Paris Hilton: Yes. I'm guilty

After Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton kneed down before the law for her drug possession. Paris pleaded guilty in Las Vegas this week. She fortunately avoided being kept in jail again. Here is two reports concerning Paris case.

From AP (pulled on Forbes.com): http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/09/20/entertainment-us-paris-hilton-arrest_7942915.html

From Miami Herald: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/21/1834487/paris-hilton-yes-i-was-carrying.html

Comparing the news title, I prefer the one of Miami Herald. It tells in the first person instead of an objective angle, which is more eye-catching for a less formal entertainment report.

Coming to the story, I find the Miami one is totally crap. It starts with Paris case, yet words about the case just lasts 4 short paragraphs and than turns to other Hollywood celebrities’ drug scandals. Readers can get little information about the case from the text; it just wastes our time. Though its content doesn’t deserve attention, its layout is worth mentioning. The extra aids about the news are gathered in an information box on the left side, including picture gallery, case video and related content. They will help readers to get an overall view about the story. Unfortunately, excellent extra cannot make up the awkwardness in the original story. The Miami Herald piece is not favorable.

The one presented by AP is much better. It is a compression of ideas – it is short but provides every important detail which readers may care about. Says, the background of the story and the court decision. It has no visual aids accompanied. In this case, from the view of a reader, it doesn’t bother me whether there are pictures or videos to bring me deeper in the story. Because any scandal with the name Paris Hilton is not “news” at all, we know who she is and what she is doing for her life. Sometimes we are just curious about the punishment she may get in a new case.

New York Fashion week kicks off

The first event of two-yearly fashion weeks - New York Fashion week – raised its curtain this week. It caught eyeballs of celebrities, industry insiders, fashion fans and absolutely media. Here are two pieces of reports concerning its opening:

“New York Fashion Week kicks off” from ninemsn.com.au

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/7959008/new-york-fashion-week-kicks-off

“New York Fashion Week spring/summer 2011 opens” from Telegraph.co.uk

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/hilary-alexander/TMG7994813/New-York-Fashion-Week-opens.html

The one pulled on ninemsn is written in a clear structure and simple words, which is easy for me to get the idea it conveys; while the one from UK Telegraph may suit well with readers who know much about fashion, but not everyone.

In respect of structure, ninemsn reports with a highlighted intro, then gives some details of the event, such as date, place and even the size of the place where the first show held. After the details, the report goes to some particular aspects it focus on –plus-size fashion recently appeared in industry; why did the organizer choose Lincoln Center after 17-year staying in Brain Park; the economic benefits of the fashion week, especially after the financial crises; some special nights of the event. Every aspects is presented in separate paragraphs, such kind of layout is more visual-friendly compared to everything-in-one-paragraph style used by UK Telegraph. And the focuses of UK Telegraph are not fully demonstrated, says, it talks about Vogue Fashion Nights but then quickly turns to the sponsors of celebrities in Empire Week, which is quite confusing for common readers.

In terms of the word choice, ninemsn prefers the simple ones, yet UK Telegraph uses many jargons, names of designers and famous brands, which common readers don’t really care about.

What’s more, ninemsn inserts some interviews into its report, making it a lively story, not just a boring description of the event.

The only thing, I think, UK Telegraph does better than his competitor is it has a picture at the top of its text. A picture usually speaks more than a hundred words, and for me, it does take me to the theme quicker than ninemsn does.