Wirds of Denver LETTER WATCH: Denver Daily News

“The Denver Daily News. We’re Everywhere”

Totally true. Especially if by “everywhere” you mean bathroom floors, park benches and bus seats. Say what you will about the Denver Daily News, but they do have tenacity and spunk.

A special kudos is in order for their masterful headline writing. Case in point: “Herb won’t curb ADHD,” an Associated Press story from page nine of their June 11, 2008 edition. All the think tank over at Fox News could come up with for the same report was, “St. John’s wort fails to help kids with ADHD.”

Obviously, the story is about St. John’s wort, not moon cabbage, but our rather impulsive intern, Billy Binaca, didn’t make it very far into the article before drafting a letter that he insisted we pass along to the paper.

You can read the transmission below. We’ll be tracking the progress (if there is any) of Billy’s letter as the weeks progress.

Greetings,
We are The Denver Warbler, a seasonal arts-and-culture broadsheet serving the Metro area.

We are reaching out to you on behalf of our intern, Billy Binaca. He was taken with one of the stories in your June 11 edition and insisted we pass along his comments.

Normally we wouldn’t do this sort of thing, but Billy is, well, special. His letter follows:

My name is Billy Binaca and I am currently working as an intern for The Denver Warbler right now. I read the Denver Daily News twice a day every day seven days a week. It keeps me in the loop, I’m glad to report, and I hold your reportage in the highest regard. I did take issue with a headline in your June 11 issue that read: “Herb won’t curb ADHD.” As a long time ADHD sufferer, I am of the completely opposite opinion. Herb is the only thing that helps me with my attention disorder. When I was twelve, my mom couldn’t stand being around me. I was always getting into everything. Dumping dresser drawers out in the lawn, throwing the cat into the shower when my mom was in there, writing on the walls with chocolate, it was pretty bad. I can remember all of this pretty clearly, and, at the time, my mind felt like a raging lake in a hurricane. Well, when I was 13, my mom’s then-boyfriend, Todd, gave me some herb. He was of the opinion that it would “cool me out.” Boy was he right! As soon as I started puffing on his medicine, I was clear and focused. I sat down for the first time and read a book. It was a picture book, but it was a start. Now I read three books a week (and the Denver Daily News, of course!). Anyway. That’s all. Herb is good and so are you! Keep up the good work! —Billy

So there you have it. Let us know how this affects you.

Feathers,
The Editors
The Denver Warbler
www.thewarblersnest.com