Daily Deacon

South Carolina Coverage Review // Katie Dickens

The first article posted on Sakai about the South Carolina primaries from the Post and Courier included background research and brand new information. The lede, the nut graph and accompanying paragraphs were new information about the turnout, then were followed by background. It included specific demographic information about the votes cast (i.e. evangelicals), the number of votes cast, as well as who came in what place after Trump. It also included strong, summary quotes from his winning speech. The rest of the article was comprised of background information about the recent primaries and their results, as well as what was in store for the future.

The second article, which discussed Hillary’s win in South Carolina, also was comprised of a majority of background information, but focused primarily on the demographic makeup of the voters by emphasizing that she won the black vote. It also broke down the votes by county. It also included quotes from the Democratic National Committee Chairwoman and from a Winthrop University professor who had been interviewed beforehand. The second article about Hillary reiterated the same information, but focused on the event from a historical perspective, including information on Hillary’s past in South Carolina and her husband’s past as well. It also included powerful quotes from a civilian who supported Hillary.

All articles included strong, emotional images at the beginning in order to engage the reader. I think the most effective background information was the historical perspective, as well as expectations from experts. The most interesting new information was the demographic data as well as the reactionary quotes- both of which I think would be very interesting to include in our election day coverage.