Backbencher

The last couple of days I've been reading the Sydney Morning Herald. I find that this publication is much more different than our Fargo Forum. I feel that they get to the facts quicker and don't sugar-coat things so that is more pleasant to the readers.
The first article that caught my interest was titled: "Valentine killer who turned the gun on himself jailed for two years." This was a bizarre case that our court system would have trouble with. Tony Riley was a successful businessman who was active in the community. This all changed when his wife ruined the marriage by infidelity, which caused him to become severely depressed. Last Valentine's Day Tony fired his shotgun at David Glen Nichols point-blank range and then continued to attempt suicide. He suffered severe brain trauma and is now impaired in many ways. Because of the bizarre circumstances he only got two years after pleading guilty. The second article I read was titled: "Ban lifted on duels but the law still rules." This is a bit of a tricky deal. Duels are still permitted however the crimes that follow, such as murder and manslaughter, still face stiff penalties. The third article I read was titled: "Raper of elderly 'liked grey hair'". This was an article about a Melbourne man that has raped two elderly women and exposed himself to many more simply because grey hair is a turn on for him.
My impressions of their paper are similar to national papers in our country in the way that they are firm believers of "If it bleeds it leads," however their information is presented in a different manner. We are so afraid to write certain things, afraid to offend someone, although we are protected by the 1st amendment. I didn't see this while reading the Sydney Morning Press. The facts were straight to the point, as gruesome as they were. I prefer reading news that isn't obscured in a way that bends the truth a little. Reading all these articles about crime may suggest that Australia is still in its convict roots, however you must take into consideration that the news agencies are more apt to printing the critical headlines.