Alina Cho recently did a report on models who are to thin, entitled
Eat, eat, you're skin and bones .
Instead of the other possibilities she had for this report: such as a hard-hitting article or column in a newspaper or magazine, or an investigative profile piece for an entertainment broadcast, she chose a multimedia package on CNN's website, which I think was a waste of time and Internet space.
First off, the average visitor to the Clinton News Network, excuse me, I meant CNN is not there to find out the latest trends or whose dating whom in Hollywood. They want politics, they want economic reports, they want more Bush Bashing, not an investigative piece on the eating habits of America's top models.
As journalists, we conduct reports, we write, and we share stories to keep the public informed and I highly doubt that this report is reaching its target audience. Yes, there may be the concerned mother or father who may view it and then talk to their daughter about the dangers of media images, but honestly, do you think that this will actually influence these young girls to maintain a healthy body image?
The target audience is these 13 and 14 year old girls who are in a crucial developmental age in life and need to see these unhealthy images first hand. And last I checked, the typical preteen girl doesn't have CNN.com on her favorites toolbar.
Now, don't get me wrong, I liked the piece, the writing was direct and the reporting was good, but I had to weed through all of the boring pieces CNN specializes in to get to this one. So I highly doubt many other young girls will find it.
In the future, if your piece has a strong and important message, like I think this one does, use a media outlet that will reach your target audience.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Ok, a few issues here.
First of all, you need to provide a working link to the piece. Linking to CNNs video page is not good enough. I had to search for 20 minutes through RSS feeds to find a link for the video.
Second, this is a video. Why would this be considered new media narrative? This package can run online, but it was obviously constructed with broadcasting in mind.
Third, are you sure you know who the audience of the message is? Could reporters not target the icons themselves or their management firms?
Fourth, this package was also distributed across half a dozen fashion and entertainment sites. CNN has a lot of content sharing arrangements with entertainment outlets.
Fifth, I'm not entirely sure you're aware of the audience scope and size for CNN. Politics is just one of the many topics covered by CNN. (I'm also not sure what to make of your "Clinton News Network" comment. During the Lewinsky scandal, CNN was one of the outlets leading the charge.)
I appreciate your thoughts and your willingness to offer them, but I don't think you addressed the assignment parameters. Look back at the directions and see whether or not you agree with me.
Post a Comment