Perhaps the most surprising thing about the graphics to be found on the internet, and particularly on the online media, is the lack of them. The only graphics to be found with any abundance are photographs, and hence it is on these that I will concentrate my attention.

CNN Interactive has the most extensive network of pictoral links of any of the media resources I have investigated. Almost every picture on the website can be clicked on, and the links are often two or three "deep"-- that is, the story that appears after you click on a picture often contains another clickable picture that leads to another story. This type of interactive graphic has, however, very limited utility, especially since in almost every case there is a bit of hypertext just below the picture reading "FULL STORY", and you can just as easily link to the story through that as through the picture. On the other hand, the pictures don't seem to adversely affect the download time of the webpage (CNN Interactive loads rather quickly) and at least it's a first step toward interactive graphics. We must remember that online news is a relatively new medium, and has probably not reached full technological sophistication. In other respects, CNN Interactive is a very nice resource; it provides comprehensive coverage of world and local news, as well as a plethora of other items you would expect from your local paper. CNN definitely has an edge over most of the other online sites in the technological respect, and if it maintains its lead we might soon see more elaborate graphics at this site.

--Krista Niece