Monday September 24, 2007
Burmese Monks Protest and March to try to Over Throw Burmese Govt.
In the New York Times in the "world" section there appeared an article about Buddhist monks in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, and the protests and marches that are occurring there right now. In The Times that article online contained two photographs of the protesters and also a map of where the protesters had walked through. The writer also used a quote from the British Ambassador to Myanmar. The Times also offered some possible options for the situation at hand, and the reactions of other countries such as the U.S. and China. Overall the entire article seemed to sympathize with the monks and people of Myanmar rather than the govt, the Junta.
Looking at the same story of the BBC News online I found some similarities. The BBC also had pictures of the monks; however, their pictures were close up and showed in detail the faces of a few monks making the whole situation more personal. The story opened with a quote from the minister of religion, which grabs the eye of the reader. Their version of the story also went into more detail about the march itself, the feeling it had, where it went and ended, how the people interacted with each other. The article as a whole made the whole situation seem closer to home. Again the BBC like The Times sided with the protesters. A last note, the BBC uses Burma instead of Myanmar.
Townhall.com also covered this story. Townhall tends to be a conservative site. The writer for this story focused a lot on the history of all the events of this story. The other sites also referred to what had happened in the past that relate to events occurring there now; however, this site goes into more detail. Another interesting note is that like the other sites it sides with the protesters, but it goes to greater lengths to make the Junta, the govt., appear more sinister.
CSNEWS.com also uses Burma instead of Myanmar. Another conservative website, it discusses the actions of George Bush and his wife, saying that they were working to move against the Junta and support the protesters. It's not surprising that a conservative website should work hard to make the Bush administration look like humanitarians.
CNN was the last website I checked out that had the Myanmar monks story. CNN, like The Times, and the BBC also had pictures. CNN also looks at the details of the march, where it is going, and the role of the Opposing Democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Of all the websites, the BBC, seemed to be the most personalized. It was the only website that made me really look at the humanitarian side of this story; whereas, the other websites focused primarily on the details of political scene of the whole situation. Its intriguing though that the BBC appears to be the most personalized, since it is internationally read and a very large corporation. It is not too surprising that all these sites tend to swing with the sides of the protesters, since the history of the Burma govt...or military govt, has been quite violent.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Iraq on Paper vs. Iraq Online
Browsing through the newspaper, I was immediately drawn to articles that flashed out on the front page. On Monday September 10, 2007 The New York Times issued an article titled "Delay Decision on Major Cut Petraeus Says." The article was not accompanied by any photo, so one cannot help but think that visually this was not a very stimulating article. The article continued onto page A8, where there also was no photograph. The graphic designer placed the article on page A8 on the lower half of the page to the right. On the front page the article runs at the top to the farthest right. Now this must be significant since people read from left to right; keeping this in mind I have to conclude that since the article was consistently placed to the right with no photograph, maybe this was not considered as important as some of the other articles.
Online the same article appeared on the opening page, but it also had no photograph. Of course when I clicked on the article the site took me to a page that contained only that article.
Tuesday September 11 I found the article that continued the one issued on Monday; this one was entitled "Petraeus Warns Against Quick Pullback in Iraq." This time the article seemed to be front an center, especially because it contained a fairly large photo that took up a substantial part of the front page. The rest of the article continued on page A18 and took up the entire top half of the page. Online the article was also place on the opening page and contained the same photograph. However, when I clicked on the article and went to its own separate page I saw that it had a video. When I played the video, which contained a speech from General Petraeus, I realized that someone could just play the video without having to read the article and still be able to get the gist of what was going on.
Friday September 14 the article continued, but this time titled "Bush Says Success Allows Gradual Troop Cuts." The article appeared on the front page again with a large photograph. The rest of the article continued on page A8 where it was placed at the top of the page and also had another photograph of the White House. Online this article appeared on the opening page with a photograph as well. When clicking on the article I saw that the photograph was not exactly the same one from the front page of the paper. They were both of President Bush; however, they were from different angles. Online there was no second picture of the White House, but there was a video in which one could listen to a portion of Bush's address.
Considering the differences between the way this article appeared on paper and online I have come to a few conclusions. As the week progressed the paper from of The New York Times seemed to give this developing story more importance and weight as it gave it larger photos later in the week. Also its placement at the top of the continuing pages made it seem more important as well. However, online this article has its own sense of importance as well. Like every article online, when clicked on the site brings you to a page that is devoted entirely to the one story, which makes each story seem essential and important in its own right. Also the later addition of videos to this story also made it seem more it important, but it also made it more accessible. People who do not enjoy reading as much could simply click on the video and still know what the article tended to say; whereas, with the print version one has to read in order to know what the story says. Overall I would say that the online version of The New York Times in this case seemed to make the article seem even more important, because of the videos and the personalized page dedicated solely to the article.
Online the same article appeared on the opening page, but it also had no photograph. Of course when I clicked on the article the site took me to a page that contained only that article.
Tuesday September 11 I found the article that continued the one issued on Monday; this one was entitled "Petraeus Warns Against Quick Pullback in Iraq." This time the article seemed to be front an center, especially because it contained a fairly large photo that took up a substantial part of the front page. The rest of the article continued on page A18 and took up the entire top half of the page. Online the article was also place on the opening page and contained the same photograph. However, when I clicked on the article and went to its own separate page I saw that it had a video. When I played the video, which contained a speech from General Petraeus, I realized that someone could just play the video without having to read the article and still be able to get the gist of what was going on.
Friday September 14 the article continued, but this time titled "Bush Says Success Allows Gradual Troop Cuts." The article appeared on the front page again with a large photograph. The rest of the article continued on page A8 where it was placed at the top of the page and also had another photograph of the White House. Online this article appeared on the opening page with a photograph as well. When clicking on the article I saw that the photograph was not exactly the same one from the front page of the paper. They were both of President Bush; however, they were from different angles. Online there was no second picture of the White House, but there was a video in which one could listen to a portion of Bush's address.
Considering the differences between the way this article appeared on paper and online I have come to a few conclusions. As the week progressed the paper from of The New York Times seemed to give this developing story more importance and weight as it gave it larger photos later in the week. Also its placement at the top of the continuing pages made it seem more important as well. However, online this article has its own sense of importance as well. Like every article online, when clicked on the site brings you to a page that is devoted entirely to the one story, which makes each story seem essential and important in its own right. Also the later addition of videos to this story also made it seem more it important, but it also made it more accessible. People who do not enjoy reading as much could simply click on the video and still know what the article tended to say; whereas, with the print version one has to read in order to know what the story says. Overall I would say that the online version of The New York Times in this case seemed to make the article seem even more important, because of the videos and the personalized page dedicated solely to the article.
Monday, September 10, 2007
The Form
The Form:
The New York Times currently stands as the epitome of American Journalism. Nationwide people refer to The New York Times to learn about current events. In the last decade however, the face of The New York Times has evolved as it has moved steadily to the Internet. Now not only are people reaching for the newspaper with their morning coffee, they are browsing the Internet for news when they first get to work in the morning. Inevitably each kind of media has its own style that guides its readers in different ways. Each media has its advantages and disadvantages that I would now like to discuss.
When glancing at the newspaper I discover that the front page, which is of course the first thing any reader sees, contains mostly international news as well as depressing articles. Typically each day on the front page there is one article that has a large photo that takes up the top center of the page. Immediately my eyes are drawn to this photo and inevitably I find myself looking for the article that is related to the photo. It seems that the print version of The New York Times gears its readers toward international news, since those are the articles that dominate the front page. At the bottom of the page there are small blurbs that refer to articles that appear on later pages in the newspaper. However, these blurbs do not draw the eye the way large picture does on the top center of the front page.
While visiting The New York Times website I discover that on the primary page there are also international articles, however other categories such as business and art appear more accessible online. The categories appear on the left side of the screen and although it seems small, it is much easier to simply click on a category to find an article than it is to sift through a pound or two of paper. Like the newspaper, online also typically has a large picture on the opening page, which draws the attention of readers. However, The New York Times online contains more pictures in general, most likely because Internet does not limit writers and photographers to a confined amount of space the way print does. The increased amount of photos can be aesthetically pleasing especially to those who need visuals in order to learn or grasp concepts.
To each form of media there are advantages and disadvantages. I find that the newspaper is easier on my eyes since it does not produce its own light like a computer does. On the other hand I do not like having stacks of paper take up space in my room, and with the Internet I can access any date or article without taking up any space in my room. While I’m walking about campus I would much rather have a newspaper with me, so that I can pull it out at any time to browse through it for articles. On campus I do not find it convenient to carry my computer around with me, and looking online in the library is not as convenient as the paper either. With the paper I can multitask; eat breakfast or lunch while I’m in the commons. So in the end it is hard to pick one form of media over another; however, I do think it would be an enormous mistake to complete devoid the world of print news, since it still has many advantages.
The New York Times currently stands as the epitome of American Journalism. Nationwide people refer to The New York Times to learn about current events. In the last decade however, the face of The New York Times has evolved as it has moved steadily to the Internet. Now not only are people reaching for the newspaper with their morning coffee, they are browsing the Internet for news when they first get to work in the morning. Inevitably each kind of media has its own style that guides its readers in different ways. Each media has its advantages and disadvantages that I would now like to discuss.
When glancing at the newspaper I discover that the front page, which is of course the first thing any reader sees, contains mostly international news as well as depressing articles. Typically each day on the front page there is one article that has a large photo that takes up the top center of the page. Immediately my eyes are drawn to this photo and inevitably I find myself looking for the article that is related to the photo. It seems that the print version of The New York Times gears its readers toward international news, since those are the articles that dominate the front page. At the bottom of the page there are small blurbs that refer to articles that appear on later pages in the newspaper. However, these blurbs do not draw the eye the way large picture does on the top center of the front page.
While visiting The New York Times website I discover that on the primary page there are also international articles, however other categories such as business and art appear more accessible online. The categories appear on the left side of the screen and although it seems small, it is much easier to simply click on a category to find an article than it is to sift through a pound or two of paper. Like the newspaper, online also typically has a large picture on the opening page, which draws the attention of readers. However, The New York Times online contains more pictures in general, most likely because Internet does not limit writers and photographers to a confined amount of space the way print does. The increased amount of photos can be aesthetically pleasing especially to those who need visuals in order to learn or grasp concepts.
To each form of media there are advantages and disadvantages. I find that the newspaper is easier on my eyes since it does not produce its own light like a computer does. On the other hand I do not like having stacks of paper take up space in my room, and with the Internet I can access any date or article without taking up any space in my room. While I’m walking about campus I would much rather have a newspaper with me, so that I can pull it out at any time to browse through it for articles. On campus I do not find it convenient to carry my computer around with me, and looking online in the library is not as convenient as the paper either. With the paper I can multitask; eat breakfast or lunch while I’m in the commons. So in the end it is hard to pick one form of media over another; however, I do think it would be an enormous mistake to complete devoid the world of print news, since it still has many advantages.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Glossary
1.Videotext- One of the earliest forms of "end-user information systems" it provides information in a computer like format, typically on a television screen. Created in 1983.
2.Viewtron- The First commercial form of videotext. It failed due to what it required of its customers which included: a keyboard to videotext with (which was very costly), a television to display images with, a monthly subscription of $12, and a phone line to send information with (which cost $1 an hour).
3.Online Journalism- Reporting and other journalism distributed via the web. It tends to be formatted differently than print news.
4.Digital Dialectic- A discourse pertaining to new media and the continually changing digital world.
5.Internet- The international computer network of networks that connect government, academic and business institutions.
6.Digital Globalization- Operating around the world via the web. Spreading information and products worldwide via the web that can affect the world culturally.
7.Mediums- The method or object that is used to spread information or products.
8.CD-ROMs- (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) A compact disc format used to store programs and data files. It became popular in the 1990's.
9.Virtual Environment- The environment (what appears) on the web/internet.
10.Infrastructure of Worldwide Networking- The underlying substructure that makes up the web systems that everyone around the world uses.
2.Viewtron- The First commercial form of videotext. It failed due to what it required of its customers which included: a keyboard to videotext with (which was very costly), a television to display images with, a monthly subscription of $12, and a phone line to send information with (which cost $1 an hour).
3.Online Journalism- Reporting and other journalism distributed via the web. It tends to be formatted differently than print news.
4.Digital Dialectic- A discourse pertaining to new media and the continually changing digital world.
5.Internet- The international computer network of networks that connect government, academic and business institutions.
6.Digital Globalization- Operating around the world via the web. Spreading information and products worldwide via the web that can affect the world culturally.
7.Mediums- The method or object that is used to spread information or products.
8.CD-ROMs- (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) A compact disc format used to store programs and data files. It became popular in the 1990's.
9.Virtual Environment- The environment (what appears) on the web/internet.
10.Infrastructure of Worldwide Networking- The underlying substructure that makes up the web systems that everyone around the world uses.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
How We Use It
Born in 1985, new media has virtually been a second mother to me so forgive me David Shedden for not being absolutely shocked to find that new media's only constant is change. Since my own birth the face of this second new media has never stopped changing, whether it was from the original Nintendo to Nintendo DS or from Dial Up with AOL to fast speeds with Cox High Speed Internet. Inevitably as I read Shedden's article and its recounts of “videotext” and “Viewtron” and how they have gone the way of the Do-do bird the term "preaching to the choir" comes to mind. Although it does seem logical to discuss how quickly media seems to change, let's just say it's old news and stick with what is currently really changing how people look at new media... the way we use it and the products it creates.
This topic sparks my interest and I find that this subject is where the true digital dialectic should begin. Bob Stein's article asks the public big questions that make everyone tremble, "Whom does it serve" and "What's it for?" Suddenly people are forced to step back and take a closer look at how the Internet really affects society worldwide. When I browse through the Internet and am bombarded by ads ranging from car companies to makeup companies I can see how the Internet can be used to “digitally globalize” the world into one mass consumer driven western culture. However, as I continue reading Stein's article and remember that new media can also be used to distribute intellectual products over mediums such as CD-ROMs, I am instilled yet again with hope for new media and society. Sites such as “YouTube” are also using new media to spread a new intellectual base to the masses, digitally broadcasting presidential debates, so anyone can watch them at any time of the day, adding a touch of intellectualism to our virtual environment. So now as I take a closer look at the "infrastructure of worldwide networking" and what it can accomplish and remain hopeful that society will take the best features of new media and minimize the features that may cause society to lose its connection with itself.
This topic sparks my interest and I find that this subject is where the true digital dialectic should begin. Bob Stein's article asks the public big questions that make everyone tremble, "Whom does it serve" and "What's it for?" Suddenly people are forced to step back and take a closer look at how the Internet really affects society worldwide. When I browse through the Internet and am bombarded by ads ranging from car companies to makeup companies I can see how the Internet can be used to “digitally globalize” the world into one mass consumer driven western culture. However, as I continue reading Stein's article and remember that new media can also be used to distribute intellectual products over mediums such as CD-ROMs, I am instilled yet again with hope for new media and society. Sites such as “YouTube” are also using new media to spread a new intellectual base to the masses, digitally broadcasting presidential debates, so anyone can watch them at any time of the day, adding a touch of intellectualism to our virtual environment. So now as I take a closer look at the "infrastructure of worldwide networking" and what it can accomplish and remain hopeful that society will take the best features of new media and minimize the features that may cause society to lose its connection with itself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
