This week in #loweclass, my classmates and I will be introduced to Professor Herbert Lowe's wife, Mira Lowe. Mrs. Lowe is the senior features editor for CNN Digital, and we are all looking forward to her lecture on Wednesday. To prepare for her visit, our assignment this weekend was to evaluate the five CNN.com "channels" Mrs. Lowe is responsible for – entertainment, tech, living, health and travel. To do so, I compared each page to a similar page provided by my beat, the BBC.
Upon first review of each channel on CNN.com, I was not surprised by what I found. Entertainment was focused heavily on celebrity gossip, tech included business and technology updates, health was centered on diet, exercise and recent health studies, and the travel page included a number of service pieces about traveling. The content was just as expected, which I like because I could easily access what I was looking for through the home page. The only page I wasn't a fan of was the living page. I found it unnecessary because a lot of the articles I came across were articles I had seen on other pages. I didn't understand its purpose.
When comparing each channel to the BBC, I noticed a number of differences in news culture. Many people assume that since we speak the same language as the English, that life across the pond isn't much different than it is here, on the western frontier. But trust me when I say, it is. And I found that noticeable when evaluating these five channels on bbc.com.
Since one of my biggest passions is exploring new cities, I thought I would start my comparison on the travel page of each website. While each of the five channels appear on the home page of CNN.com, the only channel to earn its own tab on the BBC's home page was travel. Each page included service pieces and list stories, which is good for travelers who are looking for quick answers before "taking a holiday," as the Brits would say. I found similar content on each site: CNN posted "10 budget friendly all-inclusive resorts," while the BBC posted "Five European castles to stay in." Each travel page also offered the latest news on ticket pricing, airport delays and airline news.
A few differences I did notice was that the BBC included travel tweets and a travel blog, but CNN did not. I liked that they incorporated multimedia platforms. I also noticed the BBC travel page was formatted like a blog, although it is not called a blog. The BBC travel page was also much bigger than CNN's. At the bottom of the page there was an arrow button that leads the reader to more travel stories. If I had to choose, I would visit the BBC travel page because it provides more stories and a wider range of travel pictures.
Next, I evaluated the tech channel. At first, I had a difficult time locating the tech channel on the BBC website, but I was quickly directed to the page by using the a-z directory, A whole lot more. On both websites, this page reminded me of the business section in a print newspaper. Since I have little interest in the business sector, I didn't find this channel interesting. One major difference I noticed was that CNN had multiple articles about Google, Apple and the new Facebook phone, but the BBC did not. It was clear to me that those companies are not as big in England as they are in the United States. I found the BBC's tech page to be a little bit behind in times, especially since I found out the actual page is called, "Future." The future section was packed with editorial about what is to come in 20 years, not what is happening now or in the near future.
The entertainment page was the most obvious sign of a difference in culture between Americans and Brits. The CNN entertainment page was covered with celebrity gossip, photos, and breaking pregnancy rumors. In my opinion, it was another TMZ or OMG! While I can admit to reading US Weekly or People magazine, the last thing I want from my trusted news source is the latest celebrity buzz. I prefered the BBC's entertainment page because it offered news of broadway shows, operas, art galleries, and must-see films. The only sign of celebrity gossip was an article about Angelina Jolie's contribution to the young, Malala Yousafazi's charity for education. America's fascination with pop culture was prevalent through this comparison.
I particularly enjoyed reviewing the health channels of each website because on top of traveling, my passion also lies in health and fitness. Again, I found these pages to be similar in content and layout. Both the BBC health page and CNN's health page boasted huge pictures to go along with their articles. This was something I found unique to the health pages, and I will be interested to explore this on other health-relate websites. I wonder what purpose these large pictures serve?
As expected, I could not come across a living page for the BBC. The closest thing I found was BBC Magazine because if offers a number of lifestyle articles in addition to longer features. Earlier in this post, I mentioned I did not see the relevance in a page dedicated to living because I ran into a lot of the same article I came across earlier through tech, entertainment and health. CNN's living page reminded me of Pinterest – without the pinning. It was a combination of everything: love and relationships, parenting, beauty and fashion, home decor, and there was even a section titled "cute and cuddly." Seriously? On CNN? That one really threw me off. Even though I love reading about many of those topics, I would rather go to Pinterest or HGTV.com.
Overall, there were many similarities between the CNN and BBC websites but there were also a number of differences. If I was looking to find information on travel and entertainment, I would visit bbc.com. But if I was interested in health, tech and living, I would know to resource CNN's website. My decision would also fall on where I am in the world, because different cultures value news differently. It's something to keep in mind as a journalist if covering international news.
Upon first review of each channel on CNN.com, I was not surprised by what I found. Entertainment was focused heavily on celebrity gossip, tech included business and technology updates, health was centered on diet, exercise and recent health studies, and the travel page included a number of service pieces about traveling. The content was just as expected, which I like because I could easily access what I was looking for through the home page. The only page I wasn't a fan of was the living page. I found it unnecessary because a lot of the articles I came across were articles I had seen on other pages. I didn't understand its purpose.
When comparing each channel to the BBC, I noticed a number of differences in news culture. Many people assume that since we speak the same language as the English, that life across the pond isn't much different than it is here, on the western frontier. But trust me when I say, it is. And I found that noticeable when evaluating these five channels on bbc.com.
Since one of my biggest passions is exploring new cities, I thought I would start my comparison on the travel page of each website. While each of the five channels appear on the home page of CNN.com, the only channel to earn its own tab on the BBC's home page was travel. Each page included service pieces and list stories, which is good for travelers who are looking for quick answers before "taking a holiday," as the Brits would say. I found similar content on each site: CNN posted "10 budget friendly all-inclusive resorts," while the BBC posted "Five European castles to stay in." Each travel page also offered the latest news on ticket pricing, airport delays and airline news.
A few differences I did notice was that the BBC included travel tweets and a travel blog, but CNN did not. I liked that they incorporated multimedia platforms. I also noticed the BBC travel page was formatted like a blog, although it is not called a blog. The BBC travel page was also much bigger than CNN's. At the bottom of the page there was an arrow button that leads the reader to more travel stories. If I had to choose, I would visit the BBC travel page because it provides more stories and a wider range of travel pictures.
Next, I evaluated the tech channel. At first, I had a difficult time locating the tech channel on the BBC website, but I was quickly directed to the page by using the a-z directory, A whole lot more. On both websites, this page reminded me of the business section in a print newspaper. Since I have little interest in the business sector, I didn't find this channel interesting. One major difference I noticed was that CNN had multiple articles about Google, Apple and the new Facebook phone, but the BBC did not. It was clear to me that those companies are not as big in England as they are in the United States. I found the BBC's tech page to be a little bit behind in times, especially since I found out the actual page is called, "Future." The future section was packed with editorial about what is to come in 20 years, not what is happening now or in the near future.
The entertainment page was the most obvious sign of a difference in culture between Americans and Brits. The CNN entertainment page was covered with celebrity gossip, photos, and breaking pregnancy rumors. In my opinion, it was another TMZ or OMG! While I can admit to reading US Weekly or People magazine, the last thing I want from my trusted news source is the latest celebrity buzz. I prefered the BBC's entertainment page because it offered news of broadway shows, operas, art galleries, and must-see films. The only sign of celebrity gossip was an article about Angelina Jolie's contribution to the young, Malala Yousafazi's charity for education. America's fascination with pop culture was prevalent through this comparison.
I particularly enjoyed reviewing the health channels of each website because on top of traveling, my passion also lies in health and fitness. Again, I found these pages to be similar in content and layout. Both the BBC health page and CNN's health page boasted huge pictures to go along with their articles. This was something I found unique to the health pages, and I will be interested to explore this on other health-relate websites. I wonder what purpose these large pictures serve?
As expected, I could not come across a living page for the BBC. The closest thing I found was BBC Magazine because if offers a number of lifestyle articles in addition to longer features. Earlier in this post, I mentioned I did not see the relevance in a page dedicated to living because I ran into a lot of the same article I came across earlier through tech, entertainment and health. CNN's living page reminded me of Pinterest – without the pinning. It was a combination of everything: love and relationships, parenting, beauty and fashion, home decor, and there was even a section titled "cute and cuddly." Seriously? On CNN? That one really threw me off. Even though I love reading about many of those topics, I would rather go to Pinterest or HGTV.com.
Overall, there were many similarities between the CNN and BBC websites but there were also a number of differences. If I was looking to find information on travel and entertainment, I would visit bbc.com. But if I was interested in health, tech and living, I would know to resource CNN's website. My decision would also fall on where I am in the world, because different cultures value news differently. It's something to keep in mind as a journalist if covering international news.
RSS Feed