Monday, October 28, 2013

Don't Be A News Recycler


Where's the original content?

Loyola News Dispatch's article three days ago on the CryptoLocker virus was vital, important data that the community needed to know.

Rehashing news (the West RP stolen meat story) which already has been covered extensively (and covered well) by all the other major news sources last week is unnecessary. No analysis either. If there was a new angle on the story with new photos it would make sense to publish it.

Instead what we have above is a ho-hum Google Maps photo, a one liner and an excerpt from ABC-7 news. The title of the article is misleading as well. J.K. Kebab is in West Ridge not Rogers Park. Rogers Park sans direction is bounded by Devon, Ridge, Lake Michigan and Evanston.

LND has tons of potential. Use this opportunity at Loyola and at this blog/site to cover actual stories; not reprint them. There isn't enough time in the day to cover all the great stories out there. A promising sign is that they have a video segment on their site (a la DNAinfo.com) discussing weekly news.

The above article took at most ten minutes. How about getting up from the laptop, out of the coffee shop and finding something out there worth writing about?

Last edited 10/28/13 6:31 pm CST

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Let's be honest about recycling news. Chevanston has been notorious either for recycling other news sources or, most recently, posting un-interesting non-news that fails to garner comments. Dear Chevanston Pot, let's not call the Loyola Kettle black. Even Dane thought that Hellhole, with all its psychotic rants, outclassed Chevanston.

Philip McGregor Rogers said...

Ok point out an example BWM of content this bad on Chevanston.

Because this writer wants to know. :)

Nonspecific criticism is useless.

That's the only way anyone gets better.

Unknown said...

Hey, Phil, Blair can prolly come up with some good stuff but I'll start. Me and all my friends read Facebook. We don't need ta see it recycled here.

Philip McGregor Rogers said...

Not everyone in the neighborhood is clued into Facebook though. Or even has a Facebook account.

The posts are linked to Facebook or if someone can't access the info as a last resort they can read it here.

Information shouldn't be tucked away in some Facebook group for only some people to see.

And its not as if there is just a one-liner and then copy and paste like what Loyola Dispatch did here.

mcl said...

Phillip,
The byline and factual location of this story is in West Ridge, not Rogers Park not West RP but West RIDGE! Let's not further confuse the two separate and different communities.

Philip McGregor Rogers said...

Agreed Mcl, amended.

Unknown said...

Phil, hate ta tell ya, but not everyone in the neighborhood is clued into Chevanston. Anybody on FB can read the two RP group pages; we just can't post or comment unless we join. I never joined but I can read em. Thousands more RPers use FB than use this crummy site.

Philip McGregor Rogers said...

@Mary Leahy .

No hard figures to back up this argument so it just comes down to opinion. But popularity isn't everything.

Certainly there are some folks out there that somehow read this info from the Facebook transcripts on Chevanston that wouldn't otherwise. A number above zero. And when it comes to neighborhood safety that counts and that's important.

And no need for name calling Eh? :)

Unknown said...

Din't call you no name, Phil. Guess ya mean I can't call this site a name. Sorry, I calls em as I sees em.

Philip McGregor Rogers said...

Ok but note that Chevanston didn't call Loyola News Dispatch a name it was constructive criticism.

You can call this site any name you wish, but it sure doesn't further your argument any. Not a good look for you Mary.

Unknown said...

Crummy isn't name calling. Crummy is a common adjective; a synonym for inferior, cheap, second-rate or substandard. It represents a matter of judgment based on quality. Hellhole was contentious but not quite crummy. Crow's Nest, 1000 Words and Chevanston are crummy. Nextdoor and local Facebook groups are higher quality. That is why their daily page counts and numbers of hits are high, unlike at the crummy sites. The West Ridge vs. West Rogers Park snarl over semantics is old hat, tired and no longer news. Readers have moved way beyond that sort of trivia. Readers want real news and not crumbs like broken windows, stickers on stop signs and tow zones.

Philip McGregor Rogers said...

The devils in the details B.W.M.
You may not notice them day to day but those stickers, missing signs, and broken windows add up.

People want sensational news. Pagecount and Pageviews aren't everything.

This isn't a popularity contest.

Who's number one on Twitter?
Justin Bieber. Is it because he is so important and "higher" quality?

Yes some things are more popular because they are better and some things are more popular because they are just more popular

Opinions of themselves don't mean much without a good argument.

Also BWM who appointed you spokesman for the neighborhood at large? Hmmmm.