/rant

Working in the news industry makes me sick.

S-I-C-K.

And it's a seemingly accurate prediction for our culture, if you ask me. The day my well-established daily publishes a photo NOT for their monetary benefit, NOT to court readers or online commenters, I will claim this a journalistic endeavor. BUT NO. Some journalists happen to work here. We also happen to have loads of reporters who PRETEND to write a fair story, but who are really more concerned about making it a SLANTED, SENSATIONALIST few shitted-out inches to take up space on A1!

Honestly, living with my sister and learning a little more about laws, the judicial system, enforcement, penalties, etc., has changed many of my viewpoints on stories we run and SLANTS the paper takes. Her legal experience has opened my eyes to the holes and gaps many stories leave. We remove the humans from the most human of stories. It is insulting.

Though after taking a step back, I know I will miss "my" paper and only speaking of it with loving praise. Or grumble about it when I realize life is better when I don't work for a newspaper-selling company. Maybe not working here (or anywhere!) will serve as encouragement to continue my own journalistic efforts, and my ideals of treating more people with the fairness and respect they deserve, not by being upstanding citizens or anything, but just for being ALIVE.

So, I guess, just for the record and the raving rants:
NO, KNS, I DO NOT SEE IT APPROPRIATE to pair a picture of said mother being CUFFED on the jump page about the year's top stories. It is more relevant that her screw-ball husband practically didn't serve time for shooting and killing some motherfucker! Put a photo of that on the jump, not some woman who is going to be lambasted till she dies!!!!! Why not call more attention to the horrendous environmental disaster in Harriman!? Maybe that will encourage people to LOG OFF YOUR WEBSITE and save energy and stop leaving stupid comments about the story we deemed the "loooove triangle?!"

I would love to say this is a Southern phenomena -- local newspaper and rednecks team up to ruin subject's life -- but I'm sure it exists in idealist land/Portland, too.

... we shall see. 31 days and counting, though I get to QUIT TWO JOBS about a week before that. My brain needs a healthy dose of unemployment. So does my body.