Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Strib Follies.

I don’t subscribe to the Minneapolis Star Tribune but the company where I work indeed does.

Seeing the actual hard copy newspaper, as opposed to the online version, helps me visualize how the Strib prioritizes their news.

Check out the stories in this morning’s edition:

Michele Bachmann, who is running for the US House of Representatives, confesses her strong Christian faith at a local church where the pastor states his support for her candidacy. As a result, the IRS looks to investigate Living Word Christian Center to be sure they aren’t violating their tax-exempt status. According to the Strib, that is front page news.

Meanwhile a staffer on the campaign of Patty Wetterling, Bachmann’s opponent, was fired Tuesday due to his unethical attempts to gain access to the Bachmann campaign strategy. Certainly that’s big news, right? Nah. Page B2 of the Metro Local Twin Cites & Region section seemed to suffice.

How about the man convicted in the drunken-driving crash which killed Timberwolves player Malik Sealy back in 2000? Souksangouane Phengsene was pulled over this past weekend with a blood alcohol level of 0.21, more than twice the legal limit. Phengsene was only two years removed from the end of the prison sentence he served for killing Sealy. Conveniently left out of that story (buried on page B5 of that same Twin Cities & Region section, by the way) is the fact that Hennepin County attorney (and current Democratic candidate for the US Senate) Amy Klobuchar sought the four-year jail term for Phengsene. Ah, but I guess that’s not relevant to the story.

I have to admit I’m just a novice. I don’t read the newspaper enough to decipher what’s important news and what is merely fluff.

Can anyone help me out here?

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