http://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiakoerner/a-civil-rights-leader-has-disguised-herself-as-black-for-yea#.ohxoNxb3y
At first, I just skimmed over it. Then I realized how big the story was, saw Claudia's own comment on FB, so I went back to read the whole story.
What I find most interesting about this story is that while Dolezal's ethnicity has apparently been in question for years, it was her own parents who were the primary sources on this story.
If we were still in school, this story would undoubtedly provide for a great discussion. What motive might the parents have had to reveal their daughter's ethnicity? Does/should ethnicity matter as leader of a cultural organization? Or is it simply that she lied?
Furthermore (and full disclosure here: I'm not a regular Buzzfeed reader), what to make of Buzzfeed's site? It's a little like Storify in that it gathers social media posts (Vines, tweets, Facebook posts, screenshots, etc.) to further the story. It's busy, to say the least. Does it work? Does it distract the reader?
Kris Urban
Corona del Sol High School
Tempe, Ariz.
I still don't know what to make of Buzzfeed. A former student of mine works there, and she's done some meaty news, including coverage from Newtown, Connecticut. They've certainly shown how to write headlines that get social media traction: He started offering a comment on a Hot Topics post – and then something amazing happened.
ReplyDeleteSteve Elliott
Arizona State University
Phoenix
At the end of the day, I enjoy Buzzfeed for entertainment purposes. Much of what they do makes me laugh, and I appreciate that. However, if I do read something that is more than human interest, I will investigate a little further on other news sites. Sometimes I feel that it is just not clear enough, or doesn't cover as many angles as it should, etc. And yes, they usually get me with their click-bait headlines.
ReplyDeleteAmanda Wimmer
New Braunfels High School
New Braunfels, TX
When comparing a site like Buzzfeed to traditional print media, I would put it in the same category as People or US Weekly as all of these sources seem to have a greater commitment to readership and traffic rather than researched news. However, I do see value in all of these sources as indicators of different parts of the cultural conversation. I find Buzzfeed’s aggregate coverage of a topic an interesting look at both the origins of news topics and a way to see how the same topics can be trending in different parts of the country at the same time.
ReplyDeleteCarver Weakley
Cosby High School
Midlothian, Virginia
Everything about the Rachel Dolezal story is fascinating to me, and I agree, Kris, that it would be a perfect story to use in discussion with my students. There is so much to talk about with identity.
ReplyDeleteI also use Buzzfeed for entertainment purposes, mostly. I don't go directly to their site, but normally read from Buzzfeed when I find links to it.
Emily Sell
Bingham High School
South Jordan, Utah