On September
17, 2015 an article about a dating app for bacon lovers was posted to USA
Today. This article is obviously eye-catching because who doesn’t love bacon?
However, it clearly violates the seven yardsticks and elements of journalism.
For starters, the article violates the first of seven yardsticks,
newsworthiness. The topic of the story is not peripheral to society and readers
will forget the content in minutes after reading because it leaves no impact on
a broad audience. In addition, in just one glance it is easy to tell that this
article lacks the element of verification. The length is only five sentences
and includes a short video that primarily promotes the Oscar Mayer app. Clearly
the article does not include any sources except the firsthand perspective of
the journalist. For example the article states “Ted Crunch reports that meat
processing giant Oscar Mayer has launched Sizzl, a dating app functionally
similar to Tinder that matches users
based on compatible tastes in bacon;” there seems to be potential in this
sentence for interviewing. The problem of violating the element of verification
could be easily resolved by providing readers with background on this app and
why it was established. For instance, this article could have reported the
feelings that Ted Crunch has on the outcomes of this app or gather Tinder’s point of view of Oscar Mayer
coming out with a similar app as them. Overall, the article comes across as an advertisement
more than informational. However the most appalling aspect of the article is
that it was posted under the national news section! This is somewhat embarrassing
to our nation that this would be considered news. Although the article is
striking, it does not belong in the news even if bacon is one of the best
creations of all time. The link to the article is here, http://college.usatoday.com/2015/09/17/oscar-mayer-releases-sizzl-a-dating-app-for-bacon-lovers/
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