Multimedia

One of the articles I chose to analyze for multimedia was The New York Times article, "U.S. Tries Luring Taliban Foot Soldiers Back to Society." The article by Elisabeth Bumiller was a very interesting story about an ex-Taliban member who was let back into society to live freely after an established agreement. The article was well written an included a video and pictures. The pictures were important because they gave an added element to the story and grabbed the readers attention as the first thing at the top of the page. The shot is of the ex-Taliban member being led by U.S. forces. The picture is very intriguing and can make readers want to read the story. The video was very gripping, and I felt that it gave great insight into the story and helped to show that while we are at war, peace can still be found. I felt that the NY Times did a good job of incorporating the video, because it really made the story come to life and gave readers a better understanding, which in the end is the ultimate goal. If I had the time and the resources, I feel that incorporating a video would be a good idea, because it could really help bring my story to life.

The second article I choose to analyze for multimedia was from the Washington Post.The article "FDA considers endorsement of drug that some call a Viagra for women," was interesting, but not worth the effort to get to. When first visiting the site, I had to re-enter my e-mail address multiple times. This article was featured on the front page, but surprisingly had no multimedia. The story seemed interesting, but when first viewing it, there was a huge advertisement blocking the view. When I finally got to the article, I realized that it featured no multimedia. At the least, they should of had a picture of the potential pink pills. The article stretched over many pages and had no video to give a summary. I feel that many readers would have stopped reading because it was too much trouble to get to, with nothing to look at.

The last article I choose to analyze for multimedia was a past article from the New York Times. The article was on the earthquake in Chile. While this article is older, the multimedia usage was plentiful.
The news article, 'Frantic Rescue Efforts in Chile as Troops Seek to Keep Order,' published by The New York Times Feb. 28,2010, incorporated many different media types. The print story was brought to life by multimedia including maps documenting the Chile Earthquake, A slide show of the aftermath, an interactive feature( where readers can submit their own photographs documenting the damage), a video broadcast and audio accounts.
The three media examples I choose to analyze for my assignment are audio accounts,a video broadcast and maps documenting the Chile Earthquake.

I feel that the audio accounts are a very effective way of getting the survivors word out to the public. You can almost feel their pain and anguish as you hear their voices recount the situation. However, as a visual learner I feel that the visual aspect is missing. I personally want not only to hear them, but to see their faces. In my opinion this is why the video broadcast may be the most effective way in delivering the news. The video gives a broadcast style news report, letting viewers hear personal accounts and see the devastation. The maps were also a nice visual tool that accompanied the print story. The maps allowed readers to view the Chile Earthquake from a topographical standpoint. The maps named major cities and gave detailed summaries of the places affected and their damage reports. I really liked the fact that it explained the plate shift which causes earthquakes. It was also nice to see and understand more information about the tsunami. If applicable, I definitely feel that incorporating audio, video, or maps into the final feature/ news story would be a good choice.