Memories of proms and newspapers

The regional newspaper asked readers to share stories of their prom memories.  They often ask for reader submissions, I suppose, to help fill empty space or provide content for lazy reporters.

My mother submitted this (edited):

It was 1943 and World War II was raging, but I was looking forward to my high school prom at the beautiful Hotel Middlecoff. Especially joyous was the fact that my hometown boyfriend of one year could escort me there.



He was in the U.S. Coast Guard, stationed in Chicago at the time. Soon to be drafted, he had enlisted in the Coast Guard and could come home on a weekend pass. I was so proud to have the only escort at my prom in military uniform.


I wore my light blue rayon gown interspersed with white velvet circles. No matter I had worn that same gown as a junior the year before, I accessorized it with a gardenia corsage from my boyfriend.


National gas rationing was declared, and I lived 8 miles in the country, but my friends' parents lent him their car for the 16-mile round trip, twice.


The dining room of the hotel was awesome; the dinner and program were great. It was a most happy evening for a country girl like me.


My friend and I were married after the war in 1946. We have been married for 63 years.

There were five other submissions that were published featuring memories from 1940 (2), 1957,1969, and 1972.  Those stories also reinforced my opinion that there really is no one under 50 who still reads a printed newspaper.
 
Where is the regional paper getting revenue now that readers and advertisers are jumping ship to other media?  The newspaper has now become an event planner.  Over the past year they have organized and sponsored health fairs, women's expositions, Greener Living Expo, wedding expositions, garage sales, Tweet-ups and more.  Business participants are sold booth space and ad space in the newspaper's printed promotions.
 
Recently I've given several educational seminars about how businesses can/should adapt to the new economy, and I always use print media as an example of how quickly a business model needs to change if that organization wants to survive in today's fast-paced business environment. Apparently our local media has seen the light.

I really need to look in the mirror more often.

I've been on TV three times in my life. The first time I was in the audience of the local station's afternoon kids' show with Sheriff Sid . My brother was interviewed and I got just enough face time to show my smile, as my relatives told me.

The second time I was 25 years old and on a noon chat show of a Birmingham, AL station with three elders from my then hometown promoting a weekend centennial festival. I was assigned to speak about a specific part of the festival, but the mayor (as all politicians seem to do when on camera) talked and talked and talked and talked and they ran out of time before it was my turn, but I got enough face time to show my smile, as my friends told me.

So last night, at a press conference, I was around TV cameras again, this time in a pan of the speakers' table and milling around in the background. I've never actually seen myself on TV so I turned on the news when I got home and watched for the story. We were watching the coverage of the event, and my husband asked me who I was talking to. Who? "There, you're there on the left hand side." What? And it was over.

I saw that woman with long silver hair on the left hand side of the screen talking to some guy I know. It didn't register that that woman was me. I didn't recognize myself. But I got enough face time to show my smile, as my husband told me.

It's getting pretty disgusting

The latest media probe into the MJ children's lives is about a black-skinned grandmother raising her white-skinned grandchildren. How much more distasteful and offensive can the media get? Leave these children alone.

Redirecting traffic

Web address re-directions are in the news.

Emily Fredrix of Associated Press examines what has happened to the websites of some of the big box stores that have closed their physical stores. Some people apparently think these stores are still selling merchandise and are placing orders with them. There's nothing wrong with that as long as you are aware of the fact that you are actually doing business with a different company.

Also in the news, Jay Leno has won the right to obtain a web address that was owned by someone else. "Having a legitimate reason" to register a website now seems to be a requisite for web address ownership. The former owner was using the site to redirect Web surfers to his real estate business For those who have registered web addresses as investments, they may now be at risk of losing their money.

Bye, buy newspapers

Most older journalists seem to think they can operate like the old days, when information was not readily accessible and other writers' works were easy to plagiarize. Back then, subscribers and readers were more ignorant and sometimes it took years for the truth to be discovered and corrected in inaccurate news stories.

I am pleased to inform you good ole boys that those days are over. Information is flowing fast and furious and much too quickly for that printing press to keep up. We can get our information and get it updated many times before your hard copy hits the front porch. Hundreds or thousands of versions of a news story are available on line where we can read, watch and hear every biased viewpoint imaginable.

Newspapers argue that they print the truth through in-depth investigation and reporting, but we all know that everything ever written is a reflection of the author's (and/or editor's) bias or prejudice. Paid journalists put a slant on their subject matter as much as any blogger ranting in his underwear at the computer (By the way, that description of bloggers came directly from a newspaper publisher). Editors and publishers pick the stories most favorable to their own viewpoints, no better or worse than any blogger.

The best thing about this boundless information era is that it is so much easier and faster to eke out the truth of what is happening in the world. We don't need local, regional or even national newspapers to tell us. If we hear some news, we can get in-depth front line reporting by reading a variety of opinions, assessments, and theories from bloggers in that locale. We can opt to read numerous on-line news services, but we can also watch real time videos and view photos from ordinary people experiencing the event as it happens. With so much information from so many different sources, there is no way to hide the truth behind a story.

There will always be a need for news and writers. It's just that evolution in media has changed so rapidly that newspaper people are still stuck in the clouds of dust left behind by the new reporters who just happen to be you and me and everyone else in the world.

This is exactly what pure freedom of speech and information is all about. The newspapers should be celebrating that this day has finally arrived.

And yet another so-called journalist gets caught

Sometimes they don't do enough in-depth investigation and other times they just steal words.

Dowd said she heard the line from a friend who didn't attribute it to a blog. Funny that Dowd, a Pulitzer Prize winner, didn't even attribute the line to her friend either.

These are acts of desperation from a dying industry.

Media investigation

Last week I listened to a 45 minute speech from a local newspaper publisher extolling the virtues of newspapers in their accuracy, in-depth and truth of reporting, and desperately denying their perceived future demise.

Now comes this AP story out of Ireland that shows just how much in-depth investigation the media does.

And who knows, perhaps this AP story itself is phony.

And Now For A Refreshing Change of Pace

Despite most TV networks being politically biased, it is always refreshing to see ABC allowing libertarian John Stossel so much freedom with his reporting. His 20/20 report Friday night was a good one. You can view all parts here.

There is an interesting interview with Walter Williams and an excellent analogy to ice skating about the current economic crisis.

And if you're curious about the farm subsidies portion of the report and who's getting all the government money in your area, you can search your area here.

Mixed (up) Media

My annoyances with the media reached a new height this week:

1. Network news reporter: "There was less military troops..."

2. Local tv news reporter: "Now...now....now...now...now..." 20 times in 45 seconds

3. Local tv news anchor another station: "Stu-dents (accent on 2nd syllable) are going back to school." The #1 area news anchor still hasn't learned how to speak correctly.

4. Local commercial for monument company: " They are kno-wen for..."

5. Local area newspaper featuring retirement of local official: information wrong in three different paragraphs

Where are these people getting their media college degrees? Someone needs to teach them how to speak correct English and to get their facts straight.