Political Sites

One of my favorite political sites is Politico. The page has such a simple layout, and you always know the dominant story based on the lead photo. I also like their use of the simple, three-column design, which gives them just enough space to post videos and medium-size photos. The commentaries are well organized, and the headlines draw people in.

Another political site I like is the Huffington Post. My favorite part of the site is that their lead story normally takes up the top half of the page, and they usually use a string of photos that really draw the reader in. Last week, one of the stories was on how the people shown in one of President Obama’s campaign ads are now struggling financially. The story really offered a look at how the economy was affecting people, and the irony of the piece was not lost. I might not have even read the story if it had not been spread across the top of the page with photos of the people involved. Designers really did a great job of showcasing the piece. I’m also excited to see what their new investigative journalism group uncovers and how the stories are presented on the site.

My third favorite political site is the Onion. While the site is obviously sarcastic, there are definitely political undertones. In addition to the fact that the articles are just plain hilarious, the site itself is pretty user friendly. It’s organized much like a regular news site, with sections titled, “Local,” “Science and Technology,” “Politics” and “Entertainment.” Some might be offended by the content, but if you like sarcasm with your politics and enjoy shows like the Colbert Report and the Daily Show, this is a great place to go.

Now for the worst of the worst. I don’t like the Drudge Report’s design at all. I know we discussed the site in class last week, but I have to rehash this one. The font type is horrible, it’s too small, and it’s completely random. The top half of the page has an incredibly poor design, with random white space and text. It looks like the first web page ever designed on the Internet. Content-wise, I get what they’re going for, but I think they really need to update the site’s design.

The website for my hometown newspaper also leaves much to be desired. The local paper in Youngstown, Ohio, the Vindicator, has been pretty innovative with its newspaper design, but the website just can’t compete. The paper is definitely a “Sunday paper,” and I doubt their sales from deliveries have dropped all that much. But they could definitely work on bringing their website into the 21st Century. The inside pages are very text heavy with few graphics, and the home page has chunks of white space and just doesn’t seem to gel together all that well. For an area with a history of corruption in politics, the “politics” portion of the site should be easily visible, but it’s hidden in the tabs at the top.

Finally, I found a great website dedicated to the worst political sites, most of them for people running for local, state, and national governments: http://news.cnet.com/2300-1028_3-6129164-1.html. They are definitely worth checking out. In most cases, not having a website would have probably been a better decision. Some of the sites reference non-existent blogs for congressional reps, and others show repeated areas stating, “Under Construction” or blatant grammatical inaccuracies and typos. One of my favorites is a page on Representative Kay Granger’s website. There used to be a recipe for “Easy, Killer Margaritas” with question marks next to how much alcohol should be added and a statement that the pitcher could be any size. Priceless.