JOUR 3102 Content Analysis #3

1. Watch a TV newscast and then find the same story in the day's
national newspaper (New York TImes, USA Today). What differences do you
find in the use of names, attribution and other details? How does the
lead differ? Can you find a nut graf in either one?  Be sure to tell me which newscast and provide a text link to the national newspaper article.
1. Watch a TV newscast and then find the same story in the day's
national newspaper (New York TImes, USA Today). What differences do you
find in the use of names, attribution and other details? How does the
lead differ? Can you find a nut graf in either one?  Be sure to tell me which newscast and provide a text link to the national newspaper article.

            Michelle Obama is spearheading a campaign to end childhood obesity that includes an executive order committed to the campaign, signed on Tuesday.  The New York Times and  the 5 p.m. WCCO News both covered the story.

            The bulk of both stories' quotes came from from a "Let's Move" campaign press conference held by Michelle Obama.  While the New York Times did not explicitly say this, the quotes that appeared in their stories were the same ones run on WCCO.  As attribution goes, The New York Times had more of it because it had some history on the issue as well as policy details.  For WCCO, the main news event was the signage of the act itself, and not the background information that appeared in the New York Times.

            The lead in the WCCO broadcast could be considered a bare-bones version of the one in the New York Times.  Where WCCO announced the who/what/where/when quickly, the New York Times added some of the specifics--what would happen as a result of the executive order.

            The second graf in the print story is clearly the nut graf--it ties together the Michelle Obama star power aspect and the childhood obesity issue as it relates to the act.  In doing so, it tells the reader exactly what happened and why it's important.  The second thing WCCO anchor said had the same effect.  A shot of the signing of the act played over the anchor's voice, showing the viewer what happened.  I'm not surprised that their nut graf techniques were similar because it was highly effective.