Sand castle story gets around

It's amusing to see how the sand castle story from the Isle of Palms grew legs over the past day. It became local news on Monday, and before the sun went down it went national.

In the interim, radio icon Paul Harvey picked it up. It went out on the Associated Press wire, which was then dispersed to just about every newspaper that has a "news hole" to fill. Talk-show hosts foamed excessively over the story. All of this is pretty tall cotton for a city council member who says he tries to stay away from the spotlight.

Isle of Palms Councilman Ryan Buchanan says his proposal is part of a larger one aimed at beach-goers who leave their junk around -- including chairs and coolers. He's taking the same tack that any good outdoorsman would take -- leave the beach the way you found it. In a phrase, leave no trace.

Buchanan told local radio talk-show host Richard Todd yesterday that the local media blew the sand-castle part way out of proportion, which is a big part of why he doesn't talk much to reporters.

Here's the catch, though. The news business is interested in the hot, splashy story that will get reader's attention and maybe help attract advertising revenue, which is really what pays the freight. A routine story about a council member wanting clean beaches isn't going to interest readers. It's a yawner story. Everybody wants clean beaches, and wherever there's a beach, you can bet there's a city council member wanting to keep it clean. That's not news.

But let the councilman mention something specific, unheard-of, unique, then that's news. And Buchanan, knowingly or not, gave the media just what they were looking for. An effort to demolish sand castles? Man, that's news.

I can't remember the exact wording, but in the newsroom, "news" is defined as something that doesn't usually happen. Something new. Different. A break in the status quo. Why do you think homicides find their way to the front page here? 'Cause they're news. Now, in a place like New York City or Detroit, where homicide may be considered "natural causes," you might find your homicides on page 38, buried among the Viagra ads. (A personal footnote here: I certainly would not want to be in a society where homicides and other bad-news stories are considered just another day in the life. But then again, who would? So I'll take my definition of "news and run with it.)

As our society becomes less literate and our attention spans shorten, this really puts that definition to extremes. Why slog through a dry news story when a snappy sound bite fills the need for news?

Meanwhile, the nation is now watching the Isle of Palms. I understand a ton of media types have been calling City Hall for something quotable.

As far as Buchanan, he seems to be taking this pretty well, which is not easy when one becomes the butt of national jokes. But today, Todd felt he had to ask Buchanan a question: Is this, by chance, an April Fool's joke?

Buchanan: "Gawd, I wish it was."