Much like a little black dress, there are some things that never go out of style.
It’s the same in the news business.
There are some subjects I find us revisiting again and again, and I bet if you went back into the archives you’d find those same things crop up in headlines and copy throughout news history.
Weather is one that comes to mind immediately. From storms to drought to flooding, weather hits the headlines at frequent intervals. And no wonder. It affects us all, and remains largely outside of our control. It can be benign, or, as it periodically does, remind us just how small we are in the grand scheme of things.
Another favourite is scams. In this day and age it’s telephone or internet scams. But somebody trying to get something for nothing and using a con to do it is a story as old as time. Only the details change. Reporting on it in the paper is a way to help protect people from becoming victims of scammers.
Related to that, crime in general is another that always catches the eye. This is an interesting one because by definition crime is something out of the ordinary, it strays from the accepted norms of society. It’s about public safety, and also about our expectations of our communities. It’s about our collective place in a larger whole. It’s also often about heightened emotions that we can all identify with.
We also like good stuff. When someone from our area does something extraordinary, they make it into print. This includes everything from teens winning singing contests or sports medals, to adults getting honours for acts of bravery, or longevity of service.
Then there are our elected leaders. We like to keep an eye on what they’re up to. What are they spending our money on? Are they hearing our concerns? Are they making decisions for our future that we can live with? Is there a development going up next door?
The more things change, the more they stay the same.