I was amused the other day to pick up a newspaper in a faraway town and to read a feature article about a minor official in the local county government. A reporter had interviewed the deputy assistant director of the water authority or some similar civil servant, and the resulting article included a number of fairly predictable and humdrum quotes about some recent changes in the water system, the official's selfless commitment to public service, his goal of improved water quality and the like.

What was so amusing, however, was not the article itself but the accompanying color box, a small town imitation of a USA Today feature, showcasing selected tidbits from this fellow's private life. It was a local version of the "Dewar's Scotch Profile," and it treated this water department bureaucrat…