The answer to this childhood riddle can take many forms: a sunburned zebra is one answer.
But the answer I am looking for is this: a newspaper. Of course, you have to change the red to read to make the riddle work if you are looking at the printed version of the riddle.
I love reading the newspaper. I especially think about this on Sundays when the largest newspaper of the week would arrive on our porch. Growing up my father had first dibs on the paper. You were not allowed to read the paper until he had finished reading it. Sometimes you could sneak it a section at a time but he was the king of the paper.
When I grew up we got the News and Observer in the morning and the Raleigh Times in the evening. Two daily newspapers delivered to us every day. I remember our “paperboy” (and I think they were all boys in my growing up years) was the son of our minister Reverend Holt. He was very reliable. I loved the newspapers even as a child. Yes, I read the comics first but I also learned to read other sections of the paper as I grew up.
One of my delights as a seminary student in Alexandria, Virginia was the ability to have The Washington Post delivered to the steps of my dorm every day. There is something very special (at least to those my age) to have a real, tangible newspaper to hold in my hands. But for most of us, those days are gone.
Newspapers have changed. When we first moved to Asheville I loyally subscribed to the local paper the Asheville Citizen Times (ACT). Our carrier at the time was notoriously unreliable (there may have been reasons for this but I was never able to actually connect with the carrier); we might get 4 out of 7 papers each week if we were lucky. After multiple calls to the circulation department of the paper to see if I could get a copy of the papers we missed, the answer was always “yes” but the follow through was more in the league of “in your dreams”. So when our introductory subscription expired after a few months, we decided not to renew. They have not let up sending me letters week after week after week asking me to return as a subscriber. Thanks, but no thanks.
The sad truth is that most local papers are no longer local papers. The “Editor” of the Citizen Times lives in Cincinnati. The paper is just one of many Gannett investments that has very little invested in ours or any other local community. They exist for their financial shareholders it seems, but not for those of us who hold a share in our own communities.
I do read the New York Times and The Washington Post on line. We pay for both those subscriptions and I feel it is well worth the money we pay to read news by reporters that research thoroughly and truthfully and write well. I know that neither of our children read a daily paper. It’s just not part of their DNA.
We are very blessed here in Asheville to have a group called the Asheville Watch Dog. Here’s how they describe themselves:
Asheville Watchdog is a free, local, not-for-profit, nonpartisan news organization. It was founded in 2020 as a public service by veteran professional journalists and media executives living in and around Asheville, North Carolina. Most members of the staff are volunteers. Our operations are supported by contributions from the community.
We believe that quality journalism is essential for a healthy and successful democracy.
Our mission is to inform and engage the citizens of Asheville and surrounding communities by providing fair, factual and reliable in-depth news stories about local government, institutions, issues, and people.
We started Asheville Watchdog because local news is in crisis. One-fourth of America’s newspapers have closed in the past 15 years, including more than 300 in the past two years. More than 1,800 communities nationwide that had local newspapers 15 years ago now have no original reporting. Half of all newsroom jobs vanished since 2008. This means there are fewer reporters to keep watch over state and local government, to dig deep into the issues, and to hold the powerful accountable.
At the same time, misinformation is pervasive on social media and even many mainstream news outlets, including deliberate attempts to spread false, biased, or incendiary stories. Asheville Watchdog is committed to truth, verifiable facts, transparency, science, and important context.
We do not compete with existing media, but rather try to complement and expand the critical services they provide. Our reporting is offered without charge to The Asheville Citizen Times, Blue Ridge Public Radio, Mountain Xpress, Smoky Mountain News, and other local publications.
Asheville Watchdog is, for now, a virtual newsroom. For general inquiries, email info@avlwatchdog.org.
Asheville Watchdog is free but we do make occasional donations as we are so happy to have a reliable news source.
You may not live where there is an Asheville Watchdog but I encourage you to try to find a reliable news source. If you are fortunate enough to still have a truly local paper, one that still has real reporters and well-researched stories, I hope you will support them.
We were fortunate when we lived in Burlington, Vermont to have a publication called Seven Days. The writing is so excellent that both Tom and I still read the digital version every week. The reporting is thorough and we feel like we can keep up with our former but still much-loved Vermont community where many friends continue to reside. Good writing is a true gift to the reader.
Fair, factual and reliable in-depth news stories are needed in every community. I don’t think most of us will ever have the privilege of returning to the days of the print papers delivered daily to our doorsteps but I still feel we all need good journalism.
I wonder how you keep up with the news in your community. Are you a newspaper reader? Was reading the newspaper a part of your childhood? I’d love to hear from you.
I read the NYT newsletter (free) and news on the NPR app. I also subscribe to several Substack newsletters that are written by highly qualified journalists who do way more fact checking than your average reporter. I also listen to a lot of podcasts. I’m grateful there are many ways to get news!
Tom and I read VT Digger. I had forgotten about Seven Days. Thanks for the reminder.
I think my mom wanted to keep the paper out of Dad's hands until she was able to read it. He was a messy reader. He just didn't take the time to refold the paper for the next person the read.
I didn't read much more then the funny papers and Ann Landers until I was an adult and started to pay attention to the world around me.
Thanks for sharing your love of reading an actual paper. It really is the best way to read them.