Recently in analysis Category

In the report, David Barboza needs to have the computer skills in gathering and analyzing data. For example, he needs to be albe to work with database programs or spreadsheets and statistical tools in computers to analyze budgets, reports, surveys and polls.

The Times use online tools such as Wen Jiabao's family picture and pictures of Wen Jiabao at disaster scenes in China to engage the reader. Also, the site includes related articles such as Wen's family's disputes for the article.

Barboza used various corporate and regulatory records to show how Wen's relatives have accumulated extreme wealth after Wen Jiaobao elevated to China's ruling elite and ultimately became China's prime minister. He looked for links between statistics in many cases and found that the names of the relatives have been hidden behind layers of their partnerships involving friends, work colleagues and business partners. The reporter didn't make editorial judgment, instead, he let the numbers speak for themselves. Statistics showed that Mr. Wen's relatives accumulated shares in banks, jewelers, tourist resorts, telecommunications companies and state-owned companies. The author also verified the accuracy of statistical information and presented it in a concise and understandable way.

analysis a public meeting

| No Comments

The article talks about Minneapolis City Council's passed a new ordinance on imposing mandatory conditions on an uncooperative business.I think the reporter did a good job on collecting sources and reported the issue with different sides.

The reporter chose to craft the story from straight facts like what the ordinance does and then dig into deep issues like how such regulations impact not only local businesses, but also the communities around them.

The reporter listed the major content of the bill and discussed its influence on businesses operating near the University of Minnesota. The reflection were mostly negative, worrying that the city over-empowering itself. The reporter then goes on response to the concerns by using the city's response of the ordinance--"using it sparingly", citing a city's licensing and consumer services manager. So the reader understand the importance of the ordinance because it will do good to the city's safety and our communities. The reporter also used examples to back up the ordinance' importance. One example that the reporter used is it would decrease selling alcohol to underaged drinkers in Dinkytown.

Analysis for an ethnic group

| No Comments

The article discuss how today's Latino immigrants assimilate into the major culture in the U.S. and that during process, some challenges confront them including economic issues, legal obstacles that go further than ethnic stereotype. The New York TImes reported.

The article then goes to explain how the large amount of Hispanics fall into the typical pattern of American immigrants in a generation or two. Taken half of the immigration wave of last century, most of them arrive in the U.S. in hard situations, while their second or third generation become wealthier, more educated and marry someone from a different ethnicity, and are generally more American. Despite the improvement of Latino immigrants's new generations, they still fall behind other immigration groups in many ways, and it is not clear whether their descendants will close that gap completely

The article also shows the new challenges facing today's newcomers like legal issues. The author uses a number of professors and government officials specialized in the filed of immigration to back up his points, and use census to make comparison. I like how this story look at Latin immigrants in a more objective way and put them as a part of the whole immigration when analyzing them.

Analysis for numbers

| No Comments

In this report, numbers are used effectively when showing how the North Korea shakes foreign investors' confidence in the South with increasing belligerent threats. The New York Times reported.

The reporter gives numbers meaning by putting them into context. South Korea's main stock index decreased to its lowest point since November. General Motos said the further increases in tension would prompt it to consider relocating its production line outside the South Korea. The increasing threats by North Korea than it has ever done before hurt the economic stability in South, which render Park's government to ease its stance on North Korea. By using numbers with examples, readers will feel easier to grasp the content.

The reporter also underlies the deep connection between South's economy and the international financial situation. Numbers tell how the global financial downturn in 2011 draged the South economy down, and how Japanese yen's influence on the South's export, which make readers understand why the South Korea worry that in any prolonged confrontation their globalized economy would have more to lose than the one in the North, which is battered and isolated and hurt by international sanctions.

Analysis for obtiturary

| No Comments

In the New York Times report, reporter used a standard obituary lead: who, where he died, how old was he, and what he was famous for.

The obituary is about Anthony Lewis, the twice Pulitzer prize winner and the legal journalist for The New York Times. The sources include: his wife, a scholar who wrote a bibliography of Lewis's work, an authority on criminal procedure and a professor at two universities, a federal appeal court judge, a Supreme Court justice, and an executive editor of The Times.

The news value is Lewis's contribution for an entirely approach to the coverage of Supreme Court. Before Lewis started reporting for the Supreme Court, the Court was covered by journalists with no legal background and the coverage was simply repetition of the court's decisions. Lewis initiated the thorough reporting of the court and wrote several books of the accounts of legal decision during Warren's court, which he covered.

Obit is different from a resume because obituary can tell a story of the person in a more deep and vivid way, background other than the achievement and other people are allowed to comment on the person.

The New York Times features slideshows, videos, one-page magazine, blogs and interactive pieces. They cover a broad range of topics including international news, fashion, profiles of interesting people, latest technology, events, sports, etc. I think the multimedia from the New York Times does a good job on supplementing the news: for example, when the business news of this week reported the Cyprus bank crisis, the mulmedia-"Europe's Debt Crisis" debuted at the same time. The multimedia piece extends the audiences' eyes to some Europeans nations that are experiencing financial crisis.

The Washington Post doesn't have a section titled "multimedia" as The New York Times does. The multimedia elements scatter around and feature videos, photo gallery, audios that include a variety of topics such as lifestyle, politics and businesses. I think the multimedia here allow readers to see stories that can't be easily told from traditional news formula. For example, there is a story named "National Gallery celebrating Ballets Russes with huge multimedia exhibition"appeared both in news reporting section and the photo gallery section. I think the multimedia section here does a good job in relating its content to the original news reporting. Through clear directions such as "view photo gallery", readers can be directly to view the photos if they first start to read the article.

I think the word "feature writing" is what I would use to characterize the writing in both multimedia features.

The reporter starts this article with an anecdotal lead: the traditional Chinese medicine store next to the Hong Kong Offices of Chinese Communist Party has been extremely popular for selling traditional anxiety reliever to officers working in the Central Liaison Office. Then the article flows naturally to answer why.

The reporter arranged the information in the order of cause and effect. The anxiety among the people working in the Central Liaison Office is caused by the abrupt key staff replacement and transfers this winter including the director and deputy director who had been serving there for a long time. The removal is caused by "factional struggles in Beijing" and increasing conflicts between Hong Kong and the mainland, and the tension results in several large-scaled street demonstrations. Then the report flows to how the local government respond to such turmoils.

The tension between the Beijing-backed local government and Hong Kong residents is the most important elements of this report. The reporter presents both sides with equally amount of attention. The reporter identifies biggest cause of that tension: Most of Hong Kong residents "wants considerably more democracy than Beijing is prepared to tolerate."

I think the way the reporter ordered the information is effective as it not only identify the most important element of the story but also offers a clear way of representing both sides of the issue in depth. So I think the report allows me to think about the issue deeply.

In the Star Tribune's article, the author makes deliberate choices citing sources.

A major source in the report is the U.S. Census Bureau. Using the data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the author came to a summary conclusion that Twin Cities, Mankato and St. Cloud emerge as leaders in the use of telecommuting nationwide, in which Mankato and St. Cloud are two major job centers in the state.

The author also moves from macro spectrum to micro level, citing both employee working as a telecommuter and CEO of a company instituting work-at-home policy.

Experts making telecommuting policies are also part of the sources. The author cited a consultant who helped developed Best Buy's telecommuting policy, and through the consultant's mouth, expresses the advantages of telecommuting.

Overall, the reporter makes good use of sources, and they not only help build the credibility of the report, but also add more flavor to it.

About this Archive

This page is an archive of recent entries in the analysis category.

international news is the next category.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.