Tuesday, April 03, 2007

All the news that's fit to print


Ticky tacky boxes
San Francisco, CA, March 2007

You can tell a lot about a town by the media it keeps. When I saw this row of newspaper boxes, I knew their sheer number told a story that I wanted to remember.

Because I was sitting on a city bus at the time, doing my utmost to not lose consciousness before I got back to my hotel, I was feeling a little moody. I thought of the places in the world where such flagrant displays of free press are banned. Yet here, they're a part of the everyday landscape.

Imagine that.

Your turn: A free press means...?

13 comments:

Anna said...

Cool shot. Wow....that is a lot! I love all the colors lined up! :)

Rainbow dreams said...

what a curious sight, at least in my part of the world....
bright and colourful, reminds me of lego pieces... :)

rashbre said...

What an amazing collection of newpaper vending machines! We don't have many of them at all in the UK, except in a few big cities and then usually for the free (as in not paid for) press.

The more common sight are those little stalls with magazines and newspapers all over them, or in places like London the newspaper sellers with the "Stannit" (Evening Standard), which is on sale from about 10am Monday to Friday.

Em said...

I'm not even sure why...but I love this photo. It almost seems like too much press...until you think about the many different points of view that don't get covered in the mainstream media. And then I remember we need these outlets!

Anonymous said...

Wow an answer to this could fill volumes Carmi.

Freedom my friend.....freedom!

kenju said...

It used to mean I could read all the news I could ever want, and respond to it with surety it would be printed. Now it means you read what the advertisers want you to read.

Anonymous said...

First off, this is a nice shot Carmi. It really tells a story doesn't it?

A free press...is freedom as sarch suggests. I wonder sometimes where we are going with it...but only time will tell.

CynAnn said...

I remember how amazed I was at all the newspapers available in Ireland...and I have not even considered how many countries have bans on the press or free words.
Good post. Great thought provoking picture too

Lee Ann said...

Very artistic to say the least!

Gyrobo said...

A free press means I have the right to say that England and Ireland are the same country.

Carolyn said...

Freedom to tell the truth w/out fear of consequences.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Love all the colors of those boxes, Carmi...they are very inviting..And I cannot get over how many there are...A Free Press means that anyone anywhere can publish and sell or give away practically anything and everything they want to---good and bad!
I wonder how many of these boxes have papers of any quality in them? Love this picture, a lot!

srp said...

Free Press should mean an obligation to present the facts, simply, truthfully, without any slant toward a personal "opinion". Leave the opinions to the editorial page. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case with left newspapers that ONLY present one view and right newspapers that do the same.

As a result:
- I don't read the newspapers or listen to the big three news networks or CNN. I don't trust anything they put out.
-I see that people can aid those who want to annihilate Israel, the US and anyone who does not conform to their radical beliefs, and because of our freedoms... claim "free press" and "free speech". What ever happened to the responsibilities that came along with our freedoms. Isn't it criminal to yell "fire" in a crowded and dark theater, causing a panic that results in the injury of others?
-to the press it means they can do or say anything and have no liability...
-there seem to be no checks and balances in the press... no one keeps THEM honest.

THAT was depressing...

But the picture and the colors are glorious. And does your reference to "ticky tacky boxes" mean that you remember or have heard of that song Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds? ....
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,
Little boxes, little boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.