TAA Practice

TAA Practice

Newspaper websites are a source of information for the majority of the population in the United States. As internet access becomes faster and electronic gadgets cheaper, tech-savvy youths are adopting media websites as a primary source of news (Batsell 27). Therefore, most media organizations like Washington Post and Indianapolis Star seek to capitalize on the rising number of internet users.

The website homepages of Indianapolis Star and Washington Post are dominated by photographs and accompanying headlines of article contents.  It is evident that the website designers are aware that the majority of their audiences prefer photographs and graphic representations as compared to written details. In addition, both websites incorporated multiple links to sister magazines and newspaper sections. This is a strategy that ensures ease of access and homepage simplicity. Live newsfeed sections are also available in the two sites.

Washington Post targets an international audience. It has sections for the ‘US&World’ and ‘Regional’. Besides, the homepage features mostly national and global news. The market watch section implies that the site targets a business-minded or working class population. Leisure activities such as Sudoku and Crosswords are included in the ‘diversions section' to guarantee the audience’s revisits to the site.

On the other hand, Indianapolis Star targets local audiences as evidenced by a presence of local weather section on the home page. The site is not cluttered with adverts thus indicating the limited audience and web traffic. The homepage is confined to news making headlines locally, for instance, the local college basketball news. The ‘Quick Links' section features ‘Our Children' link to show that young parents are the targeted audience. ‘Puzzles and Comics’ is also present to promote audience loyalty.

In summary, the designers of both websites intend to maximize reach through the incorporation of multiple sections and links on the home page. However, the targeted audiences differ given that Indianapolis Star is a local newspaper whereas Washington Post features national and international news.

Reference

Batsell, Jake. Engaged Journalism: Connecting with Digitally Empowered News Audiences. 2015: 7-46. Internet resource.