Little Shop of Horrors

Newsweek Goes Digital

Newsweek New York headquarters. (Peter Foley/EPA)

"Emerging technology and digital tools have transformed the landscape of print media and publishing."

This has become the mantra of almost every communications, news writing and reporting class. As members of the distinctive "Gen Y" category, we have heard this sentiment be expressed so often that it almost qualifies as an old adage. LA Times covered Newsweek's announcement  that they will be moving to a strictly online format in the upcoming months. The article states that users can access the website's "sophisticated" format and content by becoming paid subscribers. 

Quite a few large publications, including Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and The New York Times have transitioned into online publishing by allowing unregistered subscribers to view a limited amount of content while paying site visitors get full access to an unlimited amount of articles. Moreover, these three publications maintain their print counterparts but have scaled back in various other production and printing methods. After 80 years of publication, Newsweek is one of the first magazines to completely halt their print edition and move into digital-only format. Editor in Chief Tina Brown says this move was motivated by several reasons, one of them being the fact that 39% of Americans are beleived to access the news online.

What kind of unique opportunities are available from being strictly digital?

Do you think other publications will follow suit?

Who's next and what does this mean for print journalism?

Comment away!

Softer Side of Skid Row

Digital publications allow writers to produce lengthier feature articles that capture the personality of a community or the energy of an event. Last night, reporter Randall Roberts published a story titled "At skid row karaoke, they are all songs of hope."

 This story  profiles the Central City Community Church of the Nazarene in downtown Los Angeles and showcases their weekly karaoke night event. It involves several interviews from event participants, video footage of performances and an entire photo gallery. A community event such as would be lucky to garner even a mention in a print publication, but the L.A. Times online edition enables us to meet the individuals and characters that define this very event.

One of my favorite aspects of this article's reporting is the positive message deeply embedded in Pastor Tony Stallworth's intentions. Their belief that joy, fun and community celebration can lower crime rates in a community known for street cred (see name: SKID ROW) is inspiring and is the perfect example of the news value. It's not a campaign to end crime or the glorification of drugs, sex and alcohol, but it is a community effort to gather and heal through song.

Speaking of Skid Row, Boston University's Stage Troupe will be performing Little Shop of Horrors this upcoming weekend, a fun musical production set in the downtown neighborhood. I'll be around snapping photographs on opening night for a slideshow that I'll be posting next week. Stay tuned and check out their event!

Seeing Red

KONY2012 Launches "Move"

Local LA: California Proposition Voter Guide

The upcoming Presidential election is not only on the forefront of everybody's mind, but also on the front page of print and digital news publications. Amidst the debates and camapign coverage, national news outlets that also provide local news have to develop creative strategies for giving equal prominence to local news. 

 In order to keep their Californian audience informed about local politics and legislature, the LA Times embedded this banner head with a link that directs their readers to a  Proposition Voter Guide. This Voter Guide is a great example of how digital media is able to enhance both content and transparency by providing more space to explain each individual proposition. Readers are also able to engage with the content by searching the people who are contributing support AND opposition for each proposition.

After reading the brief explanations on the "Voter Guide," the reader is able to click "Read more." These links bring them to pages that provide more in-depth information, as well as clear visuals and interesting graphic representations of data. The information is smartly divided into different sections.

"When it passes" explains the impact this proposition would have on the local population.

"Official Summary & Analysis" provides, via more links, the official full text, a reference guide, and a title summary and analysis.

"Editorial: The Times' Take" gives their opinion and stance on the proposition.

They also include a section titled "Tracking the money" in which they breakdown single contributions by size. The above chart is an effective way to display the amount of financial support Proposition 30 has received. 

At the very bottom of the page, the LA Times lists the name of contributors as well as the date they contributed the listed amount. While I find it fascinating that digital media has been able to create this level of transparency, especially for important issues such as voting, I wonder if this particular information is appropriate and pertinent "news." As a reader, this does not add to my understanding of the propositions, therefore I'm not sure it is necessary to include this particular infographic on an informational Voter Guide. 

Would you feel comfortable making donations if you knew it would be published publicly?

Do you find Voter Guides helpful tools during election season?

Election Debates

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