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Huckleberries: Hey, buddy, who are you calling ‘THE MEDIA!’
Melissa Luck has had it up to here with media bashing. Or maybe we should make that “THE MEDIA!” The assistant news director of KXLY4 calls out media bashers in a Facebook post she introduces as “a plea” or “a rant.” First, Melissa asks (and we paraphrase): Hey, pilgrim, what do you mean when you say “THE MEDIA!” Cable news? A blogger? A Twitter twerp? Or a specific reporter? “THE MEDIA!” notes Melissa, isn’t a thing. Quoth: “There is no conspiracy by trained journalists to fool you or trick you into believing something is not true.” Then, she lets slip one of our carefully guarded secrets: “THE MEDIA!” aren’t organized enough for a vast conspiracy. Finally, she challenges social media addicts to be more vigilant re: where they get their info. “If it sounds strange or outrageous,” she advises, “check another source.” And, if you repeat something that someone “heard” without checking a reliable source, says Melissa, “you’re the one spreading fake news, not the media.” Huckleberries approves of this message.
Glory Days
Huckleberry Friend Betsy Hawkins, of Coeur d’Alene, was headed home after a day in Olympia when she heard “Red Red Wine” on the car radio – the version by UB40. Suddenly, she was transported to Glory Days on the Coeur d’Alene waterfront. Quoth Betsy: “I immediately started singing – I actually can remember ALL of the words – and flashing back to fun times at the NIC (North Idaho College) dances.” So many keggers. Hangin’ at Sanders Beach and Dike Road. Dragging Sherman Avenue with friends. Harmonizing with sister. Adds Betsy: “I re-lived my high school in 2.4 minutes.” Huckleberries remembers “Red Red Wine,” too. Neil Diamond’s version. And we’ll let you fill in the back story.
Huckleberries
A PSA from SR colleague Pia Hallenberg: “People who keep ‘whispering’ among themselves during (public) meetings are about as irritating as those who talk during movies.” Bingo … Yes, an SR.com commenter really did say that women who wear pants should be shamed. S-R colleague Nina Culver responds: “Hang on. Let me check my calendar. Nope, it’s not the 19th Century anymore” … Quotable Quote: “ You know you are getting older when you order a hot water bottle from Amazon” – Huckleberry Friend Nancy Gillard, of Pullman, who tells Huckleberries, tongue firmly cheeked, she spends enough time at the gym to make sure she can get in and out of bed on her own … Oopsy: Two readers spotted that misfire in the lead item to Wednesday Huckleberries. A plane, of course, begins an “ascent,” not an “assent.” Emails Geoffrey Cant of Sandpoint: “A peril of dictating perhaps?” Huckleberries will go with that.
Parting Shot
Geoffrey Cant, BTW, moved here in April 2006 “to experience the West.” One thing led to another – skiing, hiking, biking, kayaking and especially “the wonderful people.” Now, Geoffrey tells Huckleberries: “You could not pry me out of here.” Geoffrey, who lived in the East for nearly 70 years, says Inland Northwesterners are different. They’re “gracious, friendly and helpful, without that Eastern edge.” Now, if we could just build a fence around our slice of paradise. And make Mexico pay for it.