Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Political Narrative

I first discovered Jack and Jill Politics.com during the often tumultuous and dramatic 2008 Democratic nominee and Presidential campaign seasons. I hawked all of the main avenues--Salon.com, CNN.com, The New Yorker, etc., but it was through The Root that I found this more homegrown, grassroots effort at chronicling the the narrative arc of the campaigns.

I was intrigued by their tagline: A Black Bourgeoisie Perspective on U.S. Politics. The site is unapologetically and unequivocally liberal (I'm not) and staunchly pro-Obama (which I was and am). It wasn't just the simpatico in this instance that kept me returning.

The frequency of the updates (often on the hour) made the site a dynamic source of instantly-published information that kept me abreast not only of the same recycled information that could be found everywhere, but provided textured, nuanced perspectives on those prominent stories.

The site, like a piece of prose, has a distinct voice. The site is layered in that there are numerous external links. There is an overt, intentional structure in place (there are daily Open Threads) that invites interaction. I think it's a wonderful example of leveraging the Web to reach the masses.

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