I was assigned the Times-Picayune as my beat in Herbert Lowe’s Digital Journalism II class.
Before this class I had never heard of the media outlet. To be honest, I was not even sure of where it was located. I did some research and learned that this particular publication is based in New Orleans and covers stories throughout the Greater New Orleans area.
In 1837 entrepreneurs George Wilkins Kendall and Francis Asbury Lumsden created the Daily Picayune. After years of success it later became one of the earliest wire services. The media outlet merged with the Times-Democrat in 1941 to form what is now known as the Times-Picayune.
Since 1996 the Times-Picayune has won numerous Pulitzer Prizes for categories such as breaking news and online reporting. These accomplishments are reflected in the work that their journalists produce.
One of the first things I noticed about this website was how simple it was to maneuver each page. At first I thought this media outlet contained no stories beyond the limits of New Orleans. It took a while, but I found a link that brought me to stories covering events around the world. However, while it does incorporate such articles, each one comes from the Associated Press.
While researching this publication I also spent time reading through various articles. The writers at the newspaper do an excellent job of following the AP style guidelines and stray away from sentences with dependent clauses. I also noticed that the majority of stories contain images, making the site and stories ascetically pleasing. Unfortunately there were quite a few widows in every article. This left areas of white space throughout the article making the text appear longer than it is. The journalist could have easily used the space more effectively by either adding details or taking out unnecessary words.
Recently the Times-Picayune underwent major changes. Many writers got laid off and the publication was reduced to being printed only three times a week. Despite this, the newspaper has found other ways to inform their readers. On the webpage they provide links to social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Their publication may be diminishing in print, but it is being brought into the digital age by utilizing these popular social media sites.
I am looking forward to covering this strategic publication. It will interesting to focus on a media outlet that has had such great success in the journalism field during the last 175 years.
Before this class I had never heard of the media outlet. To be honest, I was not even sure of where it was located. I did some research and learned that this particular publication is based in New Orleans and covers stories throughout the Greater New Orleans area.
In 1837 entrepreneurs George Wilkins Kendall and Francis Asbury Lumsden created the Daily Picayune. After years of success it later became one of the earliest wire services. The media outlet merged with the Times-Democrat in 1941 to form what is now known as the Times-Picayune.
Since 1996 the Times-Picayune has won numerous Pulitzer Prizes for categories such as breaking news and online reporting. These accomplishments are reflected in the work that their journalists produce.
One of the first things I noticed about this website was how simple it was to maneuver each page. At first I thought this media outlet contained no stories beyond the limits of New Orleans. It took a while, but I found a link that brought me to stories covering events around the world. However, while it does incorporate such articles, each one comes from the Associated Press.
While researching this publication I also spent time reading through various articles. The writers at the newspaper do an excellent job of following the AP style guidelines and stray away from sentences with dependent clauses. I also noticed that the majority of stories contain images, making the site and stories ascetically pleasing. Unfortunately there were quite a few widows in every article. This left areas of white space throughout the article making the text appear longer than it is. The journalist could have easily used the space more effectively by either adding details or taking out unnecessary words.
Recently the Times-Picayune underwent major changes. Many writers got laid off and the publication was reduced to being printed only three times a week. Despite this, the newspaper has found other ways to inform their readers. On the webpage they provide links to social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Their publication may be diminishing in print, but it is being brought into the digital age by utilizing these popular social media sites.
I am looking forward to covering this strategic publication. It will interesting to focus on a media outlet that has had such great success in the journalism field during the last 175 years.