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Phillip Blanchard
 Post subject: Not a few papers run Reuters unedited, too
PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2002 5:42 pm 
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Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2002 1:01 am
Posts: 8342
Location: Bethesda, Md.
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Laptops have always been a hot item but a 50-year-old scientist did not realise to what extent until he burned his penis. <p>***Funny? No. News? No. Interesting? No. Probably every paper in America will run the stupid thing because "it's out there; it's got people talking."***
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 Post subject: Re: Not a few papers run Reuters unedited, too
PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2002 7:16 pm 
I select and edit the items every day for our Nation/World section, and while THAT item probably wouldn't make my cut, I do run items that drift out of the conventional selection process by adhering to one time-tested philosophy that's proven to work: "Run stories that are likely to upset old people." Our letters-to-the-editor section (and my work e-mail acount) are filled with humorously irritable this-nation-is-going-to-hell-in-a-handbasket responses from 84-year-old readers who apparently have a hard time digesting their morning bran muffins after reading stories about promiscuous-teen studies, kids-know-nothing-about geography surveys, and the like.<p>In today's paper, I ran a big story about college-football riots around the country late Saturday night, with a photo of drunk college students tipping over a car, and was not disappointed by my regular curmudgeonly correspondents! I had 26 e-mails this morning, and the opinion page editor had about 20.<p>Viagra stories, Medicare-cut stories, prescription-drug-cost stories and the like also work well under this philosophy. How does it work at your paper?
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Bumfketeer
 Post subject: Re: Not a few papers run Reuters unedited, too
PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2002 9:06 pm 
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Location: Cusp of retirement, grave or both
Man. Stupid. Offensive. Not funny. This story is a newspaper's dream.<p>Just imagine: If Rinker Buck had used one of these pecker-fryin' laptops, we might have been spared a story or two about his exploits.
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 Post subject: Re: Not a few papers run Reuters unedited, too
PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2002 9:21 pm 
I'm lloking ahead to the forthcoming book by Rinker Buck's alleged sexual conquests: "First Minute: Rinker-Dink's Phallic Failings."
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