The dominating dot com
I can't help but to not think about CNN's web coverage of Ike over the weekend. I know CNN is not local *Atlanta* media, but one of their headquarters lie in our beautiful city, so I am awarding myself the right to brag on them. I mean, hey, there's not much Atlanta media to brag about -- so I have to dig where I can.
Solid. Impactful. Artistic. Encompassing. Stunning. Those are all words that come to mind when I think of how they covered this disaster. The web team actually changed the front page to a format which included a larger-than-normal "above the fold" photo/headline match-up that was constantly being updated with a new picture and story to follow. This was just one of my favorites: A headline about a death count, and a picture of now-floating caskets. Not just informative, but it plays your emotions. What a statement. Not only that CNN has the editorial judgment to combine such a beautiful story/photo, but that CNN has the web presence and know-how to take it to the Internets.
I loved how they let the large picture take president over anything else. It was all about impact and showing with big pictures just how big Ike was to our country's largest mainland state. CNN's usual three-column (left to right: lead story, headlines, videos) look can often be awkward and hard to concentrate on. While, yes, overall, they have one of the better national broadcast news sites, Cnn.com has a lot going on. And I know that most of the scrutiny goes to on-air talent, producers, commentators, etc. But the web team definitely deserves a pat on the back. I harped on this talking about the AJC.com, but web presence has to be a priority for news organizations right now. They need to especially take advantage of "high news" weekends like these where more and more viewers, depending on their situations, could be going to the web.
(And plus, I couldn't help but take advantage of a screen shot with my school in it!)
Solid. Impactful. Artistic. Encompassing. Stunning. Those are all words that come to mind when I think of how they covered this disaster. The web team actually changed the front page to a format which included a larger-than-normal "above the fold" photo/headline match-up that was constantly being updated with a new picture and story to follow. This was just one of my favorites: A headline about a death count, and a picture of now-floating caskets. Not just informative, but it plays your emotions. What a statement. Not only that CNN has the editorial judgment to combine such a beautiful story/photo, but that CNN has the web presence and know-how to take it to the Internets.
I loved how they let the large picture take president over anything else. It was all about impact and showing with big pictures just how big Ike was to our country's largest mainland state. CNN's usual three-column (left to right: lead story, headlines, videos) look can often be awkward and hard to concentrate on. While, yes, overall, they have one of the better national broadcast news sites, Cnn.com has a lot going on. And I know that most of the scrutiny goes to on-air talent, producers, commentators, etc. But the web team definitely deserves a pat on the back. I harped on this talking about the AJC.com, but web presence has to be a priority for news organizations right now. They need to especially take advantage of "high news" weekends like these where more and more viewers, depending on their situations, could be going to the web.
(And plus, I couldn't help but take advantage of a screen shot with my school in it!)