Journalism in South Carolina

"The Lowcountry looks like it’s been hit by Hurricane Mark." — Rep. John Graham Altman, R-Charleston

I first learned the trade of journalism in Tennessee, so I hope I can be forgiven if I occasionally revert to an atavistic form of that genre — the form that Mark Twain lampooned so brilliantly.

I managed to shy away from that temptation in editing today’s lead editorial, which quoted recent headlines about Gov. Sanford’s vetoes in the Charleston and Greenville papers, to wit:

— "Sanford vetoes funds for local groups," The Greenville News

— "Veto Storm Hits Lowcountry," The Post and Courier

But this is my blog, and in the vigorous spirit of my 19th century journalistic forebears, I feel free to give vent to my righteous indignation at the cupidity of those greedy poltroons in the Upstate and the degenerate hedonists of the Lowcountry. (One must particularly admire the hyperbolic hyperventilations of our brethren down on the coast, who led their report — an apparent news story, not an editorial, mind you — thusly: "Only a hurricane could do more damage to the Lowcountry than Gov. Mark Sanford’s veto pen." They did attribute that sentiment to local lawmakers, but we all know that dodge.)

I, me, mine — that’s all they think about. Here we are in Columbia doing our best to think about the interests of the state as a whole — our energies are devoted to nothing else — and all they can do up and down the road from us is whine about their petty, parochial little local goodies. Well, it’s enough to make a decent man blush with mortification at the state of the human race.

Of course, being eaten up with intellectual honesty as we habitually are here in the true heart of the state, we do have to acknowledge that there weren’t any local goodies in the budget for the Midlands. To which we must ask, why? You would think that, as tirelessly selfless as we are in doing good for Sandlappers everywhere, the solons could throw us an occasional budgetary bone.

Why, if only some farsighted lawgiver had thought to, say, build us a AAA minor league ballpark on the old CCI property, with a fully stocked skybox for the ladies and gentlemen of the press, we might have joined our sagacious counterparts on the coast and in the foothills, and denounced the cruel pecuniary strangulation perpetrated by that shortsighted penny-pincher in the governor’s office.

But since they didn’t, we continue to take the long view.

One thought on “Journalism in South Carolina”

  1. Mark Twain Fan

    Mark Twain has been a hero of mine forever, and I’ve made it a hobby to read everything I can of his. I admit when we spoke today I only had a vague recollection of “Journalism in Tennessee,” but I refreshed my memory.
    Excellent analogy. Thanks for sharing.
    It brings to mind another Twain classic. I wonder if some of our S.C. friends in the news are getting letters like the one the Buffalo (New York) Coal Dealer named Abner Scofield received from the Office of the Recording Angel, Department or Petition.
    Page one of “Letter to the Earth” is at:
    http://www.swiftmagazine.com/backissues/swift-2-1-22.pdf
    I’ve book marked your BLOG. I’ll be back.

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