Sunday, August 23, 2009

10 Most E-Mailed Stories

Examine the 10 Most E-Mailed Stories on the New York Times Web site for Thursday, August 27. 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 (informing, entertaining, rumor-mongering, counseling, editorializing advertising)? How does that make you feel (optimistic, light-headed, despairing)? Your response is due -- remember, no late responses are given credit -- by noon Sunday, August 30.

24 comments:

Kate said...

After reading through the 10 most e-mailed stories on the New York Times web site, it seems they are set to a specific theme or primary function. As a hole besides some advertising points the Journalists are aiming to give readers more and more anxiety where the reader in return will only want to read more. As I skimmed down the list of the ten they stuck out at me like an infomercial or pop ups on a computer. This and that! Oh wait, did you hear this!? You should check this out...!
Almost each story is opinionated and meant for almost an editorial counseling session. Not one article gave pure factual content besides quotes. Every "fact" is based on what if's, someone's said, and these outcomes could happen. It made me feel like I was at a round table with politicians all stating there opinions at once. So there's seemingly little, if any, true information given.

Melissa said...

I must say, I'm actually rather surprised by the diversity of these articles. I went into this assignment thinking I would be reading mostly opinion pieces.

It's a little bit hard for me to comment on this because I don't exactly know what these articles say about the people who read them. On one side, it looks like these stories are a nice showcase of what people are concerned with and/or interested in. There's a little bit of everything, whether it be a story about Apple's new Mac update or a Food Writer's last column. It seems to show what people are interested in and what they can connect to.

On the other hand, it seems as though none of these stories are really that pertinent. These stories do have deadline times, they can't be run at any time, but they aren't hard hitting news stories. This tells me that people really don't focus in on hard news stories, or use hard news stories to start a conversation.

Reading these articles makes me feel a variety of different things. I'm happy to see that they aren't all fluff pieces, some of them do matter, but at the same time, none are all that important.

This just shows me that people are looking for a distraction, something that is new and semi-important, but nothing that is drastic enough to really ruin your day (except maybe the Ted Kennedy stories, those ruined my day.)

I don't even think there is a category for these types of stories. Yes they are in fact informing the readers of something, but nothing that is all that important. It worries me, but it does make me happen that at least most of these stories are in some way relevant.

nicoLe said...

Although I do not currently have the list in front of me, I remember that I was surprised to see so many food articles on yesterday's most e-mailed list. I didn't realize that many people were interested in this topic. Then I remembered that it was Thursday and the new dining section just came out the day before. I feel like that factor definitely played a part in why there were so many. Also, I feel like people like reading about things that they can relate to and get useful tips from. Bruni's article that answered common questions he received from readers was very interesting... and I guess knowing how to freeze berries is interesting to some people, although I wasn't particularly interested (this was also on the list).
When I looked at the list yesterday, I remember seeing that the article on Ted Kennedy's was number seven. By that point, I actually forgot that he died and was taken back that it was on the list. Then I felt a little embarrassed because his death is newsworthy and it was only number seven. I feel like this shows how readers are more interested in lighter subjects. Perhaps when browsing the New York Times website people read such news stories, but do not pass them along because they figure others should already know about such significant events. I feel like I would do the same in the sense I would only pass along interesting tidbits that I feel others would enjoy. I wouldn't want to be the bearer of bad news, even though it is still news. For this reason, I feel like this list suggests that the primary function of news in America is entertaining. I find this intriguing, but at the same time am not surprised.

Maria said...

Well I suppose the 10 most e-mailed stories would be the least important, semi entertaining pieces. When you think about it what kind of stories usually show their face in your inbox? These stories seem entertaining enough to get a few moments of attention but have no actual bearing on everyday life, nor do they supply a dose of knowledge. Stories like these are a step up from celebrity gossip columns. So i guess the theme for the top 10 e-mailed stories would be passing time. These are stories that people send to one other for their trivial content and short life expectancy. Stories like 'I Lift My Lamp Beside the Golden Door’ and 'Apple's Sweet Upgrade' are merely meant for those slow times at the office when you don't really want to think, like right after lunch. None of these articles have any important information or real news. Although I guess that is their job. These stories do what they are meant to do; they entertain. Nothing more, nothing less. I feel like people come to these stories (hopefully) after having read some legitimate newsworthy articles and are in need of a mental chuckle or sigh, and I suppose that is o.k. And maybe afterwords they decide their friends or colleagues could use one too. It is the thought that others may be spreading these e-mails as if important news casts that scares me. I am a little weary and a little disappointed that seems to have become the role of the press in America.

Kelsey said...

Amongst all the usual "inspiring" emails that usually fill my spam folder, I feel that the 10 Most E-mailed Stories do have a common theme amongst them. Majority of the stories seem to be revolving around health in some way. I believe, according to this collection of articles, that purpose of the press is to try and keep Americans as healthy as possible. Judging by the mere statistics of America being the fattest country in the world, I would say the press failed miserably. The press has done a poor job in today's society at informing. If they want to cause a mass-panic, well they're excellent at that. Take the Swine Flu and West Nile Virus as two examples. Living for 19 years in this country, I have yet to encounter either of these. All I can tell you about these diseases, courtesy of the press, is that a lot of people are wearing masks now and buying hand sanitizer by the gallon. Looking at these 10 Most E-mailed stories, it makes extremely depressed and frustrated at how poorly the press is informing the public.

Marcy said...

The majority of the 10 most e-mailed stories on The New York Times site contained some form of entertainment value. I really wasn't surprised. Two of the stories were about cooking or food, three were about gadgets of technology and there was one opinion piece. However, all of them were features. None of the stories could be categorized as "hard news".

Although I feel a little discouraged, I was in no way taken aback. Most people would rather read about more light hearted stories, and pass them on to people they know. I would think it would be rare that someone would pass on a hard news story unless it is something directly affecting that person or someone they know.

However, it is sad because a media source like The New York Times is a source where someone would become the most informed on the news. Hopefully, people are reading other articles as well and just passing on the light ones.

Chris said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chris said...

Through reading the 10 most emailed stories I saw many things that I expected but also a few things that were surprising. I was surprised by the lack of opinion pieces that were on the list because an article that discusses one’s opinion leave room for the audience to comment, critique and share their own opinion.

The major theme of the list was purely amusement; important stories about the Middle East and health care reform were overlooked for stories about animal health care, berries and the new Apple.

I was not shocked by the lack of serious articles, except for the article discussing the loss of jobs for graduates of law school, because it seems America is moving into the generation of ignorance where fun overrides knowledge. The audience’s response indicates that heartwarming or entertaining stories are more popular than hard news, which has resulted in all media forms adjusting to the viewers’ demands.

I’m not too sure how I feel about the primary function of media, because on one hand I find it sad that the news industry’s main purpose is to entertain rather than inform but on the other hand it’s understandable that in this fast paced time people’s attention need to be grabbed. Going forward the biggest obstacle for the news industry is to find ways to inform in an entertaining manner.

James said...

I was surprised by the most e-mailed stories. I was expecting them to mostly consist of opinion pieces and sensational stories, but even though there were a couple op-eds this was not really the case. Instead it seems like readers are more interested in health and technology, though the stories were all unique. The main pattern that I see (ignoring the op-eds) is that people are sending stories that affect their daily lives (making berries not grow mold, health issues, computer junk). This would lead me to say that the functions of the press are mainly to inform and editorialize...though the informing that takes place isn't necessarily of great importance.

Of course, this result might not hold for all press in America today since The Times does tend to draw a more educated audience. Most of the stories I've personally had sent to me tend to be more sensational or humorous than these (dumb criminals, etc.)

Still, I would say that this has me feeling at least a little optimistic. Let's face it- nobody likes bad news, and most hard news is bad news. The fact that these articles are actually informative at all is what gives me hope...people actually want to learn (even if it is just how to keep mold off their berries).

Miss Rivers said...

Remembering what was talked about in the last class, entertainment stories continue to capture the attention of the audience. The few stories I can remember being at the top of the list were about Latin music, dancing, and ESPN-ization, which I guess was referring to the Tennis U.S. openings. I saw something that dealt slightly with the health care reform and one of them even had questions about health care reform for animals. With regards to the entertainment pieces, the feature on the Puerto Rican radio personality was a nice read and his story about his struggles and successes is very inspirational. This feature was followed by the ESPN-ization story, a story excerpt, an Arts and Culture piece, and a dance festival review. All of this is emailed among readers all before the stories on another trojan computer hack bug, discrimination practices and health care news is published, and posted to the emails of other readers. Going through this list made me come to one conclusion; no one wants to hear anymore bad news. Or maybe the audience assumes that an article may be bad news without reading the first paragraph of the story. It's understandable that the news can be depressing at times, but avoiding them or replacing them with other stories pieces won't help either. I don't remember seeing much on anything gossip worthy, which is a relief. Yet, the level of relevance for some stories are still questionable.

Melissa V. said...

After reading the top ten most emailed stories, I feel that journalist are still trying to inform their readers. However, in reading the top ten list I would have thought that the top ten stories might have something to do with the government, economy, and just stories that I feel are more important to society. Part of me thinks that the reasoning for such stories is to shine away from all the negativity going on in the world. Such as, the economy and the war oversees.(If the news continued to address the issues with the economy and all of the problems in the world, it might send people who are already depressed over the edge. The last thing we need is the suicide rate to go up. Can you imagine, someone commiting sucide with a note attached saying thank you New York Times I commited sucide due to all the negativity from the the most top ten emailed stories!) I noticed that these stories have a positve pattern excluding the death of Edward M. Kennedy.

It appears to me that the primary function of the press is still informing readers while trying to entertain them as well. As far as I'm concerned, I can careless about the All-American
Mexican Hot Dog. When I read the top ten list I was completely disinterested in the stories and had no desire to read on. Its upsetting to me because I would rather read more about life effecting topics instead of "Good Tips at the End of His Meal."

Melissa V. said...

After reading the top ten most emailed stories, I feel that journalist are still trying to inform their readers. However, in reading the top ten list I would have thought that the top ten stories might have something to do with the government, economy, and just stories that I feel are more important to society. Part of me thinks that the reasoning for such stories is to shine away from all the negativity going on in the world. Such as, the economy and the war oversees.(If the news continued to address the issues with the economy and all of the problems in the world, it might send people who are already depressed over the edge. The last thing we need is the suicide rate to go up. Can you imagine, someone commiting sucide with a note attached saying thank you New York Times I commited sucide due to all the negativity from the the most top ten emailed stories!) I noticed that these stories have a positve pattern excluding the death of Edward M. Kennedy.

It appears to me that the primary function of the press is still informing readers while trying to entertain them as well. As far as I'm concerned, I can careless about the All-American
Mexican Hot Dog. When I read the top ten list I was completely disinterested in the stories and had no desire to read on. Its upsetting to me because I would rather read more about life effecting topics instead of "Good Tips at the End of His Meal."

Howie Good said...

uh, stories on Apple updates and trendy cooking are kind of gossip, aren't they? also, don't comment unless you have the list in front of you and have looked at least a bit at the stories. i mean, otherwise what's the point? except perhaps to demonstrate the same central meaning the list itself seems to me to demonstrate.

and, for more of the same, take a look at a story on today's (Saturday's) list: students get to pick what they'll read in English!

How many do you think will choose THE SCARLET LETTER or THE GREAT GATSBY or anything somewhat dense and challenging?

You bet I can't wait to get these heavy thinkers in class.

Liz Cross said...

As much as I dislike the topics that are on the 10 most emailed stories on The New York Times website, I want to give America the benefit of the doubt. I want to say that people spread the light hearted stuff that doesn't bring you down because we're surrounded by it so often in life. Right now we're just coming out of the economic crisis, why would anybody want to read anything else on the economy or the war? It just makes things worse. That's just my take, I'm trying to be optimistic here.

As for any patterns in the articles, it seems that everyone has pretty much hit the nail on the head. These are mostly lighthearted, features that aren't the most newsworthy in the world. There were a few stories that would be considered newsy, such as "Downturn Dims Prospects Even at Top Law Schools," by Gerry Shih.
This one has important info for anybody that's going into the area of law. Even the story on Ted Kennedy has newsworthy details in it, but it definitely has a non-serious tone to it. Basically, America uses this as another form of entertainment, as we've been discussing in class. It's no longer really about "getting the news," it's about getting helpful hints for the household ("Prolonging the Life of Berries?) or reading opinion pieces on foreign cultures ("Italian Women Rise Up?). As Professor Good had said in class, that's partly in order to be able to spread their own opinions around that they agree with and they can say that they're right because a hot-shot reporter said so too.

The news has been disintegrating into entertainment for way too long, and it'll stay that way for a long time. It's crazy to think about, but definitely true.

mark.schaefer said...

So, unfortunately, I completely forgot to print out the top 10 from Thursday so I had to use today's top 10. Sorry!

I too was a little shocked at what was covered in the e-mails. I was expecting to see a bunch of nonsense with no value to it at all but a couple actually did serve a purpose. There was an article about Freud's trip to America, a brief article about the current and possible future state of the economy, and even a slightly humorous history lesson about America, coming from a blog. Another told of Utah's crackdown on drivers who text and how they've upped the maximum penalty for a person causing a death in an auto accident because of texting to 15 years in prison, the same as it is for drunk driving.

Because of the recent death of Ted Kennedy, two of the e-mails were about that, or more specifically, used that as the backdrop. The first was about Ted's wife and how they met and it basically chronicled their time together. A wonderful story but ultimately useless because no one outside of their families really needed to know how they met. The other story talked about what the Kennedy's have done in their time in the spotlight. Again, there's nothing wrong with this story, but it seems more like something written just so the writer could say he covered the death, or get paid for a story that essentially writes itself.

Finally, we move into the stories which serve hardly any purpose, at least not enough that they should be in the top 10! Three of these really stuck out to me. First is the one about computers that update too often. How bored must people be that they're reading about other people's computer issues? (This is the #1 e-mailed story of the day by the way.) Maybe the problem is the PC that they're using, my mac doesn't seem to update every 30 seconds. Another one of the top 10 e-mails is about erectile dysfunction. Is this really such a large issue that it is one of the 10 most popular e-mails? Or are people just forwarding this stuff around for the fun of reading it? Also in the top 10, a new, more effective cure for tennis elbow. This at least seems like it would be more common than ED considering it can effect men and women but it's much lower on the list.

As for the students choosing their own books, I'm not sure what to think. When I was in Junior High and High School I wasn't reading what was assigned to me so maybe letting students choose will get them to read more. Then again, who would choose anything worth reading, if they chose anything at all, anyway?

Overall, I don't see much of a trend in the e-mails. As for the list suggesting a function of the press, I'm not sure I could pick just one. There was some information on the list but nothing earth shattering or life changing, and a couple of the articles were advertising products in the form of an article but overall I think the list reflects an incredibly bored public. I mean, think about it, the number one story is about updating computers, the fourth most popular is about erectile dysfunction and the ninth is about tennis elbow, there's no way that any of those things effect enough people that they should be the top 10 most e-mail stories of the day.

I just sincerely hope that these e-mails are not the main source of information for some people.

Howie Good said...

Keep this term in mind as we go forward:INFOTAINMENT.

Mamacat said...

To me, this list looks set up. Fake. A little bit of business, a little bit of health, a little bit of dining, a little bit of politics, a little opinion. An intern assigned to post the “10 Most Emailed Stories” would look at this compiled list and say, “That looks about right. This is a very well rounded person.” If the compilation of the emails were a person that it. And that is also assuming that a well rounded person is complied of 4/10th personal health and dining, 3/10th business and technology, 2/10th politics, and 1/10th of opinion relevant to current events. (Sorry about the fractions). Well that doesn’t sound too bad. I am sure those health and business articles are very informative. And I am sure those political articles are completely unbiased, leading to intellectually debates and conversations among their readers and forwarders. Oh, wait. “A ‘smaller, faster and more refined’ operating system for Mac.”? I don’t even own a Mac. “Researchers announced last month that they've developed an effective and supremely cheap treatment for chronic tennis elbow.” Hey! I don’t play tennis either! “Thermotherapy, a very hot fruit bath, is an effective way to stave off mold growth on berries.” Who knew that berries had mold problems!
Alright I’ve had my fun. I’m done. If I had to pick a descriptive term from Dr. Good’s list I guess I would say advertising. Isn’t that what everything is now-a-days? Someone is always trying to sell something. It is the way of the United States. If I may quote a woman from Woody Harrelson’s Documentary “Go Further”, “We are taught that freedom means being able to choose from 30 different times of toothpaste. We are not taught that freedom should mean knowing what exactly is in those toothpastes and where it came from and how it will affect our bodies.”
A majority of the articles emailed were about food and dining and personal health, all things that are really important. I think that healthy food and how we correctly feed ourselves are two important aspects of life that are often overlooked. However, these articles are selling. They want you to try, buy, and be hooked. Which is all well and good, but when there are more important issues looming in the world, that SHOULD be covered by the media, that SHOULD be in the fore-front of American’s minds, which SHOULD be the “10 Most Emailed Stories”, well, then mold on berries just sounds like…mold on berries.

Howie Good said...

Bravo, Rachel. . .

Tiffany said...

While some of these stories are something I would read, I don't really think that they are news. Apple's sleek upgrade, prolonging the life of berries and good tipping etiquette are fluffy-I would like to think that the New York Times' 10 most popular stories would have something to do with the state of our economy, health care, what's going to directly affect citizens' lives. As Marcy said, most of these articles have some form of entertainment value, and that makes me worry since they're the most read. Does that mean people aren't reading the news? Or that just not enough of them are? Websites enable people to have the news at their fingertips. While alleviating tennis elbow and finding a good vet for your pet isn't completely useless information, I wonder how many people are unaware of what's going on out there. I can't even go to the Times site for news without being seduced by the style or opinion sections--something I'm sure derails more people than just myself. Death panels, anyone? I understand that people would rather entertainment themselves in a time of turmoil than read the grim headlines, but if we don't inform ourselves, who will?

Jess said...

While reading the 10 Most Emailed Stories from the Thursday edition of The New York Times, I was surprised to see how trivial all of these stories are. Yes, The New York Times has many different components to its paper, but it once was boasted as prestigious and superior to many other news sources. The web edition however caters to a different audience, and a wider audience, therefore I suppose needs to have articles that intrigue the masses. The 10 Most Emailed Stories all have the common thread of entertainment and quick fixes. Common and popular themes are medical “advice,” health “advice” and new technology opportunities in the market.

These emailed stories reiterate the idea of hoe disconnected we are from important issues. That black hair in politics is as far as some people care to go to hear about current events in this country and abroad.

Howie Good said...

See the quote added to the header of your blog? Think it's relevant to this discussion? "A popular government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce, or a tragedy, or perhaps both." -- James Madison

Brandon said...

When setting out to do this assignment, I was set for the typical opinion pieces about every interchangeable actress' dwi or an athlete demanding more money to be the dominant headlines in the "10 Most E-mailed Stories." To my pleasant suprise, there are only two real opinion pieces on the list, if you choose to discard the berries and tennis elbow stories as "informative." Now one can be synical and look at the list as compiled or set up to make the average person look well-rounded and to bring attention to some lesser read parts of the paper, but I'm choosing to take it at face value and discuss the meaning behind what they have as the 10 most popular. I feel like maybe the people who are proactive enough (if you consider logging on to a website proactive) to seek out their own source of news may be the minority in this world who are more concerned with hard news than with the aforementioned infotainment. Maybe the gossip stories and the editorializing of advertising is more based on a tv news outlook than print. For those lazy people just watching tv and stumbling across the news, they need some form of entertainment to keep them interested in it, but not those who go one the website looking for a specific thing. Can one even consider sitting in front of a computer any less lazy than a tv? All things considered, people discussing the merits of whether or not to straighten your hair is not really news, but is it wrong of me to be optimistic because its more news than celebrity gossip? Should I simply have higher expectations? Yes, and no, because higher expectations are unreal but I cant be optimistic about the future because if one of these articles didnt directly impact the life of someone, they probably wouldn't have cared. Being informed is simply not enough anymore.

pierce said...

The 10 most emailed stories on the NY TImes site were mostly day-to-day living stories about quickly ease tennis elbow or how to save a couple of bucks on car insurance. This shows that readers are preoccupied with bettering their own personal lives. They'd much rather read about something that might help them rather than elections in Japan or the Israeli prime minister. It almost seems as if, by focusing primarily on these types of stories, that they are saying "Well, this is why we elected a President. This is why we have a government: so we don't have to be concerned with those issues. They aren't our problems."

It's unfortunate. We need to keep abreast of the current state of our own country and the world.

What I thought was interesting was that Google lists the NY Times top news stories on their iGoogle homepage and none of the preoccupations that exist in the "Most emailed stories" list are present. I think that the general public has the wrong idea about news. They use it as some sort of counseling or entertainment when that is not the true nature of it.

I suppose I am a little bit on the fence. On one hand it is great that at least somewhere the stories that should be getting the most play are getting their due. But people aren't responding to that and that's a little scary.

George Selby said...

Since I'm doing this assignment late, I'll let you know which atricles I read.
1. The Medium: Facebook Exodus
2. Well: Phys Ed: Does Ibuprofen Help or Hurt During Exercise?
3. Document Details Plan to Promote Costly Drug
4. In Tonsils, a Problem the Size of a Pea
5. Vital Signs: Aging: Moderate Drinking May Help the Brain
6. David Brooks: The Obama Slide
7. Forty Years' War: For Profit, Industry Seeks Cancer Drugs
8. Cases: My Brain on Chemo: Alive and Alert
9. Your Money: How Retirees Can Spend Enough, but Not Too Much
10. Toss the Ball. Hit the Ball. Oops! Oops!

I'm really surprised about one thing, these are pretty good articles, but i wouldn't find any of them so amazing that i would send it to my friends...
But, this seems to be what these articles have in common. They are attractive to certain different groups of people, but not to others. The number one article being about facebook makes sense, because there are more internet-active people that are part of facebook, and they are probably interested in why people leave it, because the secretly hate it. This article is kind of gossipy and purely meant for entertainment. The majority of the others are about Health issues, and though these aimed at educating us, they also scared me a little. This is for sure another tactic at getting us invested in the article...a little fear or paranoia, justified. Also, new ways to self medicate...this time, drink more!
What I'm saying, is that it is interesting to think about who is actually sending these articles to their friends, and why.
As a whole, I'm actually impressed with this selection of articles. There was absolutely no celebrity gossip, and a fair amount of the information i read could be useful to a wide variety of people who are all trying to stay current. Even the op-ed piece helped put some political issues in perspective for me even though I didn't totally agree with the author. There was a good assortment of entertainment, factual health issues, and opinions, as I believe there should be in any news source.