What is news? This is news!
September 1, 2011
The article I choose for Fuglsang’s assignment was a New york Times piece on shutting down a prescription drug “ring” down in Florida. Basically a new law in Florida was recently passed that makes it harder for doctors to prescribe narcotics and habit forming drugs, such as oxycodone. There are about three reasons I think that this qualifies as news. First, it’s one of the few instances that I’ve seen of the U.S. doing something intelligent with their drug policy. They’re going after the drug suppliers instead of the drug users, a fairly rare occurrence as prison numbers will attest. Also, they’re going after the suppliers of a drug more harmful but as easy, if not easier, to get than marijuana. The second reason this is news, is the type of people who are going to jail because of this law. This law applies to doctors and pharmacists, not Rastafarian’s with dreadlocks or a skinny speed freak with claws for nails and bloodshot eyes. This makes the article unique, if nothing else. The last thing, is that the article is told in a very objective way. I’ve noticed that’s very common with the Times, but it lends the piece credibility as a reliable source of information. One last thing that makes the article interesting, and this might be the English side of me coming out, but for some reason, the phrase “pill mill” tickles me pink. Maybe it’s the sound of two similar words, or maybe it’s because the phrase easily devolves into gibberish.
Here’s the link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/us/01drugs.html?_r=1&ref=us