HORACE MCQUEEN: Dumbing Down Readers – and viewers!
It’s no wonder that many of our young folks — and older ones as well — have no idea what is really happening in the outside world. Too many of these citizens get their “news” only from the internet — and much of that “news” is pure fiction. Other East Texans get most of their “news” from Fox or CNN television. Ever notice that even when both of these “news channels” are reporting the same story they are remarkably different. Both generally slanted toward the left or right of center. Just give me old fashioned journalism. The “who, what, when, where and why”. The reporter should report the news, not make it!
Big changes are taking place in the newspaper industry. From seven days a week to five days weekly — or less — is becoming common. In some major cities, the only big newspaper is down to three days a week. We have some excellent newspapers in our area that are directed at the local region. But when it comes to newspapers with a staff of reporters, and national and international news service, we are lacking.
Not that they are no longer being printed, many of them are no longer available in our part of Texas. The Houston Chronicle and the Dallas Morning News both are good papers — but their circulation area has been cut drastically. And yes, I know we could subscribe to the larger newspapers “online” and get our fill of news by looking at the monitor. But I want to hold a newspaper — or a book — not depend on an electronic device to deliver my news fix.
What many of our pastures — and timber tracts — need is a good fire to take out unwanted briars, brambles and pests like Chinese tallow and sweet gum seedlings. But burning a pasture, hay meadow or pine timber planting is not something most landowners are willing to try. Not many years ago, the Texas Forest Service assisted landowners with controlled burns on timber and grasslands. But the funding for the program was deleted and controlled burns are now a rarity.
There are several commercial outfits a landowner can hire to carry out a controlled burn but on smaller tracts the price seems awful high.