For this blog I chose to compare the election results by watching the election results presented on CNN and NBC. Although both television stations were presenting the same information, each presented the information differently.
In my opinion, CNN did a better job of presenting the 2008 election results because the results were easily found on TV graphics at any time and above these graphics, CNN kept switching between reporters and live footage of people’s reactions around the country. The positioning of the graphics on CNN made finding the graphics easy and the way they were made has made it easy for the CNN audience to understand what information the graphics were conveying: the senate’s choice, the number of votes for both the Democratic and Republican candidates and the states that needed to still get their votes counted. Above the graphics is a split screen between various CNN reporters and live footage of the presidential race. I prefer the actual content that the CNN reporters are covering rather than the reporters of NBC because the CNN reporters are reporting the election results but are also talking about American history while waiting for new results.
NBC took a more graphical approach to presenting the election results information. Rather than show live footage and graphics on the same screen, NBC chose to have a full graphic screen of information or a full live footage screen. Hearing the reporters talk when there was only a graphic screen made it hard to understand both the information the reporters were reporting and the information on the graphics. I also think the graphics on NBC, when NBC does use a split screen of live footage and graphics, the graphics take away from the footage because they are too flashy and hard to read and they are spaced weirdly. I prefer the content of the CNN reporters over NBC because NBC is using local reporters and CNN is using national; the local reporters are talking about topics that would more likely affect the local county rather than the country.
Overall, I think CNN did a much better job of presenting the information to the public. I think their graphics were more easily read and positioned better. I also think that the live footage was more national rather than local. The actual content that the CNN reporters reported was also more appealing to me because it was on a national level rather than local.
