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John Byrne
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Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
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Posted: 28 December 2025 at 1:02pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply
In the checkout line at the grocery store yesterday I noticed a few point-of-purchase magazines presenting Year End Reviews—a full week before the end of the year.

Think of how much could happen in a week.

I recall when the Berlin Wall came down, and several news magazines had already published their “year end” reviews, missing one of the most significant events of the year, even the century.

This is all due to the need to beat everyone else. News reporting is less about an accurate representation of what’s going on in the world than it is about being first to tell us about it.

An absurd condition at the best of times, but even more when what is being reported is literally “old news”.

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Vinny Valenti
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Posted: 28 December 2025 at 1:20pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply
Same thing happened when there were magazines on the stand with covers like "Betty White turns 100!"

I admit that I got a bit nervous when I saw them doing the same thing with Dick Van Dyke all over again.
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John Byrne
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Grumpy Old Guy

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Posted: 28 December 2025 at 1:45pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply
Speaking of celebrities, they managed to miss the death of Brigette Bardot.
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Michael Penn
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Posted: 28 December 2025 at 9:12pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply
Speaking of missing the loss of Ms. Bardot... I was quite annoyed to watch, last week, TCM's 2025 "in memoriam." What in the world would've been so off about releasing that midnight, January 1st...?
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Josh Goldberg
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Posted: 29 December 2025 at 1:17am | IP Logged | 5 post reply
When I was in high school, Ricky Nelson died on New Year's Eve.  The year ain't over until it's over.
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James Best
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Posted: 29 December 2025 at 5:06am | IP Logged | 6 post reply
Over the last couple of years I have purchased the Year End Review copy of TIME magazine. Several times it has been published far enough in advance that I could use it as a stocking stuffer.

While I agree that our modern news media is far too concerned with trying to be "first with the story" instead of being accurate in their coverage, I enjoy the YER issues because they allow me to catch up on any big news stories that may have escaped me or that I lost track of.

I also liked the YER issues for select entertainment magazines (such as the old Entertainment Weekly) so that I could see what I may have missed at the local movie theaters and so forth. I could then quickly rectify that with a rental or download.

Yes, there will be gaps (potentially huge ones) because the issues are published so far in advance now but I have learned to enjoy what the magazines provide rather than what falls through the cracks during the final week(s) of the calendar year.
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John Popa
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Posted: 29 December 2025 at 5:54pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply
I laugh because our 'year end reviews' at work only use performane metrics through October and then our 'mid year' only uses metrics through April so Nov-Dec are essentially meaningless.

Edited by John Popa on 29 December 2025 at 5:55pm
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Vinny Valenti
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Posted: 29 December 2025 at 6:33pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply
"This is all due to the need to beat everyone else. News reporting is less about an accurate representation of what’s going on in the world than it is about being first to tell us about it."

---

Worth noting regarding this and celebrities, it's an open secret that news organizations stockpile obituaries for celebrities that haven't even died yet, so they can be the first to release when they actually do.

The AP once erroneously reported that Bob Hope died a few years before he actually did, complete with the pre-prepared obituary.
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Vinny Valenti
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Posted: 29 December 2025 at 6:37pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply
"When I was in high school, Ricky Nelson died on New Year's Eve.  The year ain't over until it's over."

--

Betty White also died on NYE, so she got the double-whammy - not only was she was erroneously reported as reaching 100 even though she died weeks before that birthday, but she also was omitted from the "people we lost" articles.


Edited by Vinny Valenti on 29 December 2025 at 6:37pm
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Peter Hicks
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Posted: 29 December 2025 at 10:11pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply
“ When I was in high school, Ricky Nelson died on New Year's Eve.  The year ain't over until it's over.”
*******************
Henri Matisse, Wayne Rogers, Anita Pointer…
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