This is what newspapers are losing out to online

This story posted on Fox 2's (St. Louis) Web site looks like it was authored by a kid. Why are newspapers losing traffic to TV stations or does the public just not care about sentence structures that make sense?

http://www.fox2now.com/news/ktvi-new-details-kroenkes-bid-for-the-rams-041310,0,4545124.story

A related story under this article is just as bad. Would it be in bad taste to apply for a job as an online editor? ;D

 

Being an online editor at that place would likely lead to many sleepless nights.

 

Oh boy that was not friendly.... last name only on first reference, then back to last name... maybe instead of may be, mover instead of move. And that was the first graph.

 

It's my experience that stories on tv news websites range from very bad to mediocre.

 

Aren't we supposed to write for someone with a 7th grade reading level? Looks about right.

 

Yes, that was brutal, but not at all surprising for TV and even (gasp!) newspaper Web sites. Stuff gets posted without editing. Speed is the priority, not grammar, syntax or even accuracy. Those details can always be fixed later.

 

Particularly at smaller TV shops, the web copy tends to be the TV script just dumped over with very little editing.

Doesn't work at all in print.

 

I haven't clicked on the link because I don't want to give them the hit. The last station I worked for in local news kept track of that stuff religiously and used it to sell advertising. If you all say so, I'm sure it's horrible.

That being said... None of you are going to want to hear this.............

But.............

Making television is a very specialized craft. Editing video and writing for television (well) are just two skills in this field that take years to hone.

Some of the crap I have seen posted by "I-can-do-video-better-than-TV-people" on newspaper websites... is truly atrocious. And I'm sure most of you couldn't put your finger on why it's not getting viewed. Editing video in a beautiful way-- an ever-evolving art-- is filled with hundreds of subtleties. It takes, training, practice and yes.... talent.

The biggest rule that I see newspaper websites break is going way. the. fuck. too. long. But that just scratches the surface.

The best thing newspapers could do to make better video is hire great TV editors and writers.

I actually don't think you need to hire TV reporters or anchors to voice your clips... but you need the photographers, editors and writers.

 

Why don't people care about good writing?

Because the average person under 35 reads shit like this all day: R U coming 2nite? Gna be grt.

Adding in the missing vowels and consonants, no matter the structure or punctuation, seems like Shakespeare.

 

People care.

Just not enough of them, at the moment.

 

The way you all feel about grammar is the way I feel about some of the grainy video newspaper websites think is "great stuff."

Can any of you print types assure me that the video clips you post on your sites follow the rule of thirds, the 180 degree rule, are properly white balanced and free of jump cuts?

Because subconsciously, viewers don't think video meeting all those standards is very high quality.

What about your use of music? Yeah... music. It's something viewers have come to expect in any kind of feature-- even though they don't realize it. Oh, and you can't just slap any music on there a la YouTube. It has to be cleared and mixed well.

 

I didn't know newspapers were specifically losing out to the Fox 2 St. Louis Web site. Learn something new every day.

This thread's premise is bullshit. I'm sure if I had a pile of community newspapers from around the country in front of me, I could find something that is just as poorly written and say "see! newspapers deserve to be losing their audience to the Internet!"