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Due date: Sunday, May 21.

This week, let’s take a look at where we get our news. More Americans get their news from the internet than from newspapers and radio. We also love our internet more than TV and any other forms of entertainment. In your blog, take a deep look at the way we’re getting our news online.

I’ll outline two options for examination, and you can always add your own take on this issue.

Part of this prompt was inspired by the 2004 documentary “Control Room” about Al Jazeera’s coverage of the War in Iraq. Here’s the trailer. Caution, there are some graphic images of war and one use of the F-word.

Option 1:

Determine where you get most of your news online. This doesn’t have to be a place that only serves news. It doesn’t have to be a site that Mr. McCallum would be proud of, either. It could even be Facebook or Twitter. Just pick the site where you get the most of your news from.

Now, analyze that site and deconstruct it. What type of news does it serve? Where does it place the news? How do you use the site? How much of the news is “hard news” and how much is fluff or just human interest stories. How deep are the stories? How much bias/opinion/slant is there to the news you see.

Break down the web site and analyze it. Provide screen shots and comparisons. Highlight the best and worst of the site and then come to a conclusion about how well you think this site delivers the news.

Option 2:

Compare two or three sources of news. These sites should be based on web news, but could be the web sites of existing broadcast stations, newspapers, and magazines. Like in the option above, the sources don’t have to be good examples, they can just be examples. You can compare local and national, print-based vs. web only, gossip vs tech news. It doesn’t matter.

Take screen shots and highlight the different ways the two sources cover the news. Break down the way they cover similar events. Decide who their audiences could be. Compare the two sources in any way that makes sense to you. Take an original spin and try to make your writing have a central point.

Option 3:

Decide entirely for yourself how you want to take on this issue.

Here’s a story about a HAUNTED BROOM!!!!!

Here’s how to do a screen shot <-- Click the link in case the video doesn't work.

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