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The lack of links makes me less likely to go to a newspaper article the next time. I think newspapers are missing out when compared to models like Reddit. They
by dv_dt 9y ago
The lack of links makes me less likely to go to a newspaper article the next time. I think newspapers are missing out when compared to models like Reddit. They don't have to go full Reddit, but there is a gap in journalistic form between newspapers old-school self contained writing and a newer approach that could use an article as coverage as well as an introduction of context, then optionally leads to richer more-detailed authoritative sources. I'm much more likely to pay for the latter as a subscriber.
- _jal 9y agoDitto - lack of primary sourcing has led me to seek out new outlets in a couple instances, and I haven't looked back. Don't know how long they've been doing this, but I noticed recently that the Washington Post is linking to primary sources, and the NYT seems to do it sometimes but not others. So at least some of the big ones are doing better.
- mannykannot 9y agoI agree, things are getting better. Links to sources has been a feature of high-quality science journalism for a while. It is good to see this spreading, and while it may have taken longer than it should have, I don't see it as a reason to give up on journalism.
- Bartweiss 9y ago> The lack of links makes me less likely to go to a newspaper article the next time. My least favorite case for this is "a new poll shows people think X", with no link to the actual poll with the actual questions. Given the many, many demonstrations of how a wording change can completely reverse poll answers, I'm inclined to view non-quoted, non-sourced poll results as essentially dishonest. It's the sort of thing that will make me think twice about going back to that source for anything I can't cross-reference easily.
- dragonwriter 9y ago> My least favorite case for this is "a new poll shows people think X", with no link to the actual poll with the actual questions. They usually announce the source of the poll. Many polls don't have a freely-available link to the details, though you can sometines spend lots of money to buy that access.
- arbie 9y ago> Many polls don't have a freely-available link to the details, though you can sometines spend lots of money to buy that access. I have never understood the business model behind releasing key figures from your poll (generally the crux of it) but gating the rest of it (including polling methods) behind a pricey paywall. Is it to deter the casual lookie-loo while gaining the attention of companies in the industries impacted by the poll results?
- Natsu 9y agoThe ones I hate most are freely available legal rulings, government documents, and scientific papers that are open access (or at least link me to an abstract). It's not like having sources available makes the story worse for others.