Too many options
Just about every newspaper, television station, and national news source now has a website. Luckily, the instructor proceeded to tell me exactly where my news should come from. The Los Angeles Times. Relieved at the thought of knowing where to go, I decided to check out their site. It made me wish a subscription was a more reasonable option.
Distracting, disorderly and disrupted
The LA Times website is cluttered and overwhelming. Headlines of featured stories are squished together, causing the text to run over several lines. Photos, advertisements and links to other stories interrupt nearly every article. Sentences are long, and many stories feature large blocks of text that can deter even the most avid news junkies.
A refreshing change
This year, I'm choosing a new source for news. CNN.com. They practically hit me in the face with breaking news in a large red box at the top of my screen. Popular stories and hot topics are just a click away. World, national and political news stories are featured on the home page next to human interest and pure entertainment stories. Their headlines only take up one line, and contain intriguing words and quotes.
Examples include:
- "Palin a 'cocky wacko,' ex-senator says"
- "Babies treated, then sent back to hell"
- "Skinny model: 'nobody ever fed me'"
You can't help but click on those stories.
Personal preference
In the end, whether you like or dislike a given website comes down to personal choice. I prefer clean websites that can suppress my easily distracted eye. So after spending two semesters sifting through the overwhelmingly busy LA Times website, all I can say is: no wonder I hated those news quizzes.
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