Editing for the Web, Terra Poole

The article, Disgruntled Calgary student in custody after holding secretary at knifepoint, from the Globe and Mail is basically just shovelware and does not really measure up to online journalism standards. This article was likely taken right from the print version and has not been adapted for online. This is evident through several factors including the lack of subheadings.

Subheads

It is very key that online journalists use bold subheadings because it helps break the text up for the reader. People read 25 per cent slower on the web than they do on paper so in order to keep readers interested, breaking up the text is key. Bold subheads are also important for stimulating a person's attention span for longer. Bold subheads help a reader to scan through a story rather than read the entire thing and still get the basic point of the story. This is really important for today's culture.

Headlines

The headline for this article is fairly successful, though for online journalism headlines tend to be shorter. Though, it gains some points because it is direct and to the point. In print journalism, headlines sometimes employ witty puns to catch a reader's attention. That does not work for online journalism, as the headline is the hook that draws the reader into the story. There is an unlimited number of online news articles a reader could read, so having one with a direct, easy-to-understand headline is very important.

The Length

The length of the story, for online purposes, is an appropriate length. It is direct and to the point. The paragraph and sentence length are appropriate because they are able to keep the reader interested. However, this story could employ more search engine optimization words in order to ensure it would be found easier in a search engine.

Note: Image from USA Studyguide