Courier-Journal App: Convenient or Confusing? (Media Critique)

In the modern, developed world, any business or organization hoping to gain status or viewership has a downloadable app. The Courier-Journal is no exception. The app is a free, convenient source to read the news. Unlike the physical newspaper, it doesn't cost money, and it's right at your fingertips. Perfect, right?

Not exactly. In a previous blogpost, I backed up the Courier-Journal's website when it was called out by a peer for showing non-newsworthy stories. There can't always be a breaking headline, and stories on general human interest topics are important. But the Courier-Journal app is very disorganized and all over the place. 

Here's a real list in order of five articles on the "front page" of the Courier-Journal app. "'He's running!': Dispatch calls show Louisville Kroger shooting chaos", "WATCH: Here's a timeline of events for the fatal Kroger shooting", "U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth says Louisville Kroger shooting was a hate crime", "Mammogram basics: What you need to know", "Kroger shooting: Chaos, heroism and the search for a scared young boy". One of these articles is very, very out of place. 

If you keep scrolling down on the app, this continues. Everything is mixed together - sports, politics, local events - with nothing dividing it up into content sections. Even to well educated people, this can be extremely confusing. News sites should be easy to access so it's audience can be informed without going through the hassle of having to search for content they need to know. While mammogram basics are very important to a certain audience, it doesn't need to be the second headline in the news (following the Kroger shooting). 

The Courier-Journal app could take some notes from the New York Times app, for example, which has articles categorized by event on the front page and which rarely shows an article that isn't important for the majority of Americans.

Having a neat, organized app leads to having a happier, more informed audience. It would be helpful to everyone if the Courier-Journal could lay out their app in a somewhat organized manor.


By Lily Wobbe

Courier-Journal website: https://www.courier-journal.com/

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