories in the print edition “jump” from one page to another. My pet peeve about The Post is that the headlines on these continuations often bear little or no resemblance to the headlines on the originating page, causing at least momentary confusion for the reader.

A good example of this inelegant variation was the March 13 Metro article about a fundraising appeal on TikTok. The headline on the section front was “TikTok fundraiser becomes embroiled in online backlash.” The headline on Page B3 was “Viral tale shows limits of online giving, experts say.” The second headline accurately reflected the contents of the jump, in which experts were indeed quoted about problems with crowdsourcing charity. But it didn’t mention the specifics of the headline on the section front. There was only a vague allusion to the case, the reference to a “viral tale.”

Headlines on jumps need not be identical to the initial headlines, but they should echo them to ease the reader’s navigation. If a headline on Page 1 says “Man bites dog,” the man and the dog should figure in the headline on the jump even if the jump accurately reflects a new angle found in that portion of the article, such as the views of psychologists about why a man might chomp a canine.

This will become a moot issue if and when The Post and other newspapers give up on printing dead-tree editions. Meanwhile, give readers a break and provide them with headlines on jumps that make it clear which stories they are continuing.

Michael McGough, Washington

The headline on the March 12 Health & Science article “Women may get a bigger longevity boost from exercise than men, study says” took me aback. My wife and I, septuagenarians who celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary last year, have credited each other for enabling us to reach those milestones. Now I learn that she has been getting a bigger boost from sit-ups and jumping jacks than she could possibly get from any man, let alone her husband. Unless, of course, the study actually reveals that women get a bigger longevity boost from exercise than men get — but that’s a different headline.

Douglas M. Pollock, Oakton

I very much welcomed the March 10 front-page article “The one last call Biden always needs to make.” What a refreshing change to read a piece of reporting that insightfully conveyed an aspect of our president that speaks directly to his experience and temperament — and did so without mentioning his age.

As a senior who regularly swims, bicycles and kayaks, and occasionally lectures and mentors at the graduate school level, I call on journalists to help our fellow Americans see us as productive “elders,” rather than members of “the elderly,” and to appreciate our continuing contributions to a positive future and our worth within society.

As the race toward November’s election moves into high gear, the focus for reporting on the candidates for our nation’s highest office needs to be on competence, accomplishments, experience and values, rather than age.

Personally, I see President Biden as a wise and thoughtful elder, one whose life experience, dedication as a public servant, values and demonstrated empathy are aligned with our best “angels.” It is depressing to contemplate where Donald Trump would take our nation if given a second term — one need only listen to the dire warnings of those who surrounded and supported him during his first term but no longer do.

Steven Brody, Arlington

Yes, the March 7 front-page article “Biden continues to walk student loan tightrope” was an exploration of the views of progressives or high-debt individuals that President Biden has not gone far enough in forgiving voluntarily assumed student debt.

Yet though the article was 39 paragraphs long, it did little to explore the serious arguments on the other side of the issue, including those that persuaded the Supreme Court to block a larger program and persuaded two Democrats and an independent senator to join Republicans to oppose the administration’s efforts. No one was quoted to give that side of the story, unless describing Biden’s own doubts and decision-making counts. Meanwhile, there was room for eight pro-relief sources, among them debtors, two Democrats in Congress and activists. Adding to the national debt to improve the personal finances of a slice of Americans is an important and complicated issue. Doing more to explain those doubts might have helped Post readers understand both loan forgiveness and the president’s political calculations.

C. Stewart Verdery Jr., Washington

It appears, just from scanning the photos on the front page, that Donald Trump, not Joe Biden, is the president. I’ve noticed frequent placement of large photos and long articles regarding Trump’s latest court appearances, rallies, comments, gaffes and posts on Truth Social. Then, off to the side, there might be a small photo not even of President Biden himself but of something related to a policy he has been able to achieve. Yet it appears to this reader that these stories are given smaller spaces and headlines that are tepid and easy to pass over.

I was thrilled, though, to see the prominent placement for the news article about Biden’s State of the Union address as well as a wonderful large photo of him on the March 8 front page. Additionally, I appreciated seeing all the analysis pieces regarding its effectiveness. I would love to see more of this type of coverage of our sitting president when he achieves something important regarding our country.

I love living in a democracy, and I hope the journalists at The Post will do everything possible as we get closer to the 2024 election to give fair coverage to our duly elected president.

Marsha Cohen, Eugene, Ore.

I opened The Post recently and felt as though every single article I saw had bad news for President Biden. Biden’s loan forgiveness program isn’t enough. Bernie Sanders has a warning for Biden. On and on.

Meanwhile, I feel as though I read nothing about the real weaknesses of Donald Trump’s position. The man can’t string a sentence together, is campaigning on some crazy democracy-killing promises and did not win his Super Tuesday primaries as confidently as Biden.

Where is the analysis of the risk Trump takes with moderate voters by saying rabid things every day on the trail? The danger that his legal troubles could lead to him running out of money? The reports that hardcore Republicans tell exit pollsters they’ll vote for Biden over Trump?

At least devote some space to the fact that Trump is also old.

Christie Mims, Oakland, Calif.