This article's headline, "Man gets 35 years for using Facebook to lure teen victims," does a great job of catching a potential reader's attention. A large number of people use Facebook every day, and this article is thus relevant to them. So, the subject matter makes the article an interesting read.
A typical summary lede begins the story, giving the reader the who, what, when, and why. The reader already knows the where is in Chicago, so it is unnecessary to provide this information. However, specificity is also provided in that the man is from Fox Lake. Delayed identification is used in this piece as well, and the reader only finds out the man's name and age in the second sentence. The second sentence also provides elaboration on the details of what happened.
The piece then goes in to detail, using a chronology structure to tell exactly what happened. In observance of AP style rules, minors' names are not given. The story then backtracks a little and provides more detail on crimes committed previously. Following the court details, the story fizzles out, having no more important information to provide.
This story is mainly a good crime story because of its material. Facebook affects the majority of American families today, and any reader, though they themselves may not have a Facebook, might have a child who does. Thus, it does a good job of drawing readers in and keeping them with a story that could happen to any family. The subject matter itself also provides an interesting, though disturbing, read. This type of subject always appeals to the morbidity in the reader. Structure is used well in the article, as are short, punchy sentences.
1 comment:
Ellen! This was a really good story, and I like that you pointed out its relevance for the huge number of facebook users out there. You also provided a really thorough analysis; good pointing out that the AP style of minor's names was used!
Post a Comment