My husband is an Asian Georgia Tech graduate, so this news is becoming personal everyday. For example, my dad in Korea called me yesterday, "Your hubby's school campus showed on nine o'clock news because a graduate school professor collected money from Asian students who weren't fluent in English." Well, I'm glad he got to see what his son-in-law's graduated school looks like but to many engineers in Georgia whose pride is "Yellow Jacket" and "G. Tech the Real Tech", this global news worth ten buckets of beer. How do we draw a boundary and say no to a pressure like that? What would I do if I were forced into under the table payments for being an English as a second language student? Is this the issue of peer pressure or code of ethics? If I had to write an editorial on this news, I would have struggled with finding an angle. All of sudden, I realized how thankful I am to my editing team who are helping me to complete this course.
Monday, March 31, 2014
To pay or not to pay, that is a problem
Friday, March 28, 2014
Christie in the News Again
The New York Times, Friday, March 28, 2014 Front Page: Report Details Claim by Ally: Christie Knew, Internal Bridge Inquiry Clears the Governor
Based on an "internal review that lawyers for the Governor released," by NYT Reporter Michael Barbaro.
I've been thinking about this article. I think Barbaro's writing astutely reflected personal confusion with the report. Terrific reporting! Now, I want to read the report.
Why would Christie authorize a million dollars for the preparation of an internal report if he were innocent? At what level is he cleared? An internal report, I suspect, could be admitted as evidence during a Congressional hearing or court hearing. That doesn't mean the findings of alleged facts would not be carefully scrutinized. This all feels increasingly odd. I read the article--thanks to Barbaro for addressing what appears to be a cumbersome and somewhat convoluted report.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/28/nyregion/chris-christie-lawyer-bridge-scandal-report.html
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Washington Post - Obama Presses Europe on Russia
On Thursday March 27, 2014 the Washington Post published an article above the fold by reporter Scott Wilson titled "Obama Presses Europe on Russia" with the subtitle, "He wants NATO strengthened." The article was obviously very relevant to current news since U.S. relations with Russia have been making headlines given the recent uprising in Ukraine. The dateline was from Brussels, Belgium and reported from the President's visit to Brussels to deliver a speech at Palais des Beaux-Arts.
The article was formatted in typical pyramid style with basic information up front, with a very relevant lede and the author paraphrasing the events. The fourth paragraph was a quote from the speech by President Obama.
Overall, the piece was interesting with a semi-local bent given Washington, DC's role in the global playing field of world events.
-- Kristina Baum
The article was formatted in typical pyramid style with basic information up front, with a very relevant lede and the author paraphrasing the events. The fourth paragraph was a quote from the speech by President Obama.
Overall, the piece was interesting with a semi-local bent given Washington, DC's role in the global playing field of world events.
-- Kristina Baum
News Story on Population Growth
New York City may be an expensive place to live. Jobs are not easy to find, even as the city rebounds from the recession. And the public transit system is not always reliable or comfortable.
But despite the challenges of city living, the city’s population is growing in ways not seen in decades.
For the third consecutive year, New York City last year gained more people than it lost through migration, reversing a trend that stretched to the mid-20th century.
For the year ending July 1, 2013, an influx of foreigners combined with a continuing decline in the loss of migrants to other states increased the population by more than 61,000, nudging it past 8.4 million for the first time, according to estimates to be released on Thursday by the United States Census Bureau.
Every borough registered a gain in population. Even the Bronx, a traditional laggard, recorded a rate nearly as high as top-ranked Brooklyn and Manhattan. While Manhattan and the Bronx lost more people to migration than they gained, the difference was made up by more births than deaths.
“Growth is now quite robust, much more so than it was in the last decade,” said Andrew A. Beveridge, a sociologist at Queens College of the City University of New York. “These new numbers show that New York City now has recouped the roughly 250,000 population that was estimated but not found in the city by the 2010 census.”
Joseph J. Salvo, director of the population division for the Department of City Planning, estimated that the number of New Yorkers had grown by 2.8 percent since 2010.
“That’s big,” he said.
While the influx from abroad has slowed somewhat since 2010, he said, the net loss to other states so far this decade has been reduced by half compared with the period from 2000 to 2010.
Overall, Dr. Salvo said, “it’s the first time since the late 1940s or early 1950s that we’ve had a net migration near zero or positive.” Three years suggest a trend that he described as “very significant.”
“These population increases underscore the need to spur creation of housing for all New Yorkers, something which we are focusing on as part of the mayor’s mandate to provide 200,000 affordable apartments over the next 10 years,” said Carl Weisbrod, the planning commission chairman.
In the past few years, the lingering effects of the recession contributed to a slowdown in the city’s growth, with fewer people transplanting to New York. Still, according to William H. Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution, “the city continues to grow more rapidly than the metro area and its surrounding suburbs.”
In the city, 73,000 newcomers arrived from abroad in the year ending July 1, with the bulk settling in Brooklyn and Queens (with 24,000, Queens ranked third among counties in the country in the number of foreign immigrants it attracted). The citywide loss to other states totaled about 67,000.
“The huge city migration losses in previous years were a result of metro-wide losses to the Sun Belt and continued suburbanization,” Dr. Frey said. “Many young people” who might otherwise move away, “are finding the city, including the outer boroughs, an attractive long-term home.”
Numbers Vs. Emotion
All of the media coverage surrounding Malaysian flight 370 has reminded me that complex information can be extremely sensitive.
When Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak announced that 370 had crashed in the southern corridor of the Indian Ocean, I was a little surprised that he didn't cite any direct evidence. The flight path was determined using "a type of analysis never before used in an investigation of this sort," but no debris has been discovered. Malaysian officials solved the mystery using math.
But this isn't the kind of math that anyone can do on one of those calculator watches that they used to sell at Kmart. It requires an understanding of satellite positioning, radio wavelengths, and trigonometry. It's the work of professors, not doctors and rescue divers.
So, it's not surprising that people aren't satisfied with the official verdict of the Malaysian government. This kind of math is difficult to understand and grieving families need closure, not numbers.
But sometimes numbers are the answer, however unsatisfying that may be. And I can't help but feel like its the journalist's job to communicate this fact.
If it were possible to communicate complex calculations to the general population, I wonder if the debates surrounding climate change, evolution, and vaccination would disappear. Perhaps not. But, like I said, I can't help but feel like it's our job.
When Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak announced that 370 had crashed in the southern corridor of the Indian Ocean, I was a little surprised that he didn't cite any direct evidence. The flight path was determined using "a type of analysis never before used in an investigation of this sort," but no debris has been discovered. Malaysian officials solved the mystery using math.
But this isn't the kind of math that anyone can do on one of those calculator watches that they used to sell at Kmart. It requires an understanding of satellite positioning, radio wavelengths, and trigonometry. It's the work of professors, not doctors and rescue divers.
So, it's not surprising that people aren't satisfied with the official verdict of the Malaysian government. This kind of math is difficult to understand and grieving families need closure, not numbers.
But sometimes numbers are the answer, however unsatisfying that may be. And I can't help but feel like its the journalist's job to communicate this fact.
If it were possible to communicate complex calculations to the general population, I wonder if the debates surrounding climate change, evolution, and vaccination would disappear. Perhaps not. But, like I said, I can't help but feel like it's our job.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Rafael Correa's battle against the press
American journalists are very lucky to exercise their profession freely. In other countries, citizen-critic of government is not allowed. Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, has his own strategy to impede journalism's function of exposing public officials' conduct. I recently studied some of the most important legal cases relating freedom of speech in the United States and learnt that early in 1964, in the case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, the Supreme Court held that public official plaintiffs had to prove actual malice in order to recover damages in a libel case. This way, the Court strenghtened a robust debate on the government's actions.
Here is a link to a story that summarizes Correa´s battle against free press. One of his habits is using defamation suits as a self-censorship method.
Here is a link to a story that summarizes Correa´s battle against free press. One of his habits is using defamation suits as a self-censorship method.
How far will you go to get the story?
Here’s an interesting story about two CNN journalists who
were arrested while trying to sneak into the World Trade Center. Their assignment was to report on recent
security events at the site. There is
good supporting evidence that security is a problem here (e.g., the kid making it to the 104th floor, etc.)
The story has a good lede, detail and supporting photos of the two
men. While the nutgraf could be pulled
up a bit, the story hits the mark with respect to how far people will go to get
a good story. It would be interesting to know if these two make a habit of sneaking into places like this.
I especially liked how the CNN spokesperson made sure the
network’s position was clear by stating that the two were NOT supposed to sneak
in. Deniability at its finest. I visited the site a couple of months ago. It's quite a building.
Do you think the network’s position would have been different if the guys
had not been caught?
Link:
No more burning babies
This is an interesting case of the influence of the media. Journalists uncovered the fact that some British hospitals were burning miscarried and aborted babies, often as fuel for heat. A team of investigative reporters put together a film titled "Exposing Hospital Heartbreak" for the television program "Dispatches.” The film showed that in the last two years alone as many as 15,500 fetuses had been incinerated.
The story broke earlier this week prior to the program running on March 24. On that same day, the British government banned the practice. The statement was issued by Dr. Dan Poulter, parliamentary undersecretary of state for health.
You can read more at Catholic News Service.
The story broke earlier this week prior to the program running on March 24. On that same day, the British government banned the practice. The statement was issued by Dr. Dan Poulter, parliamentary undersecretary of state for health.
You can read more at Catholic News Service.
Journalism and the Brain
When I write, I find I select certain details or facts to support a viewpoint. And of course, a story needs focus; otherwise it would be random and chaotic. But, there must be room for counterpoint, different attention to detail, and development. In that moment of decision, of focus, does selective retention inform those choices when I write? I actually believe it does. As far back as childhood.
Today, I listened to Dr. Eben Alexander explain his sense of heaven after suffering from gram negative meningitis--gram negative bacteria kills 70 percent of humans it infects, e.g., watch Epidemic at the NIH on Frontline, PBS [link below] if you have time. What made me sad, was his frightful effort to place into words, a world he could not fathom on a rational level. I'm not particularly religious, but I do believe in the mysteries of life and death--the abilities to describe those moments can be overwhelming. What became clear is that he actually had more form and structure to these alternate realms, than he realized. And, I also believe, he drew from fundamental beliefs from childhood. Every time I write, I almost feel as though I'm pulling things out of the ether and forming them. It's such hard work for me, and yet there's a joy to it as words form thoughts, sounds, pictures, smells. Sometimes magic happens.
PBS, Frontline:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/health-science-technology/hunting-the-nightmare-bacteria/meet-the-nightmare-bacteria/
I appreciated the article below regarding, as TS Elliot wrote, "Decisions and revisions which a moment will reverse" although he was referring to chaos, not clarity of thought and judgement as this article discusses.
How Your Brain Makes Moral Judgments, CNN, March 26th, 2014
by Elizabeth Landau
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/26/health/brain-moral-judgments/
Monday, March 24, 2014
CNN Coverage of Malaysia Flight 370
Like the rest of the world, for the past two weeks I've been glued to reports about the missing plane and its passengers. I am curious what you all think about CNN's sensational televised coverage? They "report" on each and every speculation, as though it is news. Is it news?
Yet, I'm tuned in listening to it... What do you think?
Like the rest of the world, for the past two weeks I've been glued to reports about the missing plane and its passengers. I am curious what you all think about CNN's sensational televised coverage? They "report" on each and every speculation, as though it is news. Is it news?
Yet, I'm tuned in listening to it... What do you think?
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Writing Features
https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/specials/weblines/431.html
Feature writing is somewhat different. There is more room for creative expression in feature articles because they are more concerned with mood and feeling. They are written as much to entertain as to inform. Still, newspaper readers are still in a hurry, still have a thousand things competing for their attention and are still interested in getting information quickly and easily. That means that certain conventions have grown up around feature articles.
Feature articles usually begin with a delayed lead - an anecdotal or descriptive lead. Instead of the who-did-what-and-when of hard news, a feature often begins with one or two or three short paragraphs to set the scene. Then comes the real lead of the article. In a feature article, the part that does the job of the lead is usually called the nut graf ("graf" is newspaper slang for paragraph.) This nut graf must explain the opening anecdote and put it in a broader context. It tells the reader what the feature article is about.
Here is a New York Times feature article written by Rick Bragg about Vietnamese immigrants in New Orleans.
The Virgin Mary, cast in smooth, white concrete, stands watch in many of the small yards in New Orleans East, her arms spread wide, palms out, as if to signal that this is a good spot to stop, to stay. Two, sometimes three to a square block in the neighborhood, the statues are heavy, permanent, and the plain, tiny houses they guard are brick, built to last. The journey to get here was too hard to even think about moving again.
"We walked through the jungle all day, and spent the next 30 days on the ocean in a small boat," said Mary Nguyen, her mind slipping back almost a quarter-century, back to the waves off the coast of Vietnam. "We stayed in the boat in sunshine, rain, mist. We couldn't move. After a while, we were hungry.
"My 2-month-old boy had a fever, and I couldn't feed him because I couldn't produce milk for him. I didn't have food to eat myself. He died. I had to put the baby in the ocean. I couldn't leave him in the boat because he would smell. It was the worst day of my life.
"First, we went to Malaysia. Then, we flew to California. We spent the night there, and the next day we flew to New Orleans. My parents lived there. We haven't lived anywhere else since."
Vietnamese, many of whom survived journeys like Ms. Nguyen's, have been coming to New Orleans for 25 years, resettled here by the Roman Catholic Church after the fall of South Vietnam. More than 10,000 Vietnamese live in the New Orleans East community, a hot, damp and tangled, swampy landscape much like the one they fled -but, at the same time, as different as the dark side of the moon.
So even as they have assimilated here, they have also created a world that sounds and feels like home, from the sweet, dark coffee, swirling with condensed milk, to unofficial community banks that help start businesses, to the open-air market that rings with the Vietnamese language.
Old women in conical straw hats work fields of greens with hoes and picks, and old men patiently fish the bayou and canals. It is not home, exactly, but there are no killing fields, no state-run apparatus to control thoughts and politics.
Structurally, the article begins with a physical description, followed by a long quotation that tells a story. This is a little longer than most quotations this high in an article, but the quotation is so good, so full of important information, that the reader is carried along. At the end of the anecdote is the nut graf, the paragraph beginning "Vietnamese, many of whom. …" That is what the article is about. Note that the next two paragraphs support the nut graf and expand upon it. They can even be considered part of the nut "graf," which in a feature article can go on for awhile. The nut graf is not under the same length and style constraints as the news article lead.
Taking a journalism class makes me to become a habitual reader. I read a lot in my childhood, but then I started to relieve my stress through different channels of media, mostly cable TV shows. I learn a lot from class readings, and I seek for more. I found this website that clearly explains what feature article is. It gave me an inspiration. Fighting to my classmates who are writing feature article by the end of this month!
Feature writing is somewhat different. There is more room for creative expression in feature articles because they are more concerned with mood and feeling. They are written as much to entertain as to inform. Still, newspaper readers are still in a hurry, still have a thousand things competing for their attention and are still interested in getting information quickly and easily. That means that certain conventions have grown up around feature articles.
Feature articles usually begin with a delayed lead - an anecdotal or descriptive lead. Instead of the who-did-what-and-when of hard news, a feature often begins with one or two or three short paragraphs to set the scene. Then comes the real lead of the article. In a feature article, the part that does the job of the lead is usually called the nut graf ("graf" is newspaper slang for paragraph.) This nut graf must explain the opening anecdote and put it in a broader context. It tells the reader what the feature article is about.
Here is a New York Times feature article written by Rick Bragg about Vietnamese immigrants in New Orleans.
The Virgin Mary, cast in smooth, white concrete, stands watch in many of the small yards in New Orleans East, her arms spread wide, palms out, as if to signal that this is a good spot to stop, to stay. Two, sometimes three to a square block in the neighborhood, the statues are heavy, permanent, and the plain, tiny houses they guard are brick, built to last. The journey to get here was too hard to even think about moving again.
"We walked through the jungle all day, and spent the next 30 days on the ocean in a small boat," said Mary Nguyen, her mind slipping back almost a quarter-century, back to the waves off the coast of Vietnam. "We stayed in the boat in sunshine, rain, mist. We couldn't move. After a while, we were hungry.
"My 2-month-old boy had a fever, and I couldn't feed him because I couldn't produce milk for him. I didn't have food to eat myself. He died. I had to put the baby in the ocean. I couldn't leave him in the boat because he would smell. It was the worst day of my life.
"First, we went to Malaysia. Then, we flew to California. We spent the night there, and the next day we flew to New Orleans. My parents lived there. We haven't lived anywhere else since."
Vietnamese, many of whom survived journeys like Ms. Nguyen's, have been coming to New Orleans for 25 years, resettled here by the Roman Catholic Church after the fall of South Vietnam. More than 10,000 Vietnamese live in the New Orleans East community, a hot, damp and tangled, swampy landscape much like the one they fled -but, at the same time, as different as the dark side of the moon.
So even as they have assimilated here, they have also created a world that sounds and feels like home, from the sweet, dark coffee, swirling with condensed milk, to unofficial community banks that help start businesses, to the open-air market that rings with the Vietnamese language.
Old women in conical straw hats work fields of greens with hoes and picks, and old men patiently fish the bayou and canals. It is not home, exactly, but there are no killing fields, no state-run apparatus to control thoughts and politics.
Structurally, the article begins with a physical description, followed by a long quotation that tells a story. This is a little longer than most quotations this high in an article, but the quotation is so good, so full of important information, that the reader is carried along. At the end of the anecdote is the nut graf, the paragraph beginning "Vietnamese, many of whom. …" That is what the article is about. Note that the next two paragraphs support the nut graf and expand upon it. They can even be considered part of the nut "graf," which in a feature article can go on for awhile. The nut graf is not under the same length and style constraints as the news article lead.
Taking a journalism class makes me to become a habitual reader. I read a lot in my childhood, but then I started to relieve my stress through different channels of media, mostly cable TV shows. I learn a lot from class readings, and I seek for more. I found this website that clearly explains what feature article is. It gave me an inspiration. Fighting to my classmates who are writing feature article by the end of this month!
Saturday, March 22, 2014
A great AP Style Exercise Website
I have already shared AP quiz web address during the class once. Out of many AP style guide websites, I truly think this one is the best for daily exercise.
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073526142/student_view0/chapter3/exercise_3-2_1.html
The exercise 3-2.1
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073526142/student_view0/chapter3/exercise_3-2_2.html
The exercise 3-2.2
These two exercises are good for lede writing.
Then there is an interesting AP Style website like Suess's Pieces:
http://blog.emilysuess.com/ap-style-quiz/
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073526142/student_view0/chapter3/exercise_3-2_1.html
The exercise 3-2.1
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073526142/student_view0/chapter3/exercise_3-2_2.html
The exercise 3-2.2
These two exercises are good for lede writing.
Then there is an interesting AP Style website like Suess's Pieces:
http://blog.emilysuess.com/ap-style-quiz/
Robots writing journalism
Interesting article about how some news outlets are using robots (yes, robots) to write the news.
Here's a link to the article:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25273-rise-of-robot-reporters-when-software-writes-the-news.html#.Uy4R5KhdV6E
Here's a link to the article:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25273-rise-of-robot-reporters-when-software-writes-the-news.html#.Uy4R5KhdV6E
Monday, March 17, 2014
An Interesting Take on Media Bias
CBS news reporter Sharyl Attkisson resigned recently, citing in part a liberal bias at CBS News and the network's alleged stifling of some of her attempts to report critically on the Obama administration. Some at CBS reportedly thought Attkisson had a conservative anti-Obama agenda, so it looks like allegations of political bias were thrown in both directions.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/03/sharyl-attkisson-to-leave-cbs-news-184836.html
Don Lyman
CBS news reporter Sharyl Attkisson resigned recently, citing in part a liberal bias at CBS News and the network's alleged stifling of some of her attempts to report critically on the Obama administration. Some at CBS reportedly thought Attkisson had a conservative anti-Obama agenda, so it looks like allegations of political bias were thrown in both directions.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/03/sharyl-attkisson-to-leave-cbs-news-184836.html
Don Lyman
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Shall we Ask?
"...But unbeknownst to many people in China, all the questions had been vetted in advance, with foreign reporters and Foreign Ministry officials having negotiated over what topics were permissible, and then how the acceptable questions would be phrased.
This year CNN, Reuters, CNBC, The Associated Press and The Financial Times were among the outlets permitted to ask questions. Most of those who covered the event agreed it was a lackluster affair, without even a nugget of bona fide news.
According to several foreign journalists involved in the negotiations – a process that began months ago – there were a few non-negotiables: no questions about the stabbing attack in a train station in southwestern China earlier this month that claimed 29 lives, no mention of the self-immolations in Tibet and no references to Zhou Yongkang, the former powerful head of internal security who is reportedly the focus of a corruption inquiry..."
When President Obama came to Seoul G20, I was there. He gave question time to the reporters, and one reporter from China asked him multiples of aggressive questions in English. Mr. Obama had to say after answering a few question, "Let's hear from Korean reporters, I will take a question form a Korean reporter." If I had video recorded it, the scene would have been the opposite case of this article.
This class is so valuable to me because in my entire career in journalism, I've been nothing but a PR officer (with a journalist title) for many technological companies. I find the book Element of Journalism so comforting, since each chapter answers to many of "why" questions I have been building throughout the working years. The book helps me to understand why some of the things I put up with had to be done the way they were. Then there are articles like this I can totally relate to the culture, but can't find the answer why journalists have to put up with it. I've dealt with a few situation like that when my company covered Seoul Motor Show and G20. Some companies or organizations preferred to see questions in advance, and if my questions were approved, they had written answers ready for my interviewees to read upon. Is it to secure their public image or for the quality of an interview? I still do not really know. And as much as I want to understand the Prime Minister's Selective Answer Philosophy, I hope to see the day foreign reporters in China can get as inquisitive as they need to be, just the way Chinese reporters visit Korea and the U.S. with inquisitive minds.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
QUOTATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS, LOST IN TRANSLATION? NEWSWEEK IN TROUBLE?
From the Nieman Journalism Lab, March 14, 2014,[Excerpt and link]
This Week in Review:
Newsweek’s scoop lands
with a thud
By Mark Coddington"The cover story of Newsweek’s return to print was supposed to be a bombshell revelation of the identity of Bitcoin’s mysterious creator Satoshi Nakamoto, but it’s been unraveling ever since it was published late last week. The man Newsweek identified as Bitcoin’s creator, Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto of California, denied involvement with Bitcoin to The Associated Press, and the story’s details were widely questioned."
And I loved the lede.
And Coddington's nutgraf:
Coddington reported, "After publication, we got some more details about the forensic analysis that led Newsweek’s Leah McGrath Goodman to Nakamoto and the interview she conducted with him. Newsweek issued a statement standing by its story, and its editor-in-chief, Jim Impoco, appeared to both revel in and express outrage at the criticism the story was receiving.
The full article can be found at: http://www.niemanlab.org/2014/03/this-week-in-review-newsweeks-scoop-lands-with-a-thud-and-diversity-in-the-new-news-sites/
with an analysis of the Leah McGrath Goodman story she wrote for Newsweek!
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Quotations...
I appreciated our class regarding quotations this evening. Had my audio equipment worked, I would have liked to ask about journalists' treatment of swear words. It might have been covered when I was wrestling with my computer equipment. So many issues were discussed and helped.
I may be the only one, but I don't think there should be rigid rules about directly quoting those who speak with different dialects, those who use swear words, or other issues. I do think journalists have to be careful they understand another person when talking to someone who has a different accent or dialect, cultural understanding, nonverbal communication, affiliation, etc., as well as not stereotype. I've spoken with a Bostonian, I could not have understood if my life depended on it. All I wanted to know was how to get to Boylston Street. There may be times when capturing a quote exactly as it is said has value, other times, it may just be a means of diminishing the speaker or the reader. I'm planning on watching for examples in the Times over the next couple of weeks and add to this blog posting in the reply section.I don't have enough experience yet, but I do think some regs could be eased in the business. And of course, that view may change.
New York Times article on the use of profanity along with a video of Biden and Obama.
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/why-do-educated-people-use-bad-words/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
Post Script: I often test my blog from various browsers and post it at our Grey Sparrow Facebook page, so don't make any assumptions about 'hits' or 'views' regarding my blog, although we have had a couple of discussions on our Facebook page about Picayune. Everyone appreciated Maureen's photo of the Syrians, and an instructor wanted to know about ledes and nutgrafs. I referred them to sources privately and publicly.
I may be the only one, but I don't think there should be rigid rules about directly quoting those who speak with different dialects, those who use swear words, or other issues. I do think journalists have to be careful they understand another person when talking to someone who has a different accent or dialect, cultural understanding, nonverbal communication, affiliation, etc., as well as not stereotype. I've spoken with a Bostonian, I could not have understood if my life depended on it. All I wanted to know was how to get to Boylston Street. There may be times when capturing a quote exactly as it is said has value, other times, it may just be a means of diminishing the speaker or the reader. I'm planning on watching for examples in the Times over the next couple of weeks and add to this blog posting in the reply section.I don't have enough experience yet, but I do think some regs could be eased in the business. And of course, that view may change.
New York Times article on the use of profanity along with a video of Biden and Obama.
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/why-do-educated-people-use-bad-words/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
Post Script: I often test my blog from various browsers and post it at our Grey Sparrow Facebook page, so don't make any assumptions about 'hits' or 'views' regarding my blog, although we have had a couple of discussions on our Facebook page about Picayune. Everyone appreciated Maureen's photo of the Syrians, and an instructor wanted to know about ledes and nutgrafs. I referred them to sources privately and publicly.
I was there!
I pick this story because, basically, I am this story. Being a cop, you are often part of the news. It gives you an insight into just how much the news leaves out and how wrong they get things sometimes.
In a few days, when I can talk about these events, I will point out some of the issues with this story.
http://www.wilsoncountynews.com/article.php?id=57337&n=top-stories-suspect-ditches-gun-after-fight-near-la-vernia
LA VERNIA -- Deputies with the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office are urging anyone who finds a revolver in the vicinity of Oak Hill Road south of here to call authorities.
Chief Deputy Johnie Deagen of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office said the weapon might have been dumped following an incident that occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. March 11. That is when officials say 43-year-old Steven Pruski and another man became involved in a fight outside a nearby gun shop.
When the owner of the shop attempted to break up the fight, Pruski allegedly produced the weapon and fired it once. No one was shot, but Pruski reportedly fled and was not found to be in possession of the weapon when he was apprehended.
Deagen said Pruski is charged with deadly conduct and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Wilson County Jail records indicate he remains in custody on a total of $36,000 bond, as set by Wilson County Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace Johnny Tejada Villarreal.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office at 830-393-2535. Anonymous tips, which could qualify for a cash reward, can be furnished to Crime Stoppers of Wilson County at 830-393-INFO (4636) or
In a few days, when I can talk about these events, I will point out some of the issues with this story.
http://www.wilsoncountynews.com/article.php?id=57337&n=top-stories-suspect-ditches-gun-after-fight-near-la-vernia
LA VERNIA -- Deputies with the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office are urging anyone who finds a revolver in the vicinity of Oak Hill Road south of here to call authorities.
Chief Deputy Johnie Deagen of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office said the weapon might have been dumped following an incident that occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. March 11. That is when officials say 43-year-old Steven Pruski and another man became involved in a fight outside a nearby gun shop.
When the owner of the shop attempted to break up the fight, Pruski allegedly produced the weapon and fired it once. No one was shot, but Pruski reportedly fled and was not found to be in possession of the weapon when he was apprehended.
Deagen said Pruski is charged with deadly conduct and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Wilson County Jail records indicate he remains in custody on a total of $36,000 bond, as set by Wilson County Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace Johnny Tejada Villarreal.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office at 830-393-2535. Anonymous tips, which could qualify for a cash reward, can be furnished to Crime Stoppers of Wilson County at 830-393-INFO (4636) or
When Pope Francis is relevant
Today marks Pope Francis' one-year anniversary in the papacy. Since I work in Catholic media, I hear and write about him quite a bit. I thought about him as I read this week's assignment from "The Elements of Journalism" on engagement and relevance.
When considering sensationalism, what only is engaging vs. what actually is relevant and what may be "fun and fascinating" but really is not the most important, the thought crossed my mind that a fair amount of reporting on the pope falls into this trap. Pope Francis sells — it's true. However, because of that, the public receives plenty of useless information, and many people use the pope as a springboard for varying agendas. This is true of both Catholic and secular media alike. I am probably guilty of it myself at times.
As much as people proclaim him to be so radical, he's not the first to shake things up in the Church. In the end, he is not doing anything that extraordinary compared to his predecessors. And yet, every word that he speaks becomes Gospel. Don't get me wrong — I fell in love with Pope Francis when he first stepped out on that balcony, gave a tiny wave and said "buena sera" — but I confess I got a little tired of hearing about him at one point, because we heard everything.
We have also run into bad reporting, whether when Eugenio Scalfari, founder of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, wrote his interview from memory instead of recording it or at least taking notes, or when so many news sources took Pope Francis' words "Who am I to judge?" widely out of context.
Anyone covering Pope Francis, whether Catholic or secular, can take a step back and ask the question of relevance and truth. What does the public really need to know? How does what Pope Francis is doing impact a broader context? Does my story lead to the truth?
And next time Pope Francis rubs his face because he's tired or loses his cap — however endearing as it may be — I really don't need to know about it.
When considering sensationalism, what only is engaging vs. what actually is relevant and what may be "fun and fascinating" but really is not the most important, the thought crossed my mind that a fair amount of reporting on the pope falls into this trap. Pope Francis sells — it's true. However, because of that, the public receives plenty of useless information, and many people use the pope as a springboard for varying agendas. This is true of both Catholic and secular media alike. I am probably guilty of it myself at times.
As much as people proclaim him to be so radical, he's not the first to shake things up in the Church. In the end, he is not doing anything that extraordinary compared to his predecessors. And yet, every word that he speaks becomes Gospel. Don't get me wrong — I fell in love with Pope Francis when he first stepped out on that balcony, gave a tiny wave and said "buena sera" — but I confess I got a little tired of hearing about him at one point, because we heard everything.
We have also run into bad reporting, whether when Eugenio Scalfari, founder of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, wrote his interview from memory instead of recording it or at least taking notes, or when so many news sources took Pope Francis' words "Who am I to judge?" widely out of context.
Anyone covering Pope Francis, whether Catholic or secular, can take a step back and ask the question of relevance and truth. What does the public really need to know? How does what Pope Francis is doing impact a broader context? Does my story lead to the truth?
And next time Pope Francis rubs his face because he's tired or loses his cap — however endearing as it may be — I really don't need to know about it.
Don't feed the bears
Last week, Russ Pitts, the features editor at Polygon, wrote a lengthy blog post about engaging angry readers. Pitts is a tech journalist, and if you've ever read the comments section on any technology website, you're probably still trying to Clorox the words from the back of your eyelids.
The piece was a response to an anonymously authored article that personally insulted Pitts, suggested that he was a sexual predator, and hinted at his pedophilia. Obviously, none of this is true, and the point of Mr. Pitts' blog was to publicly acknowledge that this kind of behavior is unacceptable.
But here's the problem: everyone already knows that it's unacceptable.
I definitely recognize Pitt's motivation. Defensiveness is built into our DNA, and it's not always a negative thing. But is anything gained when we go out of our way to address a faceless internet thug? And if we choose not to engage, at what point does our silence begin to sound like apathy?
I certainly don't know if Pitts handled the situation correctly. His blog post is convincing. But the more that I think about it, the more confused I am.
Thoughts?
The piece was a response to an anonymously authored article that personally insulted Pitts, suggested that he was a sexual predator, and hinted at his pedophilia. Obviously, none of this is true, and the point of Mr. Pitts' blog was to publicly acknowledge that this kind of behavior is unacceptable.
But here's the problem: everyone already knows that it's unacceptable.
I definitely recognize Pitt's motivation. Defensiveness is built into our DNA, and it's not always a negative thing. But is anything gained when we go out of our way to address a faceless internet thug? And if we choose not to engage, at what point does our silence begin to sound like apathy?
I certainly don't know if Pitts handled the situation correctly. His blog post is convincing. But the more that I think about it, the more confused I am.
Thoughts?
How do you follow international news?
For anyone interested in international news or life as a freelance journalist, I recommend listening to this recent segment of NPR’s On Point with Tom Ashbrook: http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/03/12/congo-stringer-foreign-affairs-media.
The interview is with a reporter who freelanced (worked without a contract), writing news stories from Congo, Africa, at the age of 22. The reporter’s story brings into question how international news gets reported to the West, and how much appetite there is in the West for international news. I personally have found that I only have a limited bandwidth where I can care about and attend to reading daily on any given foreign storyline.
There was also something I heard on the Diane Rehm Show in a segment “The Future Of The World Wide Web:” http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-03-12/future-world-wide-web. This was that attention is a valuable currency, now that the internet is quickly becoming a ubiquitous utility like electricity.
I think this is especially true in the information business, where the ability to choose what you want (to read, write, publish, or even research) is a large part of what being “good” means. I attribute this last thought to comments by The New Yorker editor David Remnick, speaking about Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, in a New Republic article: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116917/david-remnick-interview-russia-obama-and-editing-new-yorker.
Pope Francis Tweets!
I wanted to share this article with you all, as it shows the power of social media.
Even Pope Francis now "Tweets."
Just recently, he marked his one year anniversary and sent out a tweet stating, "Please pray for me."
http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/pope-marks-one-year-anniversary-with-please-pray-for-me-tweet-1.1727590
Also, the photo is important as it looks like he is doing the sign of the cross and stating something from the bible. Pope Francis has been both celebrated and criticized for his unique approach to certain topics like gay rights and advocacy for embracing others that are different, and avoiding judgement.
I personally think that Pope Francis is terrific!
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/pope-marks-one-year-anniversary-with-please-pray-for-me-tweet-1.1727590#ixzz2vrsYpdQ5
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/pope-marks-one-year-anniversary-with-please-pray-for-me-tweet-1.1727590#ixzz2vrsd5ZHP
Even Pope Francis now "Tweets."
Just recently, he marked his one year anniversary and sent out a tweet stating, "Please pray for me."
http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/pope-marks-one-year-anniversary-with-please-pray-for-me-tweet-1.1727590
Also, the photo is important as it looks like he is doing the sign of the cross and stating something from the bible. Pope Francis has been both celebrated and criticized for his unique approach to certain topics like gay rights and advocacy for embracing others that are different, and avoiding judgement.
I personally think that Pope Francis is terrific!
Pope marks one-year anniversary with 'Please pray for me,' tweet
Pope Francis delivers his 'Urbi et Orbi' (to the City and to the World) message from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2013. (AP / Gregorio Borgia)
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/pope-marks-one-year-anniversary-with-please-pray-for-me-tweet-1.1727590#ixzz2vrsYpdQ5
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis marked his one-year anniversary Thursday with a simple tweet: "Please pray for me."
Francis' appeal echoed his gesture on that rainy night one year ago when he came out onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and introduced himself to the world. Rather than impart a blessing on the crowd below, Francis asked first for a "favour," asking the crowd to bless him.
Francis has continued to ask for prayers, ending nearly each appearance with a similar request.
Francis spent his anniversary tucked away on retreat south of Rome with senior Vatican cardinals and monsignors. The Vatican said nothing special was planned, just prayer and meditations.
But in his hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentines were celebrating, particularly the poor who live in the "misery villages" of the capital where the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio ministered as archbishop. In the Villa 1-11-14 slum, a huge screen was set up for residents to watch an interview Francis gave recently to FM Bajo Flores, a community radio station that broadcasts from the slum.
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/pope-marks-one-year-anniversary-with-please-pray-for-me-tweet-1.1727590#ixzz2vrsd5ZHP
Why Learn AP Style?
I found a short piece on the importance of AP Style. It has a short, but interesting lede and ties everything together in the nutgraf. It also includes a good photo of an individual going through the AP Stylebook - something we all are learning to do. I think the piece supports the message in class that becoming proficient with AP Style and frequent use of the AP Stylebook is a must.
Link:
http://www.profkrg.com/why-learn-ap-style
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