The good fellas at JibJab have turned their satirical focus from politics to the news business and, as usual, it's a hoot. Even if, like me, your industry is part of the joke. (Actually, the focus here is TV news, but we are not immune from its barbs.)

Check it out.

Do you read more of a news story if it’s on a web site or on a printed page?

That was just one of the questions a new study attempts to answer about reader behavior. The Eyetrack07 study, sponsored by the Poynter Institute, tested 600 print and online readers in four U.S. cities with special equipment that tracks their eyes and determines exactly what they are reading. These studies began in 1991 to help newspaper designers learn what types of headlines, graphics and layouts draw more eyeballs and have been expanded to include web site design. (See the Eyetrack07 video here.)

The full report isn’t out yet, but one of the findings that is surprising is that people read more of a news story online than they do in print. This goes against conventional wisdom supported by other studies that found people read words on a computer screen 25% slower than on a printed page.

So why would they read more of a news story online? “Maybe it’s the lack of competition on the page,” suggested one of my colleagues. After all, once you scroll past the upper part of a news story on a web page, there’s usually nothing but story text. In the newspaper, there are always other stories, photos and advertisements competing for your attention.

Our recent experiment with A Case of Identity certainly supported this finding.

We were treated to some interesting data in a Newsroom staff meeting yesterday (yes, I know I'm sick if I use "treat" and "data" in the same sentence.)

The News Tribune subscribed to the latest Scarborough research and our research specialist Gary Pederson sliced and diced the data for a presentation to several groups within the company.

Among the data I found most interesting were the responses to questions about web site usage among Pierce County residents. Below is a list of the top online sites visited by the 745 residents who responded – and who had accessed the Internet in the past 30 days.

The News Tribune’s site is ranked No. 1 for news in Pierce County (hopefully that doesn’t surprise you) but news and local advertising lag far behind search, maps, portal and auction sites.

=> Read more!

NPR had an interesting story about South Sound churches trying their hand at sex education. It features several different angles on the abstinence vs. education argument and is worth a listen.

UPS student Joseph La Sac, who created a stir last week with his video run-in with Tacoma Police, submitted some raw footage to us of the protests early Saturday morning that resulted in three arrests. It's pretty good stuff.

Two of my favorite things online are open source projects and hyperlocal communities. You can get your fill of both at FeedTacoma, which recently launched several new features.

A calendar and forums were logical additions to the site, which creator Kevin Freitas officially launched in August 2006. But an unexpectedly cool addition is the Tacomic, a new weekly editorial cartoon focusing on Tacoma.

I asked Freitas via email how the site has developed.

I've created the ‘tech’ that runs FeedTacoma but the contributors run the show. It's a very ‘open source’ idea -- many contributors doing a little here and there make for a great resource for people who live and/or love Tacoma.

I'd also add that we're encouraging the voice of the community and providing an open avenue to conversation from the personal, neighborhood, and city-wide level.

Good stuff, and further evidence of a thriving local online community.

A blogger from PBS picked up on a new twist for newspapers that the TNT is playing a part in: using computer programming in the newsroom.

We hired a computer programmer from UWT, Aaron Ritchey, as an intern during the summer, then liked what we saw and made him permanent in January. He’s allowed us to produce a number of cool projects, like the Free Wifi Map and the Hiking Guide, and done a ton of work behind the scenes to increase the overall efficiency of our operation.

His post, which asks whether other newspapers will follow suit, is here. A blogger who weighs in with his support is here.

Yikes, it’s March 7 already and I haven’t put together the top 10 list from February. Sorry for the delay. I know you’ve been breathlessly awaiting these statistics.

1. Seahawks intent to shop Jackson
2. Man pointed cordless drill at police before being fatally shot

3. A case of identity, part 1
4. Hokey Pokey or ‘hanky panky’?
5. Tacoma principal charged in rape

6. Sonics talking trade but actual deals not likely
7. A case of identity, part 2
8. Hasselbeck key to ’07 Hawks
9. Mistrial declared in Watada court martial

10. Officers shoot, kill man after responding to domestic violence call

The News Tribune became part of an industry story yesterday when the Boston Globe suspended veteran sports reporter Ron Borges for two months without pay for copying material provided by Mike Sando. It has generated lots of internal discussion, but really does not affect our operation.

“It's unfortunate that this happened, but from our point of view there's no anger or dismay,” said TNT Deputy Managing Editor Dale Phelps, who conducted several interviews yesterday, in one conversation with a Globe reporter. “You have to take care of your house, and we have to take care of ours."

Here is some additional coverage of the incident:

• Editor and Publisher: "Plagiarism Allegation Hits 'Boston Globe' Football Writer".
• MyFoxBoson: Throwing stones from glass houses
• Deadspin: "Ron Borges' Cut-And-Paste Job".
• The Phoenix: "Ron Borges' sticky fingers".
• Media Nation blog: "Ron Borges and that disclaimer".
• Coldhardfootballfacts.com: "Borges lifts article from Tacoma News Tribune".
• BostonSportsMedia.com: "Borges Feeling The Heat".
• Boston Herald: "Another Globe scribe's column called into question".