Pulled Quotes

I have read many stories in USA Today that have included unnecessary info-graphs and sidebars. Many times, such additions provide redundant information in a slightly different form than it appeared in the story with the sole purpose of filling up space. Such stories would be better served by cutting out the charts, graphs and bullet lists and finding a more useful purpose for the extra space.

In the recent article “Knowing rights if flight’s canceled may get you a seat” I found just the opposite to be true. The article highlights the importance of knowing your air travel rights in a time when wide-spread cancellations are becoming more frequent. An anecdotal lead starts the story out, followed by a paragraph highlighting a rise in airline cancellations that has left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded in recent weeks. The story then introduces Rule 240, a “secret weapon” that supposedly offers fliers a remedy when faced with long delays and grounded flights. Details follow in the next paragraphs which explain where the rule originated, how to use the rule and other useful information for travelers. After that point in the story I stopped reading the actual article because of the large info-graph smack-dab in the middle of the page. The graphic lists all of the major airlines with a breakdown of how to use Rule 240 and what consumers can expect when using the rule with each different company. Basically, the box provides the most important, most relevant information travelers could want from the article without them having to read the entire thing. In this case, the sidebar overshadows the written article to a fault, distracting readers like me from even finishing the story.