Nickens knows best

Tim Nickens said, "I hadn't thought of that..." about a comment I made in class. I stumped a newsman; a journalist who has been at the St. Petersburg Times since 1984.

Stupidly, I replied that working in food service has its benefits and he was gone. Today, I shamelessly searched the Times for any evidence that Nickens had learned something from a peon like me. Nothing.

The most important thing he said, outside of all the things we have heard from the other speakers, was that the Times often writes to an "audience of one". Knowing that what we read may actually be a policy suggestion to the governor is juicier than the dirtiest celebrity escapade.

Lately, the Times has really been focusing on issues of immediate interest. Capitalism is doomed; Bush has a mixed legacy; Obama has a lot on his plate - these are all recent editorials.

We only delve into issues on the international scale "when we think we can explain something... or relate it to Florida," he said. Unfortunately, that's a very narrow-minded view of the world and Floridians.

Happily, Nickens admitted that in some cases they have "marginalized readers and haven't given them enough credit" when it comes to international issues. Instead of having faith in their readers, the Times only serves as one voice in a cacophony of others that address the same tired issues that pervade the 24-hour news cycle.

As a liberal paper, I can understand why he may not want to acknowledge that team America occasionally has to play world police.

When listing that the Israel-Gaza conflict was the subject of an editorial, the Times overlooks the ever-present issues in Sudan (genocide), China (pollution and human rights), and Russia (cold war intrigue).

People do deserve the perspective on these foreign issues.

Regardless, I'll continue tugging my ego by checking the paper for evidence that Nickens found some sort of angle in what I said.