The Buzz about Buzzfeed

Assignment #1 Gabriella Mutino

Article #1: http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeednews/live-updates-hungarian-train-station-and-image-of-drowned-bo#.rdQxo4V6

                   “Hungarian Police Use Water Cannons And Tear Gas In Clashes With Refugees At Border”

 

         1). In this article the three forms of media used are Print/Text, Video and Interactivity. 

2). The strength of the Print/Text form is that it states facts about the water bombs and tear gas being used on immigrants trying to cross the border as well as direct quotes from victims at the scene. The strength of the video is that it gives the reader an inside scoop on what actually happened, the “When I see it I’ll believe it” factor. The imbedding of the video also known as Interactivity makes it even easier for readers to get the full details and holds onto the reader’s attention without waiting for another page to load. The video was very effective because it gave the article itself that “WOW” factor.  

3).  I don’t think there’s anything I’d change about this article as there are also tweets attached to the article both from people who were at the scene as well as people’s worldwide reactions, which were interesting to read.

Article #2: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/at-least-6-people-killed-as-flash-flood-sweeps-away-cars-in#.qarDZnqR

         “Historic Flash Flooding Kills At Least 16 People In Utah”

         1). In this article the three forms of media used are Print/Text, Video and Interactivity.

2). The strength of the print and text is there are direct quotes from the victims who were trapped in their cars throughout the flood. When people see that there were only 16 people killed in the title it doesn’t seem as eye catching until you scroll down the page and see the video that was imbedded in the article and see how drastic the flood actually was. The imbedded photos showed the completely smashed/ destroyed vehicles caught in the middle of the flood which really draws the reader in to continue reading the rest of the article.

3). If I could add anything I think it would be an interview with some of the victims from Utah to get a face-to-face reaction of what emotions the victims were feeling in the moment. Overall the article was very organized and held my attention throughout the very end.

Article #3: http://www.buzzfeed.com/lanesainty/this-transgender-teen-was-voted-homecoming-queen#.ufzYDaBw 

         “After Coming Out In Her Junior Year, This Transgender Teen Was Voted Homecoming Queen” 

         1). In this article the three forms of media used are Print/Text, Video and Interactivity.

2). The strengths in the print/text were the direct quotes from Landon Patterson, which makes it relatable to other transgender people reading this article. It also included her advice to other trans genders about their confidence and character, which gives an intimate connection to the reader whether they are trans, or not. The video shows Patterson being crowned homecoming queen and the crowd’s heartwarming reaction, which makes the article more interesting to continue reading. Interactivity wise, there is the video as well as direct tweets from the cheerleading team at her high school as well as other peers supporting her for who she truly is. 

3). If there was something I could add to this article it would probably be a direct video interview of Patterson herself and maybe some facts/ theories about supporting trans genders to make it more of an informing article.