Even before I started reading American news, I was familiar with the Boston Globe, from the movie “Spotlight.” I had such admiration for this Newspaper organization.
In the past week, I have been reading Boston Globe, in addition to my routine - The New York Times. I’ve found it to be quite informative, as it does have 9 sections of news:
A screenshot of the categories.
But I’ve also noticed that it lacks multimedia integration. I rarely find audio/video contents on the Boston Globe, as opposed to the New York Times, which has a “Video” section, and an audio podcast: “The Daily.” (The Boston Globe does have a podcast called “Last Seen,” which is a joint production from WBUR and The Boston Globe. But “Last Seen” is not a news podcast.)
As of the pictures used in the articles from Boston Globe, I have to say I am quite disappointed at the overall quality.
One of the leading stories in the “National“ section.
The pictures are often placed there just for the sake of having a visual aid but do not contribute to the content.
For example, as it is shown above, an unrelated picture of a random church has been selected. This picture does not add any additional information to the story itself. It has no direct correlation with the subject matter. This church in the picture was not even mentioned in the story. What is the significance of this specific church? What is the significance of this painting?
Those questions will remain unanswered.
From what I had gathered, the Boston Globe primarily rely on texts for the majority of its contents. Their stories can be enhanced if more effort is applied on visual/audio aids, after all, “a picture is worth a thousand words”.
The Boston Globe is accessible on multiple platforms in multiple ways, including print version, web version, daily email briefing, Google Play, Apple Store, etc. Readers can also provide their insights in the comment section, making it a two-way channel.
The comment section, in my opinion, is designed somewhat impractical. Readers can only get to the comment section at the bottom of the page. Most readers quit reading and close the tab after they get to the end, hence it is very likely the readers will miss the comment section.
The New York Times, on the other hand, is setting a better example.
The comment section on The Boston Globe.
The comment section on The New York Times.
The New York Times provides its reader with the option to browse comments on the side as they read the article or at the end of the article.
The Boston Globe has an adequate amount of coverage on local news (within the Boston area), which strengthens its customer stickiness. As a news media, it provides a reasonable distribution of coverage on different types of news, therefore keeping its readers informed, and engaged at the same time.