Media Critique- Dog Ziggity: New Jersey's Own Hot Dogs

When you go to NYTimes.com, you probably don't expect to find a two page article regarding hot dogs in New Jersey. About a reporter driving through New Jersey for a day, stopping at twelve major hot dog restaurants. The first Yardstick of Journalism is Newsworthiness. Ballpark food around New Jersey and how they're all different does not qualify as "newsworthy."Considering that New York Times is probably the most well known newspaper in America, it's strange that they would have an article about a topic like this. They have articles involving things like shootings around the New York Region, then they have this. For something to be newsworthy, it has to have a lasting effect on a lot of people. Really, this doesn't have even a small effect on anybody. The owners of the hot dog joints most likely thought it was amazing to be mentioned in a story on NYTimes.com, but the chances are they didn't gain much business out of it. Now don't get me wrong, this is a good article. But it's a good article on a not-so-good topic. They went so out of their way to write the best article possible, and they succeeded in writing a quality story. In fact, they made the article easy to read and interesting. In the story it says, "The trip by rental car covered 270 miles, 12 hours and 12 hot-dog emporiums..." Hopefully Robert Seitsema LOVES hot dogs, because that's quite a lot of traveling to do for a food that you can make in less than five minutes at home. I think the only thing helpful in this is some good things to try on a frank next time you have one. There's nothing really that could improve this piece, because the article isn't the problem. The best way to improve it would probably be not to write it.