Virginian-Pilot not online?
The Virginian-Pilot has always had a very good Web site and has produced some strong packages, but the site, Pilot Online, seemed to be MIA Tuesday night -- especially odd since the site bills itself as "The breaking news service from Hampton Roads' best newspaper."
More than half an hour after the polls closed in Virginia, the site still led with: “It's Virginia's day to vote: Virginians go to the polls today for a Democratic presidential primary, making choices that could be pivotal for the party’s national ticket.”
All the major networks and AP called the race at 7 p.m. ET, and according to the time stamp on the cover, the site had been updated at 7:38 p.m. – but the news was nowhere to be found.... unless you scrolled down the page to the box of headlines from AP under "U.S./World headlines." (The cover finally updated with the story as the lead at 7:48 p.m.)
Meanwhile, the much smaller Hampton Roads Daily Press got the news up much quicker.
A major newspaper should be able to file its own story to the Web about the presidential primary...but if staff resources make that impossible, at the very least the site should be able to elevate the wire story to the lead spot on the page when polls close.
Feb 10, 2004 | E-MAIL | SAVE | PRINT
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2 comments about 'Virginian-Pilot not online?'Thanks for showing interest in PilotOnline.com. Breaking news continues to be a great focus for us, but we're also committed to getting the story right. Our news producers thought it was odd that AP called the race BEFORE 7 p.m., and even until almost 7:30 p.m. a county-by-county results feed was showing Kerry as winner while also showing 0 votes from 0 precincts reporting. Stories didn't specify that the race was being called based on exit polls, and it took a little time to confirm that.
As we strive to serve in a breaking-news environment, we rely on the AP a great deal, and they do a great job. All journalists, staff or wire, face increased possibility of error on deadline, so we also rely on local staff to think before posting stories at the top of the page.
- Chris Kouba, Online Content Manager
Posted by Chris Kouba at February 16, 2004 8:51 AM
Has anyone noticed that there will be a greater potential for midair collisions once the additional squadrons (from Jacksonville and other locations) move onto the Naval Base in Norfolk. There are several instances of midair collisions that have been reported but are not released to the public. The reports cite that the possibility of these midairs will increase and will probably come to fruition. Most likely over urban populated areas. BRAC may currently be unaware of the situation.
Posted by withheld at January 29, 2008 11:49 PM
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