Once upon a time and not so very long ago, the Saturday edition of The Sydney Morning Herald used to take a few hours to read from cover to cover, all sections, including the supplement magazine (excepting the sports section, about which I couldn’t give a flying fuck, and the car and real estate stuff).
However, of late I've noticed it's taking about an hour, maybe a little longer if there are a few reviews of books people might actually like to read rather than reviews of 800 page lumps of over-priced academic twaddle devoted to analysing Adolf Hitler's laundry lists.
Take the edition of Saturday, February 21, 2009 ...
The "news" section, that is, the main section, comprised 14 broadsheet pages. Taking into account that Page 14 is a half-page (and a half-page of ads) about so-called "society events" and the comings and goings of various celebrity grubs and butterflies which is not "news" of any sort, and Page 13 is a half-page (and a half page of ads) comprising reviews of current concerts and theatrical shows (also not "news"), that's 12 pages of national and international reportage. Then of course, take out the rest of the space devoted to advertisements, another 2 pages.
That's 10 pages, 5 bits of paper. Everything that has happened or is happening, nationally and internationally, summed up on 5 bits of paper.
It's almost enough to make a person start reading the Courier Mail.
...
Almost.
However, of late I've noticed it's taking about an hour, maybe a little longer if there are a few reviews of books people might actually like to read rather than reviews of 800 page lumps of over-priced academic twaddle devoted to analysing Adolf Hitler's laundry lists.
Take the edition of Saturday, February 21, 2009 ...
The "news" section, that is, the main section, comprised 14 broadsheet pages. Taking into account that Page 14 is a half-page (and a half-page of ads) about so-called "society events" and the comings and goings of various celebrity grubs and butterflies which is not "news" of any sort, and Page 13 is a half-page (and a half page of ads) comprising reviews of current concerts and theatrical shows (also not "news"), that's 12 pages of national and international reportage. Then of course, take out the rest of the space devoted to advertisements, another 2 pages.
That's 10 pages, 5 bits of paper. Everything that has happened or is happening, nationally and internationally, summed up on 5 bits of paper.
It's almost enough to make a person start reading the Courier Mail.
...
Almost.
5 comments:
Sadly, it's not even good enough to wipe my bum with. You'd think they'd soften up the paper at the same time as the stories, just to give the thing some utilitarian purpose in life.
I came to a similar realisation a year ago and since then have opted for The Guardian Weekly and The Economist (a bit of left/right balance and plenty of global perspective). Mind you, buying the pair of them each weekend is hard on the pocket.
That's a good idea, Toaf. I like the online version of The Guardian. Maybe when I get my finances sorted, I'll take a subscription to The New Yorker as well.
problem is, Toaf, that if you live in Sydney and want to get some local perspective, the international rags don't suffice.
That's true, Anon. In terms of local perspectives my preference is for ABC radio, a short dose each morning.
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