The bookmarked URL of the New York Times leads me to a well of information, where headlines wink at me like pennies belonging to lost wishes. I wade through the articles and as I scroll, click, and ctrl-R my way through nytimes.com, I’m overwhelmed. Pretty soon I’m floundering, caught up in the tidal wave of news that the NYT calls the “Times Wire”, which currently boasts 20 updates in the last 27 minutes.
On Monday, November 9th, the print version of the NYT, kindly and neatly tells me where I should direct my attention to. Instead of a whirlpool of online news, print is like a lighthouse, guiding my steps (strokes?).
We’ve all been in the place of the writers who are always published on A-3, or maybe even A-2, but never on A-1 and certainly never above the fold.
Columnist Paul Krugman is published on A-23 of the print version. I am compelled to say that I have never gone that far into the print version of the NYT. But when I click on the “most emailed” link on the website, his article entitled “Paranoia Strikes Deep” ranks the highest, and has 447 responses.
The print version of the same day boasts a picture of the gunman at Fort Hood, on the coveted spot above the fold on A1. When searching for this same article online, I find that an option for responses by readers was not given, and that it ranks 22nd.
This poses several questions for the inquisitive student. For one, why doesn’t the online version give an opportunity for responses on news? Would it maybe rank higher online if readers were allowed to comment on it? (There are seven "Letters to the Editor" published in response to Fort Hood).
CNN.com, exclusively digital, has posted a variety of videos about Fort Hood. They have interviewed families affected by the shooting, and have even delved into the mind of the shooter. These videos are used to attract attention and deliver news in a more attractive, visual way, as is their forte.
However, asinine America trumps all, as the number one video is not concerning the shooting, but rather, about the “Meanest Soccer Player Ever”. Nine spots later, after videos about exotic dancing going mobile and the new Twilight premiere, ranks the videos of Fort Hood.
vs.
If the online version of news did not exist, writers like Krugman would never experience the glory that is beheld in A-1. Online media gives opportunity for readers to interact and explore the news between the pages.
Simultaneously, it causes “not as newsworthy” news, to become far more important than national or world issues. It becomes more of a race for clicks, rather than delivering news.
I sigh at America and in a motherly tone I tell it that I’m “not upset, just disappointed”.
I’m disappointed that one person’s opinion can out-rank the facts. I’m disappointed that lives lost are not as urgent as an exotic dancer app. But it’s okay, because out of the two dozen updates made since I’ve started writing this blog, most of them will be forgotten. The best journalists aren‘t always just the fastest, but the most thorough and thoughtful.
Kovach and Rosenstiel tell me that some people consider print journalism “day old bread”. Not to mention…it’s already Tuesday in New York, and the print issue I hold in my hands…is “so yesterday”.
But as the sun rises on the east coast and this student lays herself down to bed, there are many things you can make with day old bread. Croutons. French toast. Bread pudding. And Pulitzers.
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