I opened my paper this morning (translation: I turned on my computer at work and hit the link for SF Gate). I know that SF Gate has stumbled upon hard times -- they write by proxy now more than anything to avoid those pesky overhead costs of having employees, and they spawn ill-conceived notions for series like 'Scenesters,' a trainwreck photo series that pretty much documented people partying and lead to interesting comments like "I just caught an STD from this photo."So, I'm not sure if what I observed on the front page is indicative of SF Gate's current dogma proper or a broader reflection on news media entirely, but the following were the top news links:
- Girl, 5, killed when school cabinet falls on her 7:23 AM
- Dead deer in clown suit left on
- Marin couple pays $27k to sleep at Hearst Castle 8:12 AM
- Prop. 8 rerun is headed for
- Herta Mueller wins 2009 Nobel literature prize 8:05 AM
- Gun-toting soccer mom, husband found dead 7:18 AM
- Tennis star's father on hunger strike in prison 8:11 AM
Are these twittered news (ergo time-stamp)? Are these the top visited stories on the AP (oh the sad ramifications)? Who chose these, and why are they the first listed stories on a Bay Area newspaper when only one event even occurred in California? SF Gate is not a gossip site (not entirely) or a spoof site or even a dedicated 'random' news site. Where is the news????? A majority of those stories listed above are sensational, morbid, and not anything really informative. Apart from the Prop 8 article and the Nobel prize nod, they are sadistically entertaining, playing on modern fascination with weird death and gratuitous living. And I daresay, the Prop 8 article likely plays on people's love of controversy, because even if the article is actually legit and informative and --- newsworthy--- wedging it between extravagant hotel lodging and gun-toting soccer moms is ridiculous and cheapens the topic.
Oh soapbox, I greet thee. The online version of the SF Chronicle news is completely rubbish. I am disappointed and feel like I have been cheated on --- but suspect that there are a lot of SF Gate readers out there unsurprised, checking out the Daily Dish and the curmudgeon comments, and then cruising over to NPR or BBC for actual news of the world.
Oh soapbox, I greet thee. The online version of the SF Chronicle news is completely rubbish. I am disappointed and feel like I have been cheated on --- but suspect that there are a lot of SF Gate readers out there unsurprised, checking out the Daily Dish and the curmudgeon comments, and then cruising over to NPR or BBC for actual news of the world.
1 comment:
you write real well.
hmmmm, let's look.
the site is real confusing.
that looks like a newswire feed for "most clicked" type stories (though it isn't labeled as anything so who knows?)
each one is from a different distributor though.
some sort of newsfeed.
top local is upper left (again not labeled).
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