"Some people will read the stories on the commissioners, taxes and Iraq. Everyone will read the stories on the snow," Chris Kelly writes in today's paper. "Newspaper columns, like snowstorms, are measured in inches. In terms of substance, there’s not much to this one. In fact, I wrote it for no other reason than that it was snowing." Oy.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Chris Kelly: Everyone reads weather stories
"Some people will read the stories on the commissioners, taxes and Iraq. Everyone will read the stories on the snow," Chris Kelly writes in today's paper. "Newspaper columns, like snowstorms, are measured in inches. In terms of substance, there’s not much to this one. In fact, I wrote it for no other reason than that it was snowing." Oy.
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4 comments:
Chris, here are a few places people actually go to get immediate, localized weather info:
accuweather.com
weather.com
The Weather Channel
local news stations and their websites
The newspaper is the last place people look. By the time a weather story makes it to print, it's old news.
Old "news", even though the column came out this morning during the first daylight of the storm that, as I type, continues.
Here's that reminder again for you dimwits. He writes a column. News is about the facts and figures of something that happened. A column is the personal observations and opinions of it's author on any topic he or she chooses, new or old.
You really make yourself sound like an envious asshole harping on this same non-point over and over. I'm hoping you're just a reader and don't work for a paper but, well, I just can't be sure.
"A column is the personal observations and opinions of it's (sic) author on any topic he or she chooses, new or old."
I'm not the original poster...but a column new material or it can be old. It can be newsy...or it can be fluff. It can be on a topic of general interest or a 30-inch exercise in extended navel-gazing. Some columnist wear out shoe leather, work their sources, get around town, break stories and tweak the powers that be...and some stare out the window and quote their co-workers.
But that doesn't mean that all columns are created equal or that we can't bitch again when Kelly mails in again.
I don't work for a newspaper but if I worked for Times Shamrock, I'd want my 'star' getting out of the building.
So I'll stop making non-points when he stops writing non-columns.
There has to be better out there somewhere.
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