Criteria of Analysis

The internet has provided many great advantages for today's media. People can access an online journalism web site at their own convenience and choose the information that they want. With a growing number of people using the internet as their news source, there are also many web sites being created to provide society with information; however, not all of these sites are considered journalism. 

While evaluating the following four web sites, I found some to be journalistic while others to be  more opinion. 

1. www.AirCongress. com

K. Daniel Gloveer, the publisher and executive producer for AirCongress, has had 17 years of experience as a journalist at publishing companies. AirCongress is Gloveer's independent Internet project. 

This web site claims to inform people about what is happening in Capitol Hill. Lawmakers post the content onto this web site. The content of this site is of public importance because it has the latest news on Congress. However, the content is subjective because it is the lawmakers themselves posting the information. This site seems to be more for conservative's because the majority of the information displayed is about the GOP. I also noticed that this site is not updated frequently. For example, the first thing that showed up when I visited the site was dated September 4, 2008 about Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin giving her GOP speech with a broken telepromper. And this posting follows with other postings on the GOP National Convention - all outdated. It seems to me that people do not posts often. 

The site is simple, there is not a lot of color and pictures. However, I do applaud them for including videos. Other than that, the site's layout is boring. 

2. www.blogs.herald.com/dave_barry

Dave Barry is a well-known news room personality for the Miami Herald, and has been working there since 1983. Barry also has one of the most popular blogs included on that site. Barry writes for the opinion section of the Miami Herald as a columnist. He writes on a variation of issues. Having worked at the Herald for more that 20 years shows that the public appreciates his work, and it also indicates his professionalism as a columnist writer. The content of his site is definitely opinion. For example, Barry expresses his thoughts on the international economy, political personalities, and  irresponsible drivers. 

Working for the Miami Herald, which is Miami-Dade and Broward's source for breaking local news, and receiving a Pulitzer Prize in 1988 shows that Barry skillfully provides readers with opinion pieces. The site seems to be updated often. The design on this site is professional and clean.

3. www.moveon.org

This web site shows that MoveOn is a service organization where people across the country with the same values can get together to support or fight about the congressional issues that are important to them. The web site also states that the organization is funded by individuals, there is even a section on the web site for people to donate money to MoveOn. The web site is subjective because it supports liberal views. For example, the organization held rallies to support Obama during the presidential campaign. The web site also included videos during the 2008 presidential campaign to show why citizens should not vote for McCain. People who visit the site may find the information accurate, especially if they have strong liberal views, however, people with conservative views may find the information misleading. The web site lacks dates, however, I could tell that it is not updated often. For example, there is a video created in 2007 that appears in the 'ABOUT' section. The web site still has posted on the main page events from Nov. 20th to celebrate Obama's victory, however, a 2009 agenda is also posted on the left side of the main page to inform members of upcoming events. The site looks decent, it has pictures, and links. 

4. www.salon.com

I found it unclear to determine who produces this site. I clicked on the 'ABOUT' section and it really did not tell me anything about the web site, instead it gave me a list of people that work in different departments and their contact information. However, the content on this site seems to be newsworthy and updated daily. The editorial pieces also seem to be posted frequently. The site also includes Wire stories 24/7, which also shows that it is updated daily. The site is very clean and decent. It includes pictures and graphics, and this adds color to the site and captures the user's attention. I also found the site to be fairly user friendly. For example, it is divided into several categories, such as: News & Politics, Entertainment, Life, Opinion, and Movies. These sections make it easier for people to find the information that they are searching.