Extra, Extra! Read all about it!

By Christopher R. Gibbs

That bark from a mid-19th-century street vendor let the public know that breaking news was afoot, and if folks wanted to be in the know, they should immediately flock to the source. By the mid-1930s, radio had become the new hot ticket for breaking news, leaving that street vendor looking for work.

Today, we’re in the midst of yet another information revolution. As that street vendor’s cattle call gave way to the immediacy of radio, that too has been largely replaced by the annoying cell phone buzzing from your purse, pocket, or waist. Call me old-fashioned, but I yearn for the days when I could anticipate that paper carrier riding by on their bike while developing their pitching arm and trying to hit my screen door with that rolled-up newspaper. Oh, the smell of that print and the sound of those pages as they turn. Those were the days.… Continue reading