In only 8 days, over 1 million people joined a facebook group called " 1,000,000 Strong for Stephen T Colbert." On the other hand, Obama’s 1 Million Strong Group took more than 8 months to get about 380,000 members.
I joined Colbert's facebook group... this doesn't mean that i am backing Colbert as a political candidate- I did it just for fun.. as i'm sure is the case with many others that joined the group. I'm not sure what this is even saying about the presidential election.. is it showing that young people really do care about who is the next president? Or is it saying that we think politics need a sense of humor?
"There is incredible dissatisfaction with the idea of Hillary Clinton as our next President, so much so that young Americans are willing to support a comedian,” Mr. DeMaura wrote in an e-mail," states the NYT's blog, i think it's not only the idea of Hillary Clinton as our next President, but i think it has something to do with the dissatisfaction of all political candidates.
Colbert isn't even a presidential candidate in South Carolina yet.. but i think it is going to be fun watching what will happen.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Court Cases - Chapters 8 & 9
I think it's very important to know that the Associated Press style book requires its reporters to use the word “innocent," rather than not guilty…to guard against the word ‘not’ being dropped inadvertently.
As reporters, we would hope that there are no deals made out-of-court. Because they are conducted privately, we wouldn't be able to hear what the sentence is until after. Although out-of-courts deals aren't great for reporters, they probably are for defendents. As reporters, we would also hope that there isn't a "gag order" placed upon the case.
I was a member of the mock trial team in my high school, where I served as a witness, as well as an attorney, and understanding exactly how court proceedings worked was hard, and it's not getting any easier as I get older. I understand the evidence, opening statements, cross-examinations, and closing arguments.. but there really is so much more than that. I believe as reporters, we should try and indulge ourselves in as much of these things as possible, that way we have some idea of how things work in a court room.
"Evidence uncovered during the discovery phase of a civil case can be the source of many and important news stories," the author tells us. That's why it is especially important to pay attention during the case, because a lot of the time, new evidence is presented.
These two chapters present A LOT of information concerning criminal and civil cases, going over it once will not be enough if we are to report on either one of those cases. To truly understand it, i think it would be benefical not just to keep re-reading it, but to also go to some court cases- as a bystander and not a journalist- and just get the feel for how things work in court.
As reporters, we would hope that there are no deals made out-of-court. Because they are conducted privately, we wouldn't be able to hear what the sentence is until after. Although out-of-courts deals aren't great for reporters, they probably are for defendents. As reporters, we would also hope that there isn't a "gag order" placed upon the case.
I was a member of the mock trial team in my high school, where I served as a witness, as well as an attorney, and understanding exactly how court proceedings worked was hard, and it's not getting any easier as I get older. I understand the evidence, opening statements, cross-examinations, and closing arguments.. but there really is so much more than that. I believe as reporters, we should try and indulge ourselves in as much of these things as possible, that way we have some idea of how things work in a court room.
"Evidence uncovered during the discovery phase of a civil case can be the source of many and important news stories," the author tells us. That's why it is especially important to pay attention during the case, because a lot of the time, new evidence is presented.
These two chapters present A LOT of information concerning criminal and civil cases, going over it once will not be enough if we are to report on either one of those cases. To truly understand it, i think it would be benefical not just to keep re-reading it, but to also go to some court cases- as a bystander and not a journalist- and just get the feel for how things work in court.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Covering Crime: Chapters 1,5,7
Chapter 1
I completely agree that because most reporters have no criminal justice background, news organizations should help the journalist and allow adequate time and resources for training. If it was my first day on the job at a news station, and I was told to go out and cover a murder, I’m sure I could do it, but there would be some major hesitation on my part. I would try to find great sources, because after all the best reporters are those with the best sources.
I think it’s important for a journalist to go over the definitions of some crimes because if a journalist doesn’t know the different between larceny and theft and confuses the two in a story, then not only is it inaccurate, but it’s just bad journalism.
In crime beat basics we are told to “try to accept suggestions graciously, and try not to take criticism (or editing) personally.” I find that not only true in crime beats, but just in all editor/reporter relations.
“Editors and producers often call on police reporters to provide information about photo or video access to suspects.” I think perp walks photos or videos are a great thing to add to a story. I can still remember watching Timothy McVeigh’s perp walk in his orange jumpsuit… things like that stick in peoples minds and may engage the audience to want to know more about the story.
I really like the quote, "Police reporters deal with lives, reputations, and careers. So you keep on – ask one more question, knock on one more door, make one last phone call, and then another. It could be the one that counts." I like it because the quote is true and gives great advice to a reporter, but the reporter must keep on thing in the back of their mind… Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage (SPJ). Two-thirds of journalists are satisfied with their jobs? I sure hope I am one of them some day.
“One-third of those surveyed said they would be leaving the media field…Among those who said they were leaving in the most recent survey, nearly half cited job-related stress as a dissatisfaction factor.” I don’t understand this because if you go to college to become a journalist, you know full well that it is going to be a stressful job… so I don’t understand why they would go through with schooling if they know they can’t handle to pressure.
A mass killing IS news. We know this is true from even the most recent school shooting, Virginia Tech. I know journalists got a lot of crap over showing Cho’s video on the air… they gave him fame/infamy, and some people believe doing that can result in copy-cat killings. I believe that the public had a right to see the video- it was important information- but I do not think it needed to be repeated over and over and over, as we all saw it. This also translates later in the reading when we are told “while details can make a story, the use of certain information (including photographs and video) can cross the boundary of good taste.
Crime coverage is reactive, so we are told to listen to a scanner, discover a crime, and cover it. I find this part true and funny in the same sense. I only find it funny because we just fixed our police scanner in the newsroom at Newswatch, and our producer told the assistants to listen to it for stories because it was a slow news day. This I believe shows that crime stories really are an important aspect of the news.
Chapter 5
The author says that “when a victim has been hospitalized, family members are at the hospital, awaiting news about their loved one's well being. It's best to get permission from a hospital official before trying to find the patient's room.” While this is true, I personally believe that it is inappropriate. Yes, we as journalists need to get the story, but my personal ethical belief is that you shouldn’t bother the victim at the hospital right after the incident, especially if their family is still waiting to hear of the victim’s well-being. Maybe that is just a personal choice, but I would wait (I don’t know how long I would wait, but I think there does need to be some time to recover.)
I feel that a lot of tips on covering crime and its victims are pretty much common sense. It’s obvious that a victim will sometimes be very emotional after a certain incident, and I think as a journalist we should have enough common sense to know how to handle the situation. Handling a tough situation shouldn’t be hard as a journalist, because we are human beings after all.
Chapter 7
This chapter is “not intended to provide a legal education, but more of an understanding of how the court system operates and how a reporter can go about reporting on what occurs there.” Although I feel like it is legal education.. While learning to deal with victims and crimes and such for a report may be somewhat common sense, when it comes to laws, trials, and such… I feel that as a report you really need to know and research your stuff!
I know it seems obvious, but as a reporter it is important to know what state you are in since each state is empowered to determine how its court system will be organized under its own constitution and laws.
Because a reporter is reduced to the status of an observer when court is in session, it is extremely important for a reporter to be a good note taker, observer, and critical thinker. If they is all they are relying on to write a story, then taking good notes is the most crucial.
I know in my case, if I were reporting on a trial and did not understand the case, I would not be afraid to as questions. I would ask lawyers to explain points of law or procedures that i don’t understand, because if I don’t understand my audience is probably not going to understand, and I would not want to lose their attention, because that would mean poor journalism on my part.
I think the most important thing in this chapter is just try to research as much as possible and when you are in a court, listen! The lawyers will break down the questions so they are easy for the witness to understand so you just need to pay attention to the answers and where everything is leading to, and hopefully a good story will come from it.
I completely agree that because most reporters have no criminal justice background, news organizations should help the journalist and allow adequate time and resources for training. If it was my first day on the job at a news station, and I was told to go out and cover a murder, I’m sure I could do it, but there would be some major hesitation on my part. I would try to find great sources, because after all the best reporters are those with the best sources.
I think it’s important for a journalist to go over the definitions of some crimes because if a journalist doesn’t know the different between larceny and theft and confuses the two in a story, then not only is it inaccurate, but it’s just bad journalism.
In crime beat basics we are told to “try to accept suggestions graciously, and try not to take criticism (or editing) personally.” I find that not only true in crime beats, but just in all editor/reporter relations.
“Editors and producers often call on police reporters to provide information about photo or video access to suspects.” I think perp walks photos or videos are a great thing to add to a story. I can still remember watching Timothy McVeigh’s perp walk in his orange jumpsuit… things like that stick in peoples minds and may engage the audience to want to know more about the story.
I really like the quote, "Police reporters deal with lives, reputations, and careers. So you keep on – ask one more question, knock on one more door, make one last phone call, and then another. It could be the one that counts." I like it because the quote is true and gives great advice to a reporter, but the reporter must keep on thing in the back of their mind… Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage (SPJ). Two-thirds of journalists are satisfied with their jobs? I sure hope I am one of them some day.
“One-third of those surveyed said they would be leaving the media field…Among those who said they were leaving in the most recent survey, nearly half cited job-related stress as a dissatisfaction factor.” I don’t understand this because if you go to college to become a journalist, you know full well that it is going to be a stressful job… so I don’t understand why they would go through with schooling if they know they can’t handle to pressure.
A mass killing IS news. We know this is true from even the most recent school shooting, Virginia Tech. I know journalists got a lot of crap over showing Cho’s video on the air… they gave him fame/infamy, and some people believe doing that can result in copy-cat killings. I believe that the public had a right to see the video- it was important information- but I do not think it needed to be repeated over and over and over, as we all saw it. This also translates later in the reading when we are told “while details can make a story, the use of certain information (including photographs and video) can cross the boundary of good taste.
Crime coverage is reactive, so we are told to listen to a scanner, discover a crime, and cover it. I find this part true and funny in the same sense. I only find it funny because we just fixed our police scanner in the newsroom at Newswatch, and our producer told the assistants to listen to it for stories because it was a slow news day. This I believe shows that crime stories really are an important aspect of the news.
Chapter 5
The author says that “when a victim has been hospitalized, family members are at the hospital, awaiting news about their loved one's well being. It's best to get permission from a hospital official before trying to find the patient's room.” While this is true, I personally believe that it is inappropriate. Yes, we as journalists need to get the story, but my personal ethical belief is that you shouldn’t bother the victim at the hospital right after the incident, especially if their family is still waiting to hear of the victim’s well-being. Maybe that is just a personal choice, but I would wait (I don’t know how long I would wait, but I think there does need to be some time to recover.)
I feel that a lot of tips on covering crime and its victims are pretty much common sense. It’s obvious that a victim will sometimes be very emotional after a certain incident, and I think as a journalist we should have enough common sense to know how to handle the situation. Handling a tough situation shouldn’t be hard as a journalist, because we are human beings after all.
Chapter 7
This chapter is “not intended to provide a legal education, but more of an understanding of how the court system operates and how a reporter can go about reporting on what occurs there.” Although I feel like it is legal education.. While learning to deal with victims and crimes and such for a report may be somewhat common sense, when it comes to laws, trials, and such… I feel that as a report you really need to know and research your stuff!
I know it seems obvious, but as a reporter it is important to know what state you are in since each state is empowered to determine how its court system will be organized under its own constitution and laws.
Because a reporter is reduced to the status of an observer when court is in session, it is extremely important for a reporter to be a good note taker, observer, and critical thinker. If they is all they are relying on to write a story, then taking good notes is the most crucial.
I know in my case, if I were reporting on a trial and did not understand the case, I would not be afraid to as questions. I would ask lawyers to explain points of law or procedures that i don’t understand, because if I don’t understand my audience is probably not going to understand, and I would not want to lose their attention, because that would mean poor journalism on my part.
I think the most important thing in this chapter is just try to research as much as possible and when you are in a court, listen! The lawyers will break down the questions so they are easy for the witness to understand so you just need to pay attention to the answers and where everything is leading to, and hopefully a good story will come from it.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Blog--*
http://reporterandrea.blogspot.com/ -- 08
http://the23yearoldsophomore.blogspot.com/ -- Saving One Polar Bear at a Time
http://lvpdnews-lara.blogspot.com/ -- $$$
http://lvpdnews-lara.blogspot.com/ -- Booming Baby Bonds
http://newsreportingicjessg.blogspot.com/ -- BarackStars and HillYeas!
http://fallingfornews2007.blogspot.com/ -- And this is why the presidential campaign should start much later...
http://seagullatemycheetos.blogspot.com/-- $$ Clinton Beats Obama $$
http://hollysmithnewsi.blogspot.com/-- to wear or not to wear?
http://the23yearoldsophomore.blogspot.com/ -- Saving One Polar Bear at a Time
http://lvpdnews-lara.blogspot.com/ -- $$$
http://lvpdnews-lara.blogspot.com/ -- Booming Baby Bonds
http://newsreportingicjessg.blogspot.com/ -- BarackStars and HillYeas!
http://fallingfornews2007.blogspot.com/ -- And this is why the presidential campaign should start much later...
http://seagullatemycheetos.blogspot.com/-- $$ Clinton Beats Obama $$
http://hollysmithnewsi.blogspot.com/-- to wear or not to wear?
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Being Sensitive
One of SPJ’s guidelines says to “show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage.” In the case of crime reporting, I find this especially true.
We as reporters need to understand the sensitivity when reporting on crimes, court trials, disasters and other events that tremendously affect people’s lives.
Going over this chapter starts to help us prepare for this kind of reporting, and I think it was a good idea to go over it, before we actually go out there and cover these kinds of events.
But on the other hand, it is kind of basic stuff. Most of crime stories so rely heavily upon police reports… but as a reporter you should also know enough to interview others involved, such as witnesses and victims. It may be difficult to interview the victims, and I don’t know if practicing this task will make it any easier in tough situations, but I guess that’s the risk we take as journalists.
Overall, the most important thing is to be sensitive… and I can’t forget according to the author, the most important thing is to be accurate. Gather the facts who, what, when, where, why, how and write in the inverted pyramid style.
We as reporters need to understand the sensitivity when reporting on crimes, court trials, disasters and other events that tremendously affect people’s lives.
Going over this chapter starts to help us prepare for this kind of reporting, and I think it was a good idea to go over it, before we actually go out there and cover these kinds of events.
But on the other hand, it is kind of basic stuff. Most of crime stories so rely heavily upon police reports… but as a reporter you should also know enough to interview others involved, such as witnesses and victims. It may be difficult to interview the victims, and I don’t know if practicing this task will make it any easier in tough situations, but I guess that’s the risk we take as journalists.
Overall, the most important thing is to be sensitive… and I can’t forget according to the author, the most important thing is to be accurate. Gather the facts who, what, when, where, why, how and write in the inverted pyramid style.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Fighting like little girls...
“John McCain insinuated that rival Gov. Mitt Romney is conning New Hampshire voters when he implies that he is the "real Republican" in the race,” said ABC News' Bret Hovell.
Apparently McCain listed several things of Romney’s record which shows that Romney has more “liberal” tendencies… then Romney’s campaign fired back arguing that he does speak to Republican voters.
“That frustration may have been building for some time. Top McCain aides say that Romney's comments yesterday rubbed the Senator the wrong way, that he was anxious to respond, and that there will be more to come,” reported Hovell.
So the battle is on between the two. But does it really need to be?
Making comments like that to each other is just making them look stupid in my opinion. I don’t care whether the next President is a Republican or Democrat. I only care if they can lead our country and lead it well.
So I tell them both to stop getting in stupid fights and start worrying about what really matters.
Apparently McCain listed several things of Romney’s record which shows that Romney has more “liberal” tendencies… then Romney’s campaign fired back arguing that he does speak to Republican voters.
“That frustration may have been building for some time. Top McCain aides say that Romney's comments yesterday rubbed the Senator the wrong way, that he was anxious to respond, and that there will be more to come,” reported Hovell.
So the battle is on between the two. But does it really need to be?
Making comments like that to each other is just making them look stupid in my opinion. I don’t care whether the next President is a Republican or Democrat. I only care if they can lead our country and lead it well.
So I tell them both to stop getting in stupid fights and start worrying about what really matters.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Libel. TMI. Writing.
Libel… a written or oral defamatory statement or representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression b (1) : a statement or representation published without just cause and tending to expose another to public contempt (2) : defamation of a person by written or representational means.
You would think we wouldn’t need to learn about libel as journalists, because it is our job to be truthful and report only the facts. But we do need to learn about it, because it still happens in the news. I’m sure most of it isn’t on purpose; people may print false information because of bad reporting or just plain misinformation.
It is good to know that if something ever does happen where someone doesn’t like what was written about them in the article, the legal system will favor the journalist and help them out. But to avoid it at all costs, journalists should just strive to be truthful at all times.
I was very comforted reading The Accident at Three Mile Island. I was comforted because when we did the exercise in class and wrote the article I got a lot of information incorrect, and to know that journalists who actually reported on the story had a hard time with it makes me feel a little better.
Not that it’s a good thing that journalists can misinterpret information, but people don’t realize how hard it is to write a story about something of that matter, when you don’t have a scientific background.
The report tells us that since we don’t know what is possible or not possible, and what is right and wrong, we as journalists have no choice but to report each statement and try to give it the weight that it may deserve and let the public judge.
Honestly, the readings of Orwell and The Five Characteristics of Academic or Scholarly prose…… I found very confusing. I know the English language is “bad” as Orwell states and since we are journalists we need to fix it.. if anyone had problems with writing (such as myself) The Elements of Style is a good reference guide for help and it is much easier to read than Orwell’s article.
You would think we wouldn’t need to learn about libel as journalists, because it is our job to be truthful and report only the facts. But we do need to learn about it, because it still happens in the news. I’m sure most of it isn’t on purpose; people may print false information because of bad reporting or just plain misinformation.
It is good to know that if something ever does happen where someone doesn’t like what was written about them in the article, the legal system will favor the journalist and help them out. But to avoid it at all costs, journalists should just strive to be truthful at all times.
I was very comforted reading The Accident at Three Mile Island. I was comforted because when we did the exercise in class and wrote the article I got a lot of information incorrect, and to know that journalists who actually reported on the story had a hard time with it makes me feel a little better.
Not that it’s a good thing that journalists can misinterpret information, but people don’t realize how hard it is to write a story about something of that matter, when you don’t have a scientific background.
The report tells us that since we don’t know what is possible or not possible, and what is right and wrong, we as journalists have no choice but to report each statement and try to give it the weight that it may deserve and let the public judge.
Honestly, the readings of Orwell and The Five Characteristics of Academic or Scholarly prose…… I found very confusing. I know the English language is “bad” as Orwell states and since we are journalists we need to fix it.. if anyone had problems with writing (such as myself) The Elements of Style is a good reference guide for help and it is much easier to read than Orwell’s article.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Separation of Church & State
Rudy Giuliani is Roman Catholic. Rudy Giuliani supports abortion rights. These two sentences are supposed to contradict each other and because of that, many Catholics are upset.
In the article, it explains that “the Giuliani campaign has long been expecting to be confronted with this issue, but made a calculation that a small percentage of Republican voters and conservative Christian leaders would never support a candidate who supports abortion rights.”
To that, Giuliani said that “when talking about the life issue, first of all, ‘I will do no harm. I will not seek to liberalize existing law on abortion.’”
When reading the article I kept thinking about the separation of church and state.
I know abortion is an important issue, but I don’t think it belongs in politics… it is a religious and personal thing. I don’t think religion and politics should be mixed… and the sad thing is is that they are.
Everyone has a right to their opinion, and I think people should respect Giuliani for his opinion, but not hold it against him when it comes to the elections.
In the article, it explains that “the Giuliani campaign has long been expecting to be confronted with this issue, but made a calculation that a small percentage of Republican voters and conservative Christian leaders would never support a candidate who supports abortion rights.”
To that, Giuliani said that “when talking about the life issue, first of all, ‘I will do no harm. I will not seek to liberalize existing law on abortion.’”
When reading the article I kept thinking about the separation of church and state.
I know abortion is an important issue, but I don’t think it belongs in politics… it is a religious and personal thing. I don’t think religion and politics should be mixed… and the sad thing is is that they are.
Everyone has a right to their opinion, and I think people should respect Giuliani for his opinion, but not hold it against him when it comes to the elections.
Monday, October 1, 2007
news releases/speechs/meetings
I’ve written a news release only once so far in school… but I practically use them everyday- and I’ve never realized the importance of them until I read the news release chapter.
Working on a news station-- we don’t have to search too hard and deep to find stories, we get them sent to us -- so receiving press releases helps tremendously with assigning stories to reporters. News stations would waste so much time if there were no press releases, and in the newsroom, time is precious.
So I think this chapter on writing news releases is a huge help, because they are different than writing an actual news story, and I look forward to practicing writing them in class.
*Writing about speeches, news conferences, and meetings is a very difficult thing to do as well. The book tells you to prepare in advance as much as possible, and that is truly crucial to the writing process. On a personal note, when I went to a community meeting for my town once, I didn’t know what the meeting was about… so I got there, began taking notes, and realized that I had no idea what they were talking about! Instead of listening to what was going on, I had to keep asking others around me to fill me in on the subjects, I feel by doing this I missed tons of important information and good quotes from speakers. If only I had our news reporting book at the time to use as a reference on how to cover that meeting!
Working on a news station-- we don’t have to search too hard and deep to find stories, we get them sent to us -- so receiving press releases helps tremendously with assigning stories to reporters. News stations would waste so much time if there were no press releases, and in the newsroom, time is precious.
So I think this chapter on writing news releases is a huge help, because they are different than writing an actual news story, and I look forward to practicing writing them in class.
*Writing about speeches, news conferences, and meetings is a very difficult thing to do as well. The book tells you to prepare in advance as much as possible, and that is truly crucial to the writing process. On a personal note, when I went to a community meeting for my town once, I didn’t know what the meeting was about… so I got there, began taking notes, and realized that I had no idea what they were talking about! Instead of listening to what was going on, I had to keep asking others around me to fill me in on the subjects, I feel by doing this I missed tons of important information and good quotes from speakers. If only I had our news reporting book at the time to use as a reference on how to cover that meeting!
Don't judge others...
“But many conservatives continue to view him warily either because of his personal life, which includes two divorces…” this was written in a New York Time’s article about Rudy Giuliani.
The article spoke of his two divorces at least twice, “Giuliani acknowledged mistakes but said he hoped that people would not be overly judgmental.”
I don’t understand why people would not vote for him because of his personal life. It’s “personal!!!” Not being able to stay in a marriage has nothing to do with being able to run the country. Maybe the reasons for his failed marriages are because he is too focused on his career. The problem in that… is not anyone else’s but Giuliani’s. I’m not sticking up for him, but I think it’s unfair to judge anyone in that matter… and as Giuliani said in the article: “Don’t judge others, lest you be judged.”
The article spoke of his two divorces at least twice, “Giuliani acknowledged mistakes but said he hoped that people would not be overly judgmental.”
I don’t understand why people would not vote for him because of his personal life. It’s “personal!!!” Not being able to stay in a marriage has nothing to do with being able to run the country. Maybe the reasons for his failed marriages are because he is too focused on his career. The problem in that… is not anyone else’s but Giuliani’s. I’m not sticking up for him, but I think it’s unfair to judge anyone in that matter… and as Giuliani said in the article: “Don’t judge others, lest you be judged.”
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