Five on Friday

The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword

1. Do you follow current events? Why?
Not in detail. I know more about local current events than the Big Gossip of the Day. The local stuff affects me more directly; the national/world stuff just tends to PISS ME OFF.

2. Do you believe that the media is biased? Why or why not?
I think the media is biased only towards creating and building a "story." Doesn't matter what the story is--conjure one up out of gossip and titillation if necessary. I'm not just talking about scandal here. I'm talking about all news. It's not necessarily bad in all cases. But (see above) I do consider newspapers more or less gossip purveyors, some high-toned and clever and intellectual and self-righteous. Some very definitely NOT any of those adjectives.

3. Where do you get most of your news from?
NPR, week-old newspapers (I read 'em all at once, once a week or so), the Internet.

3. Are there any particular news sources that you don't trust?
Anything printed tabloid-style. Actually, I don't trust most of them. They all have a reason for choosing to report what they do. It's not just a matter of trust, just reality.

5. Describe one recent issue in the news that has piqued your interest.
I've been vaguely interested in the whole Cartoon Debacle. I feel badly for the cartoonist, who finds him(her-?)self the center of a major political trauma, all because of lack of cultural knowledge.

And I'm interested in a local case about hidden cameras discovered in the (staff) bathroom at a grade school, mostly because of the extremely error-ridden way the police have handled the whole situation. Small town cops, eh?