Feb. 11 Readings

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but I feel like the first article is something I've heard 1,000 times before. We are all not focused on anything because we try to multitask and do everything. I feel, though, that in news this has only led to a downfall of the TV news - trying to catch our attention with sensationalism - and a quicker version of print news. Online news, I have found, is most successful as-word of-mouth advertising and the flashiness doesn't so much work to catch our attention.
I do think, though, that the need to catch a user's attention is important to stay alive as a news site. Because of that, it would need to establish itself in the journalism world then gain readers outside of it.
Like the second article brings up, part of that battle is keeping the user at your site. Part of that is easy navigating, so that the user can find exactly what he wants if he is looking for it, or come across something very quickly. This, to me, means clean design, simple headlines, and an easy navigating system for a site.
Again, John Kelly, I've heard this before. "Are blogs and Web-native media making old-style institutional journalism obsolete?" I don't know... I'm going with no. People have argued both sides of this and both sides are logical. Most of the more successful news sites are those owned by mainstream, institutional news organizations. However, the ones that thrive are the ones that are independent and well, decent. The debate rages on but no one ever answers the question.
As weird as the final story is, I relate to her argument that advertising, public interest, and independence do not always flow together. The idea that it can is possible but the idea that the American model is based on it is false.