Front Pages

For an avid reader like myself flights and airport sky lounges provide the opportunity to read several newspapers. So while traveling today I read the following six newspapers:

Pioneer Press
Star Tribune
Wall Street Journal
USA Today
Financial Times
The Oklahoman

An interesting exercise I would encourage my readers to consider is a quick review of what types of stories newspapers choose to focus on compared to their competitors. So of these six newspapers I read today here are the most prominent headlines/themes listed in the same order as the newspaper list above –

“Rough Roads Ahead” -- fixing potholes in St. Paul, Minnesota
“Seven Glorious Days in March” – boys’ state basketball tournament in Minnesota
“New Detroit Woe: Makers of Parts Won’t Cut Prices” – automobile parts suppliers
“Democracy’s Support Sinks” - 43% of Iraqis want a democratic government
“Business Lobbies for Emissions Restrictions” – mandatory targets to cut carbon emissions
“Former Legislator was Stipe Debtor” – home mortgage loan from a former Oklahoma state senator to a former state representative

Overall this list represents a very wide range of editorial decisions regarding what each newspaper should focus on. Granted this is a small sampling of newspapers but it does show the concern expressed over “media ownership concentration” (and the resulting lack of diversity in news coverage) is perhaps a bit overblown if readers actively seek out a range of publications.

Support your local paper,

Todd