Too cool for school?

How many ways can you write about the hipster? The New York Times tries another angle this week in an article about the growing incidence of hipsters in an unlikely place: Staten Island’s North Shore. In describing the growing presence of hip young residents in Staten Island, the article skirts what seems to be the main reason for moving there: lower rent. Instead, it focuses on the new residents’ efforts to create a bohemian café culture of sorts. It opens with the standard lede for any mainstream media article on hipsters: a description of the wardrobe. However, the article relies heavily on quotes to make its best points, including the idea of the North Shore as “Williamsburg without the irony.” These give the article the authenticity needed, even as some quotes doubt the very possibility that the North Shore will catch on as the next SoHo or Williamsburg.

The Boston Globe profiles a true character today: “Pirate Professor” Paul Sally. The article shows what Sally would be like if you met him, by including details such as his “salty language” and imposing height and appearance. With an “accent [that] retains a strong trace of Roslindale,” readers can identify with him even more, as a Boston native.

Not all teachers are as beloved as Professor Sally seems to be, and a Washington Post article does some original investigating to make up for D.C.’s weaknesses in public education. The newspaper surveyed students from the class of 2005 who attended a local public high school to see how they have fared since graduation. It introduces the article with an individual story of a disappointed graduate before setting up the results as a form of public service, claiming the school system often fails because it does not have the ability to track graduates in the same way.

The Times of London also covers an educational controversy today in an article about Muslim medical students who refuse to learn about sexually transmitted and alcohol-related diseases because of their personal ethical beliefs. The article covers the range of situations in which medical students demur based on their religious beliefs, but it cannot provide any kind of statistics to support its claims. It also lacks comments from doctors or administrators at London medical schools, choosing instead a more remote source from the General Medical Council.