Ignore the uproar; there's a genuine problem with John McCain, and it's not Vicki Iseman

Submitted by yelvington on February 23, 2008 - 11:41am

I wasn't going to comment on the McCain story, but my friend Howard Owens has pulled my chain by dismissing it as "nothing but gossip from either unnamed sources or pure speculation." He aims that charge at the lead, but implies that there isn't any substance to the story. There is.

I am as puzzled as anyone by the construction of the NYT story. The focus on the Iseman anecdote obscured the point for many people instead of illustrating it.

The nut graf is here:

Girls rule, boys drool

Submitted by yelvington on February 21, 2008 - 10:02am

"Sorry, Boys, This Is Our Domain" is the headline on today's New York Times piece smashing yet another set of assumptions about who really does what on the Internet. "Research shows that among the youngest Internet users, the primary creators of Web content (blogs, graphics, photographs, Web sites) are not misfits resembling the Lone Gunmen of 'The X Files.' On the contrary, the cyberpioneers of the moment are digitally effusive teenage girls."

Work for a JOA? Better have a Plan B

Submitted by yelvington on February 20, 2008 - 1:56pm

Scripps is shuttering the afternoon Albuquerque Tribune, and unlike its previous closure of the Cincinnati Post there seems to be no plan to continue with a Web operation. Up in Wisconsin, the afternoon Capital Times is killing its daily edition and will continue to publish on the Web, as well as producing a couple of free entertainment products each week.

In praise of the semicolon

Submitted by yelvington on February 19, 2008 - 10:44pm

The idea of having editors seems to be under some pressure this week. As a former copy editor and a subway buff, I appreciated the New York Times' piece on the proper use of the semicolon in the context of public transportation. I like the semicolon too much and have to remind myself that the trouble with the period is that we often don't get to it quickly enough.

Don't miss the correction at the bottom.

Web traffic to the candidate sites: Bad news for Clinton

Submitted by yelvington on February 16, 2008 - 8:52pm

I generally don't regard Alexa to be a reliable source of traffic data for local websites due to sampling methodology and size issues, but when applied to the presidential race, it may provide a fairly accurate indication of enthusiasm about the candidates. Here's a snapshot of the last month's traffic for the Obama, Clinton and McCain campaign websites. It certainly doesn't look good for Clinton.