Sometimes, even fantasy manages to look like news

Odds and ends, this and that, random thoughts:

Let's start with Tiger Woods, the AP's athlete of the decade.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about being mystified by the news value of David Letterman's sex life. I could write nearly the same column about the Woods (sigh) scandal, except for one realization. The Woods story is the kind of media prestidigitation that can make one feel a bit embarrassed about the business.

It's not just the excess of wall-to-wall coverage, constantly adding up Woods' sexual liaisons and subtracting his endorsements. It's the Inspector Renault "I'm shocked, shocked I tell you" acceptance of the chaste illusion of virtue that underlies the whole mess.

Tiger Woods, a young, handsome, obscenely wealthy sports celebrity who's on the road nine months a year, has had trysts with women not his wife. This surprises you? Do you also believe that NBA stars sleep alone in their hotel rooms at night and that Brad and Jen (or is it Brad and Angelina?) are a love story for the ages?

I can't believe that people read this stuff. But many, many do, so we hold our noses and put it in the paper. At least, we strive at the Daily Herald to give it more subdued, less sensationalistic play. Just be aware that what you're reading isn't "news" in any real-world sense. It's a fantasy of indignation about the fall from an illusory grace of a media-constructed image that no reasonable person actually believes about a sports superstar who, let's face it, few people outside of his family and friends really know.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Speaking of illusions, let's talk about the weather. It's cold today. As I write this, it's about 5 degrees Fahrenheit outside. There's still a little snow on the ground, left over from a couple days of snow showers last week. It's also mid-December. Should we expect something different?

Yet, to some extent, every snowstorm and cold snap seems to inspire in us in the media - and, I must say it, especially our broadcast brethren - an aura of stunned surprise.

"Oh my gosh!" we can read the words like a watermark embedded into the flashing satellite pictures and slick graphics, "What is this mysterious white substance falling from the heavens and sticking to our windshields and streets and tongues and eyelashes?"

But we don't have to be alarmist in our coverage and we strive at the Daily Herald not to be. Last week, transportation reporter Marni Pyke had one of my favorite weather stories in years when she wrote about drivers who have to relearn managing winter conditions every year. We also provided tips for driving on snow and ice, keeping heating bills low and staying safe while shoveling or otherwise handling the snow. It may be a little repetitive, but we hope such coverage is more a useful reminder than a Chicken Little-ish scream.

And, speaking of snow jobs, you've no doubt noticed that political coverage is picking up. With the primary looming Feb. 2, just four weeks or so after the end of the holiday season, we're working hard to get interviews scheduled and information out about the candidates.

We realize you may have things other than politics on your minds during the holiday season, but when your attention returns in January, you'll find extensive coverage in traditional print stories as well as audio, video and text questionnaires online. Enjoy the season of peace while you can.

• Jim Slusher is an assistant managing editor for the Daily Herald.