BY DAN
KENNEDY
Notes and observations on
the press, politics, culture, technology, and more. To sign up for
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See the World Through My Daughter's Eyes (Rodale, October 2003),
click
here.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
BLOGGING AT THE
GLOBE. Well, not quite. But the paper is cautiously
starting to offer Web-exclusive content from some of its marquee
names. Here
is an online column by Scot Lehigh, posted yesterday, on the
vice-presidential sweepstakes. Here
is one from Tom Oliphant, posted last Thursday, on how John Edwards
made John Kerry a better candidate.
This is definitely a step forward,
but I'd say the Globe has a way to go. The Lehigh and Oliphant
dispatches read exactly like their print columns. Maybe there's a
case to be made for that, but, in general, Internet content works
best when its shorter, faster, and looser (in tone, not with the
facts) than what's available in print.
It would also help if this stuff
were easier to find. As best as I can tell, the only way to look up
Web-only political commentary is to follow
this link, and then scan
down for the magic words "Web Exclusive."
A LESS-THAN-EARTH-SHATTERING
CHANGE. A few people have asked me why I haven't written yet
about the redesigned Boston Globe Magazine. Partly it's
because I want to see a few issues before I try to make an
assessment. Partly it's because the redesign wasn't quite as dramatic
as it could have been.
It looks nice, and there's a lot of
new, short, consumer-and-advertiser-friendly stuff at the front of
the book, which was predictable. Dave Barry is still there, so I'm
happy. It's bigger, and bigger is better, especially in an era when
other major metros have canceled their Sunday magazines. That's all
to the good. But it will never be as influential (or controversial)
as the New York Times Magazine. And I have no doubt that the
Globe's best journalism will continue to be reserved for the
paper, not the magazine.
Click
here for the Web
version.
THE FAT OF THE LAND. Imagine
if a Democrat said what the Globe's Mary Leonard
reports
about Health and Human Services secretary Tommy Thompson and his new
anti-fat campaign:
Thompson said Congress
should consider giving tax credits to Americans who lose
weight, and he proposed that health insurance companies reduce
premiums for people who keep the pounds off.
Rush, Hannity, O'Reilly, et
al. would be ridiculing the hapless secretary without mercy. And
they'd be right.
posted at 9:03 AM |
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MEDIA LOG ARCHIVES
Dan Kennedy is senior writer and media critic for the Boston Phoenix.
