Sunday, August 28, 2011

A BIASED VIEW of Melbourne Newspapers

Living in Melbourne, we have on offer two local newspapers - there were three when I was very young. The other was the now defunct Argus.
The Age is the only one that I will put my hand in my pocket to buy, the other - The Sun Herald I refuse to buy - well that is until recently when Cadel Evans won the Tour de France.

You wouldn't believe that the two papers came out of the same city when looking at the front page. The Sun Herald, a tabloid usually will run a front page on some footballer's scandal - turn the page and there is the obligatory shapely young lady pouting at you, not that I am against nubile young women, but its not NEWS.


Sure, The Age covers sport too but their front page story is usually dealing with local or world issues of the day. They have a great coverage of finance, food, entertainment but not in the gossip sense of the Sun Herald which is more about who has a new hair style or who was caught having an affair with whom ever.

Do I sound biased yet - you betcha. Its a bit like TV and radio news these days where the ABC report the news and the commercial stations make the news. Why do the commercial news readers act the news with inflections in their voice or that "look".

Maybe I'm just becoming a grumpy old man!!!! (or was I like this when I was young?)

Strangely, I was struggling to fine a weekend post and yet We have had a great weekend starting with an impromptu invitation Friday night to see a movie documenting on of my fave photographers, Annie Leibovitz of Rolling Stone magazine fame with dinner beforehand. Lovely ride was had on a great spring morning Saturday. To conclude the weekend we just arrived home tonight after a great dinner with friends with fantastic food and several bottles of Pinot Noir mixed with lots of laughter. Hope I can get up for my morning 6.00 am ride.

7 comments:

  1. I think it's a bit of a dilemma the world over Leon. I despair when I see people here reading tabloid newspapers (and they are the majority). The sad part is that they actually think they're getting the news. No.. it's gossip, drivel and pornography.

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  2. I have given up with newspapers, I don't understand them here anyway!! LOL. When in S.Africa I saw the drivel that was written when I knew the facts so I gave up then anyway, and then I did understand them!! Diane

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  3. For me, drinking wine in the evening and exercising in the morning is not good. Too hard on my body.
    I agree with Craig and Diane about "news". I could add something not very nice but won't.

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  4. Craig - I think they must be the majority too. When I do by the Age there is maybe one to every 10 of the Sun Herald. The funny thing is that its produced nearby where I work and on some occasions I can't buy it because the three or four they have are sold out.

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  5. Diane - I believe I'm following in your footsteps and maybe its the future trend that newspapers are becoming a thing of the past.

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  6. Nadege,
    You've said a lot, by saying nothing about the "news".

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  7. Leaping, you should read the latest Quarterly Essay by Robert Manne on the problems of the Murdoch dominated press.

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