Kaitlin Monier

Clear, but somewhat awkward

2009-11-20T06:21:28Z

This news site is a lot better than the news site mentioned in my previous blog entry. The colors are better, the text is spaced better, there isn't too much of it, and the pictures are placed in eye grabbing areas while not being distracting. However, the text and articles at the bottom of the page are set up awkwardly.

Course Page

Cluttered

2009-11-20T06:14:51Z

I thought this website's layout was way too busy. There was too much text gathered together. There should be wider divisions between the text and less stories crammed into such a small area. More pictures would be helpful if placed appropriately. Considering the name of the news site, I thought it would be more clear with its presentation.

Course Page

Not admitting there's no story

2009-11-16T01:06:44Z

"In framing a story, reporters and their assigning editors must be sure they have not concluded too soon about the nature of the story or its likely outcome" (Best Practices for Newspaper Journalists Haiman 60).

When I first read the title to the section "Newspapers are unfair when: They can't admit that sometimes there's no story," I wondered why this would be unfair. Of course journalists have trouble admitting there is no story because they have to write stories for their job. If they are assigned to cover a story, they have to cover it. However, Haiman's advice that editors and reporters shouldn't make conclusions about the outcome of a story would be one way to make a story out of no story. Therefore, journalists can admit the story they were after isn't a story and can move on to a real one.

Course page and discussion here.

Water on the Moon, Links in a News Story

2009-11-15T22:18:37Z

Alright, so maybe I am fascinated by the fact that there has been evidence of water found on the moon. On wired.com, there happens to be a news story about the moon water (found here). Besides being about an interesting topic, this article is successful because of its many links throughout the story. The links work to back up the article's claims by providing other sources with information (see "Sources make for a more credible argument"); Also, the links provide information about other instances which the article brings up, such as possible water found on Mars. By providing information to back up its claims and to further explain other topics, links create a more in-depth and informative article.

Course page

Informative visuals

2009-11-15T21:47:05Z

This multimedia news feature is an interesting way to convey information about where garbage and recyclables go. The pictures and interesting facts are strong and informative. When I first went to the website, I thought it was going to be another news story which condemns people who throw things away and praises recycling. Surprisingly, it mostly stuck with the facts so people could know what happens to what they dispose of. It is a refreshing, informative article which avoids preaching to save the environment.

However, the videos popped up inconveniently right over the information I was reading. When this happened, I just clicked to the next page because I didn't feel like dealing with them.

Course page here.

A maestro's hair

2009-11-13T23:09:01Z

At the NY Times website, there was a headline for a story entitled "Hollywood Swoons Over That Hair, That Baton." When I clicked this interesting headline, there was an audio slide show about a talented maestro. The slide show was able to cover many points that a written article would not be able to. It included music directed by Gustavo Dudamel (the maestro), photos of him conducting and teaching and working with children. It was able to provide a profile of this new talent in a way that writing could not.

Another interesting (but unrelated) story found here is about the finding of water on the moon. Could you imagine a hundred years from now people might be looking back at us and saying "I couldn't imagine what life was like being stuck on Earth!" It's kind of like how we look back and wonder how people survived without the internet or toothbrushes.

Course website and continuing discussion here.

Portfolio 3: Applying skills outside of a fifty minute class

2009-11-11T06:21:52Z

Here is yet another portfolio of blogs from my News Writing class. Recently I have been using my knowledge outside of class. I am beginning to be more aware of the words I use in my writing. Also, I have caught myself mentally revising and eliminating words from notes left on bulletin boards at places like work and school. When I hear a story, the thought of it being newsworthy crosses my mind. I notice certain aspects of news writing when I read the newspaper as well. Certain journalist techniques have been cemented into my way of looking at writing and the news.

Coverage

Blogs since my most recent portfolio.

Sources make for a more credible argument- In this entry, I discuss the importance of supporting a claim (in an editorial) with valid sources.
Journalists should rely on themselves, not historians- I tore apart the belief that journalists are writing the 'first rough draft of history.' Journalists should never consider their published writing to be a rough draft in any situation.
Dear Public, there are other ways to learn besides taking classes- In this blog, I focus on ways to learn about a subject that do not include taking classes.
But bad news is more newsworthy!- Here I discuss how my previous belief had coincided with the public's but has changed now that I am more knowledgeable in journalism.
Diversity is a qualification - Another entry which I discuss a previous belief that has changed based on new knowledge.
Not fit to wear the investigative trench coat- I follow the list of qualities of an investigative reporter and explain why I could never be one.

Depth

Journalists should rely on themselves, not historians- I tore apart the belief that journalists are writing the 'first rough draft of history.' Journalists should never consider their published writing to be a rough draft in any situation.
But bad news is more newsworthy!- Here I discuss how my previous belief had coincided with the public's but has changed now that I am more knowledgeable in journalism.
Diversity is a qualification - Another entry which I discuss a previous belief that has changed based on new knowledge.

Interaction

Reflection on objectivity- I reflected on Greta's blog about objectivity and expanded by discussing the interest it adds.

Discussion

Sources make for a more credible argument- In this entry, I discuss the importance of supporting a claim (in an editorial) with valid sources.

Timeliness

Dear Public, there are other ways to learn besides taking classes- In this blog, I focus on ways to learn about a subject that do not include taking classes.

Xenoblogging

Jen Prex's blog- Commenting on editorials.
Greta Carroll's blog- Joining the discussion of why newspapers should explain what they do to the public-- this would help in the area of bad news as well.
Jeanine O'Neal's blog- Commenting on invasive journalists.

Wildcard

Possible breaking news- I decided to track a story which could have become breaking news. However, no stories came from it.
Bridge-to-be- A typo which affected the meaning of an engagement announcement in a humorous way. I further discuss the importance of re-reading stories.

Click here to see my classmates' portfolios as well.

Reflection on objectivity

2009-11-11T05:47:06Z

I decided to write a reflection based on Gr eta's blog about objectivity.

My favorite quote from Greta's blog is "Articles are written from words and words are by definition emotionally charged and powerful" because it is a crucial point to consider when defining 'objectivity' in writing. Almost every word conveys some idea, as do word combinations and word order. Each person has an opinion about everything, even if it isn't obvious. As a writer writes, he/she includes his/her own voice through word choice and therefore cannot write something completely objective. Maybe an article could be close to being objective if it used bland language, such as "the wall is painted." However, who would want to read such a boring story with a boring voice? So even though an article may be slightly objective (since it is impossible to avoid), at least it has a voice and a more interesting word choice.

Course page here.

Not fit to wear the investigative trench coat

2009-11-11T05:09:51Z

Investigative journalists need all the skills of general reporting, but especially:

an alert mind to recognize story ideas and important facts which people are trying to hide
an ordered mind to make notes, file information and fit lots of facts together
patience to keep digging for information
good contacts throughout society
courage to withstand threats from people you are investigating

(Sample Investigative Reports)

When I think of journalists, I normally think of investigative reporters. This is probably why I was never interested in pursuing a career in journalism. After reading this list, I am sure that I would fail as an investigative reporter.

First, I find it difficult to identify newsworthy stories. I am not meddlesome. Second, and most importantly, my mind is anything but ordered. I rarely take organized notes, do not file information, and am disorganized. I wouldn't have enough patience to keep digging for information unless I was really interested in a story, but I have difficulty getting interested in news stories unless they are bizarre. I don't have good contacts but I guess that is something that is slowly established/built. Finally, I would not be able to withstand threats and would probably just give into them.

Investigative reporting would probably be an area that I would have to extensively work on if I ever wanted to be involved in it. It sounds a lot tougher than the movies make snooping around in a trench coat seem.

Diversity is a qualification

2009-11-11T01:35:07Z

"Increase minority levels until percentages of minority staffers equal the percentages of minority populations in the market and/or country" (Haiman 45).

Previous to reading this section of Best Practices for Newspaper Journalists, I have always thought a person should be hired based on how qualified they are and not based on race. Now I understand why Haiman suggests that editors should work to build diverse staffs.

As I continued reading, this statement stood out to be the most: "Many editors who have been successful in diversifying their staffs say that they no longer use the terms 'fully' qualified or 'the best' qualified since differences in qualification are highly subjective and difficult to quantify, anyway" (Haiman 45). I had never thought of qualification as being subjective, but completely understand how it would be. Therefore, one could say that being a minority is an important qualification qualification.

Haiman continues: "if you believe that having a diverse staff is essential to covering the news fully and fairly, then the fact of diversity itself is an important qualification to be considered" (Haiman 45-46). A lot of candidates are qualified for a job. Therefore an editor could select qualified people from each minority group in order to create a diverse staff. The end result will include qualified, diverse journalists which would definitely add a certain aspect to newspapers which the readers desire. The readers will be able to read from different points of view, broaden their knowledge of news stories, and will be informed appropriately since the diverse staff will also be qualified.

Course page here.

But the bad news is more newsworthy!

2009-11-04T05:27:34Z

Before taking this news writing class, I had the same opinion of the public: Reporters and the news focus too much on bad news. However, I have learned that the bad news is more newsworthy. Who wants to read a story about each person who rode a bus and arrived safely to their destination? They'd rather read about a bus plunge (even though it would be a filler story). Haiman states: "Journalists respond that news is not the story of all the airplanes that landed safely yesterday but of the one that did not" (37).

So how can the newsworthy bad news be balanced with the public's request for more positive news? The two tips I found most helpful from Best Practices for Newspaper Journalists are:

-React less; initiate more. Cover the breaking news of individual events but look more for the significant trends. Put stories in context ("Was this the first murder of the year or the 40th?")
*This tip allows the story to focus less on the bad news and take a more realistic view of the situation.

-Reach deeper into the community for sources. The team discovered that readers were very interested in being informed about such things as traffic safety or bicycle thefts, which often can fall below the threshold of how newsrooms define news.
*This tip is interesting because it suggests other newsworthy stories that are not bad news. Of course nobody wants to read about bunnies and rainbows (pardon the cliche), but there are other stories (such as the ones suggested above) which can be more newsworthy, positive, and not bad. In the end, journalists will have real news to report and readers will have their complaints tended too. Balance is key.

These tips were found on page 41 of Best Practices for Newspaper Journalists.
Click here for the course page.

Dear Public, there are other ways to learn besides taking classes

2009-10-26T14:52:23Z

What the public says about ignorant and incompetent reporters: "The reporters just come and go; by the time they learn something about us they are shifted to another beat." ... "The stories she writes about us are so oversimplified and distorted we'd rather not have any coverage at all." ... "I don't expect him to be a doctor, but couldn't they give us somebody who had at least one course in human biology" (From Best Practices for Newspaper Journalists 23).

The first quote is an understandable opinion. However, I have trouble agreeing with the last two quotes. In regards to the second quote, sometimes stories have to be oversimplified for others to be able to read and fully understand it. If I read a story about a medical breakthrough, I probably would not understand any of it if it weren't oversimplified. The majority of people reading newspapers are not medical experts so the same might relate to them as well.

The third quote is the one I disagree with the most. When I take a class that is completely unrelated to my interests, I forget what I learned in it when the class is finished. If this person expects someone reporting on biology to have taken a course in it, what good will that do? The reporter may not remember anything and it would be as useless as someone who had never taken a course. It is easier to check reliable internet sources or, as Haiman states, "A regular series of brown-bag lunches with local experts can help a staff build baseline knowledge on a variety of topics" (26).

I really liked this suggestion which Haiman provides. Sometimes it is easier to learn and retain information in a more casual environment since questions can be asked and a genuine interest may then exist. Also, the knowledge would be more recent and accurate when applied to a reporter's news story.

Course Page

Possible breaking news

2009-10-25T01:38:28Z

Tonight I was able to follow and be involved in a possible news story.

The story began with my brother, who went hiking with his boy scout troop this weekend. He and two other boys walked ahead of the larger group (including the adults) and took a wrong turn. My brother and one of the boys walked too far ahead and the younger scout was separated from them. If they had taken the right path, the larger group would have caught up to the younger scout. However, this was not the case. Once my brother called my mom, the rush to find the lost boy began. My mom and I both had the same instinct to call the state police to find the lost boy since he was young and alone somewhere in the wilderness as it was getting dark. After many phone calls and hours of waiting, the boy was found. He was a little spooked, but alright.

This story could be news worthy because a young boy scout was lost in the wilderness for almost five hours and the police were called to search for him. Anything could have happened. I wondered as this situation was happening whether or not it would be on the news. If reporters listen to police radios, they would hear about this story.

I was checking news websites to see if they wrote a story about it since my mom called the state police. There are no news stories as of now which is good. The priority should always be on finding a missing child first before reporting it. I am going to keep tabs on the news to see if they ever do report this story.

UPDATE: Well, maybe this isn't much of an update, but no stories ever came out of this incident. I guess that is because the boy was found and nothing bad happened. Perhaps it would have been more newsworthy if the search lasted over night, lasted more than a day, or if they never found him. Thankfully, none of this was the case and the newspapers and stations let the story slide.

Bridge-to-be

2009-10-24T23:34:20Z

An engagement announcement I saw in the Tribune-Review recently:

This is a good example of why reporters should revise more closely. Best Practices for Newspaper Journalists states that the Chicago Tribune's "guideline's memo reminds staff members of Tribune accuracy rules such as those requiring that reporters...[read] word-for-word everything in the section for which they work" (Haiman 11). Reading word-for-word would be a great way to catch obvious mistakes like this one.

The "bridge-to-be" mistake is not simply the common typo of an extra letter in a word. The extra letter in the word adds new meaning to what is written. I don't think a bride-to-be would be happy with being called a "bridge-to-be."

Journalists should rely on themselves, not historians

2009-10-21T03:27:20Z

"Many journalists apparently believe that since they are writing the 'first rough draft of history' and doing it under deadline pressure, it should be expected that some errors, misunderstandings and misinterpretations will occur; that historians eventually will sort it out, and that only the most egregious factual errors to be corrected now" (Haiman 13).

This belief of journalists brought up in the Best Practices for Newspaper Journalists bothers me for several reasons. Those reasons are:

1. Journalists should never consider their articles to be "first rough drafts." What they have published should be a final draft. Actually, every writer's piece should be a final draft when it is published. In journalism this even more important since journalists are responsible for informing the public. People often rely on newspapers and articles for information about the world around them. If a journalist just writes a rough draft to be published, the readers may not be correctly informed. In a way, this is a lack of integrity. Rough drafts are meant to be kept to the writer until he/she completes the story; they are not meant to be published for the public to read.

2. Just because journalists write under pressure does mean errors should be expected. Of course mistakes happen, but to have the attitude that mistakes are going to happen is not good. A writer should have expectations that they will not make any mistakes. This way, the writer will be more diligent and careful with what he/she writes. Furthermore, everyone experiences writing under pressure. Students often are still finishing papers twenty minutes before class and thus make mistakes and typos. However, they are held responsible by the teacher for fixing these mistakes. Journalists are held responsible by the public as well as the editors. So to brush aside their mistakes by saying "I was under deadline pressure" is not an excuse. Yes, mistakes happen, but writers should still write carefully and re-read their work to prevent as many as possible.

3. Relying on historians to "sort it out" is a lazy attitude which is using historians to do clean up something the journalist should have done in the first place. Why don't the journalists just write the correct story in the first place? They should have their facts straight since they are informing a large number of people. Historians may fill in the cracks if a journalist happened to miss something, but journalists should not rely on them to do so if necessary.

Therefore, I think it is ridiculous that many "professional" journalists who are responsible for informing the public would consider their writing a first draft and expect it to have mistakes. Just write carefully and include all the facts while being sure information is correct.

Course Page