Micro Persuasion: All Blog Media Diet

Monday, June 07, 2004

All Blog Media Diet - The Results

Steve Outing at the Poynter Institute has posted his analysis of my all-blog media diet experiment last week. (Also, note an interesting Q&A with Steve that's posted here.)

Here are my answers to Steve's quiz, which I sent him Sunday once the experiment concluded.

NEWS questions:
1. Suspected terrorist Jose Padilla this week was accused of plotting what?
Steve R: To blow up apartment buildings and hotels.
Steve O: Correct

2. Why did George Tenet resign from the CIA this week?
Steve R: For personal reasons, but some speculate it's because some reports are coming out soon that don't portray the CIA in the most positive light.
Steve O: Correct

3. Why did President Bush hire a criminal lawyer this week?
Steve R: To see counsel in the CIA operative "leak.". It's rumored Bush knew of the leak.
Steve O: Correct

4. What world leader did President Bush meet with Friday? And what message did he hear?
Steve R.: Chirac, but I am unsure what was said.
Steve O: Actually, I was thinking of the Pope, who chastised him on Iraq policy and especially the Abu Ghraib abuses. But he did meet Chirac on Saturday, so you get partial credit for that.

5. George Bush had an umbrella incident this week. What was that all about?
Steve R: As he left his helicopter at AFB, he had difficulty opening it.
Steve O: Correct.

6. Something happened to one of Seattle's famed monorail trains on
Monday. What?
Steve R: No idea.
Steve O: It caught fire.

7. An unusual zoo has opened in Bozeman, Montana. What kind of animals does it house?
Steve R: No idea.
Steve O: Grizzly bears.

BUSINESS questions:
1. What happened to oil prices this week? Did they go up or down?
Steve R: OPEC is increasing output so they went down
Steve O: Correct (mostly). Earlier in the week prices went up because of the attacks on Saudi oil interests.

2. What's happening with Sony's Clie line of personal digital assistants?
Steve R: SONY pulled the plug on the line in the US and Europe, but will keep it going in Japan.
Steve O: Correct. The move had pundits suggesting that the days of the PDA are numbered.

3. Another damning Enron revelation was reported this week. What was it?
Steve R: A video tape of Enron employees during the California rolling blackouts included some quotes about them "stealing money from grandmas"
Steve O: Correct

4. U.S. employment figures were released Friday. What did they show?
Steve R:: 248,000 jobs added
Steve O: Correct

5. John Kerry announced a plan to help employees who pay for health insurance. What is the main component of his plan?
Steve R: No Clue
Steve O: The federal government would reimburse employers 75 percent of medical bills over $50,000 that a worker runs up in a year -- in an effort to alleviate double-digit insurance spikes caused by the relatively few catastrophic-cost cases within a company's health plan.

ENTERTAINMENT questions:
1. The star of Harry Potter, Daniel Ratcliffe, made a startling prediction. What was it?
Steve R: No clue
Steve O: He thinks that ultimately his character, Harry Potter, will die to conclude J.K. Rowlings series of book.

2. A famous rock star revealed this week that he had tried heroin and used cocaine. Who is it?
Steve R: No clue
Steve O: Paul McCartney

3. The estranged husband of what actress is seeking spousal support from her?
Steve R: Halle Berry
Steve O: Correct

4. Hot teenage actress Lindsey Lohan suffered some personal tragedy this week. What happened?
Steve R: Her Dad was arrested
Steve O: Correct

5. The band Creed was in the news this week. Why?
Steve R: They broke up
Steve O: Correct

SPORTS questions:
1. Who won the Indianapolis 500 on Monday?
Steve R: Rice, but I was unable to get his first name.
Steve O: Partial credit

2. How did the Williams sisters do at the French Open?
Steve R: No idea.
Steve O: Surprisingly, they were both ousted in the quarterfinals.

3. Who ultimately won the French Open tennis tournament?
Steve R: Is this a trick question? I believe it did not end yet. I know Capriatti lost.
Steve O: Me bad. I shoulda specified the women's finals. Russian Anastasia Myskina beat countrywoman Elena Dementieva in a 6-1, 6-2 rout.

4. What happened to Kurt Warner on Thursday?
Steve R: Dumped by the Rams, signed by the Giants.
Steve O: Correct

5. What happened to the main Olympic stadium in Athens this week?
Steve R: They had to replace all the seats.
Steve O: Hmmm. I can't find anything about that. My answer was that they finally completed the main glass and steel roof of the stadium.

Posted at 04:38 PM in All-Blog Media Diet Experiment | Permalink

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Listed below are links to weblogs that reference All Blog Media Diet - The Results:

» "Weblogs turned me stupid" from roblog
(Via Mateoland) Steve Outing reports that blogger and PR person Steve Rubel conducted an experiment to ascertain whether one can learn about the news solely from weblogs and by ignoring traditional mass media. The experiment failed. As tested by Outing... [Read More]

» "Weblogs ate my brain" from roblog
(Via Mateoland) Steve Outing reports that blogger and PR person Steve Rubel conducted an experiment to ascertain whether one can learn about the news solely from weblogs and by ignoring traditional mass media. The experiment failed. As tested by Outing... [Read More]

» RESULTS OF THE BLOG-ONLY NEWS DIET from The Critical 'I'
You may recall the blog-only news intake experiment that Steve Rubel at Micro Persuasion undertook last week, and my contention that the main component of it--the avoidance of click-throughs to linked news media links--ran counter to the spirit of th... [Read More]

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