ULIKELY NEWS SATIRE SITE CARVING OUT CRITICAL NICHE

December 11 2003--In response to an unexpected surge in traffic, a news satire site operated from a northeast Georgia trailer has been redesigned as a humorous news portal with a serious attitude.

While there are hundreds of news satire sites on the web, and even more news portals and discussion groups, RealStupidNews.com combines a satirical look at current events with a serious critical evaluation of the world's premiere online news outlets. Each satirical article, for example, includes links to related "real" news.

Publisher Preston Coleman holds a master's degree in journalism and a doctorate in mass media, making him a natural choice to guide Internet news junkies to the web's best news organizations.

"The joke is that this started out as a hobby humor site after I lost a job," Coleman admits, "but once we were getting several thousand impressions a day and started getting some feedback, I realized it had potential as a serious news portal."

The Top Ten US Newspapers, along with fifteen runners-up, were chosen based on their reputations in the industry, recognition by critics, and the quality of their websites. Geographical dispersion was taken into account, but circulation and revenue were not.

The nation's top political publications, judged on editorial integrity, political influence, and website quality, are also included. Eight such publications were chosen, ranging from the far left Boston Review to the far right National Review.

Rounding out the highly selective news links are ten international sites inviting readers to go "around the world in ten clicks."

Coleman hopes that readers will "use" RealStupidNews rather than simply "reading" it: "We're trying to provide a useful and enjoyable experience," he says, "not just laughs."

Dr. Preston Coleman is an author and award-winning scholar who holds advanced degrees in journalism (University of Georgia) and mass media (University of Iowa.) He has taught at the University of Georgia, the University of Iowa, and Kennesaw State University.




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