Newsworthy Approach

After reading Seyda Muratova’s blog response on a news story covering a bullying case something was brought to my attention. Currently, bullying is a largely discussed and debated topic. I thought to myself,” What are news organizations doing to help widespread issues?” Then I realized something… It’s not the news organizations job to create awareness for an issue. One thing that is there job is to report on issues that have a large and long lasting impact. So where is the line drawn? At what point and who decides what social issues should be published in news outlets? I would like to learn more about these perspective news stories in class. My best guest at how these stories become newsworthy is through the way they are covered. I would like to learn the different types of coverage styles and the approaches we can take as journalist.

Link to Seyda Muratova’s blog:

http://seydamuratova.blogspot.com/2013_11_01_archive.html

Mass Mediums Reflection

As we finish out our unit on mass communications I can’t help but reflect on the past twelve week son journalism. The journalism class as a whole is extremely insightful not only for J&C, but in other parts of life as well. Already, I feel that I am better equipped to work in today’s world.  For example, I now look at technological innovations as doors to new walks of society. One of the most insightful things I learned in this unit was how the introduction of each medium impacted American culture. Demassification and conglomeration were major topics that I can apply to business endeavors, analytical pieces, and the expansion of my ability to understand how the economic state of U.S. can be influenced by contributing factors.

                One thing that I hope that we have the opportunity to incorporate the skills we learn in digital design to our work in journalism. It is to my understanding that our next unit is advertising. I am optimistic that our design skills will come into play during this unit. 

Please comment below your thoughts about the mass mediums unit! 

Our Connection to Movies

What’s your favorite movie? We all have one. Movies have the ability to reach into our souls and speak to us. I remember being glued to my television at the age of three. My days were filled with ruby slippers, light sabers, and a nun trying to bring a family back together with music. The personal connection that we make with movies is what forms classics. But why do we have these connections? I think that the emotional recognition that we have with the characters and the plot bonds us with certain movies. We all dream of an alternate reality for ourselves to live in, even though we know that we can never live in them. Movies give us opportunity to escape from our realities for two hours and live in somebody else’s. 

Response to Sydney B.'s and Desha H.'s Blog

On Tuesday, November 12^th, 2013, the students of the white day J1 class had their graded media critiques returned to them.  Personally, I felt I did well on my critique except for a few grammar mistakes. While writing my critique I had a little trouble formulating descriptive support for my thesis because I was not one-hundred percent on the meaning of each principle and yardstick of journalism that we studied the first six weeks.

                On their blog, Sydney Blocker and Desha Horton (who responded to Sydney’s post) had similar claims. Of course, I have a general idea of each principle and yardstick but not a truly in-depth understand. I believe that such an understanding of these concepts is essential for excelling in this class, magnet, and business. I wish that we could study these concepts as a side unit more vigorously.

                One thing I did to learn to nine principles and seven yardsticks of journalism better was check out a book from the school library called “Journalism Ethics”. This book did not have all the same topics and still did not go in-depth as much as I feel I need. It did classify some issues that I had, so to you fellow J1 students who are having trouble it may be worth checking out. 

Sydney Blocker's Blog:

http://sydneyblocker.blogspot.com/

Desha Horton's Blog: 

http://deshahorton.blogspot.com/

Money in Movies

Ever since I was a child, movies have had my heart. Not only the movies themselves, but the movie business has interested me. Movies are a great part of American culture. But what impact do movies have economically? After researching, I found a lot of useful information.

                In the year of 2012, U.S./Canada box offices made about $10.8 billion. The money made in 2012 was 12% more than 5 years previous. $10.8 billion is the most money made in a year for movies in the 2000s. This information made my assumption about the rise of the Internet and television making going to the movies less popular incorrect. In fact the information I received from http://www.mpaa.org/resources/3037b7a4-58a2-4109-8012-58fca3abdf1b.pdf supports the statement that attending movies are more popular every year. 

Choosing What We Know

I find it interesting how certain organizations stay in business or products stay on the market when we all seem to hate them! Well maybe not hate them, but dislike them enough. The only logically explanation has got to be the repetition of advertisements. Mr. Miller made a good point during the white day J1 class. Mr. Miller said that people are more likely to buy a product just because they know it more than those they don’t, even if they don’t initially like it. At first glance this concept may not make sense, but if you think further, it does. Think of it like this; you’re playing basketball in gym class on the first day of school. Say you don’t know anybody but one other person and you are not their biggest fan. Even if that one person you know is not your idea of a best friend, wouldn’t you rather be on their basketball team than a complete stranger’s? I think I would. 

No Cultural Underground: The Harlem Shake

One thing that I never had thought about that was mentioned in our Internet lecture for J1 was how the Internet made it nearly impossible for there to be any cultural underground. Not only the assess ability of information but the speed of which it travels. We can see this in examples such as fabs like the Harlem Shake. Within a week nearly everybody knew what the Harlem Shake was and people were doing it themselves. The next week the Harlem Shake was something of the past. I searched on YouTube for The Harlem Shake. Over nine million results came up. Those nine million posts wore out what was considered for a short time a fun thing to do with friends. Now, The Harlem Shake is considered outdated.

Link to The Harlem Shake YouTube Results:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+harlem+shake+&sm=3

Better for Business

In the world of business it is important to have your ear to the rail on everything from the economy to your consumers. National news outlets provide a series of in-depth articles to inform anyone interested on what is a large topic. But a good businessman or businesswomen knows that the stronger the personalized experience a customer has the more likely there is to be more business. A good way to create a personalized experience will your customers is to learn and adhere to characteristics of certain regions. Following local news is a great way to learn about a region. There are currently fie major local news outlets for Louisville, Kentucky. After careful research, The Courier Journal is the best local news source for businessmen and businesswomen to read.

The reason that The Courier Journal is great for business is there large percentage of business and economy related stories published. Compared to WAVE, WHAS, WLKY, and WDRB, The Courier Journal has the largest percentage of business/economy stories published by 13%. On average, The Courier Journal publishes 17.58% more business stories than any other local news outlet. Overall The Courier Journal does the best job of covering business and economy related stories.

            Another thing that The Courier Journal does well is politics and government coverage. For people whose job is heavily influenced by the government or they work for the government The Courier Journal would be the best option for them to follow. The Courier Journal has the second highest percentage of human, consumer, and environment stories. Staying updated on the news regarding the people you are serving is extremely important. Being informed can help business owners make smarter decisions to benefit their business and customers.             The Courier Journal is the best local news outlet to follow for businessmen and businesswomen in Louisville, Kentucky. It publishes insightful business and economy, government and politics, and health, consumer, and environment stories on a regular basis that will help business people know what is going on in their world.

            

3D Printer

Shortly after our Internet lecture, displayed on YouTube’s popular page was a video titled, “World’s First 3D Metal Printed Gun”. During the white J1 class’ lecture we began a discussion on the future of 3D printing technology. So much for the future! The capability to print guns is present. This new discovery left me with a few answered questions that I sought out answers to.

            The cheapest high –grade 3D printer I could find was $ 1,400.00. That’s not too bad of an asking price for something so ahead of its time. As technologies in relation to this product become more researched and reinvented the price of this product should drop. Having a 3D printer is not a realistic prospect for most people currently.

            Online I found a series of pages with examples of what people made with their printers. From bracelets to replicas of detailed architecture pieces, the 3D printer seems to be an extremely versatile piece of equipment. All of the products can be easily downloaded by a click of a button. Future use of this technology will most definitely be supported by its ability to make anything you want assessable.

The photo to the left is the template download for a dinosaur skeleton assembled to the right.

            One thing that intrigued me about this product that I was not able to find was the hand the government has, if any, in the production of such goods. Especially things such as weapons should be controlled to some degree by the government or another organization that will be responsible for the safety of citizens. How will illegal downloads of products be controlled or monitored. This is something that I believe needs to be addressed.

Link to 3D printed metal gun video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7ZYKMBDm4M

Link to 3D printer manufacture:

http://store.makerbot.com/

Muckrakers

One thing I wish to learn more about are muckrakers. I feel that both J1 classes need better detailed explanations on what the muckrakers did. Muckrakers are incredibly important to the history of journalism. I feel in order for us to have a better understanding of investigative journalism we must first explore the career of the people who specialized in getting the dirt. 

One thing in particular I would like to know is how they were beneficial and destructive to the industry. Where they large historical events that we owe to muckrakers? How did they contribute to the modernization of mass media? 

Could We Possibly Be So Advanced?

You know you've pondered this before,"Could technology one day surpass human capabilities?" There is no way to know for sure, but it is predicted that computers will surpass human brain capabilities in 2040. Crazy, right? It's a lot closer than you think! When we were learning about impediments I naturally thought,"Is there a full proof way to prevent an impediment from interfering with communication?" Some would say no, but I say that it is a theoretical possibility.
If and when computer become smarter than us than we will surely depend on them for everything. With computers running our world we will need to be connected to them constantly. So what if we use them to eliminate impediments?
When we have headphones in it is almost impossible to hear anything else but what you're listening to if it's loud enough. If we communicate through technology in such a way, theoretically that eliminate environmental noise (with some exceptions). If you type something there is no dialect or accent on the words. All of them are understandable. Anything not in your language you can easily translate using special software. Channel noise can be eliminated by having a series of high-tech networks run by computer systems 24/7. If something goes wrong than the computer could be programmed to fix it.
I would agree that there are problems with this theory, but all in all it is possible. With high hopes for the future...Invest in technology now!

Photojournalism

At the beginning of the year I was not a fan of photojournalism. Of course, I naturally respected the art but I did not fully understand it. In the past two weeks after being briefed on this practice during the magazine lecture I become increasingly more interested. I would love to learn more about photojournalism, but do not want to take the class because it does not fit what I want to do in the future. I feel like we could explore this more in journalism because it can relate multiple fields.
If you're interested in photojournalism check out National Geographic's site:
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/

Generations Notes

Ever since the innovation of modern day recording, music has become a larger part of our lives. The other day Mr. Miller made an excellent point in class. Every generation has had a problem with the younger generations' music. I found this extremely interesting.
Why do adults criticize our taste in music? Some might say because they feel it to be a bad influence. Modern day songs include mention of drugs, sex, violence, and more. One problem I have with that claim is that songs have always had that for decades now. Yes, it has gradually increased but still. At least we aren't listening to someone who bit the head off a live bat!
Music gives us identity. Not only does it help teens find themselves, but it gives entire generations identity. If you look at how each decade is defined music-wise they are extremely different. Another possible reason adults criticize the younger populations' music is that its a big change. Normally, people do not adapt to change quickly. In the music industry they are constantly switching things up and taking risks to keep their audience.
One last reason I believe adults have problems with our music is values. The songs teens listen to help us to express our emotions and have fun. Adults have already found new outlooks and ways to achieve this in a more mature way. Our music may seem silly to them.
What do you think? Leave a comment below about why you think older generations criticize younger generations.

Yes Indeed This is a Good Blog!

Jamie D'Amato's journalism blog is great. I especially like how Jamie breaks down each concept so that is can be understood much easier. Her writing format helps the reader feel less intimidated by the articles which is extremely beneficial. Jamie's organization of text is clearly defined.
I enjoy reading her articles because they have such a voice that makes her words come to life! Wonderful job Jamie!

To read Jamie D'Amato's blog "Yes Indeed This is a Blog" click the link below:
 http://jamiefightsbadjournalism.blogspot.com/

Little's Big Posts

After reading Stephanie Little's, a fellow J&C colleague of mine, blog I must say I am thoroughly impressed. It is to my understanding that this is not Stephanie's first blog, so naturally I have high expectations for it. 

Her posts are very well thought out and fully explained. I also enjoy the visual appeal Stephanie posts along with her stories. As well as pictures, Stephanie has a series of related quotes displayed on the home page of http://crushthe-patriarchy.blogspot.com/ that a apply a higher intellectual tone to her page.

I do feel that some of her points are bias in the since of her interests. For example, in one of her reviews she states, "to be perfectly honest, you crossed one of my personal lines when you talked about TV crime shows. Because I am writing this response after watching the much-awaited season 11 premiere of NCIS, and I can tell you, these TV shows are not conglomerated to the point where they're the same. "  in response to another classmate's post. I myself love crime shows but must admit they have their flaws. Not all shows are exactly the same, but majority can be predictable. 

I would love to collaborate with you Stephanie! Possibly over television reviews and show analysis. 

To check out Stephanie Little's blog click on the link below:

http://crushthe-patriarchy.blogspot.com/

Media Critique: "Two sought in Gardiner Lane center shootings" - Courier Journal

Saturday, September 21st, an article was posted about a double shooting in Louisville. Of course this is a very tragic event due to the two deaths of the men involved. But there is something wrong other than people shooting one another. Its the quality of this article!

First off, this article lacks newsworthiness. This story has a very small impact. The purpose of journalism is to inform the public of events that affect them. This story does not affect the public overall and is a short term story. Next week we will have found that this article did not last. Also, reporting on this shooting can cause a very unnecessary negative perspective towards the audience.  

Another problem with this article is its lack of explanation. This article is the perfect example of episodic reporting. To make this article better the journalist could simply explain the connection this has to our daily lives. This shooting took place in an industrial area. Possible connections could be the decrease of public safety, precautionary measures citizens can take to avoid getting involved, etc. 

Last but definitely not least, this is not active reporting. The article displays no evidence of seeking further answers other than interviewing a witness. Why did this shooting take place? Do the police suspect others were involved? The journalist could immediately improve this article by answering more in depth questions. This passive reporting portrays cheap journalism. 

Link to story:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130920/NEWS01/309200124/Two-shot-Gardiner-Lane-Shopping-Center