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Charles Apple: The Visual Side of Journalism

 

‘Obtrusive advertising’ archive

Number of comments in parentheses

May 16: You gotta wonder, sometimes, about Google ads

At one point Wednesday, I clicked on a link to a story at the Chicago Tribune about the unfolding IRS scandal. What I found fascinating were the ads the Tribune added to my news. First is that Amazon ad across the top. I had been searching for “Harry Truman” earlier in the day. Google knows that and stripped an ad [...]

April 2: Why I don’t mind the spadea wrapped around Monday’s NYT

Yes, that was a spadea wrapped around the front of Monday’s New York Times. This is new for New York Times readers. And one sent me that picture today. Note how the front page portion of the spadea actually has news on it. Meaning that when the spadea is in place, the reader doesn’t really notice. The pull-away spadea wrap [...]

Feb. 12: What lousy timing for such an obtrusive ad (4)

The folks at the Los Angeles Times had huge news to report this afternoon: Christopher Dorner — that cop-killing, ex-cop fugitive who’s been on the loose for the better part of a week, now, is smack in the middle of a shootout with police in Big Bear, Calif. (In fact, the standoff is still in progress as I write this [...]

Nov. 14, 2012: Not a great magazine advertising juxtaposition (2)

Nope. Not great at all. Evidently, this appeared in the October issue of Cosmopolitan. It was tweeted earlier today by benjimmin of Manchester, U.K. and then retweeted about a zillion times. Benjimmin tweets: For the record, I found the magazine picture elsewhere on t’internet. Don’t want people to think a) I deserve credit or b) I read Cosmo. Find more fun [...]

Sept. 16, 2012: An unusual poster front featuring President Obama (2)

The Courier-Post of Camden, N.J. — circulation 46,547 — cleared off page one today to make room for this unusual poster-front treatment featuring President Barack Obama. Oh, wait. Actually, that’s an ad. Sometimes, I suppose, a chair is just a chair… The front page image is from the Newseum. Of course.

April 23, 2012: Why I hate sticker ads (5)

I dislike running two odd juxtaposition items back-to-back. Or three over two days. But this one — from yesterday’s edition of the Times-Telegraph of Tyler, Texas — is already going viral on Facebook. The story, obviously, is about alcohol sales and is entitled “Liquid Assets.” But the second half of the second word is hidden by that sticker ad. The [...]

Feb. 1, 2012: Does this page one campaign ad bother you? (8)

There was an interesting campaign ad in yesterday’s Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The ad is for the reelection of Fort Lauderdale Mayor John P. Seiler. As you can see, it references the endorsement the Sun Sentinel gave him in Friday’s paper. Click for a larger view. The problem I have with this: It ran on page one. On [...]

Jan. 31, 2012: Truly horrible juxtaposition today on the Gainesville (Fla.) Sun web site (2)

Surely you remember that horrific crash on Interstate 75 in Florida this weekend. Yesterday, we looked at page-one coverage of the accident — which claimed 10 lives and injured 20 more. Toronto Globe & Mail financial columnist David Milstead today directed my attention to ongoing coverage on the home page of the 29,024-circulation Gainesville (Fla.) Sun. A number of angles [...]

Jan. 17, 2012: Yet another amusing cruise ship juxtaposition (4)

Ingrid Muller — formerly of the Hartford Courant and the Denver Post and now a freelance designer and marking consultant in Denver — posts on Facebook today: News design lesson no. 1,327: Every once in a while, it’s good to step back from your page and see how everything works together. Sure, that is a dream holiday. If you’re Aquaman. [...]

Jan. 16, 2012: Let’s buy the Queen a boat… BUT NOT THAT ONE (1)

There’s a very odd — but amusing — juxtaposition today on the front of the U.K.’s Guardian. Today’s lead headline was about a government minister who suggests the country buy the Queen a new royal yacht for her golden jubilee anniversary. However, today’s lead art is about the cruise ship that sank this weekend off the coast of Italy. Sure, [...]

Jan. 14, 2012: An amusing online ad juxtapositon

From the Virginian-Pilot web site… On the left and middle is a story about that cruise liner that ran aground in Italy Friday, killing at least three. On the lower left and lower right are ads for… yep. Cruise liners. Thanks to the person — who I shall not name — who posted this on Facebook today. — UPDATE – [...]

Dec. 19, 2011: Today’s horrifying advertising juxtaposition (2)

This horrifying advertising juxtaposition comes to us from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. These two full-page ads ran on facing pages today. On the left is an advertisement from Backstoppers, which is an organization that helps families of officers killed in the line of duty. On the right? A sporting goods store is peddling handguns. Thanks to St. Louis TV station [...]

Dec. 3, 2011: Obtrusive ad alert… sort of

Check out this ad for Ford Motor Company on a news site called Masthead. Isn’t that horrible? But not so surprising, given current trends. And good luck finding the button to make it go away so you can read the freakin’ articles. But then check this news report about the ad: “They should be ashamed of themselves for letting us [...]

Nov. 19, 2011: A stab at the Occupy movement? Or business as usual?

A fellow visual journalist writes this morning: Hey Charles, A friend of mine just posted this (attached) photo on Facebook along with the following comment: Wait! ~ Was this really the cover of the Chicago Tribune? We’re marching the streets, in part to raise awareness of this banks crimes and here they are buying the press and the people’s attention [...]

Nov. 15, 2011: One of the most obtrusive ads yet… and it’s from the New York Times (3)

While I was out running errands today, I received a note from a former colleague: Shoot me now. This is just …. well, I can’t wait to hear your take on it. Go to nytimes.com and wait for the ad to overtake the page. Let me know what you think. Naturally, I zipped over to the Times‘ web site immediately. [...]

Oct. 25, 2011: When a sticker ad creates an awkward — but hilarious — juxtaposition

Submitted for your approval: Last Wednesday’s Daily Iowan, the student paper at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. That’s a PDF of page one. Meaning that’s the way the editorial staff intended you to see page one that day. However, the advertising folks had other plans. They sold one of those sticky-note ads for the top of page one. [...]

Oct. 6, 2011: Is it possible the S.F. Chronicle is the last paper in the U.S. with any sense?

A few minutes ago, I found myself laughing over this Steve Jobs headline in the satirical newspaper the Onion: Yeah, that sounds about right. Well, make it two American companies that possibly know what the fuck they are doing. Because I received an email this afternoon that knocked my socks off. Frank Mina — assistant managing editor for presentation at [...]

Sept. 16, 2011: Financial advice from the Virginian-Pilot (1)

Forget the stock market. Instead, put your money into dirt and debris. Today, in fact, is the time to buy dirt and debris, according to this morning’s Virginian-Pilot. I hate to keep picking on these guys. But damn. They’re making it so easy with stuff like this. I’ve picked on these obtrusive ads in the Pilot here and here. And [...]

Sept. 3, 2011: Invasion of the big, page-one-news-hiding Spadea, part three (1)

Twice over the past month, I’ve shown you Spadeas in the Virginian-Pilot that covered up big page-one news that potentially could have sold a bunch of papers that day.   On the left is the edition that was delivered to my home on Sunday, Aug. 7. The Spadea and sticker hides the story about the Navy Seals — based right [...]

Sept. 2, 2011: How NOT to sell today’s Virginian-Pilot. Yet again.

A few weeks ago, I showed you a Sunday front page of the Virginian-Pilot. It was a huge news day. A helicopter carrying Navy Seals — Seals based right her at Dam Neck in Virginia Beach — was shot down with multiple fatalities. The Pilot responded in a big way with a wonderful front page (left).   However, no one [...]

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