Tag: metropolitan newspapers

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NEWSPAPERS WOULD DIE WITHOUT OBITS

Who  would have two morning newspapers delivered to their home?  My husband and me, that’s who.  We’re old fashioned people who grew up in the days when they were a major source of news about current events. Now,  there’s little in the papers that we haven’t seen on the internet or TV.    Consequently, obituaries are  the only unique stories newspaper have to offer. Newspapers would die without obits.

With newspapers pages dwindling, there’s less “hard news” .    Readers look for juicy scandals and crime and major events.  They’re interested in local politics that affect their lives.   We don’t get much hard news lately.  There aren’t enough reporters on staff.  Therefore, we  get more” soft news”.  Long stories about sick children with rare diseases,  or protest marches.   Columns of print about frogs or daffodils or the changing of the season. Recipes make good fillers, too.  The ones that make it to print are full of weird ingredients and time consuming procedures.  I used to try some of those recipes.  As a result, my cupboards got overloaded with strange spices that I never used.

The only unique thing about newspapers are the obituaries.  They’ve undergone some radical changes in the past decade.  Time was when obits were fairly cut and dried.  Year of birth. Marriages. Children. Education. Clubs .  Survivors.  Profession.   Charities .  Date and time of funeral.  Long obituaries were discouraged for the average, middle class person.

Obituaries are the most interesting things to read. Newspapers would die without obituaries.
Obituaries have become much more interesting. Newspapers would die without obituaries.

Obituaries have become  like mini  biographies  We learn the deceased was the youngest or oldest of 10 children. What schools they attended from kindergarten on up.  Scholastic achievements and honors.  Whether they  were football players or cheerleaders or valedictorians .  Often married “the love of their life..” Became a fabulous mother/father,  grandparent, host and friend.  Enjoyed  pastimes like  bowling, painting, golfing,  bridge. Had hobbies like quilting or woodworking.  Every award they ever received in their entire life.  Each job they  held,. Countries visited, Volunteer work .  A lot of creative writing goes into  a decent obituatry.

I love reading obituaries,  especially if the deceased was  very old.   Of course, we never read about their failures and disappointments.  Consequently, the fantasy of a perfect life is carefully preserved for posterity.  Doesn’t everybody love a happy ending?

Newspapers would die without the obituaries.

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9 REASONS TO TAKE THE NEWSPAPER

I know what it’s like to go without a newspaper.  For over 20 years, we  went South in the winter to islands where we couldn’t buy a metropolitan newspaper.  Yes, we had the internet, and could access the stories in our local paper at home.  But it wasn’t the same at all.  Each morning, when we had our coffee, we tried to pretend it didn’t matter.  We turned on the Today Show, and surfed the net.  But there was a great big void at the beginning of our day.  Here are 9 reasons to take the newspaper.

Reading a newspaper in print is more leisurely that online
THE BEST WAY TO START THE DAY IS WITH A PRINT EDITION OF YOUR FAVORITE NEWSPAPER.

1. They’re easier on the eyes.  Black and white newsprint on paper has no damaging  UV light from a computer or cellphone

2.  It’s more relaxing to lean back in your recliner and flip through the pages vs. sitting at a computer or holding an i phone.

3.. You’re better informed.  Reading a news story of three or four columns gives you an in depth view of what’s really going on with this particular situation.  Yes, you could read it all on your computer, but you probably will read only two  or three  paragraphs before shifting to the next headline.

     4.  The funnies.   There are three or four comic strips I  really like.  But if I have plenty of time and nothing much to do, I’m  apt to find a few others.

5.  The advice columns.  I find these columnists immensely amusing.  Why do people ask advice when the answer is so obvious?f.  It’s fun to mentally put in your own two cents.  And sometimes, you can clip a column that hits home and send it on to a relative or friend.

       6.   Sharing. My husband and I discuss the different news stories, and  pass them back and forth to point out what one of us may have missed.

7. The Bridge column and the puzzles.  These   games are a fun way to challenge your brain.

         8.  Advertisements.  Unlike television, you can pick and choose the ones that interest you.  Yes, you can go online to find the supermarket ads.  But it’s much pleasanter to go through them in the newspaper.  And then, on Sundays, there are the coupons!  And, if you’re interested, you can peruse  the real estate ads and check out home values in your area.

9. More bang for your buck. You can read a $5 issue of People Magazine in 5 minutes.  But you can easily find an hour’s worth of reading material in a dollar newspaper.

Believe it or not, we take two newspapers at our house, which  gives us a different perspective.  Besides, it’s nice to see what’s going on in Indianapolis  where my daughter lives with her family. Many local newspapers are going out of business.  But we hope ours doesn’t.

Viva La Newspapers!