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The stuff you're complaining about seems limited to a little bit of POV text in the first seven (!) sentences of a rather long article. Does it really bug you

by ajross 3y ago

The stuff you're complaining about seems limited to a little bit of POV text in the first seven (!) sentences of a rather long article. Does it really bug you so much that they gave you just a tiny taste of the perspective of a woman who works on this stuff? That seems a bit much. This kind of text is everywhere in science journalism.

forrestthewoods 3y ago
> of a rather long article I utterly despise the current “long form” style where all long form stories start by talking about something old and unimportant. Sure it’s a nice appetizer to whet the palette. But only if I already know I’m gonna read the whole thing! There’s too much long form for me to read. I want a tastier first bite to see if it’s worth my time. I blame the New Yorker. Bastards.
colechristensen 3y ago
I likewise do not like the front loaded flavor text. A good news article should be written in order of priority. Each word, each sentence should be written in order of decreasing priority starting with the headline. "JWST spots giant black holes all over the early universe" is a great headline, it encompasses the entire story. Especially at the beginning of the article, the purpose should be expand and clarify the most important pieces. I really dislike the kind of journalism that goes into biography mode and starts off with an anecdote about Jane Einstein's childhood dog leaving the most relevant bits 2/3 the way through. I'd like to be able to choose the level of detail I get from an article by being able to stop when I'm done. I don't like having to dedicate several minutes to finding a piece of information that took several seconds to deliver. Much like the 10 minute youtube howto video hiding the five seconds of information I needed.
mvdtnz 3y ago
> Does it really bug you so much that they gave you just a tiny taste of the perspective of a woman who works on this stuff? Well, yes, that's why I wrote my post. > This kind of text is everywhere in science journalism. Indeed.

by ajross 3y ago

forrestthewoods 3y ago

> of a rather long article I utterly despise the current “long form” style where all long form stories start by talking about something old and unimportant. Sure it’s a nice appetizer to whet the palette. But only if I already know I’m gonna read the whole thing! There’s too much long form for me to read. I want a tastier first bite to see if it’s worth my time. I blame the New Yorker. Bastards.

colechristensen 3y ago

I likewise do not like the front loaded flavor text. A good news article should be written in order of priority. Each word, each sentence should be written in order of decreasing priority starting with the headline. "JWST spots giant black holes all over the early universe" is a great headline, it encompasses the entire story. Especially at the beginning of the article, the purpose should be expand and clarify the most important pieces. I really dislike the kind of journalism that goes into biography mode and starts off with an anecdote about Jane Einstein's childhood dog leaving the most relevant bits 2/3 the way through. I'd like to be able to choose the level of detail I get from an article by being able to stop when I'm done. I don't like having to dedicate several minutes to finding a piece of information that took several seconds to deliver. Much like the 10 minute youtube howto video hiding the five seconds of information I needed.

mvdtnz 3y ago

> Does it really bug you so much that they gave you just a tiny taste of the perspective of a woman who works on this stuff? Well, yes, that's why I wrote my post. > This kind of text is everywhere in science journalism. Indeed.