I believe in getting news from a variety of media to ensure a well-rounded news diet.
The current staple of my media diet is the New York Times, which provides a nourishing mix of well-written liberal-slanted hard news spiced with cultural filler. I also feast weekly on the Economist – my leafy greens. To complete my recommended allowance of News of Historic Importance, I take supplements of the online versions of the Guardian and the London Times).
For my dose of regional news, the Boston Globe is an excellent source of Massachusetts politics and business, and I also dip in to a number of Boston-centered blogs. Sometimes I watch the local television news, but this is a once-in-a-while treat that doesn’t really satisfy any craving for news. The headlines invariably include a story about an incident of public rage or deep consumer dissatisfaction; a local couple or clergyman who is going to jail for child abuse; a joyous event that has ended in violence or tragedy; and a really special and/or cute animal.
Quite frequently, I nibble on infotainment, like Slate, Spiked Online, the Obscure Store, and BuzzFeed.
You’d think I’d be stuffed on news at this point, but then there’s super-super local news. Town news, like local ordinance disputes, high school sports, and ordinary people dealing with ordinary life. It’s the media equivalent of white bread, with the rare piece of chocolate cake: Yesterday, I go to the Metrowest Daily News online, expecting to read lame stories about local acts of patriotism…
And instead the headline story is “Sherborn teen charged with bestiality”. An 18-year old boy was caught having sex with sheep, thanks to a surveillance camera that was installed in the barn after a year of break-ins. The man grabbed a sheep by its hind legs and dragged it to the corner of the stall… The man removed his clothes and appeared to have sexual relations with the sheep. After finishing, the man put his pants back on and left the barn with his shirt in his hand.
Dear lord. You see, some people ignore local news because it is too fluffy or inconsequential, but this story illustrates perfectly why it is important to keep up with local news. Because yes, it’s important to know what is happening in Afghanistan, or what Gordon Brown’s attitude towards the US is, or how the trial against Charles Taylor is progressing at the Hague. But it’s also important to know that there’s a sheep effer in Sherborn.
