The Elements of Journalism

I liked the second half of this book better than the first. I felt like I could understand and relate to a lot of the topics that the authors covered, such as the importance of investigative reporting, citizens' role in news, and what engages people to read news . I was especially interested in the chapter, "Make the News Comprehensive and Proportional" because much of what intrigues people about the news aside from writing elements is how easy it is to comprehend. If an article is overwhelming in length or vocabulary, the likelihood that I will read it the whole way through, or at all, is slim. I was especially interested in what John Carey, who did ethnographic market research on how people connect with the media and technology, had to say. He found that images and words go hand in hand; people often turn on their TVs when they read or hear about something that they think will have important pictures. He also pointed out that teasers are not necessarily a good thing. I think sometimes they can draw a reader in the entire way through, but I also agree with Carey that people typically don't like to wait for information--we want instant answers. More constancy of information and shorter, more understandable pieces of news information will probably reach out to a larger audience demographic.