I think I’ll drop the cutesy ersatz-Cronkite “the way it is” thing, and just call this the front page. Here’s today’s:
Voters to choose Cromartie replacement April 6 — After going back and forth on the matter (to judge by the Tweets I saw all day), Columbia City Council decided unanimously to add the newly opened seat to the ballot on which voters will choose a new mayor. So — who can mount an effective campaign that quickly? Will it be a successor hand-picked by Cromartie, or someone with independence? We’ll see.
SC Unemployment Rate Hits New High — At 12.6 percent, it was the fourth-highest in the nation.
Chamber Endorses Gresham Barrett, Vincent Sheheen — That’s an interesting pairing. They like Barrett because he’s for “comprehensive tax reform, ensuring South Carolina remains a right-to-work state, infrastructure improvement and energy independence.” They like Sheheen because he’s for“comprehensive tax reform, port expansion, the technical college system, low-cost energy and small business growth are all priorities that support a globally competitive South Carolina.”
Meeting With Biden, Palestinians Stick to Plan for Talks — As I indicated yesterday, the process stays on track in spite of plan for new settlements, which is promising. Plenty of harsh words were said about it (and should be, if you ask me), but it’s not a deal-killer.
Lost Boys actor Corey Haim dies aged 38 — Gotta tell you, I have no idea who this kid was, aside from what I’m now reading. When I asked aloud, “Who’s Corey Haim?,” I was told I would recognize his picture. I didn’t. But there’s so much buzz about him via social media and other outlets that I’m putting him on the front. I’m doing this in direct defiance of the Ratts rule of news: “News is what happens to, or interests, an editor.” That Ratts is such a cynic…
Facebook, Twitter Updates Spell Trouble in Small Workplace — Speaking of social media — I felt like there was enough hard news on the page (and note that it’s fresh stuff that wasn’t in the morning papers) that it might be nice to vary it up with a watercooler type of trend story.
And that’s the way it is, Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.
I’m confused about what City Council did after reading The State. WIS has a different take. Did they really schedule the election or are they waiting for an AG opinion?
“logistically not being able to get the names on the ballot” is a stupid reason–many local print shops can and would be glad to deal with this logistic. The issue ostensibly is that no one was ready to run (and why not–I’ve been running around since the last election encouraging alternative candidates—EW was a disgrace before I knew he was so venal.) People in District 2 who care can easily “get to know” the candidates if they choose. We don’t need massive fundraising and endless “debates.”
QUESTION: Does anyone find this feature valuable? I enjoy doing it, but it does take up a lot of time.
ALSO: I’m trying to figure out a time of day to do this. I’ve thought about getting up really early in the morning to do it, but 59 percent of voices in my head scream NO! to that one. Besides, I think these are better, and newsier, when I do them on the p.m. cycle. In which case, what’s the best time? noon? 5 p.m.?
And does it matter whether I do it at the same time every day? I sort of think I should, because if readers DO like it, it would be reasonable to expect them to look for it at a certain time each day. But that presents an additional challenge. I have to work to earn bread, and every day my schedule is different.
All of which are factors that make me really want to know how much y’all value this daily briefing…
People can set up an RSS feed to ensure they get ALL your posts. I use Google Reader, but there are others.