Different audiences lead to different uses of media in journalism

For this assignment I went to three different news sites, Forbes, BuzzFeed and CNN and looked up articles which i found relatively interesting and analyzed the way that multimedia journalism enhances the story.  The CNN article, written by Chris Isidore, “Craft beer isn’t as independent as you think” begins with all of the sharing options (Facebook, Pintrest, Email, etc) and then a ninety second video about a brewery which has sent their yeast up to space.  The article itself goes into more of the business side of the craft beer industry, throws plenty of numbers out there, and within the story offers links to many related articles.  The end of the article features an active comments section where readers can share their thoughts on the issues brought up by Isidore.  

I found an article on Forbes called “When The Recruiter Said This, I Wasn’t Interested Anymore” written by contributing writer Liz Ryan.  The article begins with Ryan’s information (a photo, tagline of her writing mantra and a link to follow her of the Forbes website.)  The first half of the article is a letter to the author about his experience with a recruiter.  Though there are no pictures to accompany the letter, midway through there is a link to some related articles which Forbes recommends.  Then there is a slideshow/ “image gallery” about interview tips when the interview isn’t asking the right questions.  The second page of the article is Ryan’s response (also in letter form) and is straight text and ends with an illustration by the author herself titled “When the Headhunter Calls.”  There is a link to comment of the story, more recommended reading and promoted stories (which are advertisements and not actual Forbes articles.)  

The final article I chose was from BuzzFeed, “Elton John Says He Got A Call From Vladimir Putin On Gay Rights”, written by BuzzFeed World News Editor Hayes Brown.  Not unlike the Forbes article, it begins with a picture, information about and the contact info of Mr. Brown.  There are then sharing links.  The article begins with two sentences in a bold and large font.  Then a huge picture of Elton John is embedded.  One more sentence in the same large font and a photo embedded from Sir Elton John’s Instagram.  The next sentence of journalism features a link to an article from The Guardian and then an unrelated gif from Marvel Comics.  This pattern continues, with photos every one to three sentences and a few more links for further reading within the article.  At the conclusion of the article are the same links to share that were at the beginning of the article and more BuzzFeed news.  

All three of these articles were about very different subjects and were directed to different audiences.  However, all three authors employed several different types of media within multimedia journalism to get their points across effectively.  The CNN article began with an interesting video which illustrated the innovation in the craft beer market.  Although not the main focus of the article itself (which was more about the business end of it) it effectively got the reader interested in what was being reported on later in Isidore’s piece.  The unique aspect of the Forbes article was the photo slideshow midway through it.  The text-heavy letters did not feature links within itself, due to the nature of the piece, but still was able to offer supplemental features like the slideshow to offer the readers a more visual aspect.  Hayes’ article relied heavily on photos as well as links to other sources to report effectively of the John/ Putin exchange.  

All three authors were effective in how they incorporated different media in their pieces.  I believe that since BuzzFeed is for a younger, and perhaps more social media savvy, reader, it is necessary that Hayes could hold their attention, and did this with the inclusion of photos and gifs.  I think that the CNN and Forbes reader are more similar, and while there were still photos and plenty of links there was more text, since I think that that audience has a longer attention span and can read more actual words per sitting, without the respite that an image can offer.  All three pieces used links and offered additional reading.  This was probably done to keep the reader of their site.  The comment section and the option to contact the author creates a sense of community within the site.  Although reporting on vastly different topics and targeting to different audiences, all three authors were able to effectively get their point across with the help of different media in their reports.  

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2015/09/16/when-the-recruiter-said-this-i-wasnt-interested-anymore/

http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/16/news/companies/major-brewers-craft-beers/index.html?iid=ob_homepage_money_pool&iid=obnetwork

http://www.buzzfeed.com/hayesbrown/hakuna-vladata#.flw8kavWq