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BRADENTON, Fla., Sept. 30, 2009 -- Just follow along with me as I attempt to send a note to the author of a story on the New York Times Website. I want to contact Julie Bosman, the author of a story on their homepage about one of the winners in the race for public advocate (an elective office post I didn't even know existed).

First I click on the story and read it, and find my interest piqued by the name of Bill de Blasio, the winner of that race. Is he related to a Republican district leader I knew 33 years ago? Maybe she knows, I think, so I want to write her. How hard is that?

Not very. I simply click on her hyperlinked name beneath the headline, and up comes a link to click on if you want to email her. Then you get an email form that asks only your name and email address. You fill in those and write your message, and there's an optional box for entering the URL of the story. Away it goes. I find the Times staffers and most newspaper people respond within a day or so. Update: Julie Bosman responded before 9 A.M. the next morning).

Now let's go to CNN. Let's pick the story on yesterday's huge 8.0 earthquake in American Samoa.

In very light blue type so faded and so small I can't read it, there is brief note at the end of the CNN-originated story that says "CNN's Augie Martin, Mariano Castillo, Tess Eastment and Nick Valencia contributed to this report." You can't click on any of the names, so I'll look for another way to contact Augie Martin and ask where survivors are being treated, something the story left out.

At the standard 100% Zoom level that's a new feature of IE8.0, much of CCN's type remains tiny, and CNN's story page - unlike the homepage - doesn't offer a site search option. There are at least 26 links at the top, but none involve contacting reporters. There are 23 more links at the bottom to CNN sites ranging from the Home, Tools & Widgets to Podcasts and a site map. These are in the small 6pt type CNN Web designers prefer. Beneath those is a Google search dialogue box, and then, where the long white part of the page ends, is more light blue type against a slightly darker blue background. Below that, finally, beside Terms of Service and About Us, there it is: "Contact Us."

Oh, what a nightmare! The link brings up "seven different main links and 26 small ones to choose from - News Tips, CNN TV, HeadlineNews, CNN International, Other Networks (?), CNN.com and CNN.com Products. Since I saw the item on their Website, I'll try CNN.com.

"Staffed 24 hours, seven days a week in CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, CNN.com relies heavily on CNN's global newsgathering team of almost 4,000 professionals. And we want to hear what you think. If you have a comment, suggestion or have spotted a mistake, please select one of the links on this page," the note at the top of the CONTACT US/CNN.COM site says. Just below that is a helpful link: "Do you have a specific question about something you read on CNN.com?" Let's click on that.

"Please DON'T submit comments, suggestions or story ideas to this form," the mail form says. "Links to suggestions and comment mailboxes are listed at the top of the page."

Since I don’t have a comment, suggestion or story idea, I would go to the form - except that there's no way to contact Augie Martin unless you want the whole newsroom to see your note, which I don't. The form is fairly simple, asking your name, email address and phone number (blessedly optional), the subject of your question, and then asks, "What is your question? (Please be as specific and detailed as possible.)” Below that, you're prompted for "Web address of the question." I guess they meant to say "of the story that prompted your question."

Below that, though, is a helpful search dialogue that lets you search for Augie Martin on CNN.com: I type in his name. There are a couple of "sponsored links" about someone named Martin Augustine, and then two CBB stories that presumably will carry Augie's byline. But the first of those is a remembrance of people who died in 2005 written by someone named Bruce Morton (which is like "Martin,” I suppose), and the second is a long Oct. 2003 CNN story about the Scott Peterson murder case. Down at the end of that, in readable type this time, is a note: "CNN correspondent Rusty Dormin and producers Augie Martin and Huck Afferbach contributed to this report." It's a dead end. Click back to the search results and there are Web results for the nation's first black airline pilot, also named "Augie" Martin, a book at Amazon.com on "How to Become a Millionaire in 5 Easy Lessons," and yes, the brief note from the end of the earthquake story. "View 47,800 results," the bottom of the page says. I'll pass.

Well, click back to the CONTACT US/CNN.COM page. "Give Us Your Feedback," says the first section. "Do you want to advertise on CNN.com?" ; "Send general comments." ; "Tell us what you think of the evolution of CNN.com" - from prehistoric times?, and Send us your ideas for CNN.com projects." Get a life. Nothing there.

Then comes "Submit Web Site Errors," tediously broken down into Editorial, Grammar, Audio, Technical and CNN.com Products. And now I could get my question answered, but not by Augie Martin, because after the word Editorial, the line says, "Wrong information, information left out," such as where hospitalized survivors are. They'd might ask my question of Augie or any of his colleagues, but I wanted to send him a personal note. That's not an option, yet.

I move on to "Comment By Section," and here we're offered a button CNN.com Home Page, World, U.S., Weather, Business at CNN Money, Sports at SI.com, Politics, Law, Technology, Science & Space, Health, Entertainment, Travel, Living, Special Reports, CNN Student News - with four subheads, including General Comments, About Today's Show, ShoutOut Requests ("Hey, Augie!"), Technical Questions, CNN.com Products and QuickVote. No contacts.