Toronto newsies enjoy clearer, more readable media

I haven't talked much about the mainstream media, and indeed my blog aims to examine what goes on mostly outsideof it. But as a clear language and literacy advocate, I'm sort of excited about what's been going on there lately.

In the last six months, both CanWest Global's TV news and the Toronto Star have launched ad campaigns focusing on how they're making the complex more simple for us.

The Global TV News has been tagging "News. Understood." to its commercials for months, complete with the earnest faces of its anchors as proof. This didn't surprise me, as they've always used a very direct - almost in your face - reporting style.*See Endnote 1*

I was more struck though when I saw that the Toronto Star is now making much on radio ads of its new, more readable, visual layout. It kind of takes me back, as when I have done readability assessments of clients' materials in past, I've often quoted the Star's reading level as an example of what Grade 8 looked like.

Back then, the Star used the more traditional, serif body and heading fonts. Now, as you can read for yourself, Your new Star's redesign improves readability," and "adds new features."

And they've done a very good job of practising what they preach, IMHO. The nice sans-serif blue typeface, the ample whitespace surrounding smiling photographic images...all good stuff for reading ease and consumer appeal.

This medium lends itself naturally to these features: many Web sites follow a "newspaper style" layout, to separate columns of info and images. Witness CNN's site, which has remained a terrific example. **See Endnote 2

The problem is, many sites try to cram too many columns in there, so things like logos and thumbnails end up looking like wads of crushed insects. CNN still only uses three columns, while some sites are up to five or six! Not surprisingly, Global's News site for Ontarians is similar: three main columns.

Interested in clear design? Have some favourite sites of your own? Lemmeknow...

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*Endnote 1
(I admit that I find their reporting tactics to be on the American-style fearmongering side. Personally, I get tired of being asked so often, so urgently "Is this the kind of school you want your child in?". Leslie Roberts' radio show on CFRB, however, is brilliantly sensitive and candid - second only to the also brilliant John Moore.)

**Endnote 2
I could have done without the double-wide, animated, hot-pink Victoria's Secret ad in the extreme right column.