Where do you get your news? Whom do you trust?Media sites want to draw you to their pages and even more, to get you to return. There are all kinds of methods for this. Using Capital News 9 and the media site you chose, consider the following questions and whether both sources address them in the same way:
How are they set up? What is the balance of images v words? How do they use tabs (if they do)?
What do they think people are looking for?
How would you assess their level of responsiveness to the audience?
How do they establish a sense of "authority"?
Who is Channel 9 (and your other media site)? How are they presented? How complete is the information?
Do they work on your anxieties (e.g. the kind of stories that end with "...or your children may be in danger!"
How do they present themselves as part of the community?
How much user-generated content is there? Does it affect your assessment of the site as a "news" source?
I often find news from a local newspaper from where I am from, The Daily Freeman. This paper is based out of Kingston, NY. Compared to Capital News 9, these sites are a bit different, but also similar in many ways. Of course the most obvious difference is that the Freeman is a newspaper, while Capital 9 is a TV station. Based on the online content though, this doesn’t really matter. One thing that sticks out is that Capital 9 News can provide videos online that may have aired on the station. Obviously, the Freeman cannot offer this. However, the Freeman allows readers to comment on news stories that have been posted on the site. Capital 9 News does not appear to offer this, although you can share stories on Facebook, Digg, etc. As far as other similarities, both offer news; one for the Capital District, and one for the Hudson Valley. Both use a modern looking layout with tabs that are easy to navigate. There seems to be the right amount of images on each site, and then the text of headlines appears on the main page also. They seem to be responsive to what the audience wants. I think that the headline text is what people are really looking for at a news site, and the ability to click and view different stories. Both seem complete and authoritative, as they are both giving news and must seem like they are a responsible and accurate source of information. As far as working on the reader’s anxieties, I didn’t see much of that on either site. I’m sure on the actual news station they do this to grab people’s attention, especially in teasers. Both clearly present themselves as part of the communities that they serve. The Freeman states that it has been “Serving the Hudson Valley since 1871”, while Capital News 9 proclaims it is “Your News Now” for the Capital Region. There is news and information for each of these communities at each site. I didn’t notice a lot of user-generated content from these sites. If you scroll down at the Freeman website, you see some blogs from editors, but these are not from the general public. There are also editorials that appear in the actual newspaper as well. On Capital News 9, I didn’t notice much user-generated content either. If anything, this just makes these sites more reliable as news sources.
ReplyDeleteNews is all around us, it is just a matter of how we receive the news that is important to us. Some of us prefer to watch the The Daily Show for the latest updates on politics with a bit of humor, while others prefer a more serious broadcast like CNN Nightly News. No matter how we choose to find out our daily news we begin to grow a bond between certain stations over others as if we feel a real connection between the broadcaster and the news that is being put in front of us.
ReplyDeleteAfter checking out The Daily Show, CNN Nightly News, and Capital News 9 , it is easy to see that each of these three sites are full of daily news whether it be regarding to local news, politics, or worldly news each contains valuable information. While glancing through these three sites, I’ve come to notice that although they all have the same purpose they all choose to spread the word different. On the The Daily Show we can see that the choice of colors to grab the viewers attention are bright. When we first open the page we are struck with an intense blue background with red and white text colors that give it a very ‘political’ feel because of the democratic and republican colors. Upon opening the page we are bombarded with streaming videos from the past week and past episodes. Here we can see that people are looking to get some knowledge about politics with a bit of humor attached to the news. The information that is given in the broadcasts are true, however they may twist bits and pieces of the text in order to make it more appealing and humorous to the viewers. The The Daily Show isn’t like your ‘normal’ news station instead it is a humorous version of your daily ‘laugh’ about politics. The information put forth from The Daily Show isn’t specifically connected to the community we live in however, it is more of a wide spread of political news. It is clear that this website has more videos than it does textual information such as facts, and what not. However, the site contains all of the videos posted and it gives a brief explanation of what one will be seeing in the video.
It is clear that Capital News 9 , is a different type of news broadcast. Here we get the facts with no humor involved and we are able to take this news more seriously. The information that we receive from Capital News 9 is usually understood to be ‘cut dry and to the point’ in this case there is no humor involved as we can see, after viewing both web pages each appears to be very different. The Capital News 9 , appears to have authority and a sense of protection towards families where as The Daily Show isn’t taken as seriously as the local news station
One of my favorite news sites is The Cape Cod Times, because I would rather be in Cape Cod than Albany, so I like to keep up to date with their local news.
ReplyDeleteCapital News 9 is the website companion to the Time Warner Cable news channel. For this reason most of the content on the Capital News 9 site is video clips from the broadcast. The Cape Cod Times site is the online version of the print paper, so most of the content is is just the online form of what appears daily in print.
Both of the sites are focused primarily on local news, but have major national and international stories as well. The amount of local news coverage establishes both sites as parts of their respective communities. A good deal of the Cape Cod Times site is also devoted to entertainment and things to do while on the Cape, becuase many readers are tourists. Btth sites strive to be journalistically neutral and not prey on people's emotions.
Both sites establish authority because they are not strictly online, they have television and print counterparts. There is also relatively little user generated content on either site, lending to their credibility.
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ReplyDeleteTo keep up to date with the news I usually read the Times Union. Capital News 9 and the Times Union have a lot of the same qualities as a news provider. They both provide local news however; Capital News 9 can only be watched through Time Warner Cable or online while the Times Union is a newspaper and available online. They both have online websites that provide clips from that days broadcast. Capital News 9 is strictly used for the news and doesn’t have any other programs on its station. The website layouts are a little different. Capital News 9 provides their viewers with a lot of video clips while the Times Union has more pictures and articles. They both provide local news, national news, and international news to their viewers. The Times Union website is essentially the newspaper online. It provides the same categories it would in a newspaper such as local news, sports, and classifieds. The Times Union is very involved locally. They even have bloggers that blog about local news. They have a lot of blogs about all different subjects. They both hold authority within the community. They are both respected within the community because they delivery legitimate news stories. They don’t use scare tactics to bring people in. They are both readily available for anyone who wants to see what is going on in the capital region they can just pick up the newspaper, turn on the tv, or go online
ReplyDeleteWhen I want to watch the news, I usually read the Times Herald Record in my town, Newburgh, N.Y. and my family and I usually tune to Channel 6 news, which is local news in Orange County. Fox 5 News is also a big news channel we watch to see what is going on in the United States. My Channel 6 news and Capital 9 News are very similar due to the fact that it concentrates on the local area. It gives you information about big stories, weather, and local sports. I don't watch it very much but when I do, it reminds me a lot of my channel 6 news at home.
ReplyDeleteFor the media website I am choosing, is the Cosmopolitan magazine website. I often read and receive the subscription every month. When I am bored I usually go on the website and there are many different articles and things to check out. The layout is bright pink, filled with many links, pictures and words evenly. The tabs, which are links, bring down more links underneath that specific topic your mouse is over.
The website is targeted mainly towards women and how they can relate. Most of the articles that they have pull readers in because they are things women are going through and what they are interested in. The blogs this site has definitely shows the response the website wants. Also, their are tons of people that are subscribers, being that this magazine is still in business and still very popular.
Back to Capital News 9, I don't often use this site, as being that I am not from the capital region. But when I do watch it, it is strictly news. There isn't really much to draw you in, unless you want to know what is going on in the area. It also plays a lot during the day, so I guess if there is nothing else on T.V. people might just watch the news.
Capital News 9 uses a lot of pictures and video clips to draw the viewer in. This is also seen in Inhabitat. Pictures are more visually appealing than simple text to most people. Both of these sites include lots of images. They also have catchy headlines. Inhabitat has more of a laid back feel to it. The information is interesting, and creative. However, Capital News 9 has important information about current events. Though they both talk about recent news, they have differences in the news they provide, as well as the look of the page.
ReplyDeleteThey both provide information that really isn't that important to know. Although it may be interesting to read about recent news in the capital region, your day won't be highly effected if you're not aware of this information. As for Inhabitat, the information is interesting and innovative, but not much of things that are useful to the general public.
I just visited the Capital News 9 website and let me just say "WOW". That is ridiculously crowded with advertisements, flashy videos and more pictures then my eyes can observe at once. Honestly, it made it really hard for me to decipher what is exactly news and what is just another advertisement. I know this is a local news outlet and they need the advertisements to make money but seriously have they ever heard of "less is more"? It is not completely their fault though, it seems like every media website I visit is engulfed in the advertisement craze. Usually I do not rely on the internet to expose me to current events and news for this reason; I usually just read the papers or watch CNN. So when I thought about a media website that usually catches my interest I thought of theRolling Stone website. I often read their timeless magazine and enjoy the well-rounded, modern and relevant material throughout the pages. However, their website is a little different. Although I feel it represents the magazine well, it too is caught up in ad-clutter. I realize that in both the Capital News 9 website and in the Rolling Stones website, that both have a lot of images scrambled in between some articles here and there. To tell you the truth, it is sort of intrigues you to stay on the page. Between the bold headlines on the Capital News 9 website like “Teen Arrested for Sex Abuse” or the Rolling Stones headlines like “Life on Planet Wayne”, it most definitely keeps you wanting more. People who are on these sites daily are definitely looking for way to stay informed and be entertained, just in different ways.
ReplyDeleteIf you are on the Capital News 9 website you are probably in a nearby community. Channel News 9 offers local news for people who live in the area. Whether it is Governor Patterson vetoing a bill or news about nearby colleges like Siena or Saint Rose, the website offers it all. Does it work on my anxieties? Not exactly but if I was a mother whose children were enrolled in the school district, I would absolutely be a little worried after visiting the website. Over all the Channel News 9’s website serves their purpose to inform all the locals about all the delightful or frightful news that is in the area.
Rolling Stones website is a little different. Although, its purpose is to inform anyone who is interested about news, it definitely targets a different audience than what Channel News 9 does. If you are a music junky than yes, this website is perfect for you. Not to steer in the wrong direction though, Rolling Stone magazine and website is more than just music news. There is also global and current news that is important. For instance there are a ton of articles on the Haiti crisis. I do not believe there are a lot of “user generated content”, although there is a blog page specified on its own.
For news I usually rely on yahoo mails little pieces of top news stories to get my news. On the Capital News 9 there are alot of ads and media and very little words.There are also a lot of links to get to other pages all around the type. It is very busy and my eyes do not focus on one thing. I chose Rolling Stone's Blog. This Media blog is set up with half the page having words and abstracts of posts that you can click and get the whole story and on the other side are other blogs and links to other stories. There are three ads on this page but that is less than Capital News 9 . The tabs on Capital News 9 are tricky there are tabs on the top of the page that help you select a county and then on the side you can find things out like the weather and school closings. On the Rolling Stone's Blog There are links to get around the rest of the site and navigate through the magazine, there are also more blogs that are run by Capital News 9 they are looking for national or local news reports or weather. When going to the Rolling Stone's Blog they are looking for what is going on in the music world. I do not think that Capital News 9 has much space to respond to the stories. You can post them on other media site like Facebook but there are not comments and how people feels about that story directly on that page. On the Rolling Stone's Blog A user can comment on the story as well as post them to other social networks. Capital News 9 is a news site that is on tv, and on the web. They present there information by showing clips and then explaining the story more in an article. The information is updated and made sure that a reader has the full story. Rollin Stone is a magazine that presents information on music. This magazine does not present information on tabloid stories or the latest gossip. They are specifically dedicated to music and the facts on the music. The information is as complete as they can make it at the time of presenting it. Some of the stuff on the Capital News 9 play on your anxieties because they will leave you with something like will the governors bill be passed, I guess well just have to wait and see. On the Rolling Stone's Blog the only anxiety is on the guess next months cover blogs, were they give you a small piece of the cover and you have to guess who it is.Neither of these sites are really geared towards a community or a group of people. They also do not have a lot of user generated material. A lot of the facts are brought to you by the original people who reported the story or one of the editors of the magazine.
ReplyDeleteSo the site I picked attacks the idea of media in news entirely differently than Capital News 9. The site I chose was The Daily Show. While a popular show featured on a comedy network, it still aims to present current news events to the public. Both sites have a number of pictures, but the Daily Show site blatantly has more images and is considerably busier. For Capital News 9, the tabs can bring the viewer to news relating to other New York areas and in some places can bring the viewer to different stories. In contrast, The Daily Show only uses two tiers of tabs, first there is the tabs that bring the viewer away from the site, to similar ones. The Colbert Report site, for instance, is easily accessible through the click of a single tab. The second tier navigates the reader through the site, which is a fairly simple one. There is the option to view episodes, see upcoming guests and learn about the team bringing the news to the viewer. Along with this, access to a forum is through the tabs as well.
ReplyDeleteThe forum is a great way to see the interaction of viewer and the show. There are blogs and discussions between each cast member and different issues, but there are also areas for viewer suggestion and comment, which make the viewer a part of the news. By allowing the viewer to interact with the site and therefore the show, the site makes itself a part of the community, each cast member has their own section where the viewer can read about them and read their opinions. Instead of developing a high level of authority, where the news people are all knowing the viewer just watches, the daily Show has created an interesting way for the audience to interact. Capital News 9 has left the traditional distance, for the most part offering information but not interacting, but the Daily Show has made itself something intimately known by its audience.
Neither site seemed to trap audiences with the age old "Are your children in danger?" trick, but one thing that did bother me, was the ads in Channel 9's website. Time Warner Cable, Lia cars, Residential Specialists etc. all advertise on Capital News 9's website. In contrast, The Daily show offered no ads like that. While i know all news is biased, and the comic stylings of John Stewart definitely are no exception, but ads in my face shows me that there is no way a station can be unbiased when the site is bought and paid for by multiple companies. Plus it's just plain distracting.
Back home I usually watch the news on the fox 5 channel news broadcast and News 12 The Bronx. I rarely get my news on the internet but looking at the Capital News 9 website,capitalnews9, I can see that there is hardly any print on the website. It is mostly covered with web videos that you can click to view the news. I see this as the end of an age of print since humans rely more on images rather than words to captivate their interest.
ReplyDeleteOne pro is that at least this website is not bombarded with advertisements, I can only count three advertisements and they hardly get in the way of the news.
The website has many tabs to click on such as visiting a specific region and it allows the visitor to choose the top stories in many catgories such as headlines, community, sports, politics, and such and such.
Compared to the fox news website I like the capital 9 news much better, I don't like the both of them but I feel that the capital news 9 website is far more reliable.
When visiting the myfox news site, myfox news, I felt overwhelmed because it's filled with advertisements from top to bottom on a small section of the right side. As a visitor I do not want to view advertisements I have no business with them i would rather look at the news than have an ad distract me. I thought that the my fox website was not very organized, there were far more too many links such as the fox featured blogs and the featured community blogs. It hardly contained any news that would be useful to an individual.
For my news I usually watch CNN or more likely The Daily Show. I really enjoy watching the Daily Show because the news is put into an enjoyable way that is interesting to watch and I also learn what is happening in the world. Although two other students have already choose The Daily Show, and CNN has been done, so this leaves me with The Onion. The Onion is a website (and also a hilarious movie) that tell the news in a funny way. For example one of the articles on the website is “Bunch Of Phonies Mourn J.D. Salinger”. J.D. Salinger was the famous author that wrote Catcher in the Rye. He was a solitary man, and in Catcher in the Rye, the main character calls many people phony because they do not truly care. When you first go onto The Onion website, the first thing you notice is the title of the website. The colors are white, green and black. The website also shows tabs at the top to click on to for a fast switch over to a different part of the website. There are also articles with pictures at the top of the website, as you go farther and farther down the website you see many different articles the whole way down. There really isn't that many advertisements. There is an advertisement to buy Zombieland the dvd, but other than that there is only the Onion store, where you can buys Onion products. All the way at the bottom the Onion offers links to their “News Partners” CNN, The Washington Post, Slate, and the A.V. Club. I am not sure who Slate or the A.V. Club is, but CNN and the Washington Post are very popular news sites and shows. When you first click over to Capital News Nine, the first thing you see is a Time Warner Cable advertisement. There is also a small area where it has the Capital News Nine symbol, and then proceeded by “brought to you by Time Warner Cable. This news site is obviously right when you look at it going to be biased by what Time Warner Cable wants to be published. There is also two advertisements for KIA Motors, and there is an advertisement for Google also. The colors for Capital News 9 is red, blue, and white like the American Flag. The tabs at the top are for regions and there seems to be much less articles than the Onion. This site has the weather also which is a wonderful plus for people. On whole I think that mainly the only similarity to these two sites is that they both tell the news. For the most part these two sites are displaying the news for two different audiences, which means that both sites are catering differently to different people, and in turn are different in themselves.
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ReplyDeleteAs far as it goes for me getting the daily news from Capital News 9 I never use it. However, the site does use a lot of pictures and eye-grabbing headlines to draw viewers in. The site also has links to other sites for advertising such as Lia Cars. The site also has video clips for people to watch for those who really want to see something that caught their eyes. This site breaks their page up into tabs so that people can find what they are looking for a little easier. For example, they have the sports tab, the weather tab, the politics tab, and in other news tab just for starters. I believe that people who are looking for information quickly and easily, they would come here. This site also has a tab to the Time Warner Cable website for those of us who don't have cable, or who want to learn more about it.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't usually watch the news too often, but when I do, I will usually turn to the Today Show because the news casters always have the newest news, and they also have fun ways of showing the news. They sometimes have their news casters fly to other parts of the world for fun, so the viewers can try to figure out, based on the clues, where in the world they are? The Today Show's website has several tabs and their biggest headline has to do with the starting of the Olympics which start this coming week. They also link to their Twitter page, and Facebook page for those who don't want to check the actual Today Show website. The information provided on both the Today Show and Capital News 9's website are both very active. We can find almost anything we need to know from weather to how to cook something. These sites break up their information so that it makes it easier for viewers to find what they are looking for, and even if they don't find it, they each have search boxes at the top so that someone can find exactly what they are looking for. Both of these sites are great for news finding. These are obviously not the only ones out there, but they are definitely very helpful to me.