Thursday, March 6, 2008

The WSJ loves Zed ...

See, I have a confession. I read the Wall Street Journal, and I like it. Maybe I'm beginning the inevitable slide into age-appropriate conservatism. Say it ain't so, Huck! But, dang, its become a great newspaper. Predictable, it is not. Entertaining, certainly 'tis that. Challenging and confronting, check. And, opinonated! After all, it is the Wall Street Journal.

In an era where news has become so thoroughly homogenized and commoditized, the WSJ now stands out. Frequently, I am left wondering how the heck they manage to report on that - some obscure, fascinating, and frequently perverse topic. Often I find the discussion of economic or political decisions to be considered, terse to the point of clarity, and yet offering insight that is indicative of a studious and enthusiastic mind.

Now, admittedly I am a media junkie and must own up to a fetishistic fascination with the form itself. But, although I came to this daily habit through necessity rather than choice (its the only
national paper I can get delivered in PDN. So, I have fed the addiction through a regular diet of opinion, reportage, and whimsy. May my countryman, Rupert, not distract the Journal from its current course. Because I love the WSJ just the way it is, and that's true love if ever I saw it!

Most popular articles on WSJ.com on some particular day:
  1. Monks: Thou Shalt Not Buy Too Much Beer
  2. Ethanol .. Craze Fools as Doubts Grow
  3. Head of Rove Inquiry in Hot Seat
  4. Sharp Blows at Republican Debate
  5. Some Colleges Cut, Eliminate Student Debt

p.s. I particularly like Joe Morgenstern's film reviews:

"'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly' is unsparing and inspiring in equal measure. The camera immediately puts us in the position of its hero, a man regaining consciousness after a catastrophic stroke that has left him lucid but almost completely paralyzed ... no premise for popular entertain could be more improbable. Yet, Julian Schnabel's magnificent French-language film, like its true life subject, transcends reality's prison with surreal buoyancy".

1 comment:

Bronco Billy said...

Gotta admit that despite my turbulent love affair with the Washington Post, I'm a WSJ fan as well. I do wonder how long your boy Rupert can go before the irresistible urger to tweak kicks in.

Media outlets seem a lot like pro football teams - run by a small and elite club of owners who, even if they buy a winner, eventually fall into the inevitable urge muck about with the formula.

Let's hope that Rupert's either a different sort or that he's already too stinking rich to notice or be bothered.