Americana: The Sunday Paper
As a kid, I wanted the comics first. As a young man, I went for the sports section. Today, I read business first. I'm not sure that's progress. Uploaded by geardiary.com.
Everyone says the Internet will eventually run newspapers out of business. And there’s no disputing the facts – according to Yahoo! Finance, 24 of the 25 largest newspapers are experiencing record decline in circulation. And while I completely buy that, there’s simply nothing the Internet can do that compares to a hefty Sunday newspaper.
I don’t really read the newspaper for, well, news. Or even sports. I read those online, and get to enjoy the writing and commentary of people from lots of newspapers, not just one. But I love the local news. I like seeing who got new jobs, who got married, what’s happening on the local arts scene, what new businesses are coming to town. I even hold my nose and read the local editors’ views of the world.
Uploaded by theonion.com.
Other sections of the paper have their place as well. My wife and step-daughter go straight for the advertising circulars and coupons. I hope that kids still look forward to the Sunday comics as I used to. And the Sunday crossword is a challenge I rise to when Sundays are leisurely.
Of course, the best Sunday paper is the New York Times. There I find the Book Review section, an extensive Travel section, a Style section that frequently causes me to shake my head (“Those crazy New Yorkers!”) and the NYT Sunday Magazine.
I hope the newspaper industry can right itself, because it’s definitely got an important niche that no other media, not even the Internet, can fill. But Monday through Saturday I’ll leave to others, just let me enjoy the Sunday paper.