Information Junky Shuns Trad Media
This writer discusses the anger the Traditional Media will show if Bush wins in November. Reading this reminded me of a recent discussion I had with an editor of the local paper, the News Journal.
We were discussing my writing, and he asked if I read the paper. I said I did. What I didn’t mention was that I only did on Sundays – and often only scanning the thing after buying the paper for the TV guide and the store ads. I realized later that I really had lied.
And that got me to thinking: I learned to read from the newspapers. I’m not kidding. My older sisters used the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Globe Democrat. Some of the first sentences I read were about PLO hijackings, and the progress of the Vietnam war.
Ever since, I have been an information junky. During college I read maybe four newspapers a day. I am still a news junkie. But today? I don’t read any.
It’s not really a time issue. I made time for the newspaper. But for a true info-freak, there is nothing like the internet. During my workday, I have Fox News open in a window. I then move on to the “Daily Round” of Dean Esmay, Den Beste, Andrew Sullivan, and the stories that they link to. I don’t surf from site to site, unless I am searching for info on a particular story.
But newspapers are no longer part of my life. Too bad…
