Sorry, we gotta throw the flag on this one

Two days after Veterans Day it is with much sadness and a tinge of disgust that I report to you that one Maine newspaper - the Journal Tribune of Biddeford - charges $2 to insert a flag in an obituary.

Imagine asking the family of someone who served their country and risked their life to maintain our freedoms to pay money to put a flag next to their loved one’s life story.

Meanwhile, New Hampshire newspapers continue to charge the families of those who are suffering a loss an exorbitant amount of money to print a couple of hundred words about those who have passed.

As a 30-year journalist I find it sad and pathetic that newspapers have become so desperate for a revenue stream that they had stooped to this practice.

The Foster’s Daily Democrat states on its obit page that obits are advertisements.

The Foster’s Daily Democrat obituary page didn’t used to say that.

The Union Leader of Manchester still prints a short obituary for free, according to a obit listing price sheet from nhfuneral.org.

According to Seacoast-area funeral homes, Foster’s charges about $140 for a standard-sized obit.

Big-city newspapers for many years have often charged high rates to place obituaries in their papers, but small-town newspapers rarely have, until of late.

What’s even sadder is that when many newspapers put obituaries under the purview of advertising, they aren’t edited properly.

Take a look at the obituaries and you’ll see what I mean.

Foster’s Daily Democrat used to charge for its online content and then changed back to free online.

They can change this back, too.

Obituaries are news stories, especially in small communities like the ones in which we live.

The Lebanon Voice posts all obituaries for free. We only charge $25 to attach the arrangements, that part of the notice that deals with scheduling of services, donations and generally mentions the funeral home’s name. That is a longtime tradition and considered an advertisement for the funeral home.

Many newspapers charge $100 for the same service.

At The Lebanon Voice obituaries are available in published form for about two weeks for viewing, then stored in our archives.

One final thing. If you think Foster’s Daily Democrat reverted to free online content because it’s the right thing to do, think again.