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?
No comments:
Post a Comment