The New York Times and Buzzfeed Showdown

Video plays an important role in transmitting information—and ever since sites like YouTube and Vimeo started popping up, video is far more accessible to the public. In this blog post, we will examine the New York Times video styles in comparison to Buzzfeed’s video styles.

1. The New York Times’ YouTube channel is categorized into a few sections: the New York Times Minute, World, Op-Docs, Retro Report, Raw Footage, Making a Scene, ScienceTake, Melissa Clark, On the Street, and This Week’s Movies. Buzzfeed has significantly less categories: Liked Videos, Best of Buzzfeed, Buzzfeed Animals, Buzzfeed Weird Science, Buzzfeed LOL, and Recent Uploads. It is easier to navigate through The New York Times’ channel.
2. Buzzfeed’s videos are usually around 1 minute and 30 seconds, and the New York Times is the same. However, the format is different. Buzzfeed favors lists in their videos but the New York Times usually cuts a clip from a longer video and posts it. It’s usually part of a speech.
3. One could argue that Buzzfeed’s lists are generally more jovial, and the New York Times’ videos can be very serious since they usually tackle world news. The New York Times also does excellent profile stories and science coverage. The Buzzfeed videos are just easy to waste time with.
4. One of the most popular New York Times videos is one from their ScienceTake section called Angry Birds (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Dba6iDmOA). It features actual footage of birds attacking another bird to death, plus commentary from James Gorman (their resident science writer). One of Buzzfeed’s most popular videos is Sad Cat Diary (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKffm2uI4dk&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLN-Je9fd4PifNKB61s9PPDFJCUUEZaNAI) which is just clips of cats with witty captions. It’s also important to note that Sad Cat Diary has over 12 million views and Angry Birds has just over 10,000.

Baby Hope

The New York Times’ front page image of Baby Hope’s grave is a simple picture—possibly even amateur—but I would say that it is profound. The composition, emotion, and history behind the picture make it extremely meaningful. I think that this is a picture that anyone can relate to, even if they do not know who Baby Hope is or anything about her story.

This is a beautifully composed image because Baby Hope’s grave is the center of the picture, with a brown granite gravestone on either side. It makes the viewer realize that this is the most important grave in the picture. Baby Hope’s name is in plain view; the stark contrast of white on black could give the idea of innocence in an evil setting. This grave is the only one that has flowers on its base—and there are several types of flowers visible—so its probably visited a lot by many people. It is also the only uneven grave (the top), maybe signifying unfinished business.

This picture also gives the reader a sense of emotion. “Baby,” which is a major part of the deceased’s identity, lets us know that a child is buried here. The police banner between the angels shows that the police are acting as her guardian angels. The bright yellow sign against the black onyx background says that the “little girl’s identity” still has not been determined, so there is still an air of mystery mixed with a plea for help.

My Social Media Diet

 My media diet is pretty unhealthy—if you think using mostly the Internet is unhealthy. To me, reading on my phone and tablet is much easier and way cheaper than buying a physical newspaper or magazine every day. However, I use still use paper-based media (newspapers and magazines) for different things.

 Internet:

1. 50% of my media is from newspapers and magazines on my iPhone and iPad. I use an app called Google Currents, which allows me to read the top stories from my favorite news sources—such as The Daily Beast, The Onion, The Washington Post, and The New York Times—all in one place. I subscribe to The New York Times as well for when I want to read in depth.
2. 10% of my news I listen to in the car on the radio. Sometimes I take long drives just to listen to the radio. I usually tune into the radio for pop culture news, nothing more serious, since I absorb information better when I write/read.
3. I also subscribe to a few opinion blogs, so I think that takes up another 10% of my social media.
4.  Another 5% of my news I get from social media websites. I “Like” pages such as The New York Times/USA Today and I get the top stories from their updates. I think this will change once I start exploring Twitter (since we have to use it for class).

Paper:

1. I still get 25% of my news from newspapers and magazines, but usually I buy these when there’s an iconic top story (collector’s edition). I also subscribe to a few photojournalism magazines such as National Geographic because I really enjoy seeing photography in print. 

Social Media Presence: The New York Times vs. The Washington Post

With most readers on the go, most news organizations are providing short updates via social media. Today, we examine The New York Times and Washington Post’s social media methods. Both websites are located on Twitter and Facebook—but interestingly enough, The New York Times makes this prominent on its website by putting it on the top, and The Washington Post puts this on the bottom of its page. Let’s see if their differences stop there. 

1. The Washington Post’s (over two million followers) and The New York Times’ (almost 10 million followers) Twitters have a similar vibe: dark background, plus short and straight to the point tweets. However, The Washington Post seems a little friendlier because they are more likely to interact with their audience by retweeting. The New York Times mostly tweets about All The News That’s Fit To Print (their own), plus a few tweets here and there from followers.
2. The New York Times rarely shares pictures on its twitter, which is interesting considering its impeccable taste in photojournalism. Most of their photo uploads are screenshots of the front page. On the other hand, The Washington Post frequently uploads pictures ranging from rubber ducks to the president.  
3. The Washington Post’s Facebook is much like its twitter—mostly very short and concise. However, The New York Times’ Facebook is much more wordy than its twitter account. The New York Times makes use of the extra characters to provide a cool quote, question, or summary that the reader can interact with, while The Washington Post rarely has a post over 140 characters.
4. Both news organizations RSS feeds work, but they won’t be around for long. However, the idea of an RSS feed is great because you can get all the news you want to read at a glance.
5. Both news organizations could benefit from Tumblr,  especially The New York Times. Its known for its epic photojournalism, so this could be a good adoption on their part.   

A Quick Critique of The Daily Beast

One of the news sites that I read almost daily is TheDailyBeast.com. Founded in 2008, the website describes its purpose as “curated to avoid information overload…the site is dedicated to breaking news and sharp commentary.” Here’s my review of the site.

1. The Daily Beast stays true to its tag line: “Read this, skip that.” Its homepage is divided into a bunch of categories that have pictures or huge eye-catching headlines. I love this feature because you can pick and choose what to read at a glance. A lot of the categories have fun names such as Sexy Beast, the entertainment and fashion section.
2. The news source also has a variety of sections. While most of them are typical—Politics, Business, Entertainment, Fashion—I really enjoy the section called Women in the World. It pays close attention to what women are doing in the media, both positive and negative. Journalism needs more attention paid to women!
3. The Daily Beast’s “Cheat Sheet” is the best part of the website. It contains 10+ must reads from major news sources. It’s a great way to keep up with the trending topics of the world at a glance.
4. Beast Galleries has great photos, including professional and social media images.
5. My one critique of the site is that it can be very offputting initially because it looks very confusing and cluttered. There are a lot of things to look at all at once and sometimes the reader cannot decide what to look at initially. However, the site’s saving grace is that there is method to the madness—once you figure out the layout, the content makes sense.

Janice Camacho: The Makings of a Future Medical Journalist

By Jonaise Privette

Janice Camacho is a beautiful, talented, ambitious young woman from Howard Beach, Queens who will one day become one of the world’s most successful and influential medical journalists. Camacho is currently attending Hunter College to receive her Bachelor’s Degree in Pre-Dental and Journalism.

“Very few writers who write about medicine have actual medical experience and/ or knowledge; also majority of people with medical degrees and careers who publish articles in magazines and journals have just as little, if any writing experience.”

States Janice Camacho, 20; Camacho believes that this inability to communicate with an audience who isn’t as familiar with medical terms is a problem that desperately needs to be rectified. Camacho affirms that to be a well-informed medical journalist she must intertwine her studies of journalism and dentistry. She concludes that being accomplished and experienced in both careers can be incredibly beneficial to both fields.

Camacho’s desire to become a dentist, a journalist and eventually a medical journalist, manifests from watching her mother, who is a nurse help save and better the lives of others. Camacho stated,

“Many people are conscious of their smiles even if there is only one tooth slightly out of place. I want to help them feel better and be happy and comfortable with their skin.”

Camacho chose to be a dentist because she wants to help people both physically and emotionally. Her aspiration of being a dentist, specifically orthodontist, is her way of helping people. She wants to reinstate people’s self-confidence through dentistry. Camacho also wants to utilize her medical skills to inform the public of intriguing and vital information on or about dentistry through journalism.

Camacho has been working as a press release writer for a year and a half at Press Release Monkey. This has given her newswriting experience and aided in honing her journalistic skills. This job has allowed her to make connections in the journalist field, as well as improved her writing skills substantially. Through this job Camacho now has experience in writing for many different types of companies and people; from authors to food blogs to tech companies to animals (specifically cats, which she LOVES), etc. Camacho’s enjoyment of informing the public of whatever information she can has assured her decision to be a part of the journalistic field. Her enjoyment and desire to learn more in both her medical and journalist studies is what will ultimately lead to Janice Camacho’s inevitable and grand success as a Medical Journalist.

Zahra, Champion of the World

Zahra Malik taps her fingers impatiently against the steering wheel of her old Honda Accord as she hits another red light.  It’s 12:15 p.m. and 20 minutes, three blocks, and 13 flights of stairs separate Malik from her Chemistry class at SUNY Old Westbury in Long Island.

It’s a part of Malik’s major, and one of the biggest tests of the semester starts at 12:20 p.m. The professor is a stickler for promptness, and having points docked just because she is late is simply unacceptable to the 20-year-old California native.

Passing this class with flying colors is everything to the college sophomore. It’s one of the pre-requisites for Malik’s Bachelors Degree in Biochemistry, which she will use to apply for a graduate-level physician’s assistant or pharmacy program.

Malik pays for college through financial aid and help from her parents, Fiaz, 57, a limousine driver, and Zahida, 50, a homemaker. Fueled by her passion to help others, it has always been this first-generation American’s dream to work in the healthcare field as a researcher or doctor.

“I want to help the less fortunate,” says Malik. “In turn, maybe they will be inspired to help others, too.”

However, Malik’s primary goal is to improve the healthcare system of the country she calls home, Pakistan, especially for the Shia Muslims, a minority that she is a part of. Less than one percent of Pakistan’s gross domestic product is allocated to health care funding, and, as a result, many of Pakistan’s 190 million citizens cannot readily access health care.

Only rich citizens can be treated thoroughly; the poor can barely get over the counter medications. Malik worries for neighbors and other people living in villages, especially children. With only 5,000 pediatricians available to 90 million Pakistani children, the little ones suffer the most. More than 400,000 babies die before age one due to the lack of healthcare in rural areas.

Malik’s goal of improving Pakistan’s health care industry may be easier set than accomplished. Gunmen have carried out violent attacks on female health workers. The Taliban shot 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai for declaring that she wanted to become a doctor.

“If extremists find out that my goal is to encourage Pakistan’s progress, especially as a woman, then they might see me as a threat to their master plans,” admits Malik. “My life could be in danger, and so could the lives of my patients.”

Risk and violence is not enough to deter Malik, whose family supports her mission. Whenever she feels as though she doubts herself, she thinks of a woman she emulates, Khanum Tayyaba, a Shia scholar, humanitarian, and founder of the Bukhari Relief Foundation. Tayyaba is everything Malik strives to be: motivated, brilliant, and fearless.

Malik believes that women are here to change the world.

“My advice to you is to keep strong,” says Malik. “When you struggle on your journey and no one can help you, God is always with you. Your pure intentions will take you to great places.”