Another news watching tip

Today's tip on reading the news.
Some news publications use
location of a particular news
story to influence whether
you even read the story.
A case in point.
In the 1998 senate race in
South Dakota between
incubent Larry Pressler and
Tim Johnson, it was a very
close race right up to
election time.
Senator Larry Pressler
was chairman of the
committe which pertained
to the communication industry.
He had just succssfully
led an extremely important
bill on communication
through the senate.
On the Saturday before
the elections, the Rapid
City Journal carried a story
on this accomplishment.
Even thouht it was an
important accomplishment
on the part of Senator
Pressler which affected all
of us, the story was carried
on page 13 in the complete
bottom right hand corner of
the newspaper. It was a
very short story, one column
about three inches long.
Both the Headline and the
story were printed in very
light grey, hardly noticeable.
Certainly most readers
would take one look at it
and consider it too
unimportant to read.
Such a story, printed on
the front page or page
three, all in very black
print and taking up
half a page, might have
made the difference in
how the election came
out. No where in the
headline or story did it
mention he was a
Republican.
Contrast this treatment of
Senator Larry Pressler with
him opponent, Tim Johnson.
Tim Johnson was our
congressman at the time.
On page three, the entire
upper half of the page was
taken up with a story about
him, filled with unimportant
information which was written
up in such a way as to glorify
him and his supposed
accomplishments.
The headling was hugh and
printed in the blackest of black
print and ran the full length
of the page. The sub heading
and news story about him filled
up the rest of the upper half of
page three and both were again
printed in the blackest color
possible. The fact that he was
a Democrat was mentioned in
the headline, the sub heading
and several times in the story.
Needless to say, Tim Johnson
won the election by a very
narrow margin.
Believe it or not, the Rapid
City Journal was rated by a
liberal organization as a
news paper which was a
backer of conservatives and
conservative causes. Anyone
who has been a Rapid City
Journal reader must get a
big chuckle out of that bit
of news.
*************
Looking for an online shopping
mall offering about anything
you might desire, at very
attractive prices? Check
out this online shopping mall.
http://www.mypowermall.com/mall/38273

If you'd like your very own
shopping mall, now you can:
http://www.mypowermall.com/biz/Home/38273