Media Criticism

The common misconception of California is that it is a “blue�? state from border to border. The significant size and economy of the Golden State means that there are different pockets of political, social and cultural beliefs. I spoke about the thought-provoking articles emerging from the East Bay Express last week in an effort to dispel the idea that Berkeley is one tree hugger away from becoming a Marxist city. North Coast Journal may be published out of a conservative area in northern California but it shows that alternative media works outside of the mainstream media’s limited political dichotomy.

The North Coast Journal is published out of Arcata, California, a city best known as the home to Humboldt State University. The city has a population of 17,294 but the Journal has a circulation of 22,000 according to 2007 statistics. The Journal runs a blog called the “NC Journal Blogthing�? and separates itself from local media outlets by covering issues that are important to Arcata residents.

The editors of the Journal publish local, state and national news of importance in sections called “Town Dandy�? and “Short Stories.�? These sections feature a small amount of classic graphics and a large amount of information concentrated into a few pages. I know that my blog is focused on finding serious news sources but the North Coast Journal is filled with some great lifestyle columns written by local authors.

“Stage Matters�? is a column devoted to northern California’s theater scene with weekly reviews of local stage performances. “Dirt�? provides gardening tips and “Table Talk�? concentrates on meals and spirits within California’s wine country. My favorite column in the Journal is “Garlick’s Notebook�? which is a science column written by geology professor Don Garlick. I have found few articles like “Garlick’s Notebook�? in other alternative newsweeklies and the lessons learned in each column apply outside of northern California. North Coast Journal exceeded my expectations considering the community’s size and I have the paper bookmarked for future reading if only to learn what “Table Talk�? has to say about the booming wine industry.