Sunday, August 24, 2008
The 10 Most E-Mailed Stories
Examine the 10 Most E-Mailed Stories on the New York Times Web site. When you consider them as a whole, do any consistent themes or preoccupations (on the part of journalists or readers or both) emerge? What does the list suggest is the primary function of the press in America today? Does that make you feel optimistic or pessimistic about the future of journalism, democracy, the planet, etc.?
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The majority of the ten most emailed stories pertained to the 2008 presidential election. They specifically discuss John McCain’s recent decision to choose Sarah Palin of Alaska as is vice presidential candidate. These articles in a sense are mocking McCain’s decision to choose Palin due to her lack of experience and do not treat her as a respected subjected. The list suggests that the press ought to mold people into thinking one say; since these articles achieve the same goal of ridiculing McCain and Palin. Although I agree with what the articles say about McCain’s choice, this makes worried about the future of journalism in our democracy. We live in a nation where each individual is supposed to form his/her own opinion about something. Today’s press seems to do this job for us, and that is a terrifying thought.
The consistent themes that I noticed while reading over these articles was that 7 out of 10 were about the presidential elections, more specifically about McCain's choice in running mate, Sarah Palin. In order to make the list not strictly political, other articles such as food recipes and technology were added on the list. To me, this list suggests that the primary function of the press in America today is to educate and inform the people about something that should be extremely important to us because it is our future, as well as entertain. I learned a few things I didn't know before about Sarah Palin's policies . However, there was also a lot of talk about her 17 year old daughter's pregnancy which I find to be so boringly typical. It seems as if everyone involved in the presidential elections has to have some kind of scandal in their personal life. To me, it really doesn't matter if her daughter is pregnant, had an abortion, is a lesbian, none of that matters. What matters is whether or not she would make a good vice president, period. This makes me feel torn about the future of journalism, because although the political articles were somewhat educational, they still had to add in some kind of gossip which is just so typical of American society today. In terms of the future of democracy it made me feel good to know that people can speak out and voice their opinions on the elections, but I just feel our whole democratic system is screwed anyway. And finally, in terms of the planet I feel very optimistic in terms of journalism. Most of the problems that these authors had with Palin was her policy on off-shore oil drilling in Alaska. She is the governor of Alaska for god's sake! Shouldn't she want to protect the natural beauty that is there and why disrupt endangered wildlife when there are other options? It made me feel good reading these articles in terms of the crisis that our planet is in right now.
When I reviewed the ten most e-mailed stories on the New York Times website, the majority of the articles commented on Sarah Palin and her ability to serve America as not only Vice President, but as the potential President if anything should happen to McCain, if the Republicans get elected. Out of those articles, all of them expressed the Republican parties decision as bad. "And Then There Was One" reached out to college age voters about climate change, a main issue concerning American voters, and how to be informed on the candidates could seriously alter the result of how that problem is dealt with by the President. The remaining articles about the topic spoke about Palin's soap opera worthy life and how her stances on issues and qualifications are pathetic. These articles stressed that the image of Palin is what has been getting attention, especially in the article "Vice in Go-Go Boots?" These most e-mailed stories are the opinions of journalists reaching out to Americans to let them know that they must dig deeper than whats on the surface to choose their next President and Vice President. It was actually very refreshing to read articles that reach out to Americans over the distractions the media covers the issues up with, and I feel a little better now that I read these because I was feeling very hopeless about our countries ability to look over the distractions of media images before I read these.
The top ten emailed articles are primarily top stories of the week. Such as the recent choice of Sarah Palin a governor from Alaska becoming McCain's choice for Vice President on the Republican ticket. The articles seem to question many of Palin’s past decisions and her lifestyle. A couple of the major issues were energy, religion, and social taboos. Most reporters are concerned if she is ready for this postion. Palin rise into politics has a very different beginning then most others and the New York Times made sure to go into every detail of it.
From the stand point of a reader I am pleased that people have the interest in learning about these political figures. However, these journalist seem to mix true debate and discussion with tabloid headlines in their editorial's. I believe this is a serious problem when it comes to respect for the news media. It gives me the feeling that journalist think they need to mix scandals and sex to keep the attention of their reader. I also know that there is an audience of readers who enjoy this type of news delivery. I was also surprised that noone seems to care on Nytimes.com about the hurricane that just hit the gulf coast. That hurricane story was also beaten by a recipe for “Chickpea salad and ginger”. I do feel a lot of Americans have their priorities confused and are drawn into gossip. I think the public has lost site of what purpose the news should serve. Until people choose to get passed media hype, it will always be a major part of the news industry.
The one prominent theme within the stories is the 2008 presidential election. Many revealed weaknesses within the parties, such as in “And Then There Was One,” where Friedman exposes McCain’s lack-of-green campaign. Also, in every article that mentions Sarah Palin, there is mention of her daughter getting pregnant, whether relevant or not to the story simply because it is scandal; and the news loves scandal. Granted, during this time right before the elections, writers should be researching every aspects of the candidates’ lives because voters should know more rather than less. However, if everyone writes about the same topics (i.e. environmental involvement or non-involvement, economic policies, teen pregnancy), there is no information, and, consequently, no reason to read the news anymore. I am both optimistic for the press’ future, as I enjoy learning things that I didn’t know before, but once a story is covered from pro and con angles, I believe that it shouldn’t keep being reprised for days after. That is what I am pessimistic about, as we all know that if there’s nothing new and big to write about, the same topics will be investigated to death and drawn out until no one cares anymore.
I think that, because a majority of the top stories are about the presidential election, it shows that people are interested in what is going on and want to make an informed decision when it comes time to vote. However, because a lot of the stories are surrounding the pregnancy of Sarah Palin's daughter, it is hard to tell if people are interested because it is entertaining or because this information is important to them in making the right decision. Personally i feel this information is not important to the campaign and her daughter should be left out. The information that might be of importance to some people is the sexual education issue.
I was happy to see that other stories, besides the election stories, were informational. Eating healthy, recipes, Google - those stories have an effect on us, usually for the best.
One thing that was slightly disappointing was the tone of some of the articles surrounding Palin. The writers involved their opinion a little too much, even the ones that were op-ed.
After reading through the 10 Most E-Mailed Stories listed on the New York Times website I see a consistent theme of articles about the presidential election, most of which tend to be editorials. Most of the articles address Republican vice-president candidate, Sarah Palin. Judging by this list, I would have to say the primary function of the press in America today is to inform and maybe even more so to persuade. In the article, “And Then There Was One,” Thomas Friedman is urging young voters to think green this election. After listing the facts on both sides of the campaigns, he clearly sides with Obama. He even says, “So please, students, when McCain comes to your campus and flashes a few posters of wind turbines and solar panels, ask him why he has been AWOL when it came to Congress supporting these new technologies.” While most of these articles are strongly rooted in the opinions of these writers, I feel that these opinions need to be heard; opposed to the fluff we are hand-fed by the 5 o’clock news.
These articles make me feel fairly optimistic about the future of journalism, because they are articles that are covering pertinent issues now. While they are a little biased, they give a lot of information most people don’t get in televised news. More so, they make me feel optimistic about democracy because there are a lot of different voices and issues that are covered in these ten articles. While the chief focus tends to be the presidential election, they are in-depth articles, and each one tends to focus on different, but equally important topics in the coming election.
So as i glanced over the titles of the most emailed stories even before i began to read them it was obvious what the common theme was...The Presidential Election. And expected, any kind of chance people involved in the press get to express their opinion they do so. Mostly about Palin and the John McCains choice in picking her as a vice president is a hot topic lately and everyone wants to put their thoughts out in the open about. I guess this isnt so bad as long as people still know it is ok and should still form their own opinion on any subject matter. The press shouldnt have the ability to convert or force ideas on people it is meant to inform people on what is going .
I think the future of the press and journalism hold alot more potential for non-journalists to express their opinion more through the press.
Looking at the 10 Most E-Mailed Stories on the New York Times Web site, the one theme that seems to be consistent throughout is that of the upcoming presidential election. Most of the focus, though, lies on John McCain's decision of choosing Sarah Palin of Alaska as his Vice President. When I saw her name pop up, I immediately thought most of these stories would be about her 17-year-old daughter being pregnant. But, when examining these articles, especially the editorial: "Canidate McCain's Big Decision," her daughter's personal life is briefly talked about. The article instead focused on Palin's political past. It mentions she was linked to a party advocating Alaska's secession from the nation, that her greatest accomplishment was raising sales taxes to build a hockey rink, and that she once tried to ban books from a local library and tried having a librarian fired.
The primary function of the press is to inform better and go into more depth than anything you would see on television on news programs. By reading these articles I learned a lot more about the election than I had already known, making me very optimistic about the future of the press, democracy, etc.
As we all see, the upcoming election is taking over our computer screens, TV's and the actual newspaper we occasionally read. In the 10 Most E-Mailed Stories on the NYT website what I found most interesting and what made me laugh was that on the same list as these crazy politics that are taking over almost every conversation some of us have, was food. It makes me crack a smile while typing this, because in my own life, I'll watch the Food Network before CNN. Last night, I swapped back and forth between the Republican National Convention and Ace of Cakes. I think it suggests that the primary function of the press is to inform people of the current events but also give some form of entertainment or something that has an immediate effect on our daily lives. Maybe this makes me a bad journalist, but most of the time I'll change the channel, or read a different article instead of constantly having politics be the center of attention. I try to stay informed without boring or overwhelming myself. I think the 7:10 ratio was a nice balance of politics and entertainment. That balance makes me feel optimistic about the future of journalism, democracy, and the planet. There is some form of moderation, something that almost all of us could learn.
For this weeks top e-mailed stories it was clear that the main theme was the presidential election. Right now the top news story in every media outlet is Sara Palin and the controversies surrounding her. So it is no surprise that the majority of the top stories on the new york times website talked about her. The articles were very informative and they do talk about some of her viewpoints, however I found that most had to talk about her personal life to some degree. The issue with her pregnant 17 year old daughter is interesting but does not have anything to do with who she is as a political figure but more as a mother. However, it is an issue that people will want to read about because it is controversial. The list of top news stories does suggest that the primary function of the press is to inform the public about what they are interested in; the future of american politics. I would like to see more about a candidates viewpoints and what they are going to do for the country rather then what controversies surround their personal life. This issue makes me slightly pessimistic about the future of the press.
Examine the 10 Most E-Mailed Stories on the New York Times Web site. When you consider them as a whole, do any consistent themes or preoccupations (on the part of journalists or readers or both) emerge? What does the list suggest is the primary function of the press in America today? Does that make you feel optimistic or pessimistic about the future of journalism, democracy, the planet, etc.?
Of the 10 stories, 5 of them were about McCain's choice as VP running mate Sarah Palin. They ranged from opinion and criticism about her activities as governor of Alaska, to the recent announcement that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. It makes sense that the majority of stories would focus on the 2008 presidential election because conventions are in the spotlight and candidates are being scrutinized even closer as the voting public begins to make definite decisions about who they will vote for in November. I was somewhat surprised that there weren't more stories about Obama or VP running mate Biden but I think this is because there has been such an overload of fascination, criticism, and attention on Palin's personal "scandals". Biden is also a respected politician whose name is much more familiar and well-known than Palin, so it is natural that there would be discussions about her capabilities as VP. McCain's choice of a woman running mate also hashes up speculation and questions as to if it was an attempt to pull in Hillary supporters who don't want to vote for Obama. The theme of the stories being about the election which is one of the most noteworthy topics in our nation right now solidifies the concept that the function of the press in America is to present topics relevant to the public's life and at the same time open doors for discussion and debate on these topics. It helps and hinders people's attempts to form opinions. It also shows that when it comes to politics, people have very strong opinions and while acting like they're open to other sides, probably still think that their view is the right one.
Did anyone read the handout on Iraq War coverage? If you did, and put it in the context of the top e-mailed stories, almost all of which are opinion pieces, it's hard to not conclude that the press is about something other than probing or fear-reaching news reporting.
The consistent theme of "The 10 Most E-Mailed Stories" is that of Sarah Palin, the vice presidential nominee. I flipped channels back and forth last during her speech and watch her complain about the news media, particularly the Washington elite who she is not in good standing with. This top 10 list represents what the country is currently talking about and it i'm glad to see the people are interested in the upcoming election and are not concentrating on more celebrity scandal. Even though they talk more about her children then actual issues they're on the right track. I feel both optimistic and pessimistic about the future of journalism and democracy. I hope that people can make up there own minds and make real, heart felt decisions.
The top 10 stories all had to do with the upcoming election. upon first glance this looks good that the people are interested in whats going on with the election. As I read the article si found out that all of the pieces were opinion based and had to do with vice president nominee, Sarah Palin. The articles mainly bashed her personal life and discussed scandals. I don't think it is important if her teenage daughter is pregnant. i think it is sad that the press today is mainly here for just entertainment. The wrtiers are trying to generate thought provoking articles about serious topics. they just want to discuss gossip and scandal. These artciles are no different than an article discussing Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. I think the press is a form of entertainment now, but I am not sure if that is what it was meant for. I hope not.
As we discussed in class, most of the top stories have to do with Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and the rest seem to be op-ed or recipe pieces. The thread between all these articles seems to be that none of them contain actual "news." One could argue that the pieces done on Palin are legitimate stories, but from the headlines it seems to me that they are more about the woman herself and less about the real issues. I.e her political idea and campaign platforms.
The main focus of the Top Ten Most E-Mailed Stories was Sarah Palin. At first, I was somewhat surprised by this, because McCain’s VP choice certainty is news worthy. Then I realized how the focus of these stories was less about the issues and more about entertainment. The news stories seemed to be eschewed with some opinion about Palin, because of the focus that the story took. For the most part the stories seemed to do what McCain wanted, which is deter from the issues. All of Palin’s trivial elements seem to be filling the news. The real news should be how she stands on the issues and what experience she has.
Still, I feel the most e-mailed stories don’t necessarily represent the most popular stories. If you want to see what is the most popular you would look at what stories are being “saved” the most by people. The New York Times offers a “save” feature for anyone that creates an account on their website and I save the most important stories there. These are the stories that I will look back on later and reflect their significance to me and to the country. Then again, most people probably don’t want to look back and reflect on the news. Whenever you do save a story it shows how many times it has been saved next to the story in your saved story archive. Not all of the time, but most of the time I see a lot of people save stories that do have some newsworthy significance more than others. You e-mail stories that tend to share an opinion you agree with, but you save a story that is real news. This is just my personal observation on how internet statistics rack up, but I feel stories that get e-mailed the most are not really the most important. I would go as far as to say that those e-mailed stories might not even be the most important stories to the people that e-mail them. Although, it does say something important about what people like to share and it seems a person likes to share entertainment.
The top ten New York Times emailed articles for this week focused primarily on Mrs. Sarah Palin, John McCain's strategic running mate and her political practices. Although the articles were mostly op-eds, I enjoyed the fact that people were actually touching upon Palin's political attributes, sort of. There was mention of her stance towards Global Warming...which is non-existent (far cry from Mr. Gore). In the end however, the qualities that are touched upon by the articles in summary, include reference to Palin as a "trophy vice", seem to lower the standards of what a public should be observing when it comes to a vice presidential nominee . It seems to me that the "press", which I loosely consider a ban of respectable journalist (I dream big), that take on the responsibility, as citizens, and as professionals of their field to seek truth and report it, to inform the public of what they might not know. The real decision and stress comes from deciding what one needs to know. So, as we gossip about what candidates are wearing to the convention, and how flashy their stages are, maybe we should reconsider why we care about it? If we really do care, and how can we demand, as citizens who want to be informed, valuable news sources.
I am glad i am actually able to respond to this blog after the class because what was said about the New York Times top 10 emailed stories I agreed with.
The top ten stories pertained to be opinionated and lifestyle articles. Are these "news worthy" articles? Is this what American's care about or is it this is all we are given in the news that is worth talking about? Which is more of an ethical issue that journalists have to think about, should they "spin" an article so it does not spark controversy and if news is about stating the facts are they leaving facts out?
Following our discussion in class was a quote that the author Arthur Miller stated that said the art of writing was meant to spark conversation and argumentation. Therefore, are these opinionated articles bad because people respond to them more than others? Or is that why they were created to have more people want to read the newspaper because there is this section that is mean to evoke conversation?
Which overall comes back to question, What is the press goal to their readers?
Well, I think we all have a pretty bleak view on where the “press in America” has gone in recent history and where it will go in the next 5, 10 or 20 years. And I feel, with the last shred of hope (a word that’s thrown around like candy nowadays) that I have, we’re all in the fields we’re in because we want to change it, in one way or another.
With that being said, and after having said a lot of what there is to say while in class, I think one absolutely important thing to remember about this Top 10 coverage that we’re analyzing, is that it is a mirror image of what it’s even reporting on.
What do I mean? Well, the majority of the Top 10 was opinion pieces; editorials, reviews, rants. And really what is a presidential candidate besides some windbag with a lot of opinions on how HE or SHE should run the country WE live in? We pick the candidate whose opinion we favor, and that which most closely resembles our own. I said it before and I’ll say it again, this is a chicken or egg story of the destruction of the news media. It comes full circle right alongside human nature.
See, McCain thinks one thing and Obama thinks something else. And so-and-so thinks one thing ABOUT McCain, while what’s-her-face thinks something completely different. Humans, as a rule, like to hear themselves talk; they like to say what they want, be heard, and have others agree…heck, they even like when others don’t agree, because it gives them even more of an opportunity to spout their side. That’s what presidential debates are!
The nature of the beast is that you can’t silence opinion—even what becomes “news” (the hard-hitting factual stories that we all crave and can never find it seems)--is based in opinion. Someone else decides for us what they think we ought to know; they write the story or commission someone else to do it, and then hand it over to us, telling us it is vital information.
Maybe I sound cynical, maybe I sound “realistic.” Really, I’m just playing devil’s advocate. It’s hard to find fault in a readership that likes opinion pieces in a country where everyone is told to have an opinion and stand up for what they believe in. We can’t really hate people for choosing to only send along an opinion piece. No, it’s not for me to read only opinion pieces and send only those stories along to friends, relatives, or that nice neighbor lady. But maybe it’s a way for those who feel they have no voice in matters of great public interest to voice their opinion. Guy Somebody of Anywhere, USA may not be able to tell more than his wife what he thinks of Sarah Palin, and he may not be able to articulate it, but he thinks Gail Collins can speak well enough for him. And that’s why he sends her article on to others; he’s hoping to have some sort of leg to stand on in a sea that’s becoming increasingly overwhelming.
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