{"id":6347,"date":"2006-01-16T11:23:14","date_gmt":"2006-01-16T16:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com\/?p=6347"},"modified":"2006-01-16T11:23:14","modified_gmt":"2006-01-16T16:23:14","slug":"uncharted-territory-for-fluff-journalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stevebenen.com\/thecarpetbaggerreport\/uncharted-territory-for-fluff-journalism\/","title":{"rendered":"Uncharted territory for fluff journalism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most daily newspapers have a Sunday edition that includes advertising supplements and a substance-less “news magazine” insert, usually either Parade<\/a> of USA Weekend<\/a>. Readers can find short, pithy “articles,” including interviews with celebrities, gossip, maybe a recipe or two, etc.<\/p>\n

But as my friend Cathy Resmer reported<\/a>, yesterday’s edition of USA Weekend included one item that should embarrass the publication out of existence.<\/p>\n

On a page with the word “Science,” in bold type in the upper left hand corner, an article entitled “Newly Charted Territory.” The subhead reads: “With the discovery of a new ‘planet’ in our solar system, some people may wonder: Will this affect my horoscope?” No, this is not an ad. It’s actual editorial copy!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Alas, this was a genuine article, published in a nationally distributed magazine, published by a major newspaper chain (Gannett), and run in conjunction with a major national daily (USA Today). The article is online<\/a> so you can see it for yourself. From the piece:<\/p>\n

Astrologers, the practitioners behind your trusted weekly horoscopes in the newspaper, are abuzz about how this new heavenly body could affect their craft. Would the addition of a new planet debunk traditional horoscopes and predictions? Could you think you’re a Scorpio today, then learn tomorrow that Xena ruled your chart all along? Some of astrology’s brightest minds weigh in on these questions and more for USA WEEKEND, and their answers may surprise you. […]<\/p>\n

Figuring out Xena’s full influence could take years, but as of now, its message seems to be one of new awareness and harmony. “It gives us the opportunity to deepen our understanding,” says Shelley Ackerman, noted newspaper astrologer and BeliefNet contributor, “at a time when it is imperative that we change course and learn to accept one another.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Again, this ran on the “Science” page. And it wasn’t a joke.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most daily newspapers have a Sunday edition that includes advertising supplements and a substance-less “news magazine” insert, usually either Parade of USA Weekend. Readers can find short, pithy “articles,” including interviews with celebrities, gossip, maybe a recipe or two, etc. But as my friend Cathy Resmer reported, yesterday’s edition of USA Weekend included one item […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[617],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevebenen.com\/thecarpetbaggerreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevebenen.com\/thecarpetbaggerreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevebenen.com\/thecarpetbaggerreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevebenen.com\/thecarpetbaggerreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevebenen.com\/thecarpetbaggerreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stevebenen.com\/thecarpetbaggerreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6347\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevebenen.com\/thecarpetbaggerreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevebenen.com\/thecarpetbaggerreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevebenen.com\/thecarpetbaggerreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}