Ethics and Leaks and Politics, oh my!!

Whew! Lots to talk about today (tonight?)

So...my feature. Its due next Friday, I have to have most of it done for voicing next Tuesday. Sounds like I have plenty of time, right? Wrong. See, there is this whole thing that typically occurs at the end of the semester where teachers who realize they are behind on lesson plans throw everything at you all at once. Tests, papers, quizzes, and good old projects. So this feature story I thought I would have "plenty" of time to write and put together---let's just say I don't have the time I thought. Yes, I know, journalism is all about deadlines, and finishing in the "nick of time". The only problem is, I am not just a journalist, but a student, and who also works. Between class, meetings, homework, work, and all the other stuff, finding time to interview can be quite the feat. Despite my complaints, the upside to this situation is that I have found it relatively easier to come up with story ideas and topics for stories. Today in lecture, we discussed ethics in journalism, and came to conclusion that there were no hard-lined ethical rules. Well that certainly isn't comforting! The discussion revolved around a 20-year-old college student who was the son of a public figure, and ended up committing suicide after relentless coverage of a drug charged he received. The question the class had to wrestle with was whether the media was partly to blame/entirely responsible for the young man's death. The discussion brought up all sorts of issues with news, privacy, sensitivity to the public, minimizing harm, and journalistic responsibility.

The news the past few weeks continues to be exciting and interesting. Yet another reporter has been suspended from a news station for privately donating to a political campaign. The big question raised in this situation, is how far is too far? Clearly journalists are also part of the public, and have every right to support whomever the choose politically. But is it o.k. for the media to show clear support to one side or the other? Can journalists become friends with or continue close relationships with politicians? Questions, questions, and no answers. Just something to ponder.

Lately, I have been watching alot of the Colbert Report and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. What's interesting to me is determining whether their shows could be considered news. When Steven Colbert had the "Rally for Sannity" a few weeks ago, one attendee had a sign that read, "I get my comedy watching the news, and I get my news watching Comedy Central." The sign was humorous, but in a way, absolutely true! Many Americans are fed up with the "typical" depressing news stories they see on 24 hour news channels and even local stations, and are getting most of their news content online or from shows like The Colbert Report. Thinking about that concept makes me wonder even more about the changing face of journalism, particularly in broadcast media. Some professional journalists might laugh at the thought of The Colbert Report or the Daily Show being called news, but I don't know if its really that far fetched. They clearly have to do some sort of reporting and scripting to run their stories, and both shows routinely interview guests during the segment. All of these aspects are key in journalism, and all of them seem to be occurring on a comedy show. Knowing all this information, what should "mainstream" media do to regain and retain viewers interests? This is another question I have thought about deeply, and yet again don't have the answer to...what do you think?

For now, that's all everyone!

Ohhhh the Media....

The past few weeks have definitely been a learning experience for me in the journalism world. Just when I felt I was getting the hang of writing long-form radio stories with creative sound and writing, I had to completely switch gears and churn out several quick news stories during my shifts. Although I do believe my writing has improved greatly since the beginning of the semester and I can turn out more stories written decently, I feel some of the creativity I was enjoying has been lost. 

The more I have watched the news lately, the more I have really begun to wonder where media is headed as a profession. "Citizen" journalists continue to pop up everywhere, and almost anyone with a phone can now videotape an event, post it on the internet, and write about it. Clearly there is a difference between a trained journalist and an "average joe" in terms of quality of work. But do online readers really care? I think a great example is the news coverage over the new TSA regulations. Ironically, most of the media frenzy surrounding flyers complaints came AFTER one man refused to receive the scan and pat-down while taping the entire ordeal, which he quickly sent to media outlets and posted on the internet. Writing a web version of almost all T.V. and radio stories has become standard, and more and more people get their news from the internet. The change of news is not a new topic of conversation, and has been debating among the best in the business; but it doesn't make it any less interesting to analyze!

This week, I listened to a lot of NPR (This American Life) to continue working on improving my scripting in my stories. Something else I have been observing and trying to emulate are interviewing skills of the "greats" in journalism. Because I grew up watching it, I always enjoy watching the correspondents and anchors on the show lead into great stories with great interviews. In the interview with President Obama, the questions ____ asked were both challenging and interesting. He clearly had done alot of research, which helped the interview progress without "cookie-cutter" responses that politicians tend to use. My dream would be to ask great questions like him, and challenge such a prominent individual to answer clearly and concisely. 

My goals for the the end of the semester is really developing my interview skills (which are improving) and continue working on my writing skills. 

Please return my calls!!!

Being a journalism student is hard enough. Getting used to pitching stories, working on a hard deadline, and working equipment are just a few of the difficult tasks we have to get used to. But when story ideas fall through because we cannot tout our years of experience at an established station, things get even more difficult. That situation was my experience this week. My attempt was to cover a story on voter fraud, and what Missouri representatives planned to do in order to prevent voter fraud in Columbia and Boone County. Not only did my initial attempts to obtain an interview with the County Clerk and the Secretary of State fall through, but I never received call-backs or email responses. I had to scratch all of my plans and start over from square one. I understand that I have to "pay my dues" within the journalism world, and I'm not going to score some of those interviews that a more experienced and established journalist would. I just wish I could at least get an official rejection, rather than no response! I really enjoyed the piece I came up with this week, as I believe my scripting, voicing, and editing techniques were much better.

In terms of what I saw this week in journalism, a lot of the news stories were related to midterm elections. While I personally think citizens should stay generally knowledgeable on political events and issues, I hate pre-election coverage. I can't stand the commercials, the articles written from pure speculation, and the never-ending segments of political analysts trying to hypothesize on election voting numbers. In my opinion, journalists need to do a better job of really examining election issues, and discussing candidates platforms, rather than boring listeners with statistics from polls and surveys. CNN, FOX, and MSNBC are all guilty of this problem, which I think needs to change.

This week also provided a prime example of the impact news coverage can have on decision-makers. With the "Faurot Field Thirty" incident last weekend, the news coverage of their arrests this week and the negative publicity and growing conversation about the students' arrests no doubt played a role in the University's decision to drop charges. After the University received negative attention for selling field-rush photos to students and alum, the pictures were quickly removed from the bookstore website. It reiterated to me how much impact journalism can have on people's lives and the overall sentiment of the public.

Week 3

      Searching for a newsworthy story is still a work in progress for me. I have taken the suggestion of keeping a folder with all of my submitted story ideas, so when the time comes I will have ideas to pull from. This has worked decently well, although some of my story ideas were dated, and I can no longer use them. A story idea I proposed that seems really interesting to me is looking into the caseloads of the public defenders for Boone County. Many public defenders are receiving an obscene number of case -loads, and the fear is that the defenders will eventually have to turn away cases. I would love to look into humanizing this story with finding an individual whose cased was turned away. Initially, the idea seemed very simple, but I now realize how much work a piece like this would take (if done well). So if we are required to do a longer feature for the end of the semester, this may be my topic. Overall, I feel I have progressed from the beginning of the semester in my ability to spot a potential story, and to work an interesting angle into my story scripts. I know I have a LONG way to go, and I'm not great at it, but I honestly feel I am improving! Finding a good story idea and scripting a story well are definitely the hardest parts of producing a great story, but I am taking steps to continue getting better. 

As per usual, news coverage this week affords me an opportunity to critique what works well and what doesn't work well with for a variety of stories. The readings and lectures we have had over the past 8 weeks gave me a more critical eye in viewing new stories and coverage, and hopefully I can avoid similar mistakes in my own news, and emulate great practices from talented journalists. The other day, I arrived home from school and was watching television. "Inside Edition" came on, and I watched the entire segment, in order to pick up on what key things NOT to do in news. A key theme I noticed while viewing, was leads crossing the line between presenting an element of surprise and misleading a viewer. I remembered a lecture we had earlier in the semester where we discussed how to surprise a viewer/listener and create suspense without misleading. 

One show I look to for inspiration and a great example is a show I have honestly watched for years. Every Sunday night when I was living at home, my family would gather around and watch 60 minutes  and 20/20. Each news story is quality, and starts out peaking my interest to keep me hooked for the entire segment. The two shows have an incredible balance of hard-hitting news, investigative reporting, heart-warming features, and stories with celebrities/stars to stay current with entertainment news. 

When a story is complete, the lead for an upcoming segment (ex. "Homeless Veterans" for next week on 60 minutes) is always outstanding, and creates suspense for the viewer. 

As time goes on and I gain more experience reporting, I hope my news stories will be ethical yet exciting, and NEVER cross the line of misleading my listeners/viewers. 

So I can use big words? No one cares...

This week, the theme of being conversational hit me time and time again. As a journalism student, I have taken many writing classes, and know all the best SAT words. But all of that practice and preparation counts for nothing when you are writing a story that will be aired in a station where thousands of ordinary people will be listening. They won't be impressed by my grandiose vocabulary, they will just be bored. As I was listening to "This American Life" this week, I was again impressed with the extremely comfortable and conversational newscast I was listening to. For some reason, when I get to the voicing studio, this desire to be exciting and fresh comes over me and I talk in an obnoxious, sing-song voice. In watching the news this past week, I couldn't help but notice television anchors who do the same thing, and how annoying that gets, and also confusing to listen to. But watching some of the greatest anchors of all time on shows like 20/20 and 60 minutes, I am truly inspired by their ability to report on a huge story all the while talking like you are their closest neighbor. As we watched interviews and pieces by the late Ed Bradley with 60 minutes, poise and confidence are key elements in being an outstanding reporter or anchor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em3MsLkk3wk

I know it will take some time, but hopefully soon, I will be able to show the confidence I have interacting with people in my stories and as I voice.

WEEK ONE!

There were many interesting stories this week that enjoyed reading and listening to, and several techniques I noticed in these great pieces that I hope to emulate in mine. The news sources I read and listened to this week were The Huffington Post, 20/20, 60 Minutes, and "This American Life". Each news source offered a variety of techniques in delivery, composition, and development of their stories. On 20/20, I noticed they continuously offer interesting and unique stories, with strong leads that really peak your interest in the story. Elizabeth Vargas and Juju Chang are really skilled at crafting great leads. In the stories themselves, particularly during interviews, the anchors are great at hard-hitting questions that add to the interview and don't completely switch gears during the story. This aspect of journalism is something I desperately need to improve upon, and I definitely look to the anchors and correspondents of 20/20 as my lead example.

What I love about watching 60 minutes is their skill in consistently airing culturally relevant topics, even though the perception is that 60 minutes is "outdated" and only for "old people". Their continuous segment updates reminds me of radio, and I love knowing what has already been seen in the show, and what I can look forward to watching later.

What I find really appealing about the Huffington Post is the witty commentary and satirical nature of their stories. It really makes reading about hard-news more appealing and more interesting. Reading a story and having the links within the story I also really enjoy, versus detracting time to click on a link at the bottom of the page or in the sidebar. If I can figure out how to do that within my story, I definitely will add this technique to my "arsenal".

All three websites (60 minutes, 20/20, and the Huffington Post) really supplement their stories with great web extras. The links, photos, and extra video clips on each website really add to the story and keep me interested in learning more about the topic. My desire for my own stories is to really deepen the context of my story with such great additions in my web extras.
-Satirical nature, witty commentary (Huffington Post)
-Links included within the story (Huffington Post)

The last news source that I really enjoy is This American Life. I enjoy listening to the podcasts on This American Life because the journalists on the show have outstanding creativity within their scripts, and a keen ability to incite listeners interest and peak their emotions. As a radio-focused journalism student, there are a lot of techniques on this show I need to practice and emulate the most.


Something I saw that I didn't like this past week was on the Huffington Post. In reading some of their stories, like their coverage of the NFL analyst who was allegedly harassed in the N.Y. Jets locker room, and the video with President Clinton discussing his Global Initiative, I felt like too much of the story information was included in the headlines. I understand pulling viewers in with a poignant headline that sparks interest, while providing a little information about the story, but if the entire story focus is spelled out in the headline, it could prevent viewers from actually reading the story.



The past two weeks, I have been pouring over newspapers, reading press releases, and asking people, "What's going on in Columbia?" For me, coming up with story ideas is the probably the hardest step in putting together a news story. What I find baffling, interesting, or "newsworthy" isn't always so for the majority of our listening audience. Once I have a good story idea, the tedious process of calling and waiting for call-backs begins. How do I make my request for a few minutes of someone's time sound urgent but not forced? How can I make "writing a story for a class assignment" sound really exciting and worth their while? I haven't quite figured that out yet. I just emphasize the "only need 10 minutes of your time", and throw in some, "I would really appreciate", and "It would be great if...", and hope I get that long awaited phone call. When it comes to interviewing, my prior "skills" in speaking become my worst enemy. I have this affliction called, "Tendency to ask long-winded questions". It's fine when you're hanging out with friends, talking to your mother, or a significant other. But when I'm interviewing an official, they get a confused look on their face

Disgusting....

So I am kind of saddened by the events that have occurred this past week....This week has been a very disheartening one for me to say the list, and there is alot of anger and frustration going on around me. The other day, some individuals thought it would be really funny to cover the yard and entrance to the Black Culture Center at my school with cotton balls....Really? Why, why, why.....Apparently, they thought it would be clever to make a subtle reference to slavery and cotton picking. Ha ha. What's even worse than the event itself, is the lack of support I am feeling from alot of the community here on campus. I have heard alot of, "It's not that big of a deal," and "Its just cotton balls....what if it was q-tips? Would you still be pissed?"

The insensitivity is almost vomit-worthy....

Earlier this week, I heard about the "Compton Cookout" themed party thrown by UCSD complete with a lists of what the guys and girls should wear, and how they should act. Not to mention the food items to be provided, complete with fried chicken, watermelon, and "purple drank". Think I am joking? I wish I was....here is the actual invitation:

"February marks a very important month in American society. No, i'm not referring to Valentines day or Presidents day. I'm talking about Black History month. As a time to celebrate and in hopes of showing respect, the Regents community cordially invites you to its very first Compton Cookout.

For guys: I expect all males to be rockin Jersey's, stuntin' up in ya White T (XXXL smallest size acceptable), anything FUBU, Ecko, Rockawear, High/low top Jordans or Dunks, Chains, Jorts, stunner shades, 59 50 hats, Tats, etc.

For girls: For those of you who are unfamiliar with ghetto chicks-Ghetto chicks usually have gold teeth, start fights and drama, and wear cheap clothes - they consider Baby Phat to be high class and expensive couture. They also have short, nappy hair, and usually wear cheap weave, usually in bad colors, such as purple or bright red. They look and act similar to Shenaynay, and speak very loudly, while rolling their neck, and waving their finger in your face. Ghetto chicks have a very limited vocabulary, and attempt to make up for it, by forming new words, such as "constipulated", or simply cursing persistently, or using other types of vulgarities, and making noises, such as "hmmg!", or smacking their lips, and making other angry noises,grunts, and faces. The objective is for all you lovely ladies to look, act, and essentially take on these "respectable" qualities throughout the day.

Several of the regents condos will be teaming up to house this monstrosity, so travel house to house and experience the various elements of life in the ghetto.

We will be serving 40's, Kegs of Natty, dat Purple Drank- which consists of sugar, water, and the color purple , chicken, coolade, and of course Watermelon. So come one and come all, make ya self before we break ya self, keep strapped, get yo shine on, and join us for a day party to be remembered- or not. "

Two days later, after drama had unfolded on campus, a journalism student on the student-run radio station said the protesters were "just a bunch of ungrateful n******".

In Kansas City, a serial rapist has been discovered in Waldo, and the composite sketch of the suspect could pretty much match hundreds of black men in the KC area. The man has been described as "6 foot, 225 pounds, bald head or a close cut". Wow, are you serious? Apparently, the police station has received over 500 different "tips" of men matching this description. Waldo men have dubbed themselves "bounty hunters" in search of the rapist, and a few have even chased innocent black men whom they believe is the criminal. Its' racial profiling to a whole other level......Here is a blog to read on it....

http://www.tonyskansascity.com/2010/01/blatant-racism-marks-kansas-citys-hunt.html

I have read comments on the internet concerning many articles, blogs, etc, and am repulsed by what I am seeing.

Racism is far from dead. It's not even sick. It's just changed its coat.

My Long-awaited Return to the blog world...

Oh my goodness it has been a while since I have blogged!! I have missed it! Soooooo this week has most certainly been an interesting one, but there is no surprise there! I am, however, slightly disappointed that I will be spending Valentine's day alone. :( I know, I know, who hasn't heard the whole "boo-hoo I'm alone on V-day" sob story from single buddies the week leading up to the infamous lovers holiday....WELLLLL give me my moment, OK? And for clarification, I am not single, just in a long-distance relationship, which makes my v-day loneliness even more depressing....But I at least have someone who loves me, so I am thankful! Mk, so things in the news: the new SI cover model was picked the other day. (Not that I care) Oh, and there have been "blizzard-like" conditions over most of the east coast the past few days....(Also very boring news)....Basically, the deal is, I have nothing very exciting to say, as I lead a very boring life. BUT if something comes up, I will be back!

Question of the day: Should children who have committed heinous crimes be tried as adults?

Blehhhh....

So I have definitely had one of those BLEH weekends. You know, the ones where you are so bored you ACTUALLY wouldn't mind organizing and cleaning? And I am actually tired of watching movies and worthless television....quite odd! But at the same time, with the current news this week, I had to think about how lucky I am to have a warm, safe, place to sleep and food to eat throughout my boredom. The past week I have been reading and hearing about the terrible tragedy in Haiti, and the struggle for all of the aids workers to provide the citizens with food, water, clothing, and a safe place to sleep. Its like hurricane Katrina all over again. (Aside from the fact that this time the U.S. government response was immediate, and not delayed by 3 or four freaking days!!) Its so sad that so many lives are lost, and so many people are still trapped under concrete, wood, and other debris, and may never be found. Why does it take a disaster for people of this world to notice the poverty and destitute living of others?? People are acting surprised by the conditions of Haiti....Just wondering, where have you guys been the last 50 years????

This and more has been frustrating me this week. This week has been....dramatic, irritating, frustrating, and trivial. Thousands of people are dying and we are worried about drama? We should really grow up and get a grip. Myself included. Right now, I am thankful for being alive!

Michael Cera.....

So I just saw Youth in Revolt with one of my girlfriends tonight.....And I have decided its official: Michael Cera can only play one character. It seems, that after his stunning debut on Superbad, movies like Juno, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and now Youth and Revolt have legitimately created a character just for him. And frankly, although his odd, dry, witty humor can be quite captivating, its frankly getting old. I thought acting was about playing different roles, and doing so really well? Apparently, I am mistaken. At any rate, that was my vent for the evening.

I. AM. A huge geek.....

Is it strange that I listened to a phone commercial, loved the song, proceeded to search for and download it, and am currently rocking out to it right now?? Maybe. ORRR it could be sheer genius. Check out Sleepyhead by Passion Pit on YOUTUBE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zherMkcXdo#watch-main-area

Frugal? Or kinda cheap?

Ok, so if you are in the mood for a visit to the movie theatre these days, you're fixin' to drop at least 15 bucks on the ticket, popcorn and a drink for a primetime flix. So, since I think its highway robbery how much theatres charge for snacks, I have employed a large purse for each of my movie-going trips....I stock it full of drinks, and candy for whoever is seeing a movie with me, and have no shame. After all, I did just spend $9.50 to watch a mediocre movie...But last week at a movie with my man, I discovered the grandaddy of all money-pinching for movie theatre trips. Re-using old popcorn bags. You see, if you buy popcorn once in a re-fillable popcorn bag, eat it, empty the leftovers, then you should fold that bag right up and take it with you! SOOO you can bring your old bag back each time you want that clog-your-arteries buttery snack....When I told family members my GENIUS discovery, I was chastized and told how tacky it was....so what do you think? Good way to save a few on the timeless dinner and a movie date? Or ridiculously tacky and cheaptastic??