A Tradition Passes

For more years than I can remember, I've had the same Sunday ritual: buy a Sunday paper then go to a restaurant for lunch to read it. It's equal parts comfort and relaxation for me. A full happy belly and a fully informed mind. Then I go home and take a nap. Oh yeah.

Since moving to my current apartment, about eight years ago, I've gone to the same Chinese restaurant for buffet and to read the Commercial Appeal. But a few months ago, the ritual broke. I don't read the Sunday Commercial Appeal any more. It's just not worth it. And I hate eating by itself. Not eating alone, which isn't a problem, but eating without reading.

Yeah, it's only two dollars, so it's hard to argue waste of money. But I find I don't really read it; I just skim, and selectively at that. Comics and the editorial pages are my must reads on Sunday, then I would read the old Fanfare section, with its book reviews, literature and language columns, and other arts coverage. That's gone now, replaced by the amorphous and anemic "M." Most of the old Fanfare content was lost in the translation.

The new "Midtown Appeal?" Not so appealing for me. Lots of stuff written (often without crediting) by the subjects of the article. Lots of pics and "feel good." Bleh. It's the answer to all the folks who have demanded their paper write positive news, but it's not what I buy a paper for. I buy a paper for access to information I can't otherwise get access to.

The only good thing in Editorial now is that they have opened the paged to guest editorialists on subjects of their interest or expertise. The downside is that often it's the same old experts trotting out the same old lines (Dr. Carol Johnson touting Memphis schools), or partisan experts on subjects they might have a partisan interest in (an anti-spanking children's violence worker on spanking in the City schools), or city officials plugging their proposals (Barry Lendermon on backing the plan to privatise the Promenade). It's not as usual to see strong counter-voices to projects with announced City, County, State or newspaper backing. Then there are the endless variations on "life is Memphis is great, if you look at it right."

Their columnists? There are only two now, instead of the stable the paper used to publish. True, the old crew were infuriating and partisan and dishonest. Thorp, Locker, Wade, Brosnan, Sullivan, Branson, et al., would at least tackle subjects of import and merit, even if they frequently abused the privilege with private agendas and personal biases or other animosities. They were compelling to read.

David Waters and Wendi Thomas aren't. Thomas is young, shallow and predictable. She writes about the same, usual stuff everyone else is talking about in ways you've already heard. She brings nothing new to the table, a cardinal sin to me for any columnist. Waters is... well, a self-righteous, smug moralist with a Big Waving Finger of Shame. He's thoroughly out of step with his community. The big one, Memphis, not his little coterie of liberal agendists. Missing the old crew's columns meant missing something. These two I feel safe in ignoring.

After that, what's left in the paper? Not much, at least for me. The front page is taken over with feel good fluff, sensationalism (a common crime in news, not just the Commercial Appeal) or news I already read on the 'Net. The "Greater Memphis" pages are smaller than the old Metro section they replace and less valuable. State news reporting is greatly diminished; Arkansas and Mississippi reporting is almost nil, especially compared to the old days.

Business reporting has gone up -- that's good -- but it's too often fluff again and not the kind of valuable reporting business news could be. Kowtowing to business advertisers isn't the same as business investigatory reporting. I hear story after story about abuses out at FedEx from friends and acquaintances, but never see a peep in the Commercial Appeal. Story after story in the "Greater Memphis" pages about reversed or unusual rulings by Land Use boards, City and County government, etc., editorials about the influence of developers, but never an investigation of the big names. So-called "predatory lenders" get reamed for weeks, but the banks that refuse to cater to the markets these lenders serve seem to get a pass. It makes you wonder. It makes me skip the section.

The Sports and Real Estate stuff mean nothing at all to me. Could not care less.

So, yeah, two dollars is cheap, but it's not value for money, at least for me. The Friday paper is the only issue I even attempt to make an effort to get any more. It's a real value at fifty cents. If I'm otherwise curious to see what the Commercial Appeal has to say, I go online. And that web-paper is the subject of another post. Let's just say: very slow page loads and an arrangement that doesn't match the dead-tree version, making finding anything frustrating. Because I'm not going to learn two Commercial Appeal layouts just to satisfy lazy or obstinate programmers.

Now I'm stuck with what to do on Sundays. I guess I could save the Friday paper, but that seems odd. I could read books, goodness knows I'm behind on my reading, but that means one-handed eating. I could buy a Friday USA TODAY and save that, but I quit reading them when I went whole-hog reading the net. I can get the same snapshot effect that I used to get from them on the Web. The New York Times is too much. Any suggestions?

It's a shame, really. I feel as though something has passed away. Maybe it has.