A Wasted Web Opportunity

The Los Angeles Times blew it, in my view, on January 4 when it posted a feature story about Body Art Expo, an event that drew 22,000 people to the merchandise and services offered by 147 tattoo artists and body piercers. Tim Conrad, a 29-year-old carpenter from Chino, California, was interviewed by Times reporter James Ricci while getting an 8-inch Celtic cross tattooed to his right calf. The newspaper faithfully regurgitated its text to the web, but one crucial element was missing: art. Not only could this story have benefited from a picture, it was the perfect topic for a slide show. Other ideal web extras? How about a sidebar on the history of tattooing, a graphic showing how tattoo artists “deposit ink in the dermis,” or a recording of audio commentary from someone getting their first tattoo.