If you were to rely on Internet sources like ninemsm for your daily news update you would not be mistaken in thinking that Kanye and Kim Kardashian’s relationship is as important as the impending financial crisis in Greece or Spain.

I’m sure there are people out there that are relieved the K tradition looks set to continue with Kanye – and maybe it is more important to some. Not me though.

In the past – working on some writing projects meant I had quite a bit of time during the day on the Internet. Every time I logged out of Hotmail – there was ninemsn staring back at me with the ‘news’ bulletin. It seemed that they sought out the most horrific and sensational stories to grab the passing reader. Anything from bizarre murders and sexual assaults to family tragedy – it seemed the more shocking the better. On the Internet the content screaming out at you doesn’t appear to be as controlled as in newspapers or even on television. Perhaps the Internet is fair game – or perhaps it is more of the faceless anonymity of the Internet creeping in, or perhaps it just has to be more alarming to attract the transitory audience.

I spend less time on the Internet these days and more time commuting in my car. I have taken to switching my radio between Triple J, ABC News Radio and Radio National. Doing this gives me a far better perspective of the events going in the world and I find I am understanding the issues that affect our society.

Today’s challenge – again continuing for the rest of the month, is to only source my news from either the newspaper or radio. It is easy for me not to see the television news (no TV at home) and I will no longer even glance at the Internet news sites.

I don’t think I will miss out. This morning the headlines from all the major newspapers were read and briefly described on a segment of morning radio. The concept of this segment still feels a little strange – listening to the paper being read on the radio – but I have come to love it. I would never buy the Financial review but hearing the main stories condensed seems to impart the knowledge by osmosis. I often chuckle as the NT News ignores all major national news to report the latest crocodile anecdote as their cover story. After living there for a year – I can vouch – more often than not a croc graced the front page.

I absolutely love flicking through the Kuranda paper. It is full of upcoming events and reports of past happenings, and it has a real community feel about it. I read through every page of the paper, from the gig guide to gardening corner. Often there is community information that is only communicated through the paper, like when the local refuse will open over the holidays – we learnt that last Christmas. I also learnt that the scorpion I found in the laundry wouldn’t have been poisonous, or to be aware that the snakes were on the move (they were right, we saw three that week).

Even though it only comes out once a month I will take The Kuranda Paper over the Kardashian’s any day.