Miss Australia claim the third in Miss Universe

Miss Australia Jesinta Campbell came third in the event. Photo: AFP and Reuters

This week Miss Australia Jesinta Campbell wins the third in 2010 Miss Universe. News websites in the country develop the story in different angles – some just report the competition; some give back-stage stories of Jesinta. Here lists two pieces of news presented in an overall angle.

From smh.com.au: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/people/miss-mexico-wins-miss-universe--with-jamaica-and-australia-in-top-honours-20100824-13nbz.html?autostart=1

From heraldsun.com.au: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/jesinta-campbell-finishes-third-in-miss-universe/story-e6frf7jx-1225909395494

By contrast, I favor the former one. Pictures attract most in news of beauty contests; Sydney Morning Herald really harnesses it well. Clinking the headline brings me to the story; what catch me first are its well-used visual aids, including video clip and photo gallery. These images are accompanied with brief intros below them, which help readers quickly get the main idea of the news. If you choose to click on heraldsun, you will just get a boring text.

In terms of the text, I appreciate its structure, choice of words, hyperlinks and quotes. The author gives a concise beginning unfolding the final ranks of the Miss Universe, than turn to the Aussie girl’s background and performance. It is composed of simple sentences and common words, which could easily reach readers in every level of literacy. Hyperlink in the text refers to the news about the controversial national costume Jestina choose to wear on stage, which is exactly the highlight of Miss Australia’s competition. This hyperlink gives readers an opportunity to get some details of the pageant beside the overall information of it. The quotes in the story are only cited from Jesinta - one from her twitter, others from her answers to the judges. They are quoted completely and authentically according to my check on the sources, while the news from heraldsun doesn’t do it so. It quotes part of Jeainta’s tweet and adds one more sentence to it. It doesn’t matter in this case, but if heraldsun do it in hard news, it will be likely to arouse problems.