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Posted by Leo RomeroReview
The tone of the quiz is inconsistent. Some questions feature serious facts as part of the multiple-choice answers, and others feature joke answers which almost seem to make fun of McCain (see #4, 5, 13, 15). The joke answers seem straight off the front page of satire/humor site "The Onion", while the serious answers could be from any mainstream-media source. There is no sourcing whatsoever, though at the end of each question, there is a link to "Read the full story." Media outlets really need to get their tone right, or risk losing integrity and readership. This quiz makes me think less of the Chicago Tribune because it seems not to have been done well, and/or wasn't edited for proper consistent tone. Quizzes like this are supposed to inform and/or entertain; doing both is tricky, and this one did neither for me.
If a news outlet is running a quiz on a candidate or on any hot-button issue, it needs to be absolutely clear if it’s humorous or serious. The Chicago Tribune should redo this quiz in a serious format; it would fit better with its other presidential coverage. If they’re going to take a risk and go completely out on a limb and do something humorous and wacky, they need to go all out so people know it’s comedy or satire.