McCain and his aides may not want to say hallelujah just yet. While Palin is inspiring rhapsodies from the lions of the Christian right, her appeal to more moderate and younger Evangelicals -- as well as independent swing voters -- may be limited. Full Story »
Posted by Derek Hawkins
This article is clearly written and reads well, and, based on what I've read from other news outlets, is largely accurate in its assessment of McCain's attempt to court Evangelical Christian voters. However, its main problem is that it is not well sourced, and the only sources it provides links to within the piece are to other TIME magazine articles [Clarification added Sept. 8, 2008: There are 9 hotlinks in this online article, and all of them link to other TIME magazine articles. The reporter does cite a few other sources, but having outbound links to sources other than just TIME would have bolstered the accuracy of this piece.] This makes it look like TIME is providing these links only as traffic-drivers to other parts of its Web site, not as support for the veracity of the story; ultimately, this undercuts its professional journalism. Even though it is an analysis, it should still have wider sourcing than primarily its own pieces. Parts of its analysis are clear and bring up some thoughtful points, but it is lacking in some basic reporting rules. Reporters, take note: in the Internet age, where news travels faster than light speed, a poorly sourced story may be passed over in favor of a better quality piece, easily found elsewhere online.
[Added Sept. 8, 2008, in response to other reviewer’s concerns about my review] Adding outbound links to sources other than the magazine’s own articles would bolster the reporter’s well written, original piece. One of the advantages of online reporting is that a reporter can add as many outbound links to other stories and sources, and it’s an easy way to give readers additional information and to also show that the reporter has done his or her homework in researching the piece.