political reporting

politics are interesting. the topic(s) come up in everyday conversation, and there is media coverage everywhere. there are entire television networks dedicated to political discussion/debates/coverage. yet i find that the most interesting (and really the only kind of coverage i watch) is satirical coverage. the daily show and the colbert report are two of the most successful shows aired on comedy central. they not only make you laugh, but inform the viewer of important topics in the world. almost all of my political coverage blogs have been from "indecision 2008" - comedy central's election coverage.
before satirical coverage of politics came into effect, in my opinion, the nation was much less informed on current political happenings. now with the help of jon stewart and stephen colbert, people from the tweens to retirees can enjoy. its a revolution of sorts in the way politics is viewed. its become so popular that stephen colbert jokingly put himself in the running as president because his viewers wanted him to, then had to pull himself out because he was actually taking the votes away from real candidates.
along with the comedy central shows there are also the daily monologues given by the slew of late-nite talk show hosts. jay lenno, david letterman, etc. while they poke fun at more things than just politics, it usually is made up of mostly political humor.
i like the coverage of today. while it is filled with bias - normally to the left. it still is informative. for people who really take politics seriously, go watch the news, read a magazine. but seriously, there aren't that many college age kids - who are these shows biggest demographic - who take politics very seriously. and besides that, who doesn't need a little humor in their life?

plagiarism = evil

PLAGIARISM IS BAD!!! i've been hearing it since middle school. never copy someone's work, or you will fail and get in deep trouble. but hey come on, who hasn't taken ideas from wikipedia and changed 2 words before transferring it into your paper. don't deny it! but who knew there were different kinds of plagiarism? i thought that was it, you copied, you're finished. no if's and's or but's about it.
yet a very good point is brought up in the Poynter article. unintentional plagiarism (although he doesn't believe such a thing exists). sometimes things just happen. and honestly, if you have a clean record, i don't believe a journalist should be fired the first time they make a mistake. maybe it is a 'sink or swim' business, but hey, shit happens.
yet, out in the real world. after the foggy goggles of college have cleared away, there comes a point when you really have to take journalism seriously. attribute quotes, cite information, etc.
save the random facts that you 'saw somewhere' for party conversation, or perhaps across the dinner table.
when it comes down to the power of the news you have to be consistent and accurate. there is little room for errors. i hate that. but it is what it is.

writers strike affecting '08 election

the writers strike is not only affecting the media, it's onto politics. the writer's strike is taking away candidates main stops on the campaign road - talk shows. many candidates such as hillary clinton and john and elizabeth edwards have canceled talk show appearances. john edwards has even joined the picket line.
so is the strike hurting or helping politics? probably both. it's however the candidates choose to use it in their campaign.
abc calls it a symbiotic relationship. how? the talk show writers rely on the candidates for material, and in return, the candidates get face time. they basically feed off of each other's fire. now it's just happening on the picket line.

lots of online stuff

it seems that reading these articles was a great way to give us ideas about how to do our final projects. which i am still feeling pretty over my head on what im going to do. anyway...
there are a lot more ways to tell online news than i thought there would be. when i look at news online, it's usually a lot of print plus. my homepage is CNN.com, and they use that form a lot, but there is also quite a few clickable interactives. i really enjoy the videos that they put on to supplement stories.
the two forms that i think i found the most interesting were the slideshow/narrated slideshow and the live chats. i like how the slideshow can be designed to take the viewer through a story in its photos alone with some caption below to explain (or audio if it's narrated). with the live chats i like the idea of raw, uncut footage of a casual conversation.
when the one online article titled "you must be streaming" described how newspapers have taken online video and are making it better than TV news, i disagree. they are both strong in their own forms.
the reason that video is good is because it has possibilities to take the viewer to places that they want to go. the audience is much more in charge of what they're watching. yet this form of finding news can be much more time consuming. with TV news it is possible to find out all the news of the day in a 30-minute broadcast. the viewer may not get as many details as when viewing online, but they get all the titles and facts in an organized, compact form.

i don't really have much to say on the "what journalism can't do" article because i pretty much just disagree with the fact that they say that the media (more specifically journalism) doesn't have an influence on the way that people react to news or situations. it's funny because my mom and i just had a conversation about this the other day (hi mom!) and basically both agree that there is a much bigger influence than is actually realized. really nothing more to say on that subject i guess.

onto thinking about my final project! i'm thinking slideshow?...perhaps with audio...?...or maybe just audio...hmm...

live! from NY! it's ... barack obama?

barack obama made a personal appearance on saturday night live playing himself in a short skit poking fun at hilary clinton. he made a stop in new york city off of his current campaign trail. this is not the first time that obama has made out-of-the-ordinary television appearances. his campaign on MTV has given him 2 segments of television time that no presidential candidate has ever received before. smart move? i think so.
but the question remains ... was the appearance on SNL 'just for fun' or was it a political move?

writing news for television and radio

when i first came to ithaca college and decided on my major, broadcast is what i had in mind. since then i have drifted towards print (more specifically feature writing). yet this chapter has reminded me why i was attracted to broadcast to begin with.
first off, i am a very conversation writer. and i believe that i write better when there is not much structure to have to worry about and the thoughts can just flow onto the paper. i really like the fact that broadcast writing is this way.
i would much rather turn on my television set than open a newspaper. there is just no comparison to getting that visualization of the news. i like the simplicity of broadcast, the way it is easy to pass on, and how words and pictures can be used to compliment one another.
one handy thing that i read in this chapter is the format of writing a broadcast piece. and that a minute of news read aloud is only 15 lines of copy, or 150 words. that is something i have never really been taught before. in fact, i feel that i have been taught very little in the broadcast aspect, and i hope that that changes soon. perhaps i've been so drawn to print because it's all i have really known for the past three semesters.
i hope that i can get pulled back into the broadcast world, i feel as though i've been slipping out.

chapter 18 + some interesting websites = invesitagtive reporting

out of all aspects of journalism we have talked about thus far, i believe that investigative journalism is my favorite. i am naturally a nosy person. i love getting into people's business and finding the truth in most situations. especially when it's people i know.
i have recently been presented with a story i would like to do a little of my own investigative reporting on. the causes of autism. has anyone else noticed the spike in the amount of kids diagnosed with minor to severe autism in this new generation? one theory that i find very interesting is that it could be due to what is now called the thiomersal controversy. basically, there used to be mercury in each shot that was injected to a body (used as a preservative) and this could be the cause of the rise in autism. talk about potential law suits!
while i aim to find out more on that story on my own, i will look at the process that i need to go through according to the text.
i have already gone through the sniff stage, my story search is done. now it's time for serious investigating to begin. hello wikipedia. honestly, it has a lot of information on thiomersal. and while i tried to search 'autism' and 'mercury in vaccines' on the website, nothing came up. its hard to rely on the internet for a source, because you can never be sure that everything you read is completely truthful. and, as the book states, accuracy is tres tres importante! "check and double-check. there is no good excuse for an error."
i like the pushiness of investigative reporting. i feel like the people who work as investigative reporters should get a lot of respect when they weasel a story out of a source. it's harder than it seems.
on another note, i never realized there were SO many different types of public records. property records, loan records, minutes and transcripts. along with that, there are nonpublic reocords, which are not always impossible to obtain, just a lot more difficult.
i found it interesting that investigative reporting is the most expensive type of reporting. and that these reporters are normally the best-paid. now the idea of an investigative reporter is even more tempting.

more court stuff

these chapters did a lot for me...such as reaffirm my decision that i do not want to do reporting within the world of law. some of the 'stuff' i just don't get.
although i don't get it, reading these chapters was, and will be beneficial. i like to have some knowledge about a subject, no matter what it is.
i actually remember asking my parents a few days ago what the difference between a misdemeanor and felony was. they couldn't really tell me except that one was worse than the other. now i know that with a felony, you have a minimum of one year in jail, while with a misdemeanor, it is a maximum sentence.
something else that caught my attention were the two different aspects of news found in court reporting: 1) when parties are known to the public, 2) when factual and legal issues are of public interest. yet, it makes me wonder, where is the line between what is and what isn't public interest? and who decides that?
as was the case with chapters 1,5, and 7, there are just so many things in these chapters that i never knew before. like the differences between circumstantial evidence and direct evidence (which is something i felt like i should know, but definitely didn't). or what a closing and opening argument really are. also the different ways a suspect can be charged of a crime. but most of all, i am strangely drawn to a certain part of the court system. the jury.
the jury can have so much power over a case (rarely used in civil court, however). there are so many aspects to a jury. such as the process to how each juror is selected, (how they all should be combined to make the most objective jury possible), or how the media is not allowed to talk to any jurors until after the verdict is announced. as from my previous blogs, i have an opinion on the media being involved with the court. how they should not be too involved, because it could affect the case, and prevent the court system from being fair.
lots to soak in, especially when its just words on a page. but even though i don't want to be a beat/court reporter. it is still very important to have knowledge in the area.

reading, reading, and more reading

chapter 1 "The Crime Beat"
I'm not surprised that the crime beat suffers from a high turnover rate. it's tough. the people who succeed move up to higher positions, and the people who don't do well probably end up getting replaced. that is why it is the "sink-or-swim" test for newcomers.
i found it interesting how much different terminology there is. such as the difference between civil cases and court cases. the difference between a felony and misdemeanor. and how robbery, larceny, burglary and theft are similar, but very different, and easily confused.
it's always important to have a base understanding of any story you are writing about, and beat reporting is as - if not even more - important to have a basic knowledge of.

chapter 5 "Covering Crime and It's Victims"
Covering a story where people's emotions are involved is very difficult. I think that i would make a terrible reporter in this case because i am very much aware that i am a human being first, and would have problems maintaining that journalistic face interviewing a woman who's son just died in a fire. it reminds me of Oprah, who was told in the beginning she couldn't do news because she would cry on camera if reporting on an emotional story. hey, she's one of the richest people in the world now, so i wouldn't mind comparing myself to her in any way.
Judging the state of a victim before approaching them might be one of the most important things a journalist can do at the scene of a crime. what kind of information you get from them totally depends on the state of mind you are in. that's why i really like the suggestion to hand them your card and write on it "when you're ready to talk, please call. anytime."
being sensitive to the victim yet getting the story for the public at the same time makes me think about the reporting on the California wildfires going on right now. watching hundreds of people get interviewed who just lost everything, i don't know how they do it. there has been some controversy on the interviewing techniques of reporters covering the wildfires. yet, there will probably always be.

chapter 7 "Covering the Courts"
wordiness. i hate it. this is a reason why i would be a horrible court reporter. they say that court documents are the journalists best source for reliable, libel proof information. yet, those things are usually hundreds of pages long, and full of law jargon. i would not have the patience to sit down and try to decipher all of that crap.
but that's why the world has reporters. to break down all that mumbo-jumbo for the common individual, who didn't spend half of his/her educational life in law-school. just because i said i wouldn't want to be the person doing the breaking doesn't mean i don't think that it is a necessity in the media to have people like that.
there is so much new terminology in this chapter, it's difficult to sort through it all. there are two basic court systems: federal and state. these court systems have different levels of function: trials, intermediate appeals, and fine appeals. there are two players in every court system: the administrative personnel and the judges and juries. etc. etc. etc.
basically if you're going to be a court reporter you should have a background in law, or be able to learn quickly. maybe i should take a law class...?

fellow classmates' blogs

http://lizzyswickedsweetblog.blogspot.com/ "the 22 Washingtons"

http://lizzyswickedsweetblog.blogspot.com/ "pimp my ride election bus"

http://the23yearoldsophomore.blogspot.com/ "debating over nothing"

http://archanatalk.blogspot.com/ "clinton encore?!"

http://seagullatemycheetos.blogspot.com/ "NY Times' Campaign Map"

http://newsreportingicjessg.blogspot.com/ "selling books = getting votes?"

http://lvpdnews-lara.blogspot.com/ "Gore for president?"

http://man-o-man-journalism.blogspot.com/ "the possible first ladies...and the possible first man"

news reporting and writing ch. 13

Other Types of Basic Stories

while learning how to report on crimes/fires/accidents/court proceedings is all very important and interesting, the thing that really popped out at me in this chapter was the free-press/fair-trial controversy. i was really young when the O.J. Simpson trial was taking place, but the one thing i really remember about it was it being on the television in the cafeteria at my elementary school.
the court definitely should put some restrictions on the media in certain cases. sometimes it is the issue of safety for the people involved in the case. despite being on the side of the media in most cases, i don't side with it on this issue. i believe that the court is its own area where private things happen, and then it is up to the media to get its information based upon briefings, documents, and press conferences. especially in higher profile cases, or when there is, as the book says 'overriding interest".
i don't know much about the process of law, but i am realizing there are many mistakes that can easily be made when reporting it. and the consequences can be high. accuracy is definitely very important when it comes to court reporting.

Fred Thompson

Fred Thompson, actor/politician (a title that decreases his credibility and increases his "teasability" instantly) was expected to "razzle dazzle" the crowd in the republican debate on the economy. with his on-stage presence and his political background, the spotlight was on Thompson. and while he didn't do badly...he didn't do well either. i don't think Thompson will be a very strong candidate in the 2008 presidential election. he will get attention because of his background, but nothing too out of the ordinary otherwise. what is it with actors becoming politicians now? how many actors are involved directly in national politics?...that would be interesting to find out.
yet in all sincerity...i did enjoy his role as a politician in 'O Brother Where Art Thou?'

to wear or not to wear?

obama doesn't wear a pin. he's not a patriot, he doesn't love his country.
these are just some of the accusations circling around obama because he doesn't wear a dinky american flag pin on his lapel like the rest of the politician's in washington.
why do we care? i think he stated his counterargument beautifully: i'm less concerned about what you are wearing on your lapel than what's in your heart...you show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow americans, especially those ones who served."
so please people, stop wasting your time on what the presidential candidates are wearing, and more on where they stand on important issues. let the man be.

Three Mile Island

truth. the one unifying factor in all news stories. cold hard facts. it helps us to believe that our news could be objective. in the case of the three mile island nuclear power plant accident, the news had nothing but the facts to tell. the public received much more objective journalism because of the way the story was laid out in all its confusion. reporters had to dig down deep for outside sources. they had to totally rely on their journalistic instincts to take them where they needed to go in the story - especially in the early hours - because the majority had no idea what they were reporting on. newspapers and television stations just sent out whoever could go. one guy got assigned to the story because he was the first one back from his lunch break.
once the impact of the accident was realized, companies hit the ground running. one reporter from CBS was told he had a 'blank check' to report on the story. it was a big deal.
in all it's confusion, real journalism shown through in this story. the art of finding the story, following it, gathering as much information - from the inside as well as the outside - along the way, and reporting in a manner that best serves the public. i think the journalists really stepped up to the plate. (there i go with the metaphors)
kudos.

Politics and the English Language

i read this article, and immediately thought of my media and politics class with Marty B. throughout all the papers we wrote for his class, he always took off points for vagueness, generalization, and any rhetorical questions. i almost thought of emailing him this article, actually.
honestly, i've never really seen a problem with the English language. besides academic writing (which i try to avoid reading at all costs), i don't have a problem reading what is produced today.
one thing that i have to agree with him on though, is the use of metaphors and similes. i know i hear them all the time, but i don't really notice it. common metaphors like "shooting a fish in a barrel" have lost meaning to me, and have become a part of the English language.
perhaps it is laziness that keeps us writing and speaking the way we do. yet i can't help but think when i hear someone talk with the 'pretentious diction' described, how smart they are. in all reality, it's impressive.
but i stand by K.I.S.S (keep is simple stupid). for that seems the easiest way to me. in both reading and writing. i'm all about minimizing.

news reporting and writing ch. 8, 22

chapter 8 - writing to be read
i think that this is the most important skill that writer can have. being able to write something that people will generally enjoy reading. the book goes through many aspects of what makes writing good to read.
- good reporting (taking notes on not only the facts and quotes but specific details by observing)
- having writing be precise, clear and concrete (keeping writing simple is a huge factor in readability)
- knowing the rules of grammar (duh)
- be coherent (knowing how to put your ideas together in an organized manner is more difficult than it sounds. you must know how to properly compose a sentence, and how to use transitions and parallelism in the correct way)
- concrete details (this coincides with good reporting. not only do you have to have the facts but the writing should also appeal to some of the five senses)
follow these rules, and you can't go wrong.


chapter 22 - media law
sometimes it is scary to think that maybe someday, i could be sued or put into jail for writing a story. you never think that there is so much riding on a story in a newspaper, but ever detail has to be exact or else there could be huge consequences. while journalists do have more legal rights than many other occupations, it is mostly for their protection. i feel that as long as a journalist sticks to the truth, double checks his sources, and keeps to the standard code of ethics there shouldn't be problems.
every journalists knows his rights and his limitations, its part of the job. you know that you can't trespass on property, or video tape someone without their consent unless it is a public figure.
just use common sense, and don't get caught up in the chase of getting a story. to be a good journalists you have to be able to remain level-headed and make good decisions. or else perhaps you should find another field of work.

The Colbert Report

Hillary Clinton is set-up in this debate at Dartmouth University.
Now all i can do is laugh at this video. seeing as i am not a strong supporter, or rather just not a supporter of Clinton whatsoever, i do find this clip of her caught off guard in the middle of a debate comical. i love the initial reaction on her face when she finds out it was something her husband said that she just so strongly disagreed with, then how she quickly recovers and snaps back. of course, the commentary by Colbert adds to the comicality of it all.
It seems as though Hillary cannot escape the shadow of Bill. At first she tried, but it seems she has given in. Perhaps she realized that it was more of a political advantage for her campaign to have her husband be a former (and somewhat successful) U.S. president. i don't know why she shied away from it for so long, but now she just needs to make sure she doesn't get hidden underneath it. there is a delicate balance.

News Reporting and Writing Ch. 11, 12

Chapter 11 - News Releases

News releases contribute to a lot of the news stories in newspapers. A lot have been taken from the AP wire, others straight from companies or spokespersons.
One reoccuring theme that i noticed throughout this chapter is that, although you receive this news release with it's information, a lot of the stories require extra reserach. Either the news releases did not give enough information, or a source needs to be double checked. Also, outside articles or research can contribute a lot of new information that wasn't included in the release. It seems that the news release is just a piece of the information that when combined with lots of other things makes up the entire (and more accurate) story.


Chapter 12 - Speeches, News Conferences and Meetings

It may have been helpful to read this chapter before writing our stories on the city meetings. yet, it is a learning experience. after reading these chapters i notice things that i could have done differently when at the meeting, in my note taking, and in taking in the overall setting instead of just focusing on the content of the meeting itself.
Out of the three, i enjoy reporting on news conferences the most. at least, out of our practices in class, because i have never actually reported on a real-life conference. i find it the easiest way to get information, and in return, makes it easier to write. because there a lot of reporters asking questions, sometimes someone will ask a question that you didn't think to, perhaps taking the story in a different direction.
i think that i enjoy news conferences the most because they are the most like interviews, which is one of my favorite parts of being a journalist.

News Reporting and Writing Ch. 10

obituaries. one big reason my parents read the newspaper. a reason i feel many people read their local papers. that and the police beat.
i don't think that i am yet at that age where i wonder if any of my childhood friends or neighbors are passing away, so it's something i normally skip when reading the paper. so i never really realized how much goes into writing an obituary. and how particularly written it has to be.
because most of the people who read a certain obit had known the person who passed, they read with a very critical eye, and will catch the slightest misprint. therefore, the writer has to be extra careful to double check facts, dates, and times. other rules that i've never thought about is the language of the obit. how a person dies "unexpectedly" not "suddenly" because all deaths are sudden. or a that a person dies of injuries "suffered" not "received."
i feel that everyone deserves a good obit. whether written by a professional or a family member that submitted it to the local paper. i just hope that when it's time for mine to be printed its big enough to be put in the NYtimes or USAtoday, not that i wouldn't be happy with the good ol' Daily Messenger. hah.

Giuliani and his cell phone

Rudy Giuliani answered a cell phone call from his wife in the middle of a speech he was giving to the NRA. He said before he even looked at the phone "it's probbaly my wife calling" and then quickly told her what he was doing, he would call her when he was done, and that he loved her. all very endearing. the crowd awwwwed after when he hung up, and the speech went on. but it makes me wonder if it was a sort of set-up? it definitely put Giuliani in a good light as sensitive, a family man, a good husband, etc. which im sure he is, but was it really necessary to display that so publicly? obviously answering your cell phone during a speech would get you press. so why did he really do it?

candidates face bloggers

democratic candidates attend a blogging convention shows a cnn.com video. in efforts to gain more support from the blogger community, as a lot of the democractic energy for the election is happening online, on blogs.
turning the election into an online race is smart, as information gets out quickly and spreads like wildfire to every inch of the web. the candidates seem to be taking it as far as they can. each candidate has their own website, and Barack Obama, appealing to the younger demographic, even has a myspace.
the democratic candidates seem to be focusing much more of their attention on the online world than the republicans. is this good or harmful?
in my opinion any publicity is a good thing. put as much out there as you can, get as many people to know your name as you can. and taking a campaign online is a perfect solution to that. kudos to all the candidates who have figured that out.

Using a timeline to tell a story

Mindy McAdams, a fellow blogger on blogspot.com and also fellow journalist knows where its at. online! or as she calls it, multimedia journalism. with multimedia journalism, the oppurtunities are endless. as Mindy showed, using an interactive timeline helps the reader to better understand the story. you can't do that in a newspaper.
doors are opening everywhere in multimedia journalism, one click can take a person to many different areas on the same subject. i feel a bit redundant in my last few blogs, discussing online journalism and where its headed. but yeah, its pretty much the same idea. potential, growth...

E-Media Tidbits 8/27/07

i wasn't exactly sure which tidbit we were supposed to read, so i just read them both, they weren't long. the first one discussing how you can streamline the news from a website to put a feed onto your site in a much more specific manner. for example, if Elle magazine wanted news stories specifically just on fashion week in NYC to put a feed on their website, they could do just that. it's a great thing. (even though this particular feed just has to do with environment news, i was making an example).
it just goes to prove that news via the internet is growing faster than ever. and that we should all take note of its potential to become greater.

the second tidbit was very short, yet made its point. blogs can be powerful, well really any information on the internet can be powerful. but when you're boss is "Googling" you online, to find out about your background, well stuff could could come back to haunt you. like in this article, how a friend made fun of another friend in his blog. so everytime his name was Googled, that blog showed up.
it can happen to anyone. remember that myspace you made when you were 16? now you're 24 and looking for a job. your potential bosses can find that site you made with the pictures of you're tattoos or you funneling a beer. it could really harm the chance of you getting that job.
so it just goes to show you have to be careful what goes on the internet. because once its on there, almost anyone can look at it. lucky for me, if you google my name, thousands of other Holly Smith's preceed me in the search...good luck finding me out of over 4 million results.

AP Stylebook - Punctuation

Punctuation is one of those things that I don't really think about too much when writing. It is like second nature to know where to put a comma, how to use an apostrophe in the possesive form and when it's a contraction, that an exclamation point is used in excitement, that a question mark is, well, at the end of a question, and that a period goes at the end of a sentence. Yet punctuation is a lot more complex than what it appears to be. For example, I am always confused by the use of the semicolon. Honestly, I usually only put it in when microsoft word tells me to. And hyphens, I really don't use them.
Punctuation is very important, but like learning how to be a journalist, you can't just read it from a book. It's difficult to read all these rules and then incorporate them immediately into your work. It takes time and practice on how to properly write a sentence with proper punctuation.

News Reporting and Writing Ch. 1,2,3

after reading chapters 1, 2, and 3, i feel like i experienced deja vu. or rather, read a couple weeks worth of the class introduction to journalism. from what news consists of (impact, conflict, novelty, prominence, proximity, and timeliness) to being objective (which i think is, if not competely, but close to impossible), to multimedia journalism and its importance today to the same images of a news room organization of different types of newspapers.
also, reading about how to interview, in my opinion, is completely unhelpful. to fully understand how to conduct an interview you have to do it. it is a total real-life experience. while the basic fundamentals are useful to know, it is much better to just go through the motions.
it is good to review the important aspects of being a journalist and what skills you need, but there is such a thing as overkill. im just hoping that the next readings are more beneficial.

Oprah in....politics?

As a big fan of Oprah, and an avid watcher of her show, I realize what she is capable of. She picks up a book, it immediately makes it to the top of the best seller's list. She creates a magazine, its already on the main racks right before you walk through the line at the grocery store. Oprah has shown that her name sells. But can Oprah influence a presidential nomination? Or even an election? Barack Obama thinks so. According to an article on cnn.com "Oprah may assume a visible role in the Democrat's presidential bid." Her large fanbase, also considered her "congregation" follow Oprah in all that she does, but will they follow her to support this new presidential candidate? There are skeptics.
In my opinion, Oprah has so much influence, that she has just created a whole new demographic for Obama. He should consider himself very lucky to have her backing him this election.

A Candidate's Wife: Elizabeth Edwards

so i watched a video on cnn.com, where Elizabeth Edwards (democratic candidate John Edward's wife) was interviewed on the release of her newest edition novel, "saving graces: finding solace and strength from friends and strangers".
but of course, that was not discussed very long, as the interviewer cut right to the campaign for the white house and how elizabeth is the most outspoken one of all the candidates wives. i was surprised to hear she even disagrees with her husband on some tough issues, like gay marriage. she says "i don't know why somebody else's marriage has anything to do with me. i am completely comfortable with gay marriage."
this is very surprising for a wife to openly disagree with her husband who is running for president, as they are supposed to appear as a team, and a support system. yet, elizabeth edwards should get some respect for speaking truthfully on a subject if she is asked. as she also says, "i have no agenda" (as i think that hilary did as first lady), and is behind her husband no matter what. seems like she has good potential for a future first lady to me.

News Reporting and Writing Ch. 7,8

this book is very similar to all the other books that we have seen in our journalism courses. in chapter 7, a full 20 pages about the inverted pyramid. as a journalist student, by now, i should know what the inverted pyramid is. and i do, and after reading chapter 7, even more so. yet i still have not mastered how to write one. or at least, write a good one. there are many different forms of leads, as the chapter describes, but the main aspect in all leads is discerning the importance of each fact from a news story, and knowing what to include in the lead, and what to shove farther down in the story.
in chapter 8, it really emphasizes how reporting greatly reflects in the writing. if you don't "report with all your senses" then the story will be bland and straightforward. as a reporter is important to see, hear, touch, smell, and perhaps even taste the story that you are reporting on. details, although they may seem miniscule, can make a story. also reading in reading chapter 8, it reminds you how important wording can be. how grammar can significantly change how a sentence sounds. or how bringing in small facts can make a story that much more concrete. its amazing how many pieces go into creating a well-written news story, that will eventually be read in only a few short minutes.

The State of the News Media 2007

online news is becoming the prominent way to get informed. from videos, to articles, to being able to get what story you want, when you want it, online seems the better choice. i know that i rarely read newspapers anymore, unless its the ithacan. my homepage is CNN.com, so it's even easier to get the news with one click of the mouse, much more efficient than traveling down to mac's to pick up a newspaper.
while jobs in the newspaper industry are decreasing, online news jobs are going up. now they not only need people to write, but also to produce videos, bring in more advertising, and have graphic designers. with online news, space is unlimited. it allows the reader to go back months, even years, and find a news story.
news is elastic, it bends and shapes with the times. moving towards online news access is in correlation with how the public is moving, and the new technology lifestyle.

just got it

created my blog today! just wanted to test it out to see how it works. im sure this will be by far the shortest one ever.