LA Observed...Just About Nothing

The blog, LA Observed, reports on a bevy of Los Angeles focused new in a dry, factual manners. During the July 23, July 24, and July 25 period, LA Observed focused on a variety of news pertaining to Angelenos. Unlike other local blogs, there was no real agenda pushed on LA Observed. While the blog says that it focuses on politics, media, and culture, all I saw was lackluster stories that focused on things more likely to be presented at a town hall meeting than in a news source of one of the largest cities in the nation. This blog focuses more on aggregating information from other news sources and presenting the facts as they pertain to local Angelenos.

July 23, 2012 was not a nail biting day for news on LA Observed. They covered Tom Cruises’s PSA for scientology, a drop in foreclosure numbers, Rhino Records, and Bank of America cutting back on ATMs at malls and gas stations. July 24, 2012 discussed the Modern Family cast members request for a raise, a few prominent deaths (Sally Ride and Frank Pierson) and LA’s war against jitneys. July 25, 2012 did not up the exciting ante with the main articles on LA vs Jitneys and Bandit Cabs, Celebrity news, LA Pot Ban, and the Anaheim Turmoil.

The above paragraph was very dry and factual because, well…that’s what LA Observed is. It is aggregated news from credible news sources cut and pasted on a page with a few comments to separate block quotes. There is no opinion, no snark, no creativity, and nothing to grab the reader and hold onto them.  The blog is solely focused on Los Angeles, but it would have captivated me more if it had a more cosmopolitan view on things and related Angeleno news back to the big picture of the world.

There is nothing about LA Observed that makes me want to keep reading. The headlines are dry, the leads are boring, and once you do click through, you are just reading block quotes from other news sources. If you’re not giving me anything extra, why don’t I just get my news from those original credible sources? Overall, when I read my news, I either want a well-written, engaging story with facts or complete snark. I felt as though LA Observed lacked commitment to a story and hasn’t found its true voice yet.

The New York Times vs. Gawker

When it comes to constructing an online image, there are many ways that companies choose to present themselves. The New York Times is a leading global newspaper and has taken its highbrow journalism online for all to see. Gawker on the other hand, was born on the Internet, and feeds its devotees lots of snark with a side of news. Both media outlets write news articles for the masses, but they differ on content, layout, and tone.

The New York Times is a journalistic staple all around the world. The front page of the online newspaper is displayed with mostly political headlines from around the world. The leads are dry and factual with limited photographs and overall color. On July 17, 2012, the lead stories in The New York Times detailed the Fiscal Crisis in the States, The Unity Government in Israel, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and a restaurant in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York. The articles clearly stated facts and had some opinion, but nothing that embedded a clear political agenda. The front page of The New York Times does not discuss gossip; rather they discuss hard news that are factually based on a global scale. The only major opinions on the website were in the opinion section.

Gawker on the other hand is a blog that is geared heavily towards gossip heavy news. The very definition of a gawker is “a spectator who stares stupidly without intelligent awareness” and Gawker.com does just that with their “news” stories. The front page of the blog has foul language, eye-catching headlines, and doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously. Contrary to the New York Times front page, Gawker’s front page is very colorful and contains several photographs. The copy under the snarky headlines is much longer than the copy that the New York Times gives their readers prior to clicking through to the full story. The July 17, 2012 lead story on Gawker was entitled, “If you don’t want your daughter to be a little asshole, don’t send her to Rushbiddies.” Not only is the headline very lengthy, but also the vulgar language, mocking tone, and personalization of the headline are all jaw dropping. This story, among many others, are exemplary of Gawker’s agenda: that is, to shock, poke fun of, and provoke conversation on controversial subjects, not all of which are regarding public figures.

Overall, it seems as though the New York Times focuses on delivering unbiased   facts to its readers from around the world while Gawker concentrates on more provocative gossip stories. Both websites choose to provoke thought, just in very different ways.