A quick journalism lesson.
One of the main elements of what makes something news can be found in the word itself: new.
Beyond that, and beyond the basic elements of civic import (whether a debate about a new city hall or a policy on policing immigration), the unusual, the strange ("man bites dog") and even the quirky make the cut.
OK, so there may be no explaining a story last week in the Pilot, "O.C. ranks third in count of most U.S. millionaires." After all, we all knew that, right?
And we can conjecture that in Newport Beach, where the median income as of six years ago already was about $85,000, the count of millionaires was particularly high.
So what's new, quirky or unusual about that?
Well, from any other perspective or any other locale, it is. You can't throw a Rolex President watch without hitting a millionaire, apparently. That's not normal.
So it's a good reminder that the good life here is good ? people are doing a lot better than most everyone else.
But, keep in mind, there's still room for improvement: Los Angeles County and Cook County in Illinois still have more millionaires.
So, everyone, get busy.
