Nutty squirrel photos

The May 20 front page had three pictures of a squirrel in Woodland Park eating from a discarded McDonald’s sundae cup. I was puzzled that this would be worthy of the front page for two reasons.

One, it isn’t a vital story; and two, I thought for sure it was going to be an anti-littering article on how it could harm the wildlife. But the brief, two-paragraph write-up was about how frustrating it can be to eat an entire sundae to the bottom.

Now, believe me, I’m right at the top of the list of people who think society has gotten too soft and gets offended by every little thing these days, but the picture seemed unnecessary.

Is it cute? Sure, it is. Does the photographer have a keen eye? You bet. Do I think the squirrel was harmed? Of course, not.

But I have a degree in journalism, and that part of my mind thinks the pictures belong in a photography student’s portfolio or perhaps a features section, not the front page.

This story was originally published June 2, 2016 at 6:40 PM with the headline "Nutty squirrel photos."