Journalism School Merger-PKG
Anchor: Due to recent national budget cuts, the University of Colorado is considering a money saving merger.
Voice Over: The proposed merger combines the School of Journalism and Mass Communication with The Alliance for Technology, Learning, and Society. This relationship makes sense academically considering the rise of digital media and the evolution of journalism.
(Images of various locations on the University of Colorado campus)
Voice Over: Dean of the Journalism School Paul Vokes says the school needs to cut nearly 8 percent of its $3.9 million dollar budget from the general fund. According to ATLAS director John Bennett, the institute needs to cut its $1.2 million general fund annual budget by 10 percent.
(Images of the Amory and the ATLAS buildings)
Video: Dean Paul Vokes – “We’ve got a faculty that is definitely aware and studying these changes,”… “In terms of all of the cutting-edge technical aspects, we see a wonderful opportunity with ATLAS.”
Anchor: Vokes says that beginning in fall 2011 the school will begin offering two degree tracks: “journalism and media studies” and advertising and media design.” This change will not affect current students who can now take “news-editorial,” “broadcast,” “advertising” or “media studies” degree tracks.
Anchor: Students have already been branching out from traditional tracks of the journalism school and taking advantage of ATLAS programs to gain technological skills. 118 of 403 enrolled in the ATLAS program are journalism students.
Video: Advertising student Lauren Brown supports this merger with the technology program.
“I think that with emerging digital media being so present in advertising and journalism, you have to have these skills to be a marketable candidate.”
Anchor: One drawback of the proposed consolidation could mean the elimination of at least one job, if not more.
Running Time: 1:40
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Assignment 10: Hard News Leads
1. The cases of the number of child abuse or neglect cases increased in the U.S from last year as a survey from the Child Abuse Prevention Center in Baltimore showed that three to four children die every day from this mistreatment.
2. MILWAUKEE- Over the past three days nearly 2,500 people have been demonstrating either in support or in opposition of an abortion clinic here in which police arrested 150 anti-abortion protestors on disorderly conduct charges.
3. BOULDER, Colo. - A delivery driver for a local Chinese food restaurant was held at gunpoint and robbed of his food deliveries yesterday at an apartment complex at 718 S.W. Western Ave.
4. BOULDER, Colo. - Kathy Mahoney’s two-bedroom home in the 2300 block of Main Street was set on fire by a lighted cigarette, resulting in $45,000 dollars in damages.
5. The Colo. Bureau of Investigation released a report yesterday of crime rates for the first three months of the year which states murder rates are up by 53 percent while the number of rapes and robberies has decreased significantly.
6. According to a report issued Wednesday by the United Nations scientific panel, damage to the earth’s ozone layer is increasing and that ozone levels could drop by 3 percent in the next decade.
7. SANTA ANA, Calif. – A 71 year old woman, June Carter was charged with attempted murder yesterday after she doused her husband in rubbing alcohol and set him on fire.
8. Broadband users surpassed the number of people using dial-up Internet access in the United States this year seemingly because the prices for broadband service have dropped.
9. Princeton University was initiated a crackdown on high grades this school year to stem grade inflation by putting a cap on the number of A’s that can be awarded by professors.
10. Approximately 70 million American are affected by various sleep problems according to the National Sleep Foundation. These people are in great danger of injury and health problems and sleep deprivations are estimated to cost Americans over $100 billion a year.
2. MILWAUKEE- Over the past three days nearly 2,500 people have been demonstrating either in support or in opposition of an abortion clinic here in which police arrested 150 anti-abortion protestors on disorderly conduct charges.
3. BOULDER, Colo. - A delivery driver for a local Chinese food restaurant was held at gunpoint and robbed of his food deliveries yesterday at an apartment complex at 718 S.W. Western Ave.
4. BOULDER, Colo. - Kathy Mahoney’s two-bedroom home in the 2300 block of Main Street was set on fire by a lighted cigarette, resulting in $45,000 dollars in damages.
5. The Colo. Bureau of Investigation released a report yesterday of crime rates for the first three months of the year which states murder rates are up by 53 percent while the number of rapes and robberies has decreased significantly.
6. According to a report issued Wednesday by the United Nations scientific panel, damage to the earth’s ozone layer is increasing and that ozone levels could drop by 3 percent in the next decade.
7. SANTA ANA, Calif. – A 71 year old woman, June Carter was charged with attempted murder yesterday after she doused her husband in rubbing alcohol and set him on fire.
8. Broadband users surpassed the number of people using dial-up Internet access in the United States this year seemingly because the prices for broadband service have dropped.
9. Princeton University was initiated a crackdown on high grades this school year to stem grade inflation by putting a cap on the number of A’s that can be awarded by professors.
10. Approximately 70 million American are affected by various sleep problems according to the National Sleep Foundation. These people are in great danger of injury and health problems and sleep deprivations are estimated to cost Americans over $100 billion a year.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
In Class Editing Assignment
a. PANORA, Iowa. – This small town welcomed home one of its soldiers Friday. Instead of jubilant well-wishers, there were 525 mourners who packed every corner of the United Methodist Church. There was a stream of cars that stretched from the church to the West Cemetery outside of town.
b. There were flags at half-staff accompanied by red, white and blue ribbons. The ribbons were tied to flower sprays that surrounded the altar. There were tears of grief.
c. Army Spec. Michael Mills was one of 191 Americans killed in the war. He was one of 28 people killed Feb. 25 when an Iraqi suicide bomb exploded.
Mills was a 23-year-old hometown boy who carried on a family tradition by joining the Army. His funeral Friday provided a somber contrast to the joyous reunions held for returning troops throughout the country.
b. There were flags at half-staff accompanied by red, white and blue ribbons. The ribbons were tied to flower sprays that surrounded the altar. There were tears of grief.
c. Army Spec. Michael Mills was one of 191 Americans killed in the war. He was one of 28 people killed Feb. 25 when an Iraqi suicide bomb exploded.
Mills was a 23-year-old hometown boy who carried on a family tradition by joining the Army. His funeral Friday provided a somber contrast to the joyous reunions held for returning troops throughout the country.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Assignment #8 Blogging a Scene
Listening to the Radio
I walked down to the basement of the University Memorial Center here at CU, past the garbage dumps to the confines of the Radio 1190 studio. I walked past the first dimly lit room into the main room where the walls were entirely covered with thousands of records dying to get played over the air.
The only objects not covered in music were the doors which were plastered with graffiti and stickers of various artists. I proceeded to sit down on the only couch in the room which didn’t seem to have a particular color but rather dozens of different paint splatters. I was ready to see if the sound of this room matched the small radio station’s sights.
While I was waiting for the hosts of the Hip Hop show called Basementalism, I had the opportunity to listen to the show on just before called Chunk of Funk. As the lovely sounds of Sly & the Family Stone are playing I heard a series of four letter words behind me that have suddenly grown wings. These words would not cease to stop flying the entire evening. The crew was late to the set and rushed in just in time to start their show.
Out of nowhere I heard the inspiring lyrics of “I need to gangsta boogie with my gangsta bitch!” This song was blaring so loud from the speakers with enough bass to make anyone tone deaf for the rest of their life. The entire crew was dancing and singing along with the jam. The mood was light and people came here to relax and have a good time.
Once the host put on a play list, everyone got together and greeted each other. They never greeted each other with a handshake but rather with a slide and a bump. The group didn’t address each other by their government name but with names such as “DJ Low Key” and “B-Money”. The conversation of the crew began with how the past week has gone for everyone. The consensus among the group was that school is still awful and how their significant others aren’t so significant anymore. This talk quickly shifted to how they deal with their daily problems.
This was when the group was most elated. One man was wearing an over sized “fur” jacket and was quickly asked why he bought such a large and absurd jacket. A wide grin came over him and he said “There is so much room for my medicine; I couldn’t get through the day without it.” He opened his jacket and there were pockets filled with several bags of hallucinogens and a sparkling flask. He was quickly adored and congratulated for such a fine collection.
The atmosphere quickly changed once it was time for the crew to get back on the air. Everyone became extremely professional and there was no cursing of any sort. It seemed that these people had two very distinct personalities. The hosts of the show became very passionate about Hip-Hop music and started talking about the history and significance of the music they were playing. The hosts then called up local artists and asked these artists questions about their music and where they were from and how it was possible for the audience to “cop” some of their music.
The hosts were making a great effort and had a strong interest in promoting local music. They thanked the artists and signed off to end the week’s show. As the crew handed over the set for the next show, everybody said their goodbyes. One woman asked her friend what he was doing after the show. He pondered a moment and answered “I dunno, it’s a Saturday night though and that pretty much always involves drinking”. The group left just as they had come into the studio that afternoon, looking for a good time.
I walked down to the basement of the University Memorial Center here at CU, past the garbage dumps to the confines of the Radio 1190 studio. I walked past the first dimly lit room into the main room where the walls were entirely covered with thousands of records dying to get played over the air.
The only objects not covered in music were the doors which were plastered with graffiti and stickers of various artists. I proceeded to sit down on the only couch in the room which didn’t seem to have a particular color but rather dozens of different paint splatters. I was ready to see if the sound of this room matched the small radio station’s sights.
While I was waiting for the hosts of the Hip Hop show called Basementalism, I had the opportunity to listen to the show on just before called Chunk of Funk. As the lovely sounds of Sly & the Family Stone are playing I heard a series of four letter words behind me that have suddenly grown wings. These words would not cease to stop flying the entire evening. The crew was late to the set and rushed in just in time to start their show.
Out of nowhere I heard the inspiring lyrics of “I need to gangsta boogie with my gangsta bitch!” This song was blaring so loud from the speakers with enough bass to make anyone tone deaf for the rest of their life. The entire crew was dancing and singing along with the jam. The mood was light and people came here to relax and have a good time.
Once the host put on a play list, everyone got together and greeted each other. They never greeted each other with a handshake but rather with a slide and a bump. The group didn’t address each other by their government name but with names such as “DJ Low Key” and “B-Money”. The conversation of the crew began with how the past week has gone for everyone. The consensus among the group was that school is still awful and how their significant others aren’t so significant anymore. This talk quickly shifted to how they deal with their daily problems.
This was when the group was most elated. One man was wearing an over sized “fur” jacket and was quickly asked why he bought such a large and absurd jacket. A wide grin came over him and he said “There is so much room for my medicine; I couldn’t get through the day without it.” He opened his jacket and there were pockets filled with several bags of hallucinogens and a sparkling flask. He was quickly adored and congratulated for such a fine collection.
The atmosphere quickly changed once it was time for the crew to get back on the air. Everyone became extremely professional and there was no cursing of any sort. It seemed that these people had two very distinct personalities. The hosts of the show became very passionate about Hip-Hop music and started talking about the history and significance of the music they were playing. The hosts then called up local artists and asked these artists questions about their music and where they were from and how it was possible for the audience to “cop” some of their music.
The hosts were making a great effort and had a strong interest in promoting local music. They thanked the artists and signed off to end the week’s show. As the crew handed over the set for the next show, everybody said their goodbyes. One woman asked her friend what he was doing after the show. He pondered a moment and answered “I dunno, it’s a Saturday night though and that pretty much always involves drinking”. The group left just as they had come into the studio that afternoon, looking for a good time.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Potential News Stories
1. Who put together this debate and what will be the grounds for discussion? Why were these two people chosen to speak? Who are they?
2. What issues were discussed? How did these speaker's backgrounds influence what was said?
3. Local News Story: How does this debate effect our University and Boulder? How do the opinions of these men apply to students? How did they address the youth?
4. How do the views of these men compare to those of congress and their respective parties? Have their views fluctuated with the times? Do either of these men agree with the President?
5.What is the purpose of this debate? How will it effect the position of the position of these politicians?
2. What issues were discussed? How did these speaker's backgrounds influence what was said?
3. Local News Story: How does this debate effect our University and Boulder? How do the opinions of these men apply to students? How did they address the youth?
4. How do the views of these men compare to those of congress and their respective parties? Have their views fluctuated with the times? Do either of these men agree with the President?
5.What is the purpose of this debate? How will it effect the position of the position of these politicians?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Basic News Story
Left vs. Right
New studies show that being left-handed shortens the lifespan of an individual.
If you are left hand dominant, automatically your life expectancy has decreased.
Left-handed people are ten percent of the population, but these people represent much fewer among the elderly population.
According to a recent study, left-handed people were four times more likely to die from injuries while driving than right-handers. This is compared to six times more likely for left-handers to die from all types of accidents than right-handers.
Diane Halpern, a psychology professor at California State University at San Bernardino, who conducted part of the study, said “We knew for years that there weren’t as many old left-handers,”
Halpern further elaborates on the early conceptions of the research saying “Researchers thought that was because in the early years of the century, most people born left-handed were forced to change to their right hands. So we thought we were looking at old people who used to be left-handed, but we weren’t. The truth was that there simply weren’t many left-handers left alive, compared to right-handers.”
Another contributor of this research is Stanley Coren of the University of British Columbia. Along with Halpern, these researchers studied death certificates of 987 people in two Southern California counties. The relatives of these people were questioned by mail about the subject’s dominant hands.
Further research showed that the average age at death for right-handed people was 75. This number was much lower for left-handed people being at 66.
Halpern although warns people to take caution with this data. “It should not, of course, be used to predict the life span of any one individual. It does not take into account the fitness of any individual” she said.
She goes on further to say that there are plenty old left-handed people. If history is any indication these numbers should not sway parents to change their children’s dominant hand.
So why does the world seem harder for left-handed people to live in? Halpern offers an explanation. “Almost all engineering is geared to the right hand and right foot,” she said. “There are many more car and other accidents among left-handers because of their environment.”
New studies show that being left-handed shortens the lifespan of an individual.
If you are left hand dominant, automatically your life expectancy has decreased.
Left-handed people are ten percent of the population, but these people represent much fewer among the elderly population.
According to a recent study, left-handed people were four times more likely to die from injuries while driving than right-handers. This is compared to six times more likely for left-handers to die from all types of accidents than right-handers.
Diane Halpern, a psychology professor at California State University at San Bernardino, who conducted part of the study, said “We knew for years that there weren’t as many old left-handers,”
Halpern further elaborates on the early conceptions of the research saying “Researchers thought that was because in the early years of the century, most people born left-handed were forced to change to their right hands. So we thought we were looking at old people who used to be left-handed, but we weren’t. The truth was that there simply weren’t many left-handers left alive, compared to right-handers.”
Another contributor of this research is Stanley Coren of the University of British Columbia. Along with Halpern, these researchers studied death certificates of 987 people in two Southern California counties. The relatives of these people were questioned by mail about the subject’s dominant hands.
Further research showed that the average age at death for right-handed people was 75. This number was much lower for left-handed people being at 66.
Halpern although warns people to take caution with this data. “It should not, of course, be used to predict the life span of any one individual. It does not take into account the fitness of any individual” she said.
She goes on further to say that there are plenty old left-handed people. If history is any indication these numbers should not sway parents to change their children’s dominant hand.
So why does the world seem harder for left-handed people to live in? Halpern offers an explanation. “Almost all engineering is geared to the right hand and right foot,” she said. “There are many more car and other accidents among left-handers because of their environment.”
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Research Methods, pt. 2
Question One: U.S. Census Statistics
A. According to 2008 U.S. Census estimates, the total population in the state of Colorado was 4,939,456.
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08000.html
B. In the year 2000 the population of the Asian race was 95,213 people. This comprised 2.2% of Colorado’s population at the time. Whereas the population of Pacific Islanders was 4,621. This number was .1% of Colorado’s population. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&qr_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&geo_id=04000US08
Question Two: Crime Story #1
A. Two websites that provides a list of registered sex offenders are http://www.familywatchdog.us/ and http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/Conditions.aspx
B. In Boulder Colorado there are 70 registered sex offenders. The three people who live closest to me are Shankar Gurung, William Haumesser, and Ronald Simonds. All of these people live within .3 miles of my house.
C. The Maryland sex offender registry is under the Maryland Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services. The URL for this department is http://www.dpscs.state.md.us/onlineservs/socem/default.shtml. The website clarifies what the public should expect to find on their website. For instance on this website you can find and sexual offenders that live near you. One can track the movements of a predator and you can tips if your child or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse.
Question Three: Crime Story # 2
On the website of the Office of Postsecondary Education the University of Colorado it was reported in 2008 that there were seven forcible sex offenses. There were 59 burglaries in the same year.
Question Four: Political Reporting #1
A. The two senators of Colorado are Michael Bennet and Mark Udall. The funds for Bennet are $3,661,380 and for Udall they are at $12,015,829.
Question Five: Political Reporting #2
A. Governor Bill Ritter received $984,026 in his last campaign.
B. Ritter received 2,167 contributions to reach this dollar amount.
C. The limit on the amount of money for personal contributions to a campaign in Colorado depends on who the money is going to. An individual may give $2,400 to each candidate. $30,400 to a national party committee and $10,000 to a state or local party committee. There is an $115,000 biennial limit which is split between $42,700 to all of candidates and $65,500 to political action committees and parties.
Question Six: Government Statistics #1
A. The average tuition costs for the 2007-2008 school year was $16,245
B. The average tuition, fees, room and board for four-year public institutions was $13,424 for the 2007-2008 school year.
C. The average tuition, fees, room and board for four-year private institutions was $30,393 for the same school year.
http://www.nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=76
Question Seven: Government Statistics #2
A. www.cde.state.co.us/stateinfo/QGGovtStatistics.htm & http://www.colorado.gov/
Question Eight: Government Statistics #3
A. http://ci.boulder.co.us/
A. According to 2008 U.S. Census estimates, the total population in the state of Colorado was 4,939,456.
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08000.html
B. In the year 2000 the population of the Asian race was 95,213 people. This comprised 2.2% of Colorado’s population at the time. Whereas the population of Pacific Islanders was 4,621. This number was .1% of Colorado’s population. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&qr_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&geo_id=04000US08
Question Two: Crime Story #1
A. Two websites that provides a list of registered sex offenders are http://www.familywatchdog.us/ and http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/Conditions.aspx
B. In Boulder Colorado there are 70 registered sex offenders. The three people who live closest to me are Shankar Gurung, William Haumesser, and Ronald Simonds. All of these people live within .3 miles of my house.
C. The Maryland sex offender registry is under the Maryland Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services. The URL for this department is http://www.dpscs.state.md.us/onlineservs/socem/default.shtml. The website clarifies what the public should expect to find on their website. For instance on this website you can find and sexual offenders that live near you. One can track the movements of a predator and you can tips if your child or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse.
Question Three: Crime Story # 2
On the website of the Office of Postsecondary Education the University of Colorado it was reported in 2008 that there were seven forcible sex offenses. There were 59 burglaries in the same year.
Question Four: Political Reporting #1
A. The two senators of Colorado are Michael Bennet and Mark Udall. The funds for Bennet are $3,661,380 and for Udall they are at $12,015,829.
Question Five: Political Reporting #2
A. Governor Bill Ritter received $984,026 in his last campaign.
B. Ritter received 2,167 contributions to reach this dollar amount.
C. The limit on the amount of money for personal contributions to a campaign in Colorado depends on who the money is going to. An individual may give $2,400 to each candidate. $30,400 to a national party committee and $10,000 to a state or local party committee. There is an $115,000 biennial limit which is split between $42,700 to all of candidates and $65,500 to political action committees and parties.
Question Six: Government Statistics #1
A. The average tuition costs for the 2007-2008 school year was $16,245
B. The average tuition, fees, room and board for four-year public institutions was $13,424 for the 2007-2008 school year.
C. The average tuition, fees, room and board for four-year private institutions was $30,393 for the same school year.
http://www.nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=76
Question Seven: Government Statistics #2
A. www.cde.state.co.us/stateinfo/QGGovtStatistics.htm & http://www.colorado.gov/
Question Eight: Government Statistics #3
A. http://ci.boulder.co.us/
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Disasters Research Blog
Question 1: Weather Story #1 – Hurricane History
-The costliest hurricane in the United States since 1990 is Hurricane Katrina.
-The hurricane occurred primarily in Louisiana but extended to the states of Mississippi, Alabama and South East Florida.
-The damages of this natural disaster were estimated at $81,000,000,000
-This information was derived from the National Hurricane Center’s publication: The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-Present. The information is posted at the url: http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/damage.asp
Question 2: Weather Story #2 – Earthquake Preparedness
Before an earthquake: It is important to check for all potential hazards in the home and fix these problems. From there find safe places indoors and outdoors to position yourself away from hazardous conditions. Finally have disaster supplies on hand such as a first aid kit and emergency food. It never hurts to educate yourself and your family members by calling the American Red Cross to get safety tips.
During an earthquake: If you are indoors it is important to drop to the ground and take cover under something sturdy. Cover your head and stay inside until the quake is over. If you are outdoors stay outdoors. Get away from buildings and stay in the open. Most earthquake casualties come from falling building debris. If you are trapped under debris do not move as this might trap you worse or kick up more hazardous dust. Tap on walls or pipes so rescuers can locate you. Seldom should you yell as not to inhale dust.
After an earthquake: At first you should expect aftershocks which can cause even more structural damage. Stay away from damaged areas and inspect your utilities for damage. Finally, if possible help anyone who is trapped in the rubble.
All of this information is posted on the United States Geological Survey’s website: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/prepare/
Question 3: Plane Crashes
-Over the past year in Colorado there have been four fatal plane crashes. The cities these accidents occurred were in Wray, Hayden, Elbert and Simila.
-In 2009 there were 43 nonfatal plane crashes in the state of Colorado.
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/query.asp
-In 2000 the NTSB conducted an investigation of Alaska Airlines. http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2002/AAR0201.pdf
-The plane crash that occurred in Lexington, Kentucky killed forty nine people.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/27/national/main1936906.shtml
-The costliest hurricane in the United States since 1990 is Hurricane Katrina.
-The hurricane occurred primarily in Louisiana but extended to the states of Mississippi, Alabama and South East Florida.
-The damages of this natural disaster were estimated at $81,000,000,000
-This information was derived from the National Hurricane Center’s publication: The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-Present. The information is posted at the url: http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/damage.asp
Question 2: Weather Story #2 – Earthquake Preparedness
Before an earthquake: It is important to check for all potential hazards in the home and fix these problems. From there find safe places indoors and outdoors to position yourself away from hazardous conditions. Finally have disaster supplies on hand such as a first aid kit and emergency food. It never hurts to educate yourself and your family members by calling the American Red Cross to get safety tips.
During an earthquake: If you are indoors it is important to drop to the ground and take cover under something sturdy. Cover your head and stay inside until the quake is over. If you are outdoors stay outdoors. Get away from buildings and stay in the open. Most earthquake casualties come from falling building debris. If you are trapped under debris do not move as this might trap you worse or kick up more hazardous dust. Tap on walls or pipes so rescuers can locate you. Seldom should you yell as not to inhale dust.
After an earthquake: At first you should expect aftershocks which can cause even more structural damage. Stay away from damaged areas and inspect your utilities for damage. Finally, if possible help anyone who is trapped in the rubble.
All of this information is posted on the United States Geological Survey’s website: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/prepare/
Question 3: Plane Crashes
-Over the past year in Colorado there have been four fatal plane crashes. The cities these accidents occurred were in Wray, Hayden, Elbert and Simila.
-In 2009 there were 43 nonfatal plane crashes in the state of Colorado.
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/query.asp
-In 2000 the NTSB conducted an investigation of Alaska Airlines. http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2002/AAR0201.pdf
-The plane crash that occurred in Lexington, Kentucky killed forty nine people.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/27/national/main1936906.shtml
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
A Giant Falls: Dan Rather Blog
Dan Rather’s career came into jeopardy in September 2004 during the presidential campaign in a story that is now referred to as Rathergate. The CBS series 60 minutes aired a story about then President George W. Bush receiving special treatment in his service with the Air National Guard. These documents were alleged to come from the archives of Lt. Jerry B. Killian. Very quickly bloggers claimed that these documents must be forgeries because the papers were typed in a modern script that wasn’t available on military typewriters when President Bush served.
CBS initially defended the story but could not come up with the sufficient evidence needed to prove these articles were legitimate. The network would later retract their story but the damage had already been done. The credibility of the network and its reporters came into question and this led to the termination of many including one of television’s most revered reporters Dan Rather.
I recently have become aware of this story and this situation leaves me in awe on how powerful the blogs have over traditional journalism. . Not only do these blogs provide journalists news ideas for journalists but they also have created a much higher standard for journalists to stick to the fair and balanced. It does not even matter whether these documents were fabricated or not. It only matters that the credibility of these journalists were tainted and this was by a media source that even five years ago did not seem to have much power. This is comforting in the sense that journalists are being held to a higher standard. In my opinion blogs are becoming increasingly important. They do not distract from the stories that are truly important but rather just give a different source for these stories to emerge from. Blogs create new stories while making current stories ever more valid and therefore better journalism.
As a news consumer this story has alerted me to wake up and realize that I have become very ignorant and fixed in my ways when it comes to looking news stories. I read the paper or flip on the television normally but I need to be looking elsewhere for news stories than the traditional sources I am used to.
As a new journalism student I think this story is an important one to gain perspective from so I can better pursue a career in this field. I think this story is a good lesson in teaching all the importance of sticking to the fair and balanced. If one of the giants in this industry can be taken down then anyone can. On the other hand, it is encouraging to know that there are other fields of journalism developing and the options I have in getting involved in journalism seem vast.
When looking at this issue from the prospective of a voter I think my opinion is vastly different. I do not think this story has a dramatic effect on the way I will vote in the future. I already didn’t want to listen to the media for political advice. The reporters seem to only be arguing with each other about these issues rather than relaying any important information to me their audience. This is not productive and I rather listen to the politicians and the issues they are concerned with.
This story does not affect the way I view journalists but it has brought me to the realization that web logs need to be paid a little more respect than being called the “Pajama Brigade”. The roles of blogs in the upcoming world of journalism seem endless.
CBS initially defended the story but could not come up with the sufficient evidence needed to prove these articles were legitimate. The network would later retract their story but the damage had already been done. The credibility of the network and its reporters came into question and this led to the termination of many including one of television’s most revered reporters Dan Rather.
I recently have become aware of this story and this situation leaves me in awe on how powerful the blogs have over traditional journalism. . Not only do these blogs provide journalists news ideas for journalists but they also have created a much higher standard for journalists to stick to the fair and balanced. It does not even matter whether these documents were fabricated or not. It only matters that the credibility of these journalists were tainted and this was by a media source that even five years ago did not seem to have much power. This is comforting in the sense that journalists are being held to a higher standard. In my opinion blogs are becoming increasingly important. They do not distract from the stories that are truly important but rather just give a different source for these stories to emerge from. Blogs create new stories while making current stories ever more valid and therefore better journalism.
As a news consumer this story has alerted me to wake up and realize that I have become very ignorant and fixed in my ways when it comes to looking news stories. I read the paper or flip on the television normally but I need to be looking elsewhere for news stories than the traditional sources I am used to.
As a new journalism student I think this story is an important one to gain perspective from so I can better pursue a career in this field. I think this story is a good lesson in teaching all the importance of sticking to the fair and balanced. If one of the giants in this industry can be taken down then anyone can. On the other hand, it is encouraging to know that there are other fields of journalism developing and the options I have in getting involved in journalism seem vast.
When looking at this issue from the prospective of a voter I think my opinion is vastly different. I do not think this story has a dramatic effect on the way I will vote in the future. I already didn’t want to listen to the media for political advice. The reporters seem to only be arguing with each other about these issues rather than relaying any important information to me their audience. This is not productive and I rather listen to the politicians and the issues they are concerned with.
This story does not affect the way I view journalists but it has brought me to the realization that web logs need to be paid a little more respect than being called the “Pajama Brigade”. The roles of blogs in the upcoming world of journalism seem endless.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Blogging about Blogging: Poorer Than You
The blog poorerthanyou.com was created by a recent college graduate named Stephanie who studied personal finances. The intended audience for this blog is financially struggling college students and people in their early twenties who are trying to make some better choices with their money. This is clearly stated at the top of her web page making it very easy to understand what goals she is trying to accomplish with her blog. The most important part of this blog in my opinion is that Stephanie is writing from her past experiences and her own perspectives. She gives her audience sources to financial sites and then comments on these pieces to help guide the reader’s decisions. Even though this blog is mostly opinionated, I think it has much to offer because it provides information on how to conduct your finances based on past successes and failures. . The fact that Stephanie studies financial information for a living gives her that much more credibility. I do not believe I would be able to write this blog because I simply do not have the knowledge of how to become financially successful. I would simply tell people to do the exact opposite of how I spend my money and hope that people will not lose all of their income in the process.
I choose to write about this blog because I feel like I could learn and gain the most from Stephanie’s information. Being a college student automatically makes me financially challenged and it was nice to get some advice with someone I can more easily relate because of our age group. One major article on this website is entitled Listen: Graduating and Job Hunting in the Recession. I quickly found this to be of extreme importance because I will have to do this very thing in the near future. This blog was easily relatable and simple to understand because of the site’s organized structure. The tone of her writing also helps us the reader because I feel she is relating her experiences in the way she would talk normally. This made her advice much easier to understand. The poorerthanyou.com blog is a very helpful and informational tool that could help ease the financial woes of today’s college students.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Walter Lippmann Quote Response
Walter Lippmann’s quote is an accurate description of the journalism field of his generation but this quote would not apply to the field of newspapers and the journalism field in general today. The first part of the statement is extremely accurate in describing the news in the manner that this information is trying to persuade the papers audience in a certain way through these various methods. The latter half of Lippmann’s quote which describes the job of tasking and ordering is where his idea starts to wane. In the 1920’s, the main source of information was coming from newspapers, thus giving these journalists a heightened responsibility and gives them a monopolistic power. If the newspaper industry was disposed of today, our society would still be able to access important information. This observation does not mean that the journalists of today have any less responsibility for informing their peers but it does give them a decreased sense of power in the democratic process then when Mr. Lippmann first stated his quote.
As far as the allegory made by Lippmann, I do not agree with the comparison of the journalists and priests. I think the journalism field should be held at the highest standard and should be deemed as very valuable. Saying this though, in my opinion, priests have news that is much more valuable to the human experience. I do not think the two fields correspond properly. Rather I think the role of journalists should be compared to the leaders of people in a democracy such as the President, Governors, Mayors, etc. Journalists have the ability to spread information and news just as much as these prestigious members of the American society. Our society needs journalists reporting news just as much as we need people to govern us.
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