So Called Paper For America
Written: Jul 05 '04
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Pros: good for sports coverage
Cons: not comprehensive and a bit light on substance
The Bottom Line: It's a fluffy rag but it serves a purpose when you're traveling or need sports info.
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| fuche_bu's Full Review: USA Today |
I have always approached the USA Today with a bit of trepidation. I have always been a little leery of its claim to be the USA’s newspaper. It seems a bit pretentious for a paper to make such a lofty claim. It would also seem impossible for one newspaper to really cover the entire country. That alone sounds the alarm. America is much too large to have a single paper. Yet they have managed to put together a fairly decent product.
They also have a design that tends to suggest a less serious newspaper. The color pictures are nice but they aren’t really important for a person interested in learning about everything going on in the world. It is a good way to catch the eye. That aspect is good from the marketing standpoint. The bright colors will get your attention.
The USA Today manages to cover the broader spectrum of news. They don’t really try to get involved with any story. They tend to stick to shorter pieces on the news events of the day. They will limit the amount of side stories. They do manage to cover a good amount of ground if all you need is a quick update. If you really need to dig deep into the issues this will not be the paper for you. This is more a paper to give people a more generalized update. Some people would call it fluff. I would disagree with that assessment. It is legitimate news. They’re not writing about flying saucers or rumored sexual liaisons between celebrities. It’s not a tabloid. They just aren’t providing in depth coverage.
It is a daily newspaper and usually comes with four sections. The first section will be the national news interspersed with a few international and local stories. The weather page is one of the better features of the paper. They cover the entire country so if you are traveling you can get an advanced warning of bad weather. The local stories can be from any region in America. They also have sections for sports, money and life.
My personal interest in the paper tends to be the sports section. During football season I like to pick up the Saturday edition. They have a good breakdown on each game played that week. They also pick out a “game of the week”. That’s their estimation of what will be the best or most important game of the week. (They’re even right on occasion). I enjoy getting this more impartial viewpoint of the league. When I read my local papers they will focus on the Eagles. If I read New York papers they will focus on the New York teams. It is interesting to get a different point.
I also like that they cover the Arena Football League well. My local papers don’t really cover the league even though Philly now has a team. They have full coverage on Mondays. I have been starting to get into this league and it is nice to have a paper that will help me learn the teams and star players. They do a good job of covering sports in general. That is their greatest strength as a paper.
Another good memory for me with the USA Today is when traveling abroad. When I was in Europe I would very often rely on this for my news. I would occasionally buy a native English language paper if I could find one but USA Today was available everywhere. I would usually travel in the fall so I would need football scores. The scores for Sunday games would be available in the Tuesday papers. I was always anxious to get my scores. It was also nice to read an American paper to give me some sense of home.
I find the Life or entertainment section to be a little weak. They have good articles but they are hindered by being a national paper. I usually like to get movie listings and concert listings when I check this section. They are unable to do this because they are national. They make suggestions but I am not likely to fly 3000 miles just to see a concert in Los Angeles. They will review concerts from different cities. There might be a Prince review from L.A. or a review from New York City. The writing itself is adequate but not spectacular.
The Money section is adequate as far as basic information goes. The stock market is listed is most newspapers so it is really not anything mind blowing. They will also have articles on various corporations or career options. This will help the person who only needs an update on how their stock is doing. I would guess the serious businessman is reading the Wall Street Journal or some other business paper with far more in depth coverage. Like the news portion, the Money section is somewhat lacking in content.
USA Today is largely a paper for those who just want a quick fix of news with shorter blurbs. It does serve a purpose when I’m traveling but I would not regularly buy it in my hometown. It is hardly comprehensive in its coverage. It can be frustrating when I really want to find out about recent events and all they provide is a short Associated Press blurb. If you want real news you are probably better off seeking out your local paper. I won’t totally slam the paper because I have found the few previously mentioned benefits of the paper. It is what it is and it does serve some purpose. It can be like a quick snack to tide you over till you get to the main meal. It lacks substance but it does serve some use. I want to dislike it but it has provided me with some nice memories and comfort.
Recommended:
Yes
Describe the newspaper's political views: It is moderate
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Epinions.com ID:
fuche_bu
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Member: George Schaefer
Location: West Bristol, PA
Reviews written: 1103
Trusted by: 326 members
About Me:
Busy at work and missing a lot of epinions fun.
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