Newspaper Rant

What's black and white and read all over? If some people have their way, it won't be the newspaper. Why? Tell me, why? Just because I love my Twitter and the blog posts that come to my Google Reader, does this mean I should ditch (or diss) my newspaper?

So many people I meet online see everything in black and white (yes that's another newspaper joke). They love their breaking news (and yes, I found it rather shocking that after hearing about Ted Kennedy's passing on Twitter, I didn't read about it in the paper for 1 1/2 days) a

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nd their tidbits of juicy information (Kanye West anyone?). But why does it have to be either social media or the newspaper? Can't we have both?

Here's a few reasons I will continue to read my local newspaper--the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix--each day.

1) I believe in buying locally. I want to keep my city vibrant and growing. I believe that supporting my local newspaper is part of my plan to consume locally. I like the local coverage in my newspaper. It also covers national and international stories that I can find elsewhere. I think that local newspapers need to go even more in-depth with those local stories in order to attract readers.

2) I am a tactile person. I like the feel of the newspaper. I also like the idea that my newspaper boy (or girl) has trekked around the neighbourhood early in the morning (making some ca$h) to deliver my paper. My husband sits and reads the paper along with his breakfast cereal. I read it later and do the Suduko (in pen, I'm proud to say. If I mess up, I

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give up for that day). A little later my son (17 years old) reads the paper from front to back. I even like the feel of the papers as I recycle them using Saskatoon's Curbside Recycling service.

3) Currently I have three main sources for news in my life:

1. I use Twitter for the latest stories. However, how much detail can be given in 140 characters? I do click on links sometimes to read more. Twitter is like the headlines or the captions for the news.

2. I read the local newspaper six days each week. This gives me more detail on the news I have seen in short form on Twitter. I follow local stories this way.

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3. I read the Maclean's magazine (similar to Times or Newsweek for those in the United States). This weekly magazine provides more in-depth commentary and information on some of the national and international stories in the world. For example, it just had a cover story on the Kennedy family.

Bottom line for me is that I love my newspaper. Please, don't let it die. Tell your local newspaper folk how they can better meet your needs and serve you. Help them to find their niche in this evolving world of instant, viral news stories.

Who are you--Ceolaf? Anonymity in an E-World

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Yolanda vanPetten purchased a burka and wore it on the streets of Saskatoon. (News article in Saskatoon Star Phoenix, July 24, 2009) She wanted to understand what women who wear a burka experience every day. It was an unusual sight for people in this prairie city. She was stopped and questioned by the police and found that some people avoided her. In the end, she concluded that "anonymity is a wonderful power".

This caused me to reflect on some comment threads on one of Will Richardson's blog posts in July. A newcomer (according to Will) in the comments was a person with the moniker of Ceolaf. Ceolaf can be quite challenging of the opinions of others in his or her comments. In reply to one of Ceolaf's comments, the next responder used the pronoun "she" to refer to Ceolaf.

Here's what Bill Ferriter said, "But even though they haven’t been articulated well, I think we all know what those “larger lessons” are. Ceolaf names many of them, doesn’t she? We want kids to work collaboratively and to be critical thinkers. We value creativity and innovation and problem solving."

Ceolaf responded in a defensive manner--citing his or her credentials in using computer technology over many years. "Bill, why do you assume I am a woman? Is it because I am expressing a Deb Meier sort of viewpoint? Is it because you think I am uncomfortable with technology? Would it change [your] view if I mentioned that I — 15-20 years ago — knew more than half a dozen programming languages, wrote some educational software for higher education, was hand-coding HTML before the first Netscape [browser], carried my own laptop to school (as a teacher) every day in the early 1990s, kept my grades on my computer long before you could buy specialized software for the job, and remain an “early adopter” of technology? From what I have seen, women are rather in the minority among commenters of this blog, so I am curious why you concluded that I am a women. (I suppose that that could be a reason to use a pseudonym like mine, right? To hide my gender. Or [maybe] I really am Debbie Meieir….hmmm…I’ll need to look into that

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.)"

Bill Ferriter replied, "ceolaf asked:
Bill, why do you assume I am a woman? Is it because I am expressing a Deb Meier sort of viewpoint? Is it because you think I am uncomfortable with technology?

None of the above, ceolaf! I just needed to use some kind of pronoun and the “he/she” is awkward at best. In those cases, “she” is as good as “he” and much better than “it.”

I’m never opposed to people who hide their genders in online conversations, but I always hope they won’t be offended when other readers are forced to guess when choosing how to respond."

Whether an individual is wearing a burka (like Yolanda vanPetten) or using a pseudonym to hide identity and gender online (like Ceolaf), anonymity can give a sense of power. For myself, I prefer to find my power within an online identity in which I can be transparent and yet professional. I don't need to shelter within a burka or a moniker.