Quite well, actually. Like its cable TV counterpart, the Web version of CNN is strong on recent updates and capsule summaries. It's easy for visitors to the site to assemble a quick overview of what's happening across several news categories. There are major areas devoted to ongoing coverage of the expected "big stories," i.e., the O.J. Simpson trial and the Oklahoma City bombing (the Simpson section even has animations depicting various aspects of the crime). And unlike some of the older news sites on the Web, new stories are provided throughout the day.

CNN Interactive makes decent use of Web links and multimedia to amplify its news coverage, although there is one area where current multimedia technology is misused and another area where it is not used at all. The first of these is CNN's inappropriate use of QuickTime—QuickTime is great computer technology, but it makes little sense to spend a lot of time downloading a large video file to view a 30-second clip when the same coverage can be seen more easily and with far better quality on television. More serious, perhaps, is CNN's failure to incorporate RealAudio-formatted news. Although the Web can't yet compete with TV in the delivery of filmed news coverage, it can and does compete with radio's audio-only delivery. CNN offers downloadable sound clips, but the absence of real-time audio is conspicuous.

The above criticisms notwithstanding, the new site does have quite a bit to offer, including—importantly—CNN's unbiased coverage. (Treatment of Time Warner's pending acquisition of parent company Turner Broadcasting is notably evenhanded.) We think it's safe to assume, given the resources behind it, that CNN Interactive will only get better.

(Reviewed September 4, 1995)