News lists are great for immigrants, to keep in touch with your home
country. Let's say you move to a country where the two evening papers
have headlines such as, hmm what was it today?
Paper 1: The last picture of Lotta, 16, before she was murdered!
[an old story already, about which everything which could
possibly be told has been told and re-told and re-re-told]
Paper 2: Lotta, 16, murdered 3 months ago [big mug shot]
Let's further assume that a major European country is taking a referendum
on whether to join the EC or not, and that the papers in question cover
it as follows:
Paper 1: Lotta, 76, wins 5 millions at the lotto - her first impressions!
[1"x1" statement in a corner about the referendum, which passed]
Paper 2: Lisa, 42, paralysed after taking the wrong pills!
[a one-liner just above the price on the first page tells you
that the referendum passed]
Your options are to go to an international news stand where you can buy
your country's press, or to forget about it. Chances are there will be no
international news stand close to your subway station in the suburbs, and
maybe none close to your office. So, you forget about it.
That's when you learn about <home-country>[log in to unmask] Wow! All the
news, in your language. No need to take the subway to the station to get
local papers, and it's free. You can get a digest and read it every
morning with your coffee. You can always read the local paper in the
subway.
Eric
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