Good News Gets Ignored - Bad News Gets Read - What do Most Journalists Choose
Take a look at all the newspapers for sale at your local convenience store. Take a look at the newspaper boxes and look at which headlines and photos the newspaper chose to tease you into a purchase. Chances are they didn't choose fluffy blue clouds and green fields of families frolicking about. They probably chose a large photo of a stern President Obama or an even more miserable Prime Minister Harper with a foreboding headline.
From Your Editor
They might even have a photo of a dying child on the Gaza strip or yet another dead Canadian soldier killed by a terrorist in Afghanistan who placed bomb next to the road. Improvised Explosive Devices don't exist. The term was created to sanitize the reality of cheap bombs that kill efficiently.
They are cheap bombs placed on the roadside by terrorists meant to kill real soldiers in a real war. The acronym IED was created so you could eat supper while hearing how many Canadian soldiers were killed each night by terrorists with dime store bombs. In any event, newspapers print real news, blood and guts if necessary. IF IT BLEEDS IT LEADS!!
THEY WANT A SALE!!!
Commercial Web sites that provide news and other information NEED HITS TO PAY THE BILLS. HITS MEAN MORE ADVERTISING AND MORE MONEY. IT'S THAT SIMPLE.
The Northeastender has a Prominently advertised Photo Journal with nearly 3000 photos on it. Lots of people look at it. But in comparison to the articles it's a pittance. No matter how nice the photograhy. No matter how local the photos. No matter how cute the ducks. People read the controversial articles the most. Ducks come last.
I have spent hours at community fundraisers like "Kickin for Cassie" and the popular LDOA Annual Pooch Plunge and then more time posting stories and photos on the home page of the Northeastender.ca. Sometimes my editor publishes the work in his publication too. Such is the work of a freelancer. Still I go out and cover important stories like the opening of Goodwill's bookstore and donation centre on Adelaide where half of the City of London was there. I didn't sell the story but I posted it on the web and I served the community. It drew good surprisingly good interest.
Kipps Lane is home to a new daycare where daycare is supposed to be in dire need. The centre at the Northbrae Hub hasn't had to the best of my knowledge a grand opening. I could be wrong. Months before it opened. I chased down the details as to how families could register their kids and posted them on the Northeastender.ca with little interest. This was done out of community service.
It was a helluva lot of work which was hard to get. You'd think thee would be a huge billboard announcing the 52 new spots. I haven't seen one but the information is on the site.
So please, armchair journalist out there, don't lecture me on only printing bad news on Kipps Lane. I also went out and got an update, and the beginning and end dates and the 4 month road constructon on Belfield construction on a hot July day from a busy road crew for my boss while getting a good photo and not disturbing the crew. Those were widely printed and disseminated.
Here's the point. I write about hard news. I am not allowed to make factual errors. If I do I must own up to them. Hard news is usually not pretty. If you want to read stories that skim the surface get a copy of your school news letter. I go for details, reasons and facts which are sometimes unpleasant to read. They are also what makes people pick up a paper or log onto a site. If you don't like it, ignore the site.
Just don't try to change the reality. Any TV news show, print journalism story or electronic story on the web which does its job is not going to be sunshine and lollipops. Those stories are there but few people read them.
And by the way, if you really don't like what's on the web you can you can create your own site, become a writer and deal with cranky readers.
