The Mercury News devoted the majority of its front page today to an in-depth look at the hormonal changes that occur in adolescents. Though puberty has been around for at least several hundred years, this may be the first time that it has merited such prominent top-of-fold coverage. This apparently indicates a desire by daily newspapers, in the sunset years of their existence, to examine “real” issues that affect readers lives, no matter how unimportant, rather than the political chatterings and reports of airplane crashes and terrorist bombings that too frequently masquerade as “news.”
Under the large, all caps headline “PUBERTY,” Silicon Valley’s only daily newspaper, winner of several Pulitzer prizes under its previous ownership, breathlessly revealed that humans between the ages of 10 and 16 begin paying attention to members of the opposite sex — and leave clothes on the floors of their rooms. It noted that “puberty is the hormonal hothouse where children take their first harrowing steps toward becoming grown-ups.” Following a sentence that gratuitously managed to include the word “sex” three times, the piece additionally disclosed that “boys’ voices crack” and girls experience “subtle, yet intense, new feelings, while ... their bodies require layers of secret new armature.”
An editor’s note frames the subject, part of a series on mundane events, by explaining, “The daily news cycle is filled with sound and fury but often overlooks the important events taking place in the lives of ordinary people. During 2009, the Mercury News will publish a story each month about the events that make each life extraordinary.”
The full article can be found here.
In other news, Google announced a reduction in force of 200 positions—1 percent of its global workforce. The Mercury News story can be found at the bottom of Section E.
Yeah, and last Tuesday they ran a Cassidy byline story on page 1A top of the fold on Bill “pork parmigiana” Carlsen’s new hot dog stand on Market and Santa Clara. Bill couldn’t have bought that much publicity. Slow opinion week for Cassidy?
They call this a newspaper???? They wonder why folks go on line for news????
Soon the Fry’s ads will be included as a part of the news/op-ed pieces. Just slip it in between paragraphs. Who’d notice?
Right…and on Wednesday, the Merc ran a story on the cover that took shots at Michael Phelps. “…pyrotechnics erupted all around him, leaving Phelps in a familiar-looking haze of smoke…as he stood there, you could almost feel him trying not to inhale.” What a cheap shot.
I’d say the article in the Merc wasn’t half bad. Now at the age of 24, it definitely brought back some of those awkward elementary and middle school feelings and instances.
Maybe it was my short attention span playing a part here, but I got to a point where I had to pause and scroll down to see how much more time I was going to put into reading it.
I’m a busy guy you know!
Maybe the story wasn’t a bad idea though. We’re all voyeurs to some extent. This article is a way to peer into someones personal life.
Not bad Merc! And you gave me quite the chuckle at the end there Bruce Newman!
A pretty sad state of affairs for San Jose’s paper. I mean at this rate they’re well on their way to becoming a ridiculous tabloid-like paper, kinda like…….The Metro!
And yet here we are, commenting on a newstory about a newstory.
Simple observation: Painfully missing from this site, ALL WEEK, is ANY mention of the OPD officers murdered by parolee rapist and murderer Lovelle Mixon. This tragedy is unprecedented in the Bay Area and the greatest loss of officers in one event since 9-11. I know Tom McEnery’s position without having to see his comment on this site. His support of our men and women in blue is well known. I expect silence, or worse, from cop-hater Raj Jayadev. Are the rest of the staff columnists showing their true colors? I do not know but the silence is deafening…
#6. I turn to this site (and the others) for local news that’s not readily available elsewhere.
The tragedy of the OPD officers received thorough coverage in the press, and if I wanted to discuss it further, I wouldn’t choose a forum dedicated to “San Jose politics and culture” in which to do so.
#8 Wow, that simple for you? Twenty minutes north of SJ, not interested. Quite revealing I would say.
In case you did not see it, my comment was primarily directed at the columnists. As well, other discussions in this forum demonstrate that many others here DO CARE about a tragedy of this magnitude. FYI local news blogs are flooded with comments from all over the US and other countries.
As well, topics on this site are not limited to issues existing only within SJ boundaries. To consider for a minute that this tragedy does not effect everyone in the Bay Area is ignorant at best, at worst, cold and heartless…
The mercury news is a bunch of liars. I hope they go out of business.
#9-Realty,
You are not alone in your concern that these Officers have died. Like you and millions of others, I am horribly saddened by it myself. Countries from all over the world are sending their condolences to Oakland, and yes, it is worth discussion here on SJI. You don’t need permission to get such a discussion going. That is what Rants and Raves is for.
The lack of respect for the Police, and the sacrifices they make for us every day is very disheartening to say the least. I must however disagree with you that Raj is a “cop hater.” I think he is simply voicing concerns about a few bad apples, and a few improperly used laws by the Police Department, and the way our Mayor, Police Chief, and Council are responding to those concerns. While I don’t agree with many of Raj’s views on our SJPD, I honestly do not believe he takes any pleasure in the killings of these Officers, nor do I believe he condones the actions of the criminal who did this. He seems to caring a person to me, to think like that.
As to your outrage that none of the writers of these stories posted on this blog are offering their condolences, or sympathies for these Officers and their family and friends, they are not like Jack, and Tom. They are just reporters for the Metro. Don’t expect them to behave the same way as Tom or Jack because if you do, you will be sadly disappointed.