ABSTRACT
Compared to traditional media, the Web allows journalists greater flexibility in constructing sophisticated stories, stories that can be consumed in different ways by unique subsets of readers. Hypertext is allowing for stories that are less linear and more segmented than was possible before. As a result, news stories on the Web are more heavily linked every year (Tremayne, 2004b). The unique features of the Web were identified a decade ago as potential difference-makers in stimulating public dialogue of important issues (Rheingold, 1994; Rosen, 1995). Web news editors influence the flow of user traffic on the broader Web by providing links to certain sites and avoiding others. And site managers encourage particular patterns of use within their sites. News Web sites such as The Dallas Morning News and the Chicago Sun-Times and even, at one point, National Public Radio, have posted policies on their sites prohibiting so-called “deep linking” to news stories. They want Web traffic to pass through the homepage where the expensive advertising is displayed.
