THAT'S SOME SCOOP YOU DIDN'T HAVE...

Far be it to suggest the media's role is presenting already known information in a clear and concise way, not assuming it's the only one who has said information. Case in point:

"Back in the winter, we told you about Port Dover's John Axford heading off to the minor leagues as a member of the New York Yankees organization."
-- random Southern Ontario broadsheet (emphasis mine)

Chances are, it was just the writer's reflex. Still... we told you? Way to give readers credit, especially when that tidbit of news appeared here Aug. 15, 2006, and other sources had it well before that. (August 15 counts as summer in Canada, even in the French provinces, to quote Bill Hicks.)

Let's give the guy benefit of the doubt. Maybe his paper reported it much earlier than he recalled while on deadline. It's still a no-no in this day and age. There are "scoops" and "exclusives" but 95 per cent of the time it has to be assumed that what's going to be in the paper will already be well known by the time it hits the streets. Newspapers will only stay relevant when the focus turns to finding the best way to be clear, concise and thoughtful about stories which will already be well-known once the paper hits the streets, not assuming it's the only source for news. We told you? Not by a long shot.

That little nugget turned up in the Google Alerts this morning. Anyway, back to vacationing.