Keep Calm and Read the Paper!
THE ENGLISH COLUMN War, peace, Covid measures, no Covid measures, Ministers resigning or being arrested! All in one place: the daily newspaper.
People are always surprised at how well informed I am about everything under the sun. They assume that being a foreigner means that I am cut off from current affairs and that I could not care less about what happens in Austria. Nothing is further from the truth! I love this country and its quirky people. I always felt an unexplainable bond with Austria probably due to my mother’s stories about Grandpa who, as it turned out, did possess an Austrian passport.
In a time where there seems to be an app for everything, I still opt to read the daily paper. In fact, I read the SN back to front (although I do admit I skip the sports pages and only look at the headlines there!). You see, even with television and constant reporting, I still find a well-researched article more rewarding than a one-minute video clip from a TV reporter. Pictures may be better than a thousand words, but pictures appeal to our emotions whilst words need thought and careful interpretation. I do not envy those reporters who have to try and cram all that is happening around them in short interviews which are then rehashed all day long until something else happens.
Apart from the ubiquitous questions, which anchormen and women prepare beforehand, the responses are often empty of any real news value. So, while I watch TV news for immediate developments, I carefully read the papers the next day to inform myself more deeply about the matter at hand. This is a habit I picked up early in my life. Even as a boy I used to read everything I could get my hands on much to the consternation of my teachers. In an age where conflicts are carried out in the media and in social networks, it is extremely important to diversify one’s reading material. That is why every morning I not only read the SN but a multitude of English, French, American and Italian newspapers. I pity for example the many Americans who only watch the Fox News Channel, or Austrians or British people who only read sensation seeking rags. I also pity the Russian people who now can only follow a state-controlled news source which is hiding what is going on in the Ukraine from them. One small piece of advice: You can estimate the seriousness of a newspaper by its ratio of pictures to text. The more colourful photos there are, the less journalistic value does that paper possess.
Every day before I sit down at the computer to do some work, I sift through all the news whilst sipping my second cup of coffee and, very importantly, before my dog Meggy gets her teeth into the paper! I know some expats here who are oblivious to what is happening around them because they have not learnt the language and therefore do not read the local papers. Not me! The first thing I was determined to achieve was a passable knowledge of the German language and after that a delightful exploration of Austrian dialects and variations. The SN helped me achieve both objectives, but I am still learning new things every day.
So, to all those of you who wonder how I know about some things, my answer is simple: I read the paper! In a world which is being reduced to pictograms and emojis I believe in the written word. I can distinguish between facts and opinion pieces. I can talk about politics, culture, education, fashion, nature, animals, economics and many other things, because I am a six-foot-tall bookworm, (with specs on) who reads everything. My partner thinks I should go on one of those TV quiz shows and earn some money with my general knowledge. I could, but there is one drawback: There are always those obnoxious questions about sport! That, alas, I do not know anything about!