Tuesday, July 7, 2015

The good and the bad of covering Greece

On the cover page of almost every major news outlet is at least one story about Greece’s economy, if not multiple. One was written by a Greek reporter for Politico, that seems aimed at gauging the country’s citizens’ opinions on their prime minister. I found that the article broke almost every rule that we have learned in class so far: the author referenced himself several times, “…voters I spoke to on Sunday,” it started with a quote then never returned to the quotee or anyone else afterward, the structure was confused and jumped from topic to topic, and I kept asking myself ‘what is the point of this article?’ It asked rhetorical questions of the reader, and made such assumptions as “the consequences will be Apocalyptic,” without any quotes or support.


In contrast, the first article on Vox is an incredible example of data journalism that makes the case for taking a vacation to Greece. It explains the economic benefits both to the reader, as well as to Greece. It is clear and concise, focused, supported, and informative. Also, rather than attempting to put a new spin on what many other reporters are covering, the article is aimed at answering an embarrassing question that many people around the world want to ask right now. It also inadvertently does the good deed of encouraging Greek tourism, which will help the economy and the people who live there.


http://www.vox.com/2015/7/7/8906009/greece-vacation-debt-crisis

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