Every morning of my life arrived
with a newspaper. My grand parents read the paper, my parents read the paper,
my husband and I always read the daily paper. Then I started to notice that
every once in a while, a journalist who was supposed to be presenting objective
information, oh so subtly, with a little word choice here and there, slipped in
what appeared to be a biased point of view. I noticed it, because these little
slips of viewpoint steadily increased and made a big pile that left me feeling
manipulated.
Of course, print media has been
doing that for years, going back to the 18th century with
“broadsides” and pamphlets. And, to be fair, I can find print media that leans
equally to the right or left. So I took my paper with a large dose of salt.
Everything came to a head when I,
and other newspaper reporters, covered the same press conference. Now this was
the 3rd such press conference I had attended for this one agency, and
it was usually pretty pleasant but bland. Not this time. I didn’t expect
someone to actually pose a question, for Pete’s sake! Soon the speakers were
off into a rather pointed dialogue about a political hot potato issue. WOW! Here’s news, I thought as I
scribbled notes for all I was worth.
The next day, I voraciously read the
local newspaper reporter’s article on the press conference and there was –
nothing, except that the topic “was discussed.” Really, she could have phoned
the thing in – it was that blah.
I was furious. How dare “they”
withhold information from their readers? Who is it who decides what I will and
will not know about my community? I couldn’t wait to write my article. It would swim in facts, nothing but the facts, so help
me Hannah! And it did.
When we got the bill for the
following month’s paper subscription (with a $4 increase) you bet we cancelled
the thing.
“Why?” asked the nice lady in the
paper’s subscription office.
“You’re biased,” I said “and report
only what suits your agenda. You weren’t
worth the money even before you raised your rate. Nothing but ads, anyway.”
My husband said
I was too nice.
We stuck to our guns even when they
offered 3 months for less than half the rate, and later when they offered the
paper for one dollar a month for 3 months.
By now, we were discovering of joys
of life without the morning paper. Such as: I have time to read my magazines;
the recycle bin is light as a feather without a weeks worth of old papers that
blow around the neighborhood; I’m saving $360 a year to get the same (subjective) information I can get on line.
Saa..weet!