Online Newspaper Analysis: Paper X vs. the NY Times

This assignment will provide a foundation of online journalism practices for the entire semester. As we begin to talk about theories and practices of online journalism, you will be encouraged to cite examples from your observations (in class and online), and your findings may also help you in your written exams.

Newspaper selection
Since the New York Times is leading the pack with online journalism experimentation, forward-thinking-ness, and design, goal #1 is to become intimate with New York Times's online website. Your second goal is to compare the NYTimes to your choice of a regional paper such as the Cedar Rapids Gazette, the Des Moines Register, or the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and compare both papers. 

Analysis
Compare the papers on these 5 main points.

  1. Breaking News.  Pay attention to the rhythms of the day on both sites and include your own observations about how the newspaper delivers the news. Check back at different times of the day to see how your newspaper handles updates. How often does the front page change? Does the news site use its own reporters' material for updates or does it rely on the Associated Press? What else do you notice about the photographs that accompany the main stories?
  1. Design.  How would you describe the layout and design of both papers? How do the designs compare?  What colors dominate each news site? How does the layout affect your appreciation of each site?  What do the sites do that are similar?  What are the category tabs, where are they located, and how effective is this orientation?  Where is the multimedia located?  How are photos handled?  What fonts are used, and what size?  Where are the ads, and how abrasive, clever, overwhelming, tempered, etc. are they?  Do the ads pop up or under, are they interactive, do they feature video or flash animation?   Do the ads match the rest of the newspapers’ color scheme, or not?  How many ads are there?
  1. Interactivity.  What is interactive about both papers (in other words, what can be achieved online that can’t be achieved in the printed version?)  Pay attention to the multimedia offerings, reader feedback, blogs, user-generated content, the use of links within stories. How does your paper compare with the New York Times?
  1. Multimedia.  Dig deep into both papers' multimedia offerings. What is the range of multimedia?  How much syndicated multimedia content does the site rely upon?  What is the nature of the multimedia?  Is it serious?  Goofy?  Does it complement particular articles or is it more stand-alone? What impressed you? What didn't?
  1. Registration.  How does the news site share its content?  Are certain areas restricted?  Do you have to register to use the paper?  Can you email articles to people you know? Does the news site track your whereabouts?  Can you access the archives? Read about the privacy arrangements in the About Us/Privacy sections. What is the privacy policy for each paper?

Write-up
Prepare a 3-4 page (single space, Times New Roman font) analysis of both papers, using an essay format. Be sure to cover all the above areas, but remember, make this a readable analysis. Please do not organize your paper in a way that boringly lists an answer to each question. 

DUE September 1