Newspapers

 One of my brothers shared a Facebook post about the Minneapolis Star-Tribune newspaper. As I read what he wrote, it made me think back to the influence that paper had on me. To this day, I love newspapers! I love the memories I have with and from them. I love their role in society. And, in the end, I love the part they play in grilling.

A little background. My dad worked for the Strib (as it's commonly called) for 35 years. My uncle did, too, and one of my brothers worked there for 20 years. Sure, the job put food on the table, but more importantly, it put the newspaper on the table. Actually, with a bunch of kids at home, it put two on the table, or there was quacking about who got to read what section. Every morning when I got up, it was there on the table. 

If you're old enough, you'll know that the morning and the evening papers were how you'd see a story develop back in the day before the 24-hour news cycle. I remember reading about how the assassination attempt on President Reagan developed paper by paper. It may have been a better thing for journalism- having to wait, and not rush into reporting stuff that wasn't verified. People certainly had more trust in the media back then.

But I digress. I would read most of the paper every day. I confess, I'd skip the financial section. When you don't have money, it's pointless to read about it. But I'd read the headlines, and the local section, and entertainment, and sports. And, of course, the comics. I appreciate the true classics, but my favorites would be The Far Side, Bloom County, and Dilbert. Fond memories of sitting around the kitchen table reading and eating breakfast with my family...aaaahhhhh.  

Looking back, reading the paper helped me understand a bit about writing. Get to the point and be clear in what you're trying to say. And I killed it in Current Events class! To this day, I do pretty well on trivia night, and I credit my early love of newspapers for that.  

As time has passed, newspapers have struggled. The growth of cable television and the internet have just about killed the industry. That's a sad thing. And a bad one, too. It's great that we have access to instant coverage of the war in Ukraine, but who's keeping an eye on local government? The local paper. From the Strib to the smallest town weekly paper had long been one of the guardians of society. To lose this resource is a loss to our collective well-being and our collective soul.

In the end, of course, they are literally "yesterday's news." Some folks may remember them as fish wrappers, but I use them to start my charcoal for grilling with a chimney starter, which had brought me many happy days. Long live the newspaper!