Read the Wall Street Journal, not just for its reporting on what happened yesterday but to find out what you're going to be reading about in the near and not so near future. The Journal knows, and not simply because it helps set the agenda.

It knows because it pays attention to events now and follows them through logically, from start to finish. It starts by finding out where the event started, what its roots were. Then it tells you where the event is going to take us. That means you'll read about things days and weeks earlier in the Journal, usually well before other papers, even the best, get around to them.

Here's one of my favorite stories from and about the Wall Street Journal. A few years ago, when, mostly Republicans but others as well were working themselves into a frenzy about government regulation, over-regulation, the stranglehold of red tape on free enterprise, etc., etc., it became quite common for politicians and other supposed leaders to take up the cry to deregulate. Everyone, it seemed, could point to a ridiculous OSHA rule--toilets for cowboys, for example.

The Journal, which might have been expected to toe the line just because of its primary readership, went the other way. It sent a reporter out to write about government regulation. Off he went to a hotel, where safety rules, such as fire regulations and door locks, were examined. Hmm, you like safe, clean water? You like knowing that the hotel can't rip you off and must provide checkout and full information? Then to the elevator, where thanks to regulators, we normally can expect an extremely safe ride from floor to floor. Then to the streets, with commentary on auto safety, and then, finally, to the airport, where we all definitely, always want to have regulations to make sure we're safe. And so on and so on.

In other words, it doesn't take the easy road, ever. The Journal always has something to read for people with even zero interest in business news. It's a rare day that there aren't three or four great stories worth anyone's time. I haven't the slightest interest in many of its stories; I don't care about the price of pork bellies, venture capital (I'll never have any) or dozens of other topics its reporters regularly write about. Doesn't matter. Find those two or three stories, which are often about very ordinary people doing very ordinary things, except that the Journal is telling us something important by writing about them.

No one reads this paper for its comics, graphics or photos. People read it to know what happened and what they might expect next. It is very focused on the what-next aspect of journalism, without going overboard.

But even the Journal has a sense of humor. Several years ago, it marked St. Valentine's Day by having its reporters with names like Hart and Love write stories across Page One. It can be quite subtle, with the exception of its editorial and op-ed pages. Skip those, unless you need a shot of adrenaline and a pointer to what NOT to think.




Recommended: Yes

Describe the newspaper's political views: It is conservative