Peter Shaplen and Sally Ann Cruishank
JFreshman Newsroom Application
The problem with current news sources is that they completely forget the single most important asset, the individual viewer. Television sources make viewers wait until the end of the newscast for the most appealing story, which I believe leads to viewer discontent. The current key to appealing to young adults is creating a news source that will appeal to the individual allowing them to view such a source through online and mobile devices. Smartphone’s and tablets are revolutionizing the world and it’s time news sources jump on this epidemic bandwagon. Young adults have a very short attention span, but the idea that we don’t want to be educated is foolish. We want a lot of information that comes quickly in short segments so that when we later choose to discuss said topics, we feel we are educated and not just talking about what we “think”.
Young adults like to be on the go and the one thing many of us can’t stand to be without is our cellphone. I propose to produce a smartphone application news source that allows the individual to choose topics that appeal to them to avoid viewer discontent. I realize that everyone is different, for that reason, I believe this can be achieved by first allowing the user to choose their topics of interest. The key is making the individual feel special. There must be a wide array of categories available, with categories like politics giving the user ability to choose which side they favor whether liberal or conservative meaning this source must be technically nonpartisan. A user may also choose both sides of the spectrum. Categories also included should be sports, weather, celebrities, U.S. and foreign current affairs covering events like scandals and civil rights movements, scientific discoveries, new technologies, and music with many genre options available (you can add other topics here too)
There must be a button that will allow the user to skip over a story quickly of non-interest, even if it’s technically included in their interest categories. This will keep the viewer from switching over to something different, due to the anticipation of something better quickly to come. Also it’s important it randomly switch from one interest to the next. It cannot put all of the stories of one category in a row unless the user chooses this app for one category only, which I realize is also a possibility.
Categories must have a host instead of multiple reporters. One host per interest category, covering multiple stories, will allow the user to feel confident that the information they are receiving is credible due to the fact that we like to think we “know” the person who is providing us with the information. Writer’s should try to make the news available in satyre like forms because certain stories can be very dry and unappealing. I believe a familiar face accompanied by witty jokes will go a very long way. For example, many young adults look to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for most of their political news and find it enjoyable. Most young adults are bored by politics and yet these hosts are able to present this category in a way that is appealing while also being a very educational source of current political news.
I was part of my school paper and was in charge of the entire editorial page. This was due to my natural ability to have an opinion and solution for practically every topic. Also, I enjoy researching topics I’m not fully aware of because I feel more knowledgeable after.
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