Here is the news
I would normally start my day by reading the headlines.
Unfortunately this is becoming more and more difficult.
There was a time when The Irish Times was considered to be a trustworthy and educated newspaper and I suppose that image is difficult to shift. In the last while however I have noticed a sad tendency of a one respected paper to litter the front page with click-bait. Today for example I see ‘I keep cheating on my boyfriends and I don’t know why’ or ‘Houseplants: Where to buy them in Ireland, and the best apps for keeping them alive‘. Yes – broadsheet headlines! Clicking on the links just brings up a banner demanding a subscription. They used to have a subscription only section but that seems to have gradually increased to include virtually every article. So they’re off my list.
RTE was another port of call. I suppose that was a case of loyalty to the Old Firm but their articles seem to be reasonably accurate, if a little biassed towards the politically correct view. For some reason though the site apparently isn’t available outside Ireland which I quickly discovered when I started using a VPN. Maybe they just have a thing against virtual networks? Anyhows it’s irritating having to switch networks off and on just to view a website. They are down the list and in danger of falling off the bottom.
The Journal is reaching the top of the list, once I learned to ignore their constant banners about “news not being free” or “Support us now”. [Hint for anyone using Firefox’s uBlock Origin – right click on a page element and click on “Block element…”!]. They are very much a cut and paste news outfit and tend to clutter the place up with items about sport but at least they are readily accessible.
I had tended to avoid The Examiner in the past but find myself increasingly drawn to them. They used to be The Cork Examiner and their loyalty to the area is still apparent which I suppose is fair enough.
I don’t know quite why I turn to the News so readily. There are few items of interest apart from the threat of war in the east which might affect me if it went nuclear [Shannon is an obvious target in a world war?]. I don’t give a shit about Norn Iron and their Brexit/Good Friday Agreement argument except for a mild amusement at attempting to solve a paradoxical conundrum. As for Boris? Hah! Fun to watch, I suppose.
The only big news of the day is that Queen Lizzie has formally endorsed her idiot son as heir to the throne. Not only that but she’s endorsed Camilla as queen. I’m sure many Diana fans with take to that one easily?
Maybe I should just invent my own news?
I always bought a serious broadsheet daily newspaper for the quality of the reporting and erudition of the feature writers, offering ongoing daily adult education. Sadly we’re a dying breed and so are those writers – and if we’re not buying the papers, the advertisers won’t pay for the pages. The only remaining reason to buy one is the maintained quality of the cryptic crosswords – that’s about half an hour’s amusement for £2.50, there are women round these parts cheaper than that (so I’m told).
Once they move on-line, they discover the joy of click-bait as a means of separating the hard-of-thinking from their money, so the downward spiral accelerates to bait more of them, taking any remaining quality with it. After which, we too can only gather news at headline level, never getting the depth and analysis previously available. But as most of the news is so bad, maybe it helps our happiness index – every cloud, as they say.
Like Archie Bunker, (All in the family), I get my news from the National Enquirer. The only newspaper in America you can trust anymore.
I find it fairly amusing that Harry Hewitt is no 6 in line!
I have an online subscription to the FT – the only paper I trust.
I’m worried about Shannon being a target in a nuclear war. Munster are going well in the European Champions Cup and it would mess up the season if Limerick were to be irradiated.
Share your bewilderment; I refer these days to the learned pages of The Daily Mash for in-depth analysis of world events. Headlines such as, “We read your meter then randomly pick a figure you can’t afford: How your energy bill is calculated”, “Boris must remain prime minister. If he doesn’t I’ve just married some dick”, and “Unimaginative man thinking of own girlfriend while having a wank” have served to widen my knowledge of current affairs. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
In turn, may I recommend Waterford Whispers? I find their articles very incisive and accurate.
“Zuckerberg Retreats To Metaverse Amid $230bn Stock Plunge”
“World Informed They Can Have Amazonian Rainforest Or Cheap Hamburgers, Not Both”
“Frantic Search For Remote As TV Threatens Shut Down In 60 Seconds”
Ah yes, the search for the remote.
Spend 45 minutes tearing the place apart so you can change the channel. In the course of the search, you have passed by the TV five times not bothering to change the channel while there. “The damned thing came with a remote for good reason and I’m going to use it!”