Written well, assumes reader is not simply a "consumer" to be tricked into buying or clicking. Displays transparency without constantly saying so. Refers to historical articles or position statements taken by the newspaper, adding to the meaning in a current article, and showing a kind of intellectual courage. Does in fact take positions, and make recommendations, something other news-creators won't do, who seem to hide behind a so-called journalistic creed of non-bias. This non-bias conveniently requires no intellectual rigor, nor courage. Another way it shows a real effort at understanding events is by being international. I simply cannot read U.S. papers anymore. Not only because they repeat over and over the same U.S. stories, with very little insight, but because they present news of any other area as definitely separate. Far from presenting the world through an imperial England-centric perspective, the Ecomomist presents an antidote to the uninformed, uninformed, unsophisticated U.S. perspective. I am very thankful I can choose between two versions of the paper, U.S. or U.K. I always choose U.K. My father in English, and I have him to thank for holding newspapers and other news-producers to a higher standard than simply looking for confirmation of already-held views. I am not of the opinion that the Washington Post (my local paper), nor the NY Times display "quality reporting" by virtue of the length of some of their articles. I certainly don't watch CNN, so I can be "informed" with "up-to-the-minute reporting". Actually I think I end up with less understanding, the more updates I see. I have been a professional librarian since 1998, having graduated from UNC Chapel Hill library science school then, and before that as a so-called "para-professional" before that. One thing a library can offer someone is cataloging not full of false "metadata" to get someone to click on a link, and no false duplicates in the catalog. Another is the curated collection. And of course librarians aren't trying to persuade or sell. The Economist likewise offers reliable, credible, not simply catholic but also comprehensive writing.It's the only newspaper I've ever shown to my son, who is now 16. When he asks me something about politics, or social issues, or Facebook, I browse through issues of the Economist first. I am not at all wealthy, nor even middle-class, but I usually find a way each year to renew my subscription. I appreciate very much the audio versions, and being able to have both the paper and electronic versions.
