The cutesie photos of the “indie news” types and a
self-absorbed article about self-absorbed people writing news make
me realize that unless you have a certain “look” and immodest
attitude about how “unique” you are, reading HCN
really has no meaning (HCN, 10/2/06: From the ground up). Could you
tell me if the staff members of the Crested Butte
News are auditioning for a re-run of Mod Squad?
How admirable that they stacked the paper on the roof of their
cars, and spent all night working. So what? If you want to start a
new business, expect to work hard. But to advertise how tough it is
lacks modesty. How vain your issue. How self-absorbed.
I
helped run a moderately successful small outdoors magazine 30 years
ago. We stayed up nights, laid out our copy and even stuffed 3,000
issues in envelopes every month because we could only afford
second-class postage. We didn’t tell anyone about it,
didn’t brag or promote how “hard” we worked. We did not try
to attract attention to ourselves to show people that we were doing
something “cool.” We were sincere and focused.
Come on.
If you want us to read about real news people working at the news
business, show us real news people, not the trendy, hip, posing,
self-absorbed show you ran through this recent issue.
Bruce Amaro
Danvers, Massachusetts
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline How vain, how self-absorbed.
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