Mayor Slay
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Mini Poll: The (Printed) Word


Photo Illustration: Post-Dispatch as fishwrap

Man (and woman) has always wanted to know the news, to hear the gossip, to learn about the world. From totem poles, to town criers, to tabloids – media have sprung up to tell us what is new around us. According to the MayorSlay.com research team, the earliest news posting was in 59 B.C. when Julius Caesar ordered that acta diurna (literally, “the daily whirl”) be posted throughout Rome, and the earliest news imprinted on paper was in China in 748 (the Yangtze Riverfront Times). So important was the dispersal of news that our Founding Fathers appended to the United States Constitution these words: "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech or of the press."

But today, how important to the news is “the press" part? With radio, television, and Internet as news media, is the periodically printed – but perfectly portable -- paper still a relevant source of news? Does the 24/7 manner of news reporting wear you out? Is it really necessary to learn at 2 am just how much Nick Lachey resents Jessica Simpson? Do you keep your media sources on all the time, or do you still look forward to reading your news at your quiet kitchen table with a cup of hot coffee, a large dog, and a hunk of gooey butter cake?

Tell us your news intake habits in this week’s Mini-Poll, and we will disperse the results throughout the realm.






Do you read a daily newspaper regularly?


Photo: People reading newspapers

Yes, I read the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Yes, I read USA Today, The New York Times, or some other out of town newspaper
Yes, I read the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and some out of town newspaper
No


How much time did you spend reading a daily newspaper yesterday?


Less than 15 minutes
Between 15 and 29 minutes
Between 30 and 59 minutes
More than an hour
I didn't read a daily newspaper yesterday


Do you believe that printed newspapers are still a necessary part of life?


Yes, they're necessary
They're still slightly more necessary than not necessary
No, they're not necessary at all


What do you believe is printed newspapers' greatest strength?


They're convenient to read anywhere and anytime
They're more accurate or thorough than other sources of information
They're better written than other sources of information
They're good for wrapping fish or lining cat boxes


Movie Poster: Disney's 'Newsies'

What is your favorite newspaper movie?


His Girl Friday (1940)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Deadline USA (1952)
All the President's Men (1976)
The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
Live from Baghdad (2002)


At what time of the day are you most likely to watch the news on television?


In the morning before my day starts
At noon
After work or around dinner time
Before I go to bed at night
I'm a news junkie and I almost always have the TV news on
I rarely or never watch television news


Photo: Mandy Murphey

Do you watch local television news (the kind with Mandy Murphey and Melanie Moon, not the national news) regularly?


Yes
No


Which local television station does the best at covering news about the St. Louis area?


Channel 2, KTVI
Channel 4, KMOV
Channel 5, KSDK
Channel 9, KETC
Channel 10, City cable
Channel 11, KPLR
Channel 30, KDNL
Channel 46, WRBU
I don't watch any local television stations


Photo: Steve Owens

How much time did you spend watching local TV news (the kind with Mike Owens and Steve Chamraz, not the national news) yesterday?


Less than 15 minutes
Between 15 and 29 minutes
Between 30 and 59 minutes
More than an hour
I didn't watch any local TV news yesterday


If you were stuck in a doctor's waiting room for an hour, which kind of publication would you most likely pick up from the end table to read?


Cover: St. Louis Magazine

A news magazine, like Time or Newsweek
A business magazine, like Fortune or Forbes
A fashion magazine, like Elle or Justine
A snarky magazine, like Harpers or The New Yorker
A local glossy magazine, like St. Louis Magazine or Where
A niche publication, like Vital Voice, Arch City Chronicle, 52nd City, or St. Louis Review


Which do you spend more of your time doing?


Reading books and other printed material
Watching television
Surfing the Internet


In general, which medium of information is most likely to be accurate?


Television news
Radio news
Printed newspapers
Internet news sites
Blogs and Internet bulletin boards
Water cooler gossip


What is the most reliable source of information on the Internet?


Photo: Blogger

News sites run by newspapers
News sites run by television stations
News sites run by wire services
News sites run by bloggers who still live in their parents' basements
Wikis


BONUS QUESTION:
If you could record one event on TiVo to remind yourself later of this time in your life, which would it most likely be?


The US Senate debate between Claire McCaskill and Jim Talent that will be televised Thursday, October 19
"Victorian Death Practices and Mourning Customs" at the historic Chatillon-DeMenil House on Sunday, October 22
The fourth game of the World Series at Busch Stadium on Wednesday, October 25
David Robertson conducting the St. Louis Symphony at Powell Hall on Friday, October 27





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