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.