The LA Times' "2012 Endings: What We'll Miss Most"

The time has come for the endless fluff pieces that 'remember' 2012. I'm confident that almost every day I will see a new list on my Twitter feed touting that it has the "10 Most Shocking Celebrity Feuds" or "Best Movies of 2012." I have a love-hate relationship with these types of articles. Yes, they're interesting and I love me a great recap piece. However, the slideshows are slow to load, the captions are usually cliche and the content selected is boring more often than not. The LA Times posted in their editorial section a compilation of "What we'll miss most" that I found an extremely interesting read. The content was a great balance of serious and light-hearted events from 2012 that are noteworthy and should be remembered as we enter into a new year.

The LA Times included the loss of David Beckham never adorning his short-shorts and futbol uniform again. Let's face it, Beckham and his fabulous Posh Spice wife are kind of a big deal. They have reached a certain level of celebrity that is beyond most pro-athletes and their families (not including the now famous 'Basketball Wives). Beckham was not only important member of the L.A. Galaxy, but also played a big role in renewing American interest in the sport. His retirement is news worth including.

When it was announced that the popular snack-brand Hostess will shutter its' doors, I, along with countless other people, had flashbacks of happily unwrapping plastic-wrapped treats. Thousands flocked to stores and began hoarding Twinkies. The photographs caption comically referenced the "Twinkie defense," but also mentioned the important issue of 18,000 jobs that were lost.

Global warming is an issue that's been important to me since my fourth grade science fair project. In light of other natural disasters over the past few years, the melting of our polar ice caps have slightly been put on the back burner. Including this slide was a nice wake up call and reminder that human decisions drastically impact the environment. 

What would you include in your list of things you'll miss in the upcoming year?

Holiday Shopping? There's an App for That

It is officially T-15 days before Christmas!

Online news outlets have been amping up their holiday news coverage, particularly articles involving shopping trends, gift guides and creative ideas for our friends and family members that may have a specific niche interest. In the spirit of online, multimedia and tech, I checked out the LA Times' round up of fun and helpful mobile apps.

Irene Virbila, a Times' reporter, compiled a list titled "Upgrade your cooking skills? There's an app for that." I believe that most of these apps could be great gifts to any food or cooking enthusiast, as well as a helpful tool for anybody getting ready for endless company and numerous holiday dinners or pot lucks. Here's a list of some of my favorites in the article:

1. Easy as Pie featuring Evan Kleiman For me, nothing says "Happy Holidays" like a warm baked pie. Unfortunately, nothing says "Caution: Difficult to pull off" like a fresh, homemade pie crust. My mother, daunted by the challenge of whipping out her rolling pin, believes that the best way to serve a pie is either purchased from the bakery or purchased frozen. Perhaps this app would give her some cooking confidence!

2. Bread Baking Basics with Michael Ruhlman Have a friend who loves experimenting with recipes and new foodie challenges? Know a blogger searching for a new project? Want to encourage your spouse to wake you up to the tantalizing scent of freshly baked bread? This app seems like a great gift for all of the above.

3. Speakeasy Cocktails Now this is a tool for any 21+ friend, colleague or family member. Who doesn't want to learn how to mix specialty cocktails right in their own home? New Years Eve is just around the corner from Christmas and I'm sure any party guests would appreciate a drink more interesting than a flute of champagne. This app will give its owner the chance to take a chic yet out-of-the-box approach to their evening's libations.

Although a great, comprehensive gift guide, I do think the author took a few short cuts that made this article a little less functional or useful to the reader. Links to where the App was available, a demo of the app or even a screenshot of the featured chef or App graphics would help the reader choose which mobile app is the most appropriate for whatever purpose they're hoping to serve. However, I did like how the author included important information such as the price, publisher and a detailed description.

Would you ever purchase a mobile app as a holiday gift?

Covering Newtown with Convergence & "Click-ability"

My favorite aspect of online journalism is what I like to call "click-ability." I can't even begin to count the amount of times I started reading one article, and ended up with 5-10 other tabs and windows open with related links and information. The power to just click and find out more information is not only convenient, but also has become an essential aspect of being informed citizens.

Whenever media is dominated by an extremely controversial news story, consumers and citizens spend several hours scouring the web for as much information as possible. News outlets that compile the information and update the most frequently with "breaking" details have the most clout when it comes to reporting these types of events. On Friday, December 14, 2012, a mass shooting occurred at an elementary school located in Newtown, Connecticut. This tragedy, which involved the loss of several innocent children and their lives, is unprecedented in the United States and has sparked endless controversy regarding gun control, parenting and mental illness.

Despite where you personally land on the spectrum of the debate, I believe that the LA Times does a great and effective job in covering the events. They update their page consistently with either hard news information or relevant feature stories with a softer angle. They also take an inside glimpse into the shooter's life, his mind and what type of person would commit such an atrocity.

One of their most recent articles is "Upset by divorce? Outsider? Seeking clues in school shooter's past." This online content is a prime example of media convergence. At the very top, the author includes a video report that discusses the suspect and the relationship with his mother.



Then, a little farther down the article, the author links to a slideshow of photos from the event. In a side column, the article links to several other stories such as a piece on who the victims were, a transcript and video of Obama's speech and an interactive timeline of the deadliest massacres in the U.S. There's also a link to a "Full Coverage" page that compiles all of LA Times articles relevant to the shooting in one place. Their amount of coverage is quite extensive and provides a wide breadth of information for any reader interested in finding out more information about the tragedy.

Shocking events such as the Connecticut shooting have national impact and immense news value. The LA Times has definitely followed through on its responsibility to inform the public while successfully employing various multimedia techniques.

In the light of the recent tragedy, I'd like to take a moment of silence for the victims, their families and the entire Newtown community. Words cannot express my feelings as I hear more and more about what has happened. I hope and pray for a better tomorrow.

'Linking' the Seasons

While living abroad in Ireland and working at Food & Wine magazine, I learned a huge deal about the importance of cooking and eating locally and seasonally. During my initial interview with my soon-to-be supervisor, Ross Golden-Bannon, he said something that really stuck out. It was along the lines of:

"Seasonal cooking is exploding as a trend, but we've been doing it in Ireland for ages."

After that experience, I paid special attention to how mainstream U.S. media covers emerging food trends. For the average American consumer, seasonal cooking is a relatively novel concept that may initially seem complicated or difficult to understand. Writers are not only faced with the challenge of explaining the seasons in terms of cooking, but helping people understand how they can participate in the local and seasonal food movements.

On December 14, LA Times writer David Karp wrote a very interesting feature titled "Farmers Markets: Yes, there are seasons in Southern California." The strengths of this article, I believe, come from the links the author chose to include that help the reader understand the different seasons available in California.I also think that the author does a good job of referencing different ranches that produce seasonal items such as carrots, grapefruits, nuts and avocados.

The author does a nice job of explaining the "seasonal rhythm" of crops and how certain growers are able to harvest them and lengthen their season. Including the maturity release dates from the California Avocado Commission was a nice touch because it lent an official and authoritative source of knowledge.

Overall, I thought this feature was a great resource for seasonal eating in California. However, I think the author could have taken it a step further and included other multimedia content such as photos of current in season crops and an interactive map of farmer's market locations (or at least a link to a list). Online journalism has the unique opportunity to provide more in-depth and useful information that readers can access with an easy link. Journalists should continue to push the limits and try to use their online articles as a medium for providing as much help and knowledge as possible.