An MTA plot and a divorce you didn't know you didn't know about!
Today's tabloids, August 24, 2010.
1:07 pm Aug. 24, 20103
Each day, the New York tabloids vie to sell readers at the newsstands on outrageous headlines, dramatic photography, and, occasionally, great reporting. Who is today's winner?
The New York Post: Had you thought that Tiger Woods and the mother of his two children, Elin Nordegren, were divorced already? Well we've got news for you: They weren't … until yesterday! "ELIN OUT OF THE WOODS" reads the main hed on the only story on the Post's wood this morning. Peeking inside … yes, almost all of the material comes from a press release that came out after the two were done in court, and from an article in People. The Post did, however, interview "Jamie Jungers, one of Tiger's many busty conquests," who is mostly concerned, it seems, about the children. The photo, going as it does against the grain of the story (their divorce is final; here they are looking very pretty, arms linked and in formal dress), is the type that in a community newspaper would be captioned, "In happier times."
Daily News: Meanwhile, an "EXCLUSIVE" report from the News on what's in a public announcement from the MTA! It seems that among the options the agency is considering to increase revenues from fares and tolls by 7.5 percent system-wide is raising the price of the 30-Day Unlimited card to $130. It's an outrage, and rightfully, the News calls our attention to it on the wood today. "THEY'RE KIDDING, RIGHT?" No, just bluffing:
Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign said it's all part of the fare-hike "game."
"We're supposed to be grateful when they do the lower number," Russianoff said.
So now that the News has made the higher fare famous … who wins again?
We're getting used to someone sexy standing like a caryatid column at the left-hand of the News wood. Today it's Lady Gaga! Now, what is the pretext? She is one of the city's Top Tweeters, according to Page 22 of the paper. But wait, there is so much more hot news today, that there are still two more stories to cover from the News. "Brady: I hate the Jets" and "Chaos cripples LIRR" are stories about Boston-New York rivalry and about transportation (again).
Observations: What a mess! The Post really sunk low rehashing this business on its wood today. The news peg is real and legitimate, but feels lame and granular to all but the most obsessive Tiger-watchers. Meanwhile the News throws so many lame stories together at once it's like some kind of "newspaper substrate" collage about How We Live Now that springs from freshman art class. OK, settling down. I'd want to give the News the day for at least telling us something we didn't already know: that a $130 monthly Metrocard is "on the table." The problem is it's not really on the table, unless the News puts it there. Wouldn't it have been brave to headline the story, "WE CALL YOUR BLUFF," with a deck that read, "MTA releases outrageous fare-hike proposals: don't be duped!" I can wish for what might have been, or try to promote a little more sophistication here by refusing to reward this. But with this miserable Tiger-Elin its only competition, I can't.
Winner: The New York Post.
Loser: Me. Sorry to be so late today.
Post. I'm a sucker for a good pun.
In other news: Lady GaGa kind of looks like Chelsea Clinton, no?
At least the Post commits to its thin news. The News seems to be hedging its bet. Also - since when is the News wood exclusive? It was part of a public announcement. Is their angle exclusive? Is that even possible?
The wood you've imagined here for the News would have been awesome!
Exclusive thoughts! Makes me think of that Flight of The Conchords lyric: "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" / "No I'm thinking what's I'm thinking."