It's the end of the year — time for all good journalists to buck up and take 10.Top 10, that is, as in the much-dreaded but much-read Top 10 Lists. I prevailed upon the Planet writers to make theirs, so I figured the least I could do was create one of my own.
And, since I find myself all too often stuck behind this desk, I figured, why not look for my top ten list right here? How about the ten greatest Post-It Notes of the last six months? The most disquieting mold build-up in my collection of discarded coffee cups? No, and no. Finally, the most interesting detritus I found to catalogue was, not surprisingly, newsprint.
I'm addicted to newspapers. I subscribe to three dailies — the New York Times, the St. Petersburg Times and the Tampa Tribune — and though I can and do read them online, the immediacy and size of the real thing can't be beat. So I keep clips — or, if I can't be bothered to clip, I keep piles. And what I found in the piles became the fodder for my Top 10 — the stories that connected, trends that came to light, gaffes that amused, in the two Tampa Bay newspapers I read every day.
The story I kept by mistake — and was glad I did: "One Tenacious Thread," Times, Nov. 21. Both papers covered the huge and pricey art fair, Art Basel Miami Beach: the Times with a Nov. 21 preview by Lennie Bennett in its Sunday Floridian section, and the Trib with a Dec. 3 report by arts reporter Amanda Henry. Though I was surprised neither story mentioned the one Tampa-based artist in the fair, A. A. Rucci, I kept both clips as records of an event I attended and won't soon forget. But just as unforgettable was the Floridian cover story on the 21st, which I'd skipped over before: Kelley Benham's "One Tenacious Thread," a quietly compelling account of a woman's relationship with her feisty ex mother-in-law, part of the Times' "Living with Divorce" series.
The story I kept on purpose — and that still surprised me: "The Dazzling Dozen," Trib, Sept. 10. I'm intrigued by the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, so I held onto Karen Haymon Long's piece about Wright buildings at Lakeland's Florida Southern College because I figured I'd use it someday as a guide. But when I finally got around to reading the story, I was blown away. First, by its import — 12 Wright buildings on one campus is pretty astonishing — and second by the vivid sense of the place that Haymon and photographer Greg Fight were able to convey.
The sincerest form of flattery: "City asks applicants to reveal liaisons," Times, Nov. 20. Times staff writer Bill Varian graciously acknowledged in this story that the Planet's Wayne Garcia had already broken the news about an intrusive questionnaire for prospective city employees. So we'll just pass off as coincidence the similarities between Varian's lede paragraph and the Planet's head and subhead. Planet: "Kiss and Tell: Want to work for the city of Tampa? Better bring your little black book." Times: "Want a job working for the city of Tampa? Better be prepared to kiss and tell."
The story we walked right by: "Pragmatic fiddler tilts at Dewey's decimals," Times, Nov. 16. Howard Troxler's column is always worth reading. But his column about street fiddler Jeff W. Stroup was a classic example of a reporter going beyond the obvious. As he pointed out, just about anyone who's gone to a public event in this area has probably heard Stroup's plaintive fiddling; I know I have. What Troxler revealed, however, was that the violinist has another, deeper interest: he wants to change the way libraries catalog their books. Sounds dry, perhaps, but it wasn't — it was fascinating.
Couldn't they have said that another way? "Businessman's death likely suicide, official says," Times, Dec. 18. The story was tragic: the apparent suicide of youth soccer coach William Burton following allegations that he'd "inappropriately touched" a teenage player. But a closer copy edit would have avoided this tone-deaf line later in the piece: "Foley described Burton as a hands-on boss…"
The sad state of transportation: Trib stories Dec. 3 and Dec. 26; Times story Dec. 26. A side benefit of going back over old newspapers is the big-picture view it gives you of issues developing over time. Sometimes, old headlines contain unintentional ironies; for instance, "New York's Top Cop Nominated to Cabinet," from the Trib of Dec. 3. (Ah, Bernie Kerik, we hardly knew ye.) And two local news headlines from that day seem in retrospect to possess a black humor that's peculiarly Tampanian: "Next Stop: Extending Trolley Line" and "Bay Area Second-Worst in Pedestrian Safety." Just flip ahead to Dec. 26 to find out where the ironies lie. In the Trib, we learn that tensions between Hillsborough County and Tampa city governments doomed the trolley expansion, while a Times story reports that the county is spending $168 million on widening Bruce B. Downs Boulevard — money which won't even help relieve congestion, say critics, but which will make the road less safe for pedestrians. Michael Van Sickler's story contains the astounding statistic that the percentage of family income spent on transportation in Tampa is the highest in the nation. And for what? The county pooh-poohs the city's need for public transport (thanks, Ronda), spends inordinate sums on soon-to-be- obsolete roadway "improvements" and ignores the stats that say walking in Tampa Bay is a death-defying act. The things you learn in the papers.
Well, hello Dali! Times, Sept. 26 and Oct. 10. The Times did a splendid job of covering the Dali and Mass Culture show at the Salvador Dali Museum, giving it both a giant, beautifully illustrated preview piece and a long, detailed review — both by Lennie Bennett, both in the Sunday Floridian section. And the preview achieved the additional distinction of landing on the section's cover, instead of being relegated to the back-page, backwards-reading (ass-backwards?) "Sunday Arts" slot.
The op-ed that rocked our world: "Take A Deep Breath, Sugar: You're Living in Dixie," Times, Sept. 26. Boy, was this a blistering read — all the more because when I first took a look at the title, I rolled my eyes with the blasé authority of a newly minted Floridian and muttered to myself, "Dixie? Florida ain't Dixie." Guess again, Yankee. Anyone else who needs convincing that Florida's still stuck in "old times here not forgotten," check out Diane Roberts' essay — or read her just-published book. The title alone makes me want to snap it up: Dream State: Eight Generations of Swamp Lawyers, Conquistadors, Confederate Daughters, Banana Republicans, and Other Florida Wildlife.
The quote I plan to post on my bulletin board: Times, July 30. Words to live by for novelists, journalists and a recent-defeated presidential candidate, from an interview with Carl Hiaasen: "'You're dead in the water if you preach and proselytize,' he says. 'If you can get a lick in, fine, but if you can't get them turning the pages, it's all garbage.'"
Summer souvenirs: There are plenty of other stories I'm keeping around, either for educational value or simply because they're very good reads. The comprehensive articles in the Trib's "Tampa Project" series come to mind; so does the Times' recent three-parter about a young Indian-American woman navigating the thickets of arranged marriage. But the papers I'll probably keep the longest are from the Hurricane Summer of 2004 — because, if we're lucky, we won't see headlines like those ever again.
This article appears in Dec 29, 2004 – Jan 4, 2005.