In general, we're finding that local public relations practitioners really dig what we're doing. That's because we understand that almost anything that's local is news to someone; we've got unlimited pixels as opposed to small news holes; and our Daily You customization allows us to sort news based on the topics most interesting to an individual reader as opposed to our editors' evaluations on behalf of one single mass of people.

However, our number one category of complaint calls also comes from PR practitioners. See, one of the reasons we're told that people read our site is because we aren't so bloody serious about the presentation of the news. We try to have some fun with everything. And a big part of that is the silly pictures we run on stories when we don't have relevant art. Yeah, it's Daily Show-inspired, and not everyone is used to that in local news.

It seems that every couple of days some VP of marketing and propaganda using a Google News feed sees us pick up their release and goes apoplectic when they see some sort of gag picture. We've even taken to noting in the photo credit that the art did not come from the purveyor of the release. But that's apparently cold comfort to the people who call my cell in the middle of the night demanding "an immediate response."

(Interesting note: The vitriol always comes from PR people inside the company, not their agencies, who presumably know better.)

My advice? When you send us your release, send us some interesting art so we won't be tempted to look for a gag.

And if you can't provide art, and we post something that we find funny and you don't? Remember how when you were a kid and you got teased, the surest way to up the razzing was to show it bothered you? Well, we're pretty immature. That's all I'm saying...