Years ago, reading at the breakfast table was limited to cereal boxes, as my mother energetically forbade me to bring whatever book I was currently devouring to meals. Now I relish having a newspaper full of reading material to enjoy - and no one to stop me from doing so!
How do I start when I pick up the freshly delivered bundle? There are people who have their rituals, beginning with sports or cultural events or the financial pages, or even with personal ads, but for me it depends on what my personal priorities are at the time.
Am I planning an excursion or a weekend trip? Then the weather forecast (starting with the pictograms on the front page that contain the basic information) may be foremost on my mind. In its extensive version, a bit farther back in the paper, I check the pollen forecast during hayfever season.
The front page headlines are the very first focal point, of course. Depending on my TV newscast viewing on the previous evening, I may read the important articles or just skim them. I usually take a look at the commentary on page two to see if the topic interests me.
I skim the local pages to see if anything there concerns me or people I know (including notices of births, deaths, and weddings), only reading articles when they catch my attention.
I do read the cultural articles if they're of general interest; I have on occasion taken a trip to see an art exhibition elsewhere if it particularly interests me after reading about it. And of course the reports of local concerts, etc. are especially interesting if I was there and want to compare my impressions with those of the reviewer. I do also read movie reviews and check to see what the local theaters are showing.
I normally skip the sports pages, both national and local, as they rarely interest me. Neither I nor anyone close to me is actively involved, so I only glance at the photos to see if I recognize someone. But now, during the World Cup, the football pages are suddenly fascinating to read. I peruse the background information about teams and players, read the post-match reports to compare my own impressions with those of the experts, and enjoy the humorous human-interest anecdotes from the sidelines.
And the advertising that finances much of the paper? Well, news of a sale at one of the favorite stores can be welcome information, but mostly I ignore the ads. I don't need a car, house, or new job, and I have other, more interesting things to do with my time.
When it comes down to it, I normally "use" only a fraction of the flood of information the daily paper brings me - but that bit is important enough that I wouldn't want to miss it!
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3 comments:
We all have our favourite parts of a newspaper.
It is luxuriating, isn't it, to peruse the paper while tarrying over morning coffee. I wonder, a guilty pleasure, like time stolen from other demands?
I think you have a point there, Alphabeth (great nick!). The interesting thing about newspapers is that you can fit them into your timing. When I don't care to get going with whatever's ahead of me, I find myself reading articles that I wouldn't normally look at. When other things are more important, I skim even the most interesting articles. Kind of a rubber band, eh?!
Jean-Luc, I notice that your comment is very general - you don't mention which parts *you* like most!
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