Comicle...
During my last few years in Boston, I really warmed up to the Boston Globe. I transitioned from just reading the sports section to reading the finance section, real estate section, local news, and special sections (of course still the sports section too). I didn't get crazy enough to read much national news, and the sports journalism was still what drove me to buy the globe, but I did branch our and start to enjoy the paper more as a whole than just one section. I really began to appreciate the Boston Globe, whether I agreed with the subject matter or not, for what I felt like was often concise, well presented material.
The San Francisco Chronicle, commonly referred to as the "Comicle" because it's such a joke, is easily the fluffiest daily newspaper I have ever seen. I have probably read newspapers from about 10 different cities and a few national publications at differnt times through the years. I am simply in awe that this paper exists in a daily format.
The FREE daily paper for commuters, which may even be published by the same company, is even better. The front page contains the usual array of pet stories and obscure happenings you expect to find in a high school newspaper. A title from yesterday's front page, "Athiests Reach out in S.F.", which turned out to be a piece on an athiest meeting that took place in Berkeley last week. ON THE FRONT PAGE! Other headlines reveal gems waiting to be read such as, "Dog Park Closed for Renovation", "This Tree Sees All" (a story about an old tree), and "Elderly Man Catches Cold" (a story about one person's attempts to hold his apartment at 78 degrees year round). Meanwhile, interesting local news stories that have a direct affect on residents of hte city, such as: MUNI fare hikes, hotel workers on strike, or world leaders visiting the city, get buried - if reported at all. The analysis and coverage of most major events in the city are just plain spotty. I'm shocked surprised to find such a joke of a newspaper serving a city of close to 1 million people, and even more shocked that the paper has enough circulation to continue printing. Who is reading it?
By the way, I mentioned the free paper; there must be a city ordinance here allowing anyone who wants to put up one of those paper distributors on the sidewalk the right to do so. This city is full of wacky ordinances and I wouldn't be surprised if this was one of them. I'm going to attach a photo once I take one, but I counted FIFTEEN paper distributor machines on the sidewalk in two different places on my morning commute today, FIFTEEN. Clearly a little excessive, wouldn't you say? Coupled with the fact that they are often set up next to two or three mail dropboxes, it's a little ridiculous to see a 50 foot spread of boxes along the sidewalk. I'm not sure anyone notices though, because there are a few at almost every street corner in some parts of the city. Perhaps the populous has become desensitized to their presence.
Back to the topic of papers: I recently received a free subscription to the Wall Street Journal as part of a class I was taking. I remember us getting the Journal at home when I was young. It seemed like it was always sitting on the driveway and then would go straight to the trash. Well, my inital experience was the same. At first I just let unread copies of "the Journal" pile up in my recylcing bin. However, as time went on I started reading a bit here and there as I found points of interest. Now I find myself not bring books on the MUNI, but bringing the Journal because I find it so interesting.
I think one of the reasons I like it is that they generally aren't trying to see papers by pushing ideas or a point of view. Of course it's journalism and the biases of the author are generally reflected in what he's saying, but that is a lot tougher to see in the Journal. For the most part, it's articles and reporting on various topics holds a lot of the author's commentary out of it. Again, this is not always the case, but I find it more so in the Journal than in other publications.
I don't know exactely when the shift occurred that made me interested in national and world finance and business, but it clearly has. As I read an article on stocks, bonds, and long term investments today I couldn't help but note the change in my reading habits. The Journal doesn't even have a sports section. I suppose the truth is that I've already read the sports news online (or plan to) each day, but it's still a change for me in terms of what kinds of news I am interested in and exposing myself to. This can be nothing other than a clear cut sign that I am aging, or rather maturing. It makes me wonder if this is just specific to newspapers, or if my perspective is broadening in general. At the moment I have no answer for that, however, I am starting to look forward to reading the mix of business, business, finance, and national news found in the Journal every morning...
The San Francisco Chronicle, commonly referred to as the "Comicle" because it's such a joke, is easily the fluffiest daily newspaper I have ever seen. I have probably read newspapers from about 10 different cities and a few national publications at differnt times through the years. I am simply in awe that this paper exists in a daily format.
The FREE daily paper for commuters, which may even be published by the same company, is even better. The front page contains the usual array of pet stories and obscure happenings you expect to find in a high school newspaper. A title from yesterday's front page, "Athiests Reach out in S.F.", which turned out to be a piece on an athiest meeting that took place in Berkeley last week. ON THE FRONT PAGE! Other headlines reveal gems waiting to be read such as, "Dog Park Closed for Renovation", "This Tree Sees All" (a story about an old tree), and "Elderly Man Catches Cold" (a story about one person's attempts to hold his apartment at 78 degrees year round). Meanwhile, interesting local news stories that have a direct affect on residents of hte city, such as: MUNI fare hikes, hotel workers on strike, or world leaders visiting the city, get buried - if reported at all. The analysis and coverage of most major events in the city are just plain spotty. I'm shocked surprised to find such a joke of a newspaper serving a city of close to 1 million people, and even more shocked that the paper has enough circulation to continue printing. Who is reading it? By the way, I mentioned the free paper; there must be a city ordinance here allowing anyone who wants to put up one of those paper distributors on the sidewalk the right to do so. This city is full of wacky ordinances and I wouldn't be surprised if this was one of them. I'm going to attach a photo once I take one, but I counted FIFTEEN paper distributor machines on the sidewalk in two different places on my morning commute today, FIFTEEN. Clearly a little excessive, wouldn't you say? Coupled with the fact that they are often set up next to two or three mail dropboxes, it's a little ridiculous to see a 50 foot spread of boxes along the sidewalk. I'm not sure anyone notices though, because there are a few at almost every street corner in some parts of the city. Perhaps the populous has become desensitized to their presence.
Back to the topic of papers: I recently received a free subscription to the Wall Street Journal as part of a class I was taking. I remember us getting the Journal at home when I was young. It seemed like it was always sitting on the driveway and then would go straight to the trash. Well, my inital experience was the same. At first I just let unread copies of "the Journal" pile up in my recylcing bin. However, as time went on I started reading a bit here and there as I found points of interest. Now I find myself not bring books on the MUNI, but bringing the Journal because I find it so interesting.
I think one of the reasons I like it is that they generally aren't trying to see papers by pushing ideas or a point of view. Of course it's journalism and the biases of the author are generally reflected in what he's saying, but that is a lot tougher to see in the Journal. For the most part, it's articles and reporting on various topics holds a lot of the author's commentary out of it. Again, this is not always the case, but I find it more so in the Journal than in other publications. I don't know exactely when the shift occurred that made me interested in national and world finance and business, but it clearly has. As I read an article on stocks, bonds, and long term investments today I couldn't help but note the change in my reading habits. The Journal doesn't even have a sports section. I suppose the truth is that I've already read the sports news online (or plan to) each day, but it's still a change for me in terms of what kinds of news I am interested in and exposing myself to. This can be nothing other than a clear cut sign that I am aging, or rather maturing. It makes me wonder if this is just specific to newspapers, or if my perspective is broadening in general. At the moment I have no answer for that, however, I am starting to look forward to reading the mix of business, business, finance, and national news found in the Journal every morning...
posted by Andy at 7:08 AM
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