Scent trumps journalism?

[bitter mf]

Got a scenario for you. Web hits now drive our business. Hard news does not.

A local team is playing in a state championship on Saturday. A short note about a star player's perfume was written four day after the regional game. The story was the girl guarding the star liked the star's perfume. Her mother called the star's school and got a hold of the AD. She asked him what the star's perfume was because she wanted to get it for her daughter.

Now the story is the TOP story on the Web site. After it got tons of hits from readers who said it was not worth of a story it is now going on 1A for publication. What are you thoughts?

 

[Ace]

I think that's kind of funny.

Weird stuff always does well on the web. Not like TMZ is going to link to a well-written gamer.

I don't think it was worth a "story" but it was worth a note/brite.

It's weird that it apparently was on the web in some fashion and is going into the paper based on web hits, though.

 

[WriteThinking]

Got a scenario for you. Web hits now drive our business. Hard news does not.

A local team is playing in a state championship on Saturday. A short note about a star player's perfume was written four day after the regional game. The story was the girl guarding the star liked the star's perfume. Her mother called the star's school and got a hold of the AD. She asked him what the star's perfume was because she wanted to get it for her daughter.

Now the story is the TOP story on the Web site. After it got tons of hits from readers who said it was not worth of a story it is now going on 1A for publication. What are you thoughts?

As a Web story, it does sound interesting, and like something that would attract clicks.

Don't know the size of the paper involved, but, as far as this story's value in print, especially for A-1, I'd say that it doesn't really pass the smell test.

 

[bitter mf]

Yes, it's funny. But day before the state championship game? Yeah, it should've been written earlier in the week, but it seems embarassing. >:( It seems like the rules are thrown out every day at this place.

 

[Ace]

Got a scenario for you. Web hits now drive our business. Hard news does not.

A local team is playing in a state championship on Saturday. A short note about a star player's perfume was written four day after the regional game. The story was the girl guarding the star liked the star's perfume. Her mother called the star's school and got a hold of the AD. She asked him what the star's perfume was because she wanted to get it for her daughter.

Now the story is the TOP story on the Web site. After it got tons of hits from readers who said it was not worth of a story it is now going on 1A for publication. What are you thoughts?

As a Web story, it does sound interesting, and like something that would attract clicks.

Don't know the size of the paper involved, but, as far as this story's value in print, especially for A-1, I'd say that it doesn't really pass the smell test.

Touche'

 

[Baron Scicluna]

"Dentine."

 

[Ace]

Yes, it's funny. But day before the state championship game? Yeah, it should've been written earlier in the week, but it seems embarassing. >:( It seems like the rules are thrown out every day at this place.

Dude, if you let this get to you, you are gonna have a coronary. I would not worry one bit about it running before the state championship.

It's different and funny.

 

[Moderator1]

Fine note, excellent note actually. It is different and funny.

 

[daemon]

In this day and age, you should just be thankful the advertising people didn't get ahold of the manufacturer of the perfume before publication.

 

[imjustagirl]

If I were you, I'd hope multiple papers were running stories on the star's perfume before I started bitching on a message board about how the rules get thrown out every day.

 

[slappy4428]

What was the perfume?

 

[Bob Cook]

Congratulations. You had a unique and interesting angle that made your story stand out. And you're upset why?

 

[playthrough]

Maybe 5 percent of your readers have a vested interest in a girls state championship game. We all like to think it's more, but it isn't. But that perfume note is a riot and will get a glance from the majority of your readers.

And those readers who said it wasn't a story? Um, they read it too.

 

[Starman]

"What the hell is that smell??"

 

[Football_Bat]

Good thing she didn't wear tuna perfume.

Jeez Louise, it's a little internet thing which back in the pica pole days we called a "brite" in print. No need to stroke out over it.

 

[MonsterLobster]

Not ever story you write has to lead to an elected official being ousted from office on corruption charges.

You're a story teller. You told an interesting, albeit not-so-important, story.

I know that if I didn't cover preps, I'd rarely read most preps gamers. But if I read a couple grafs of this perfume thing, I'd probably be interested, and you know that story would stick in my head and make me want to smell some of the stuff the next time I went through a department store in the mall. I'm sure you'll get a lot or readers, particularly the ones who don't usually bother with preps coverage.