[2] Channel 4 News

By clicking on the News section on the homepage browser, you are directed to the Channel 4 News Page. It replaces the newspapers and the television show as it provides the same information but with more ease.

The top story is centralised on the page and has a bigger picture than anything else on the page. This is then followed by 3 other news stories, with pictures and simple descriptions. For all of these stories, there is a chance to ‘watch the report’, in which a video screen appears and you see the reporter, making it a interactive event as the audience is choosing what they want to watch and when. This makes the experience of watching the news personal and non-linear. At the top of the page, there is a banner with rolling news, for convenience for the audience to instantly see the current news. If the mouse is then moved on top of the banner, the news pauses and gives the audience a chance to click on the headline and further read into the story.

On the left hand side of the page, the news is categorised into UK, World, Society, Politics, Business and Money, Arts and Entertainment, Sport, Science and Technology and Weather. Under the ‘top stories’ we are able to see the top stories in each of these categories, some of which are links to videos. This allows the audience to easily concentrate on the areas in which they are interested in. There is a regional page for weather in the form of a map. It allows you to check the weather for your area and across the world.

The right hand side of the page shows a section ‘from the editor’ displaying the videos, blogs, and interactive features. Channel 4 also gives the opportunity for viewers to catch up with the last seven days news, in case you have ‘missed the show’.

A News podcast from channel 4 radio is available allowing audiences to listen rather than watch or read the news, at there own convenience and timing, rather than having to wait for the news show.

In the ‘comment’ section, there is a chance to get to know the presenters, reporters and correspondents giving the audience the chance to read biographies and comment on their individual blogs. There are ‘newsroom blogs’ in which you can read up about the behind the scenes. There is also a forum in which viewers can share opinions on stories. This gives the viewers a more personal insight and be more interactive in the way the news is discussed and who by.

You can also subscribe to the channel 4 website and get the news emailed to you on a daily basis.