Walter Higbee: How I read a newspaper

By Walter Higbee | Wednesday, September 10, 2003

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I wanted to call this piece, "How to Read a Newspaper," but it occurred to me that people read newspapers in their own ways, and who am I to tell people how to do it? Why, I have known some people who simply sit down and read a newspaper through after starting from page one! But here is how I do it:

I started reading newspapers when I was 7 or 8 years old. Well, if you call reading the comics actually reading a newspaper. The first newspaper I ever read was the Des Moines Tribune. I also read the Des Moines Register, and later, the Minneapolis Tribune and the St. Paul Express. Of course, I have read other newspapers when visiting in other places. For the past 37 years, I have read the Rapid City Journal.

The first thing in reading a newspaper is to retrieve it from wherever the paper boy may have tossed it. Actually, my current paper boy is very good about leaving my paper right in front of the front door.

Next, you need to curl up in your favorite arm chair with a cup of coffee or tea at hand.

What I do next is strip the paper of all the ads and flyers I don't want. I am always careful to look for pizza coupons. I am not too fond of circulars that advertise furniture sales. I usually discard the classified section, too, unless I am in the market for a house or a used car.

Next, I turn to the comics. I only read one comic strip - "For Better or Worse." When I was younger, I read them all, but papers no longer print "Li'l Abner," "Bringing Up Father," or "Mutt and Jeff." I still miss the "Toonerville Trolley" and "Out Our Way."

My next section of the paper is the sports section. I spend quite a bit of time with the sports if it is baseball season. I like to follow the local sports teams as they compete in baseball, basketball, golf and track. My middle son used to be a high school varsity wrestler, and what a thrill it was to find his name in the paper.

I next give a glance at the financial news. It doesn't take long to check out my meager stock holdings. Out of curiosity, I check to see whether the Dow Jones is up or down.

My next section of interest is local news. The amount of time I spend on local news depends on the content. Sometimes, I find items of considerable interest, and I spend several minutes there. Of course, in the local paper, this is where my own column is printed, and I check it carefully to see if it has been censored - it never has been. I also read it carefully to see if there are typos. Seldom do I find any.

Sometimes, there are special sections to the paper, and I read them according to interest. I am now ready to settle down with the main section of the paper. I usually read the lead stories in their entirety. I read other things in the main section depending on their interest.

I am now ready for my favorite part of any newspaper - the editorial page. I start by reading the letters to the editor. Oh, what a way to get your finger on the pulse of public opinion this is. Next, I read all the editorial writers. I usually read the ones I dislike first, then my favorite writers. I actually like a paper that presents columns on both sides of current controversial issues. I also enjoy whimsical columnists such as Kevin Cowherd and Dave Barry.

When I am through with the paper, I usually glance through it again to make sure I haven't missed anything. And, oh, yes, if it is the day my own column appears in the paper, I leave this page open and prominently displayed so other family members will be sure to see it.

Walter Higbee is a retired college educator living in Spearfish. Write him at the Rapid City Journal, Box 450, Rapid City, SD 57709.