Yesterday I downloaded the June 2014 issue of National Geographic on my iPad. At almost 200 megabytes, it took over an hour to download. After swiping through the issue that is filled with editor’s notes, tables of contents, app instructions, advertisements, photo contests, user instagram showcases and single-page micro-features, I found only three long-form, in-depth articles that I could really sink my teeth into. And the issue cost $4.99. What’s with all the noise? What if I just wanted those three meaty articles? Why do I have to pay for content AND look at interruptive advertisements? I can’t even find refuge in the travel sections of mainstream media websites. Outlets like The Huffington Post and The Guardian seem hellbent on publishing Top 10 round-ups,…
Fiction & Opinion by Jeff Campagna
Posts tagged “writing”
1. ‘Peace & Plenty’ I once heard the fictional land of Shangri-La described as one of Peace & Plenty, though I don’t believe it was in James Hilton’s novel. The phrase sort of struck a chord with me. Of course, I imagine something different from Dorian Gray-esque monks and deadly mountain passes. Maybe a story about a near-future dystopia being cleverly camouflaged as a blossoming utopia. A land where news media paints a portrait of the real world as accurately as gonzo-porn paints a portrait of sex. A land where grown men kill teenagers and get away with it. A land where the Church, the State and the Rich all guffaw in an Oligarical circle-jerk of unrestrained stratification. A land where major cities file…