Practicum 1 - Caitlin Lundquist

The layout of the New York Times is much like a periodical that has been put online. Much of the format is similar to that of a newspaper you would hold in your hand. Its presentation mirrors that of the desktop metaphor. On the left side of the screen, the tool bar has all the different sections that a regular newspaper would have, including politics which is my main practicum focus. I chose the New York Times as a rather “moderate” base to garner the political activism across the political spectrum.

The New York Times had a heavier focus on the public and their actions to influence the upcoming presidential election including coverage of the primaries. Their Voter Portraits: The 2012 Primaries, show portraits of Americans headed to the poll to see what is driving their vote. The passion seen in some of these photos is pretty amazing. Since Wisconsin just had their primaries, many of the photos are of people from Wisconsin and Illinois. It is pretty cool to see that some of the people they asked in the polls were from the Madison area and the photos were taken on State Street, on the corner of Gillman and State, and I live on Gillman which makes the picture a bit more recognizable. Although voting isn’t a radical form of political activism, the New York Times does a good job of focusing on the small efforts of everyday people getting involved in our political system. The Voter Portraits special was also interesting because it allows you to click if you want to see men or women, specific political parties, and different age groups and how they responded to the survey.