Paper Journalists

The Contra Costa Times' Chuck Barney hopes the Weston high schoolers on MTV's "The Paper" will "step it up and inspire a whole new generation of young Woodwards and Bernsteins." Sorry Barney, but you're barking up the wrong tree. Have you seen this show? There's nothing inspiring about these kids...

By Bob Norman

May 5, 2008

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The Contra Costa Times' Chuck Barney hopes the Weston high schoolers on MTV's "The Paper" will "step it up and inspire a whole new generation of young Woodwards and Bernsteins." Sorry Barney, but you're barking up the wrong tree. Have you seen this show? There's nothing inspiring about these kids. More like depressing. The kids on the Cypress Bay High paper are all about bickering within the ranks and, so far, have done nothing journalism-wise. They aren't challenging the faculty or the student body. In fact, I have seen absolutely no sign of intelligence from the show yet. I'm not saying that all the kids featured are hopeless, some of them might wind up great. But so far all we've seen is what I predicted back in the day, that it would be another MTV "melodrama about insufferable rich kids." How did I know?

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Journalist Bob Norman has been raking the muck of South Florida for the past 25 years. His work has led to criminal cases against corrupt politicians, the ouster of bad judges from the bench, and has garnered dozens of state, regional, and national awards.

Contact: Bob Norman