The Best Journalism of 2007
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Because of personal reasons, I had to unfortunately stop blogging for awhile. While I was away I realized what a void I left behind so to make it up to you, I present to you the best television, online, magazine and blog-based journalism I personally encountered and enjoyed this year. (And yes, 10,000 words is back, baby!)
Best Online Journalism: U-Haul, Los Angeles Times
I, like many other Americans, rarely read newspaper pieces that are spread across a gazillion pages. When faced with never-ending columns of text, I usually read the first few grafs and keep it moving. But I was so intrigued by the Times' piece on the do-it-yourself moving company's low safety standards and the resulting mechanical catastrophes that I read the three-part series from beginning to end.
The print story included a refer to latimes.com/uhaul where I found heart-wrenching video stories of the folks whose encounters with faulty U-Haul equipment left them in dire straits and a brilliant Flash interactive that painstakingly detailed a major accident involving a U-Haul trailer. In the interest of full disclosure, I was working at the Times during the story's production and though I had nothing to do with its creation, I applaud the team for an excellent feat of journalism.
Best Blog: The Consumerist
I currently subscribe to about 40 blogs about journalism, design, entertainment, etc. most of which I quickly scan using RSS/Google Reader. Those that I can't immediately read I "star" or save for later. Besides the entertainment news repository ShowHype there is no blog I star or enjoy more than The Consumerist.
The Consumerist is what I expect most online newspapers will look like in the future: a daily blog that delivers useful, well-written newsy content that personally affects its readers. The blog is constantly updated with tips like how to buy cheap glasses online and how to avoid tax planning mistakes and airs the grievances of readers' shady dealings with retailers like Best Buy and Sprint. The site has quite a following and its stellar content keeps its readers (and me) coming back.
Best Television Journalism: The Secret World of Haute Couture, BBC
I'm a sucker for reality shows and fashion-related shows like America's Next Top Model and Project Runway guarantee that I am on my couch Wednesday nights. While these shows allude to "haute couture," or the elaborate and costly fashions created by high end designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Valentino, I had no idea of the industry's devoted following and detailed production until I watched the BBC documentary by Margy Kinmonth.
I must admit I had no intention of watching a documentary on women's fashion, but after a tiring day in New York, I popped into my hotel bed and turned on the BBC with the intent of going to sleep soon after. An hour later I was still wide awake, captivated by Kinmonth's exploration of a notoriously closed society of women who purchase millions of dollars worth of gowns that they extol as pieces of art and wear very rarely. As a journalist, I understand how hard it is to get to reclusive sources. Therefore the documentary's humanistic interviews with the designers and patrons of haute couture were astounding and made for remarkable television.
Best Magazine Writing: Britney Spears, Radar Magazine
I threw Radar magazine, a relatively new addition to my magazine arsenal, into my bag and hopped on a plane. I planned to quickly scan what I thought was another US Weekly/In Touch/OK! but was surprised at the gripping stories of human drama, including one on Kentwood, Louisiana, the hometown of singer Britney Spears. The story recanted the stories of the town's residents whose hopes of turning the small town into a Graceland-like shrine of Britney fell tragically short.
Reading the piece (whose actual title and author I cannot recall; a Google search returned zilch), I felt the emotion of those who watched a young Britney turn into a pop sensation and later a troubled woman. A museum in Spears' honor remained relatively unvisited and the singer herself rarely returned to the town. I have read a lot of excellent journalism this year, but none so much as this piece that still remains on my mind.
And there you have it. 10,000 words is back and I encourage to you subscribe via RSS or email to stay updated on the latest in journalism technology.
Best Online Journalism: U-Haul, Los Angeles Times
I, like many other Americans, rarely read newspaper pieces that are spread across a gazillion pages. When faced with never-ending columns of text, I usually read the first few grafs and keep it moving. But I was so intrigued by the Times' piece on the do-it-yourself moving company's low safety standards and the resulting mechanical catastrophes that I read the three-part series from beginning to end.
The print story included a refer to latimes.com/uhaul where I found heart-wrenching video stories of the folks whose encounters with faulty U-Haul equipment left them in dire straits and a brilliant Flash interactive that painstakingly detailed a major accident involving a U-Haul trailer. In the interest of full disclosure, I was working at the Times during the story's production and though I had nothing to do with its creation, I applaud the team for an excellent feat of journalism.
Best Blog: The Consumerist
I currently subscribe to about 40 blogs about journalism, design, entertainment, etc. most of which I quickly scan using RSS/Google Reader. Those that I can't immediately read I "star" or save for later. Besides the entertainment news repository ShowHype there is no blog I star or enjoy more than The Consumerist.
The Consumerist is what I expect most online newspapers will look like in the future: a daily blog that delivers useful, well-written newsy content that personally affects its readers. The blog is constantly updated with tips like how to buy cheap glasses online and how to avoid tax planning mistakes and airs the grievances of readers' shady dealings with retailers like Best Buy and Sprint. The site has quite a following and its stellar content keeps its readers (and me) coming back.
Best Television Journalism: The Secret World of Haute Couture, BBC
I'm a sucker for reality shows and fashion-related shows like America's Next Top Model and Project Runway guarantee that I am on my couch Wednesday nights. While these shows allude to "haute couture," or the elaborate and costly fashions created by high end designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Valentino, I had no idea of the industry's devoted following and detailed production until I watched the BBC documentary by Margy Kinmonth.
I must admit I had no intention of watching a documentary on women's fashion, but after a tiring day in New York, I popped into my hotel bed and turned on the BBC with the intent of going to sleep soon after. An hour later I was still wide awake, captivated by Kinmonth's exploration of a notoriously closed society of women who purchase millions of dollars worth of gowns that they extol as pieces of art and wear very rarely. As a journalist, I understand how hard it is to get to reclusive sources. Therefore the documentary's humanistic interviews with the designers and patrons of haute couture were astounding and made for remarkable television.
Best Magazine Writing: Britney Spears, Radar Magazine
I threw Radar magazine, a relatively new addition to my magazine arsenal, into my bag and hopped on a plane. I planned to quickly scan what I thought was another US Weekly/In Touch/OK! but was surprised at the gripping stories of human drama, including one on Kentwood, Louisiana, the hometown of singer Britney Spears. The story recanted the stories of the town's residents whose hopes of turning the small town into a Graceland-like shrine of Britney fell tragically short.
Reading the piece (whose actual title and author I cannot recall; a Google search returned zilch), I felt the emotion of those who watched a young Britney turn into a pop sensation and later a troubled woman. A museum in Spears' honor remained relatively unvisited and the singer herself rarely returned to the town. I have read a lot of excellent journalism this year, but none so much as this piece that still remains on my mind.
And there you have it. 10,000 words is back and I encourage to you subscribe via RSS or email to stay updated on the latest in journalism technology.
