Research Proposal

The topic for my research paper that I am interested in pursuing is the influence blogs and bloggers have wielded on recent large news events. My paper will begin with a brief introduction and the history of blogs, and will also involve a basic terminology overview. After the introduction and history, the paper will focus on three recent events where public perception was affected by blogs: the 2004 presidential election, the CBS News “Memogate” scandal, and the aid effort for tsunami victims. I am interested in finding out how influential blogs were in shaping each of these stories and how blogs can be improved to become a more widely accepted form of journalism.

The introduction and history to blogs will be the shortest section in my paper. I estimate this section to be no more than 2-3 pages, but in order to reach the largest audience I it’s important to include give this overview. There are a number of sources I can use for this, both print- and electronic-based. One good source is the book Who Let the Blogs Out?: A Hyperconnected Peek at the World of Weblogs by Biz Stone, but there seems to be a limitless supply of information on this subject.

The next section of my paper will explore the role blogs and bloggers played in shaping the 2004 presidential election, the CBS “Memogate” scandal, and the tsunami disaster and the world’s aid effort. I think that listed them in this order in the paper adheres to the reverse pyramid technique that has been discussed in our class readings. I’ve got the three events listed in this order, because, of these three events I believe that blogs played a gargantuan role in shaping opinions during the presidential election, a huge role in exposing the forged documents in the CBS News scandal, and a large, but somewhat less grandiose role in the tsunami relief effort. I anticipate writing 3-4 pages exploring each example.

Both the 2004 election and the CBS examples will illustrate the large role that blogs have taken on in our society, and their ability to affect the outcomes of major events. I will use the tsunami example to show that while blogs do play a large role in getting information to the public, they are somewhat limited and not as effective as traditional news mediums.

I have a number of news articles from USA Today, FoxNews.com, CNN.com, and the New York Times that will serve as good sources for my topic. I expect to find that a large amount of materials are available after doing a Lexus-Nexus search, and I have determined that there is an abundance of online materials that are available. I don’t think that I will have too much of a problem narrowing the research material down, and I feel like my topic is specific enough to keep me on track.

I have come to the above listed conclusion only though limited research and readings prior to deciding on this as a research topic. After I delve into this project more deeply, I may find better examples of events that illustrate my main point which is: although they are some what limited and have not yet reached the apex of their popularity, blogs are changing the way Americans are getting their news and showing that they carry influence over major news events and public opinion. I may find out that my current opinions are way off base and I may go in a different direction with my thesis, I’ll know after more research is done. I am also interested in finding out how blogs can be improved to become more accepted as forms of journalism. I have no current opinion on this aspect of the paper, so I am looking forward to formulating one based on these research materials.

I am highly interested in this topic, and although it will not immediately help me in my professional life, it does lie within the arena of what I eventually hope to do—write for an online publication.

A Review of USAToday.com

USAToday.com is the website I visit most often and where I read the news headlines and stories throughout my busy days. On average I check USAToday.com roughly 5 times a day, spending no more than 10-15 minutes at the site at a time. I read more content from this site than any other on the web. Overall, it is a great site to get top-line news information, but there are some aspects of it that could be improved.

The name
The best thing that USAToday.com has going for it is credibility. Most Americans recognize the name USA Today as a credible newspaper that is widely available in all corners of the country. This description has earned it the sometimes-derogatory nickname “McPaper,” for its similarity to McDonald’s in that one can be in any town in America and be reading same issue. If you’re staying at a hotel that gives away free newspapers and you’re on American soil, chances are that paper will be USA Today. The paper typically deals in national news stories, but does have Sports, Features, Money, Travel, Weather, and Entertainment sections that cover these areas with a national eye toward the stories. The website is almost a word-for-word electronic version of the print paper, with a few extra frills added to take advantage of the technology.

The layout
One characteristic of USAToday.com that I particularly like is the way the web pages are laid out. The homepage looks like the front page of the print version, with the two top stories taking up the most space at the top of the page and accompanied by large headlines and pictures. Smaller subheading separate the 10-12 other stories that are included on the front homepage, and typically deal with national issues like health care, or finances, or sports. This gives the user a degree of familiarity because everyone has seen the front page of a newspaper and knows what to expect to see there, the same holds true for the homepage of USAToday.com.

The layers
Typically, the two top stories found on the homepage will have a good amount of layering to them. For example, today’s top headline was Iraqis vote despite violence. Underneath the main headline (which when clicked sent the user to the main story about the how the Iraqi election turned out) were three layers of options. These options were the side stories that accompany the broader election article and include: what President Bush’s thoughts on the election are, what Iraqis were saying about the election, and what members of other Muslim countries were saying about the vote. This is typically what one would see with a paper copy of a newspaper with the main headlines being surrounded by side stories, again giving the reader the idea that they can expect the same things from the website that they do from the paper.

The technology
The main advantage to any web-based version of a newspaper’s website is that so much more can be done with the technology available that gives the user more choices on how they get their news. Beside the previously mentioned side stories, are two hyperlinks labeled audio and video, which open up links to allow the user to see and/or hear reports about the election from the Associated Press. This allows those that prefer to hear or see their news rather than reading it, to do just that without having to leave the website. This is a great way of handling the users who, like me, check the website at work or school to get the day’s headlines but only skim the stories because they prefer to watch and hear their news. The user can get both at USAToday.com and both the audio and video are in Real Player format, which does not have the compatibility issues that other formats do with Macintosh and PC computers. I have a Mac at home and a PC at work, so with some sites I have to remember which site uses Window’s Media Player (which won’t work on my Mac) and which uses other applications that will work. I know that if I want news fast in an application that works, I can pull up USAToday.com and get the reports no matter where I am and what computer I’m on.

The complaints
The major complaint I have with USAToday.com is the large amount of filler material that clutters up the homepage some days. I realize that not every day is a blockbuster news day, but 2500 word articles dealing with the downfall of convention centers or the decline of traditional glassblowers are useless on a site like this. I cannot imagine the core audience of USAToday.com going to the site to read large articles on anything other than a front-page news story. Occasionally, the site will have a features story about a celebrity or sports figure that I’ll read (on slow days at the office), but I do not think that all the stories from the print version have to make it on the website. Instead, I would use that space to open up a discussion board for readers to comment on stories. Presently, the site has no forum for the readers to voice their opinions, most news sites do have something in place, and in this respect USAToday.com is behind other sites. It would take less time to read a few reader comments—and I would be more likely to do so—than to read a long features piece with little relevance to the days headlines.