The Associated Press printed a list of newspapers that have dropped publication days. There are 14 Illinois newspapers on the list.
I'm not used to getting my news online. I like reading the actual paper. I don't want to go online to read a more in-depth analysis of a certain story. I want it in my paper. I "follow" certain newspapers on Twitter and in more than 20+ Tweets I've received from them, I can honestly say I've only actually clicked on a handful. The headlines are not that enticing to me. When reading the paper, I scan through the pages, but stop more frequently because of graphics and photos. I end up reading stories that have headlines that did not catch my eye.
On Web sites, there may be a photo, but then there is also a slide show which I need to make an effort to look through. This also makes me wonder if the main photo that accompanies the story was chosen carefully, or if the photo was just good enough, and it didn't matter if the photo was perfect since there is a whole database of photos users can click through.
Of course, to every issue there are numerous pros and cons. Although I'll miss looking to printed pages for my news, online news has its perks in the unlimited amount of space provided by the Web and also in the instantaneous publication of news right as it happens.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Winner of SND.org's World's Best Designed for a second year in a row
Front pages of Akzia. Clockwise from top left Dec. 19, 2008; Nov. 11, 2008; Sept. 12, 2008; Sept. 26, 2008
Akzia, a free biweekly distributed in cafes, restaurants, business centers, universities throughout 11 cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, was first printed in 2001. It's target audience ranges from ages 18-30 and is the number one paper for younger consumers, according to their Web site.
The use of a less traditional photo for the front page makes the paper feel more like a magazine. Most of the front pages use photo illustrations or graphics as their main back drop. What little text used on the front page is small and presented in a concise fashion, further drawing on the concept that less is more. It is clear and uncluttered. The amount of color used is not overwhelming, like an obnoxious tabloid. Instead, the colors complement each other and act as an expressive artistic element. I especially like that the color of the "A" symbol is changed with every issue. The paper does not stick to one main color scheme, which gives the paper unlimited freedom when choosing photos since matching the photos with a specific color scheme is not required.
Inside the paper (pulled from various issues):
After sifting through several issues of Akzia, I found it was common to use graphics that solely served as decorative purposes. The red tapestry-like graphic in the first layout offsets the text on the opposite page. Although there is no graphic similar to this on the opposite page, the color brings balance to the page. Opposite the red tapestry graphic, the text mirrored is red. This kind of effect closes in the middle picture and creates a parenthetical effect. The blue border around the story in the second layout also mirrors its opposite page of ads. Also, it shows that instead of asking the writer to extend the article so that it would fill up the entire page, the paper makes use of white space. (I also like the ad on the bottom right. Can anyone translate?)
I chose to highlight these top three layouts because of the way the text wrapped the images. Instead of the traditional justification, the text curves and wraps around circular images. I especially like the page where the text itself creates a pair of legs. I'm not a fan of the graphics chosen in the second photo, (it looks like something that came out of Microsoft Word graphics...) but the way it splits up the text seems like it would make the article easier to read.
Mario Garcia's article on Poynter Online titled "10 Universal Newspaper Designs, Debunked," briefly explains traditional justified type over ragged-right type...
"Readers prefer justified type over ragged-right type. The myth is that ragged-right type implies "soft" or feature material, while justified type represents serious hard news. This, too, is only in the minds of editors and some designers. There is no evidence of the truth to this perception. If newspapers had always set all their text ragged right, readers would have accepted that style. Ragged-right type can change the rhythm on the page, even when used for short texts or for columnists. Its use incorporates white space, which is always needed, and allows for more appropriate letter spacing within and between words. Some research has confirmed that the presence of ragged right speeds up reading."
I think the use of more ragged-right type would help layouts since it would increase white space, de-cluttering stories, and as Garcia said, it would speed up reading.
This page makes great use of lots of photos and text by balancing it through placement and color. Although there are six photos on this spread, the pictures do not fight each other for space. Instead they work with each other. The background colors of each photo work well with the pictures on the same page and with those on the opposite page. The clean background of each photo also helps create a less visually busy layout, which I think would be difficult to achieve when trying to use six photos.More Akzia issues here.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
World Classic Baseball
I'm not a huge sports fan because getting that emotionally involved and then being let down by the team you're rooting for seems unnecessary, but I can still enjoy the occasional Bulls or Cubs game. I don't really understand football, so no Bears for me.
Yesterday was the World Classic Baseball championship between Japan and Korea. Sadly, I got emotionally involved and was let down when Japan beat Korea 5 to 3, but overall it was a great game. There were home runs, stolen bases and the game even went into an extra inning.
While watching, I couldn't help but notice that whenever the sports announcer referred to the Korea team, he made it a point to specify that it was "South" Korea. But, the scoreboard referred to the team as "Korea," not "S. Korea or "South Korea." Why?
I frequently get asked about where I'm from, South Korea or North Korea. I still don't know how to answer, so I just say South Korea because that's where ma and pops were born. (At first, I say I'm from Chicago because that's where I was born, but people stare and ask me where I'm really from. Then I understand that they're trying to ask about my race, which is a mistake I admit to making myself when inquiring about someone's race.) However, their parents were born in all regions of Korea before the Korean War and the formation of the 38th parallel, which splits the north and south of Korea. I guess the question may be about what country I support? I'm not sure.
Anyway, quick shout out to my "#1" fan Kim. :)
Yesterday was the World Classic Baseball championship between Japan and Korea. Sadly, I got emotionally involved and was let down when Japan beat Korea 5 to 3, but overall it was a great game. There were home runs, stolen bases and the game even went into an extra inning.
While watching, I couldn't help but notice that whenever the sports announcer referred to the Korea team, he made it a point to specify that it was "South" Korea. But, the scoreboard referred to the team as "Korea," not "S. Korea or "South Korea." Why?
I frequently get asked about where I'm from, South Korea or North Korea. I still don't know how to answer, so I just say South Korea because that's where ma and pops were born. (At first, I say I'm from Chicago because that's where I was born, but people stare and ask me where I'm really from. Then I understand that they're trying to ask about my race, which is a mistake I admit to making myself when inquiring about someone's race.) However, their parents were born in all regions of Korea before the Korean War and the formation of the 38th parallel, which splits the north and south of Korea. I guess the question may be about what country I support? I'm not sure.
Anyway, quick shout out to my "#1" fan Kim. :)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Hours worked and number of phone calls are directly related?
The News-Gazette ran a story Sunday with the headline, "Phone records show county auditor frequently absent." My professor for Reporting II lecture asked the class to read it and point out ways to improve the story.
The story relied on the Freedom of Information Act to obtain phone records of elected county officials, but the story also presented its findings poorly.
The second through sixth paragraph (pretty much the bulk of the story) basically lists the information found through FOIA. X number of calls were made by Y last while X number of calls were made by Z last year. This goes on. Safe to say, I got lost in the numbers. Also, The News-Gazette printed a table listing said numbers at the end of the story. Is it necessary to reiterate the same information in a chart?
The story's argument here is that auditor Tony Fabri was not at his desk making phone calls while his co-workers were hard at work making over thousands of calls. Fabri claims this is because he makes his calls from his private cell phone. He also said he relies on the accountant to do most of the paper work anyway.
Fabri sticks out like a sore thumb when comparing his number of calls made to those made by his colleagues. Their numbers range in the thousands while his stands at a measly 185 of calls made between March 1, 2008 - Februrary 28, 2009.
This makes me wonder if phone calls are directly related to the number of hours worked. I'm not choosing sides, but let's say the thousands of phone calls made by the other elected officials weren't work-related. The tables could be turned. Fabri doing work. Colleagues jibber-jabbering away while on the job.
I make a lot of phone calls, and they're mostly to my mom about what I ate, when I slept and probably what I'll eat for my next meal. No work involved.
But, why is Fabri running up his private cell phone bill making work-related calls? Is he hiding something? This may be a bit of a stretch, but I can't help that my perception of elected officials has been tainted because of our very own Blago...
The story relied on the Freedom of Information Act to obtain phone records of elected county officials, but the story also presented its findings poorly.
The second through sixth paragraph (pretty much the bulk of the story) basically lists the information found through FOIA. X number of calls were made by Y last while X number of calls were made by Z last year. This goes on. Safe to say, I got lost in the numbers. Also, The News-Gazette printed a table listing said numbers at the end of the story. Is it necessary to reiterate the same information in a chart?
The story's argument here is that auditor Tony Fabri was not at his desk making phone calls while his co-workers were hard at work making over thousands of calls. Fabri claims this is because he makes his calls from his private cell phone. He also said he relies on the accountant to do most of the paper work anyway.
Fabri sticks out like a sore thumb when comparing his number of calls made to those made by his colleagues. Their numbers range in the thousands while his stands at a measly 185 of calls made between March 1, 2008 - Februrary 28, 2009.
This makes me wonder if phone calls are directly related to the number of hours worked. I'm not choosing sides, but let's say the thousands of phone calls made by the other elected officials weren't work-related. The tables could be turned. Fabri doing work. Colleagues jibber-jabbering away while on the job.
So, I don't think it's legitimate to assume more phone calls made means more work is being done.
I make a lot of phone calls, and they're mostly to my mom about what I ate, when I slept and probably what I'll eat for my next meal. No work involved.
But, why is Fabri running up his private cell phone bill making work-related calls? Is he hiding something? This may be a bit of a stretch, but I can't help that my perception of elected officials has been tainted because of our very own Blago...
Friday, March 13, 2009
World's Best-Designed
Society of News Design's 30th Annual "The Best of Newspaper Design Creative Competition" relied on five judges from newspapers industries all over the world who sifted through 301 entries and named five newspapers the winners. All five were international papers, four from Europe and one from Mexico.
Akzia, a biweekly with a circulation of 200,000 in Moscow, Russia
Eleftheros Tipos, a daily with a circulation of 86,000 in Athens, Greece
Expresso, a weekly with a circulation of 120,000 in Paço de Arcos, Portugal
The News, a daily with a circulation of 10,000 in Mexico City, Mexico
Welt am Sonntag, a weekly with a circulation of 400,000 in Berlin, Germany
The judges chose these newspapers based on many characteristics, but one that stood above the rest was accessibility of the paper to readers. Good journalism is always key, but integrating the writing, photography, graphics and design is a task that not all contestants demonstrated.
The trend in newspapers layouts the U.S. has shifted from broadsheets to "broad-loid," which is a narrower form of the broadsheet. However, papers around the world have turned their broadsheets into compact papers, also known as a tabloid. Judges of the competition claim that the tabloid style is logical and also attracts younger readers.
The compact size of the winning newspapers create a modernistic approach to the age-old newspaper. What once used to be associated with style magazines is now the new magazine newspaper, pairing news and views together.
Judges also shared that although many American newspapers entered the contest, they were not chosen as winners because of the lack of risks taken regarding design and details. In the past year, US papers had lots of opportunities to play with graphics, photos and text, especially with the election.
After browsing through the layouts of the winners, I found the differences between the winners and the papers I usually read, including the Tribune, the New York Times and the occasional Wall Street Journal, to change the way I view newspapers. I pay more close attention to the use of graphics and photographs, assessing how they really accompany a story. Also, the winners' layouts use air, or white space, to their advantage. This is a refreshing take on the papers I read where instead of using this white space, text is spread out over any and all the little space that may be available.
Akzia, a biweekly with a circulation of 200,000 in Moscow, Russia
Eleftheros Tipos, a daily with a circulation of 86,000 in Athens, Greece
Expresso, a weekly with a circulation of 120,000 in Paço de Arcos, Portugal
The News, a daily with a circulation of 10,000 in Mexico City, Mexico
Welt am Sonntag, a weekly with a circulation of 400,000 in Berlin, Germany
The judges chose these newspapers based on many characteristics, but one that stood above the rest was accessibility of the paper to readers. Good journalism is always key, but integrating the writing, photography, graphics and design is a task that not all contestants demonstrated.
The trend in newspapers layouts the U.S. has shifted from broadsheets to "broad-loid," which is a narrower form of the broadsheet. However, papers around the world have turned their broadsheets into compact papers, also known as a tabloid. Judges of the competition claim that the tabloid style is logical and also attracts younger readers.
The compact size of the winning newspapers create a modernistic approach to the age-old newspaper. What once used to be associated with style magazines is now the new magazine newspaper, pairing news and views together.
Judges also shared that although many American newspapers entered the contest, they were not chosen as winners because of the lack of risks taken regarding design and details. In the past year, US papers had lots of opportunities to play with graphics, photos and text, especially with the election.
After browsing through the layouts of the winners, I found the differences between the winners and the papers I usually read, including the Tribune, the New York Times and the occasional Wall Street Journal, to change the way I view newspapers. I pay more close attention to the use of graphics and photographs, assessing how they really accompany a story. Also, the winners' layouts use air, or white space, to their advantage. This is a refreshing take on the papers I read where instead of using this white space, text is spread out over any and all the little space that may be available.
Monday, March 9, 2009
"(Emergency!)"
Illini-alert is a new program being used by the University of Illinois to notify its users of emergency situations on campus.
Yesterday, mass text messages and emails were sent to students/faculty/employees through Illini-alert to inform them about a campus-wide power outage. I was driving back to school from the Chicago area when I received this message on my phone.
The subject line read, "(Emergency!)" and I'm not sure the exclamation point was necessary. This power outage or any other emergency should call for the use of such punctuation. The word "emergency" carries enough urgency as it is.
Also, the text message/email ended in, "Check local media for details!" The exclamation mark in this sentence resembles some sort of promotional tool, similar to what you'd expect on a contest poster or an ad about a clearance sale.
According to the 7th edition of When Words Collide by Lauren Kessler and Duncan McDonald, exclamation marks should be used to express strong emotions or express surprise, which does not justify either of Illini-alert's uses of the punctuation(!)
I actually don't feel that strongly about the misuse of the exclamation mark, but I thought it was worth mentioning because it bothered me some.
Yesterday, mass text messages and emails were sent to students/faculty/employees through Illini-alert to inform them about a campus-wide power outage. I was driving back to school from the Chicago area when I received this message on my phone.
The subject line read, "(Emergency!)" and I'm not sure the exclamation point was necessary. This power outage or any other emergency should call for the use of such punctuation. The word "emergency" carries enough urgency as it is.
Also, the text message/email ended in, "Check local media for details!" The exclamation mark in this sentence resembles some sort of promotional tool, similar to what you'd expect on a contest poster or an ad about a clearance sale.
According to the 7th edition of When Words Collide by Lauren Kessler and Duncan McDonald, exclamation marks should be used to express strong emotions or express surprise, which does not justify either of Illini-alert's uses of the punctuation(!)
I actually don't feel that strongly about the misuse of the exclamation mark, but I thought it was worth mentioning because it bothered me some.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Where are we headed?
After nearly 150 years, Rocky Mountain News, one of Colorado's daily newspapers folded on Friday, February 27.
With the downturn in the economy, newspapers and magazines, like many businesses, are filing for bankruptcy or just downright going out of business. This got me thinking about the death of newspapers, a topic several of my journalism classes have either heavily focused on or briefly mentioned.
Not quite the comforting news you want to hear when you're hoping to find a job in the industry, but is it reality or not?
I remember in Reporting I lecture, which I took about a year ago, Professor Ron Yates refuted the idea of newspapers becoming obsolete. One of his arguments was that most people spend their time in front of a computer while at work, and they wouldn't want to spend even more time on the computer once they're home to fetch their news. Also, the nostalgia that comes from sitting down with a newspaper in-hand simply can't be offered by the web.
Yet, there is a certain population of younger generations who are not used to the idea of paying for their news. Instead, they're used to receiving their news in their inboxes for free, and this makes me a little apprehensive.
The video on the Rocky Mountain News site could quite possibly be the most depressing thing I've seen since watching Titanic, but, at the same time, it gives me hope. The passion and commitment the employees at Rocky Mountain News displayed in the video make me optimistic about the future of newspapers. I like to think these employees are a snapshot of each and every newsroom across the nation, perhaps even the globe, and that they'll help keep newspapers alive.
Let's hope I'm not just being naive.
With the downturn in the economy, newspapers and magazines, like many businesses, are filing for bankruptcy or just downright going out of business. This got me thinking about the death of newspapers, a topic several of my journalism classes have either heavily focused on or briefly mentioned.
Not quite the comforting news you want to hear when you're hoping to find a job in the industry, but is it reality or not?
I remember in Reporting I lecture, which I took about a year ago, Professor Ron Yates refuted the idea of newspapers becoming obsolete. One of his arguments was that most people spend their time in front of a computer while at work, and they wouldn't want to spend even more time on the computer once they're home to fetch their news. Also, the nostalgia that comes from sitting down with a newspaper in-hand simply can't be offered by the web.
Yet, there is a certain population of younger generations who are not used to the idea of paying for their news. Instead, they're used to receiving their news in their inboxes for free, and this makes me a little apprehensive.
The video on the Rocky Mountain News site could quite possibly be the most depressing thing I've seen since watching Titanic, but, at the same time, it gives me hope. The passion and commitment the employees at Rocky Mountain News displayed in the video make me optimistic about the future of newspapers. I like to think these employees are a snapshot of each and every newsroom across the nation, perhaps even the globe, and that they'll help keep newspapers alive.
Let's hope I'm not just being naive.
Elections, elections, read all about it
For the next couple weeks, I'm going to be sharing my thoughts on newspaper layout designs. For my first post of this series, I decided to focus on Chicago Tribune's front page designs of the past two elections.
In September 2008, the Trib redesigned their paper using more magazine elements and reducing the number of jumps in articles. Also, there is an index navigation at the top of each section, which I think is cool because it maps where you are, which is especially helpful when you're reading the Sunday edition. I know when I've read Sunday editions before the redesign, it was difficult to sift through all the sections because they were sorted in separate piles and hidden within one another. With the new navigation bar, it's easier to tell whether I want to flip forward or go back a section. It's also just a fun element that livens the paper up a bit.
The redesign gets rid of the staple Tribune blue in its masthead, but I think this marriage ended blissfully. Getting rid of the blue in the masthead allows for more room to use colored pictures without having to worry that it will clash with the blue. The masthead now uses a color photo as the background, modernizing the 161-year-old publication.
So, here's the front page of the Trib's final edition, Wednesday, November 3, 2004. (Sorry it's black and white. I couldn't find a color one, so I got this from the university's library.) Even though this paper is from the 21st century, it certainly does not look like it. The font used in the headline dates the look, and there is nothing in the format of the layout that excites the eye to move from graphic to graphic. Granted this election was post ballot recounts of 2000 and also during Bush's decline in popularity, I can see why the headline does not evoke as much excitement. It even reads with a monotonous tone. (Or could that be my bias because of all the negative media about Bush since his re-election?) Still, the paper should have shed more positive light on the selection of our nation's leader.
In September 2008, the Trib redesigned their paper using more magazine elements and reducing the number of jumps in articles. Also, there is an index navigation at the top of each section, which I think is cool because it maps where you are, which is especially helpful when you're reading the Sunday edition. I know when I've read Sunday editions before the redesign, it was difficult to sift through all the sections because they were sorted in separate piles and hidden within one another. With the new navigation bar, it's easier to tell whether I want to flip forward or go back a section. It's also just a fun element that livens the paper up a bit.
The redesign gets rid of the staple Tribune blue in its masthead, but I think this marriage ended blissfully. Getting rid of the blue in the masthead allows for more room to use colored pictures without having to worry that it will clash with the blue. The masthead now uses a color photo as the background, modernizing the 161-year-old publication.
2004 Election
So, here's the front page of the Trib's final edition, Wednesday, November 3, 2004. (Sorry it's black and white. I couldn't find a color one, so I got this from the university's library.) Even though this paper is from the 21st century, it certainly does not look like it. The font used in the headline dates the look, and there is nothing in the format of the layout that excites the eye to move from graphic to graphic. Granted this election was post ballot recounts of 2000 and also during Bush's decline in popularity, I can see why the headline does not evoke as much excitement. It even reads with a monotonous tone. (Or could that be my bias because of all the negative media about Bush since his re-election?) Still, the paper should have shed more positive light on the selection of our nation's leader.2008 Election
Here's this year's front page from the Trib printed Wednesday, November 5, 2008. How refreshing. With its redesign, the Trib has so much more liberty to use artistic elements in packaging its stories. The whole front page is designed like a magazine, with the large photo as a background and the text nicely spaced out at the bottom of the page. There is lots of white space, which is a new innovation in modern papers. Lots of papers like to fill its pages with text, text and more text, leaving little room for the reader to breathe, which risks losing them in a world of information overload.
Some may argue that the look of newspapers are what signifies a newspaper, and that magazine layout designs should be left to, well, magazines, but with the rise of online news sites, it's necessary for papers to follow and complement these sites. I completely agree that stories should be able to stand alone. But in an era with so many news sources, sites, blogs, papers, tabloids and much more, people are left to sort through the mess alone. Newspapers should help by packaging stories in a way that is easiest for readers to digest. Papers need to evolve with their readers. They need to change as they're now competing against clean, innovative web layouts for their readers.
Here's this year's front page from the Trib printed Wednesday, November 5, 2008. How refreshing. With its redesign, the Trib has so much more liberty to use artistic elements in packaging its stories. The whole front page is designed like a magazine, with the large photo as a background and the text nicely spaced out at the bottom of the page. There is lots of white space, which is a new innovation in modern papers. Lots of papers like to fill its pages with text, text and more text, leaving little room for the reader to breathe, which risks losing them in a world of information overload.Some may argue that the look of newspapers are what signifies a newspaper, and that magazine layout designs should be left to, well, magazines, but with the rise of online news sites, it's necessary for papers to follow and complement these sites. I completely agree that stories should be able to stand alone. But in an era with so many news sources, sites, blogs, papers, tabloids and much more, people are left to sort through the mess alone. Newspapers should help by packaging stories in a way that is easiest for readers to digest. Papers need to evolve with their readers. They need to change as they're now competing against clean, innovative web layouts for their readers.
Share what you think of these two layouts. :)
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