HEAR THE ONE ABOUT THE TV STATION THAT PUT OUT A PAPER?

"The network dinosaurs

"The networks set all-time low ratings for the July 1-7 prime-time Nielsens. The combined 23.7 rating is apparently the worst in TV history even counting weeks of political conventions. These guys just don't know what America wants anymore."

From a recent edition of "between the lines", a provocative newsletter on the news media

Did you hear the one about the local TV network affiliate station? The one that resorted to putting out its own "newspaper", thus communicating to one and all the unmistakable message that print advertising is indispensable?

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A late September weekend last fall found me attending a state board meeting of the Missouri chapter of The Nature Conservancy in Springfield. The meeting was held at the regional Department of Conservation Nature Center in that community, thus giving me my first chance to see what the department is doing with these regional centers.

I was highly impressed. These are beautiful facilities, filled with interesting and educational displays. They are functional centers for research, and they're working offices for the cause of conservation and educating the public about our responsibility to preserve and enhance our natural resources.

As beautiful and impressive as Springfield's nature center is, our new facility, dedicated in the old Cape County (north) Park yesterday morning with a huge crowd in attendance, is more impressive. Part of that is owing to its superior natural setting in one of the most beautiful and well-kept parks around. The nature trails, exhibits, trout pools and other features that will follow will combine to complete a real jewel for our community, and for the entire region.

It would be hard to overestimate the importance of this facility to our community. Congratulations and thanks to everyone involved.

Special appreciation is due the efforts of County Commissioners Gene Huckstep, Leonard Sander, and E.C. Younghouse (plus long-time commissioner, and now city manager, Ron Fischer); state legislators John Dennis, Mary Kasten, David Schwab and former Rep. Marvin Proffer; conservation commissioner Richard Reed of East Prairie; Rep. Bill Emerson; and U.S. Sen. Kit Bond.

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ABC News White House correspondent Brit Hume, quoted on the media in the July 29 Insight magazine:

"I'm constantly hearing reporters say, `Well, Bush says he wants to be the education president, but he doesn't come up with any money.' .... They're taking sides on an important aspect of the debate before they start, adopting one side of the debate's measuring stick the amount of money spent as their `neutral' gauge of how adequate Bush's policies are. ...

"Compared to the adversarial posturing reporters do when they're covering the president, the atmosphere on Capitol Hill is incredibly chummy and cozy. When members of Congress come in to talk to the press, all you're usually trying to do is get them to make some sharp critical statement about the administration or whoever something you can build a story around.

"The idea that you would seriously challenge any member of Congress to defend his or her position on any issue, and then follow up on the questions, is almost unheard of. I mean, members of Congress love to beat their breasts about being a coequal branch of government. Generally, Congress is an institution that reporters sort of laugh at like a bunch of guys hitting each other with rubber chickens. With one exception: Congressional investigating committees are the most hallowed institutions in Washington. Reporters don't take Congress seriously unless it's conducting an investigation, at which point the press immediately gets in bed with it."