Nice find, Mike. I’d never seen the “helper” links, but they’re great.
The Economist is my favorite magazine in the world at the moment (though my allegiance is sometimes with the NY’er; it it tends to be so elitist that I occasionally find it offensive, however). I currently get all my issues from my grandmother, who lives here in the DC area. They come every week, she reads ’em in about 6 hours, and then she puts ’em in a stack to give me the next time I visit.
Newley: Just read the Economist article on Myanmar and here’s what I have to say–specifically on the Economist’s “helper”…
The Economist online article offered a button entitled “Get article background.” This has got to be the best idea that a hard core news magazine has come up with. I don’t know if the Economist deserves the credit or not, but regardless, kudos to them for embracing the concept. I was able to click on the link and learn about Myanmar: who? where? what? and so what? were all explained. It was great. This button has added a whole new dimension to the Economist. Don’t get me wrong, the Economist is replete with great, in-depth reporting of news from around the world. The only problem is that to fully appreciate the journalism, you either need to be wicked smart and live in Cambridge, or obscenely proficient with current events. There’s really no such thing as a casual reader of the Economist. You either read (and understand) the Economist, or you don’t. If you try to dabble, you’ll probably find yourself, as I, not knowing the difference between Myanmar and Mallomar. (Incidentally, the article’s not about why chocolate covered marshmellows in a yellow box are being shunned by other cookies. And for that, we should all be thankful.) The background button was a big help: clicking on it revealed a compendium of the goingson in Myanmar. It could have just as easily been titled, “Why is Myanmar newsworthy?” or “Myanmar Cliff Notes” or “Don’t worry, no one’s looking.” Either way, I was a big fan. I suppose, at its core, the “helper” concept is not dissimilar from a blogger’s myriad of links, but for an established news organization to extend an intellectual hand to elevate me to Myanmar enlightment makes perfect sense. I only wish I knew about it sooner.
2 replies on “Myanmar (nee Burma)”
Nice find, Mike. I’d never seen the “helper” links, but they’re great.
The Economist is my favorite magazine in the world at the moment (though my allegiance is sometimes with the NY’er; it it tends to be so elitist that I occasionally find it offensive, however). I currently get all my issues from my grandmother, who lives here in the DC area. They come every week, she reads ’em in about 6 hours, and then she puts ’em in a stack to give me the next time I visit.
Newley: Just read the Economist article on Myanmar and here’s what I have to say–specifically on the Economist’s “helper”…
The Economist online article offered a button entitled “Get article background.” This has got to be the best idea that a hard core news magazine has come up with. I don’t know if the Economist deserves the credit or not, but regardless, kudos to them for embracing the concept. I was able to click on the link and learn about Myanmar: who? where? what? and so what? were all explained. It was great. This button has added a whole new dimension to the Economist. Don’t get me wrong, the Economist is replete with great, in-depth reporting of news from around the world. The only problem is that to fully appreciate the journalism, you either need to be wicked smart and live in Cambridge, or obscenely proficient with current events. There’s really no such thing as a casual reader of the Economist. You either read (and understand) the Economist, or you don’t. If you try to dabble, you’ll probably find yourself, as I, not knowing the difference between Myanmar and Mallomar. (Incidentally, the article’s not about why chocolate covered marshmellows in a yellow box are being shunned by other cookies. And for that, we should all be thankful.) The background button was a big help: clicking on it revealed a compendium of the goingson in Myanmar. It could have just as easily been titled, “Why is Myanmar newsworthy?” or “Myanmar Cliff Notes” or “Don’t worry, no one’s looking.” Either way, I was a big fan. I suppose, at its core, the “helper” concept is not dissimilar from a blogger’s myriad of links, but for an established news organization to extend an intellectual hand to elevate me to Myanmar enlightment makes perfect sense. I only wish I knew about it sooner.