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Monday, August 10, 2009
General News - Gripes (and a few kudos) about local newspaper websites
I look at a lot of online papers every day to find items of interest for the ILB.
Most of the Indiana newspaper websites have changed over the five years I have been reading them. Few have changed for the better. Here are some observations.
The Evansville Courier & Press: Here is the local news. Not bad. But reporters' names on stories are all but invisible - blue type on a black background (see this story). And where is the current editorial?
The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: I never can find Niki Kelly's stories unless I type her name in the search box. This "redesigned" site suffers from confusing layout, flashing stories, etc. I know I've missed important stories from the FWJG ....
Louisville Courier Journal - This site is not fancy, news-wise. I can go to the Indiana section and see a list of today's stories, with a few lines of the lede. The same for the local Kentucky stories. I hope the LCJ website isn't slated for "improvement."
The Terre Haute Tribune-Star news page is pretty much okay. Simple, does the job. (And lists what is on TV tonight.)
The same for the Muncie StarPress local news page.
The Gary Post-Tribune local news page is so-so, but one good thing is that since the Sun-Times took it over, stories are archived. Unfortunately only for a month, but previously they disappeared the next day.
The NWI Times webpage has always been good for finding the news. And this paper maintains free archives going back for many years.
The South Bend Tribune's news webpage has improved, and this paper now has excellent RSS feeds.
The Indianapolis Star - What to say good about the Star? It is glitzy, and makes you go through hoops to find stories. I frequently give up and use the Star's search box to try to find stories I've read that day in the printed paper.
The Carroll County Comet - Yes, the weekly Comet has one of the best sites, in my opinion. Here is the front page. And I did a little research, it turns out the same company that does the Comet layout does larger papers, like the daily Daytona Times.
The Chesterton Tribune - My hometown paper certainly could use a little layout help, but at least the no-frills approach means the reader doesn't miss a story, or an obit.
Now take a look at the NYT, which leads you through all the paper's daily sections, plus provides at the bottom a calendar so you may easily jump to an edition from earlier in the week.
The Washington Post also has a simple, usable homepage, with links directing the reader to each section (although they are not all available on one page, as is the Times), and with a link (right next to the date at the top) to previous editions.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on August 10, 2009 08:08 AM
Posted to General News