Recently in Analysis Category

By Libby Ryan

In the Associated Press story, Greek Parliament passes 2013 austerity budget with comfortable majority, numbers are used in three clear ways.

Firstly, numbers are used to show the vote (167-128 vote in the 300-member Parliament). These numbers are not overwhelming because the author balanced them with some background on what else the parliament has been voting on recently.

Secondly, the author describes the next loan payments Greece will receive. These numbers are overwhelming because they are listed first in Euros and then in the dollar amount. The author could have found a more readable way to write these statistics. However, the numbers are manipulated and converted correctly.

Thirdly, numbers are used to show the difference in the crowd gathered to protest the new budget as compared to a previous protest. This nears being too many numbers as there are two large numbers in one sentence but it makes enough sense to be readable because the article overall is not filled with number after number.

The New York Times obituary for Jacques Dupin, a French artist and poet, has a normal obituary lead and second paragraph.

The chronology of Dupin's life differs from a resume because it does not simply list his accomplishments. The writer listed several notable works of art and publications of Dupin's and quoted experts in the fields or fans on the impact these works had on them or art in general. There was no extensive list of everything he had done, simply listed one after another, as a resume would.

The obituary ended differently than with the traditional list of who the deceased is survived by. In this case, the writer chose to end with a kicker, a quote from a professor of French literature commenting on Dupin's character.

New England Cable Network's story on the Dalai Lama's speech in Boston is brief and to the point.

The writer chose to focus on only on one quote directly from the Dalai Lama and use the rest of the article for information on the atmosphere and turnout of the audience who listened to him speak.

The author also used a quote from a local who attended the speech closer to the beginning of the article than the direct quote from the speech. This both added context to the article and made it seem like the words the Dalai Lama said in the speech were not as important.

The continuing story about the steroids inducing meningitis is a developing story that has continued throughout the weekend.

The story written yesterday included the bare basics and the information available up to that point. It said that two cases had been confirmed in Minnesota.

The second story has one main difference. The second story has updated information that progresses the story to include the most accurate and timely facts.

In both articles, the same information is stated but the less concrete information that was written in the first article is now confirmed.

By Libby Ryan

The New York Times article on the Iraq explosions Sunday was taken from the Associated Press and was an in depth report on the events.

The author started off with an informative and detailed lead. The second paragraph repeated most information that was included in the lead but also brought in some of the main ideas that would be addressed later in the article.

The next several paragraphs are statements from experts and key figures in Iraq, serving as fact blocks and inserting some opinions while the article remains impartial.

This is an effective layout because it allows the reader to grasp the most important facts in the first few paragraphs of the article. After the author states the quotes, there is background information on other attacks in the area which is a good place for readers to either stop reading or appreciate the in depth information.

By Libby Ryan

The story by the Star Tribune about nonprofits turning wasted corn into food to stock food banks uses over ten sources throughout the story.

The author, Mike Hughlett, alternates between paraphrasing statements from various government agencies and nonprofits and using direct quotes. He paraphrases information from studies from the United Nations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and more.

His quotes and information from sources are scattered throughout the story in a way that the reader is not overwhelmed by the amount of facts in the article. The way information is attributed is effective and not too much to take in.

By Libby Ryan

Instead of using a hard news lead, the writer of a technology story for the New York Times chose to briefly describe a unique young woman choosing to opt out of college.

The short profile on Eden Full serves as a window into the story, drawing readers in where a factual lead might not. A factual lead simply would state what is happening in the current job market; the lead used in this story gives a face to the changes facing college students and young adults.

The story focuses around the choices college students are making and is supplemented by facts. A hard news lead would be better suited for a story focused on the facts that are making the students choose the paths they do.

The lead describes what a typical college student would be doing. It sets up a reader to expect the unexpected and draws them to read further. Then in the second paragraph, it lets the reader be surprised with the direction the story goes next.