Davis calls for the press to focus on positive
County Commissioner Bryan Davis is fed up with negative publicity. At a recent County Commissioner’s meeting he praised a report on NBC News focusing on Portsmouth’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and lamented that our area doesn’t get more positive press.
“We get publicity because of the opioid epidemic.”
“For some reason, they want to make Portsmouth the whipping child. What’s been missed, and we’ve begged for positive publicity”
“The work that’s being done by private individuals… to help those who have gone through rehabilitation to get a job and feel good about themselves so they will become positive members of society.”
He went on to say that too often the press has an “If it bleeds, it leads mentality” and that it was time to celebrate both large and small victories in the county.
Davis also said that the area was going to have to save itself.
“We’re seeing a revival from the ground up. We can’t wait for the calvary or the backup to show up. We can’t wait on the federal government to be the solution to everything. Historically, they will be the last.”
He said that the community was finally starting to see a real revival and that negative press just knocks everyone down.