October 2005 Archives

For News Writing, we are reading It Ain't Necessarily So: How Media Make and Unmake the Scientific Picture of Reality, by Murray, Schwartz, and Lichter. As a journalist, this book pisses me off(to be blunt) but it also has taught me a great deal of what to avoid when I enter my career.

BUT...it still annoys me.

In chapter 2 they talk about journalists making scientific statistics (on different subjects such a sperm counts an chemical ezplosions) into big, breaking news when really there is not much to worry about.

This is my response: Yes journalists may seem uneducated on the statistics and they may tend to over-react when putting the statistics into their articles. The public has every right to be upset over journalists making a big ordeal over something that may be inaccurate or only a minor problem. But either way journalists are going to be criticized- either for making the problem seem too big, or if they don't emphasize enough that there may be a problem.

So it's a catch-22. I don't think journalists will ever get the appropriate praise they need. I know how hard it is being a staff writer for a student produced paper at a small university- I can't even imagine what it's like to write for a national magazine or a large city's newspaper. We're only human, and there's only so much information we can cram into our brain before everything becomes muddled.

Maybe if the population spent one day in the life of a journalist, they'd understand, until then all we can do is hope for a little understanding...

(Note: I started writing this on Wednesday right after EL227, and I'm just now getting around to finishing it, the browser has been open on my computer for two days!)

Friday in EL227, my News Writing class, Dr. Jerz asked us to do an exercise that I think practically scared us to death. He had about two pages filled with facts about a crime story, including a seperate story that was background information for the second. He read through the facts two times while projecting them on a screen. He read at normal speed and moved the paper down as he went, so as I began the exercise I started just reading instead of listening. Well, this didn't work because he moved the paper down JUST as I was about to write a fact. After the first read through he gave us ten minutes to compile our fact (other students commented on this as well), then he read it again for the final time and we had about a half hour or so to write a crime story out of the fact we were able to scribble down.

I think by this stage we were all in a panic because we either didn't have enough facts, or the facts we were able to catch were so random that they made for a very incoherent story.

At the end of class, Dr. Jerz assured us this was just a practice exercise, not for points. THANK GOD!

I chose to do the first story once I realized it was here (hah!) and that it was very short. I only missed a few details, but they were important. I didn't catch what the warden at the prison said, or the highway patrol. In fact, I had no quotes...a major no-no.

This exercise taught me how difficult it will be in real life to get these facts, people aren't going to slow down just because you need to write things down. Last night I decided I'm adding a tape recorder to my Christmas list, please, Santa? Help a budding journalist out!

I also learned that I might want to get into crime reporting. It seems very interesting, and I think it would be an edgier(yes, edgier)field. Although the problem with crime reporting is the lack of opinion included. You cannot opinionize whatsoever in crime reporting, it's strictly fact, and you have to walk on eggshells all the time. This might pose a problem for me since I love to include my opinion in my writing.

Overall, I thought this was an excellent exercise. It really helped to prepare me for the real world, and I definitely think we should do more of this in class.

**

I'd like to send my thoughts out to a classmate who Dr. Klapak informed us was hit by a car while jogging. I don't want to give a name because this is speculation, but the student was not in class on Friday and is supposedly in a Pittsburgh hospital on life support. Please keep this person in your prayers.

**

Chosing to major in Journalism was easy for me. I knew I wanted to be a writer, but I wasn't particularly fond of writing poems or stories. Creative writing just isn't for me. I wanted to be able to express my opinion through my writing, I wanted to be known for my unique style. Granted, I could do this with creative writing, but not the way I intended. Basically, I want to be known for what Carrie in Sex in the City is known for, minus the sex part.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Sex in the City, first of all you should be because it's a fabulous show. =D Second of all, Carrie is a journalist. She constantly has people coming up to her telling her how much they love her column. She gets to meet amazing people and she actually has discussions about her writing. I want people to talk about the way I report the news or express my opinion, not how juicy my latest novel is, not that there's anything wrong with that- like I said, it's just not for me.

I want to be proud of my writing, I want to break boundaries and stir up conversations everywhere. I just want to be myself, I want to shine through every assignment I get (hopefully!)

My dream job would be writing for Rolling Stone, I'd love to be a music critic. Two of my passions, writing and music.

Before coming to Seton Hill, I didn't know I had SO MUCH MORE to learn about journalism than I knew. I thought, eh it can't be THAT HARD. Boy, was I wrong.

I don't think people who aren't involved in journalism understand just how complicated of a field it is. Aside from having to totally eliminate opinion in news articles, following AP style like your life depended on it, using active verbs, integrating quotes smoothly, and countless other journlism rules to live by (well this is a run on sentence if I've never seen one before), there's much more to being a journalist.

*exhale*

For me, writing is the easiest part. It's attending the events and getting the quotes and background information that's the hard part. From my personal experience, getting sources for articles is super frustrating. I usually e-mail people first to ask if they'd rather respond through e-mail, or set up a convenient time for an interview. For me, 99% of the time people would rather respond through e-mail. As a journalist it's my job to cater to them because I NEED THEIR VOICE. So it's the same thing most of the time, agree to the e-mail interview, send the questions, wait until the last minute for a response. I've been starting to give a lenghty deadline for my responses, usually the night before the article is due, or the morning of. People are always more than willing to help, but sometimes the responses don't get to me until very late, sometimes not at all. So I've learned over the past year to have backup sources.

I'd like to pause here to extent my thanks to Neha for always being there to give me guidance and even grab a source for me when I'm desperate. That girl knows everybody, I swear. You need connections in the journalism biz'. Neha is my connection to SHU, haha. I'm a commuter so I don't really know anybody except my fellow Setonians and journalism majors.

So, although journalists are looked upon as the devil (an exaggeration, people) just know all we're doing is our job. I don't agree with all the progpaganda mumbe jumbo, but journalists are supposed to give the facts. I intend to be true to my assignments in school, and in my career. I know not one person can totally alter the world's opinion of journalists, but one person can attract followers. Hopefully I'll be able to help restore people's confidence in journalists.

I know everybody on the Setonian staff tries their damndest to make everything perfect, to not have conflict of interest, to follow AP style to a T, to present both sides. I just wanted to commend you all for this, it's wonderful working with you.

McDonalds Marketing Madness

On Thursday, October 5, Academy Award nominated director, actor, writer, and producer Morgan Spurlock spoke at Seton Hill University (SHU). Spurlock is best known for his controversial documentary, Super Size Me, which shows the trauma the human body suffers from eating fast food regularly. Professor in Communication and Education Dr. Frank Klapak introduced Spurlock to an audience of students, faculty, and parents alike. “Maybe Morgan is an intelligent jackass,” Klapak said, comparing Spurlock to the hit show on MTV, Jackass.
It is true Spurlock was willing to put his health at severe risk, at his own will, to educate the world on the consequences of abusing fast food, primarily McDonalds. Klapak said, “Maybe he’s just me looking at me, maybe he’s just you looking at you, maybe he’s just having fun.” Spurlock may have had a blast eating nothing but fat laden, sugar infused, and carbohydrate concentrated food, but the point of the documentary is not to be taken lightly.
Spurlock was inspired to make this documentary after watching a news story about two girls who sued McDonalds, saying that the food served there made them fat. McDonalds denied the allegations. One of Spurlock’s major critique of McDonalds is their marketing ploy. Even the catchy “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle heard on McDonalds commercials is even at fault, “That song is engraved into my brain!” said Spurlock.
They’re appealing to children most of all with the playgrounds and the happy meal toys. He urges fast food restaurants to stop luring children in with toys to consume such unhealthy food. Good eating habits need to be established during childhood, and children won’t understand that McDonalds is unhealthy, they just know they’re getting the newest toy.
It’s not only the marketing that makes McDonalds seem so appealing, it’s the food, of course. “Those crack-like french fries, the minute you have one you need 85 more,” Spurlock said.
Fast food does seem almost addicting Spurlock explained, “it’s all the salt that they put in their food that makes it taste so good, it makes you want more,” he said.
Critics of Spurlock’s documentary say it is unrealistic to eat three meals a day from McDonalds for thirty days straight. “You may not go to only one restaurant, but I have a friend who eats at McDonalds for breakfast, Taco Bell for lunch, and Dominos for dinner,” Spurlock said. Fast food isn’t solely to blame, even traditional sit-down restaurants aren’t health conscious, “There could be 3,500-5,000 calories in one meal at the Outback Steak house,” he said.
Spurlock also explains that McDonalds is not exactly straightforward on their nutrition reporting, even though they are responsible for feeding 46 million people each day. “There are so many ingredients in something as simple as a french fry or a chicken nugget,” Spurlock said after telling the results of an experiment where food from McDonalds did not deteriorate or mold compared to food from a privately owned “burger joint” after being left in a jar for several days. “One burger patty from McDonalds can contain meat from over 1,000 different cows,” Spurlock added.
Even though McDonalds added healthy choices to their menu, people are not ordering these healthy alternatives. “There were 150,000,000 salads served last year, McDonalds serves almost 17 billion a year, that comes out to less than 1 percent,” Spurlock said.
Vanessa Kolberg, Junior, was stunned at the information given in Spurlock’s lecture. “I see now that bigger corporations are to blame, and we really do vote with our fork, like he said. I am definitely going to start making alternative choices when I go out to eat with friends,” she said.

Usually I don't post my work online, but I think I'm going to start doing so for feedback from all of you! Let me know what you think. I'm open for pointers, so don't feel you'll insult me.

Lantern tour leaves impression on Greensburg

On Saturday, October 1, a lantern tour of the Seton Hill University (SHU) campus was given, starting in Lowe Dining Hall. The tour closed Saturday evenings homecoming events, which included the Neon Swing Xperience at St. Claire park, and fireworks on campus. The tour started at 9 p.m. and was lead by an informative guide carrying a lantern as he led the group. Before the tour started, the guide asked everybody to share their memories of SHU during the tour.
The tour group consisted of students and parents, who were especially impressed by Seton Hill’s campus. Homecoming offered a chance for the residents of Greensburg to visit the campus. John Nalevanko, a resident of Greensburg, took comfort in SHU’s atmosphere, “I’ve been here before for my children’s sporting events, but I never took the time to actually walk around campus. It’s wonderful that such an established university has such a warm and comfortable feeling,” he said.
The tour stopped at all of the campus buildings, and the guide spoke about the history of each building. Janet Luciano brought her children to partake in the fun, family-oriented homecoming events at SHU. She said, “I’m glad my kids have this opportunity to learn about a local university, this gives them something to remember when it’s time for them to chose a college.”
Her son Douglas Luciano, a freshman at Hempfield Area Highschool, said, “I never knew Seton Hill had so much history. It’s interesting to hear about what used to be in the old buildings and to see how campus is growing at the same time.”
The new amenities to campus, including the two dorms and the McKenna Center, left a lasting impression on Greensburg residents. Brenda Brohosky, wife of construction worker Josheph Brohosky, who helped build the McKenna center said, “I thought the McKenna center looked impressive from the street, but standing here in front of it makes me proud that my husband contributed something so beneficial to campus.”
Megan Zubalik, a Sophomore at Westmoreland County Community College, was visiting with some of her friends who are on the field hockey team at Seton Hill. She was amazed at how the university is growing. “The new residence halls are so impressive, I’m definitely thinking about changing Seton Hill to my first choice transfer school now that I see how much campus is growing,” she said.
There were many light-hearted conversations and good laughs amongst the tour group. “The weather is perfect, and there’s nothing more relaxing than a leisurely, lantern-lit tour around such a peaceful campus,” Nalevanko said.

I feel like I was just screaming at the computer, trying to get the first portfolio done yesterday. Good news is the computer is fixed, bad news is I haven't blogged much since September 28th, I wasn't expecting another portfolio so soon, it's only been a little over 2 weeks. I feel like I should be including my last portfolio in this one! Haha. Oh well...happy reading!

Homecoming on the hill- News Writing is giving me so much experience, and this is just a reflection on how surprisingly easy it was to gather information to write this article.

I'll take a Spurlock with Biggie Laughs, please.- Yet again the quest for quotes had me in a frenzy, but I wound up finding an angle for my article with little digging at all.

Homecoming article-Lantern tours offer a beautiful and educational view of campus.

Morgan Spurlock article-McDonalds marketing to blame?

Journalism- more than meets the eye- my thoughts on journalism, my future career and passion.

Discussions:

I was the first to comment on Mike's article on the Morgan Spurlock lecture. I praised him for a wonderful article, and gave some thoughts on the lecture.

I helped give Valerie some support about interviewing people. This also started a discussion about the attitude of the interviewee.

I asked Erin how she feels now that she's blogged-a-bit.

I let Nancy know that her first portfolio page came together beautifully, Leslie agreed with me, and I know that gives Nancy encouragement. She inspired me to improve my portfolio!

A wildcard entry launched a discussion about kicking the habit, and juvenile college students.

(I love when I sit down peacefully in a computer lab and 500 people come charging in)

I've been wanting to blog on Morgan Spurlock's lecture last Thursday since I left SHU. I'm sad and ashamed to say I've never seen Super Size Me, so I didn't really know what to expect from this lecture, which was really far from that. Not once did I ever feel like I was being pushed to believe or agree with something Spurlock said.

As usual, I entered Cecelian Hall with nerves rushing through me. Not only because I didn't have a ticket (hey, the guy at the door let me in!) but because I had to get *gasp* QUOTES.

The dreaded three sources haunt my dreams, I swear. Luckily, Dr. Klapak kicked the evening off with wit and humor, not like I would expect anything less from him! I was able to get some good quotes from him right off the bat, so this instilled me with some hope. Don't lie, you scribbled down his 'jackass' quote, too.

Then Spurlock breezed right past my chair before he took stage, and all I can say is I wish I had that mans confidence! He had so much to say and he was so full of energy, I wound up having 4 pages front and back FILLED with quotes. I was a happy camper.

First of all the man was hilarious, I don't think I've ever laughed that wholeheartedly for almost 2 hours straight. Some people think his language was a bit much, and I agree it was for a Catholic university, even though I'm not religious in any way. Freedom of speech I guess, it isn't high school anymore!

Secondly, and most importantly, he spoke from the heart. He was just telling us his experiences, what he's learned from other people, and his thoughts on the latter. He made me feel like I was sitting around a kitchen table talking with friends. I think he really connected with the audience, the information he provided not only astounded me (beef from as many as 1,000 cows in ONE McDonalds patty!?) but it educated me as well. I haven't eaten McDonalds since...that's a record for me. Almost a week!

I wound up writing an article that was, I felt, a little different than 'this is Morgan Spurlock, this is what he said, yadda yadda yadda.' I took the angle of writing about the reasoning behind his attacks (for lack of a better word) on McDonald's.

I'm posting the article soon...stay tuned!

About a half hour ago in my spanish class we were doing an activity where the professor would show us a piece of paper with a phrase in spanish that we had to then act out in front of the class.

Now, this is my 5th year of spanish, so I pretty much know more spanish than anybody in that class. There's only a handful of kids who have had spanish before.

So what phrase do I get? "Going on vacation." Now, who's going to be able to act that out? I looked at her and I said, "I really don't know what to do for this one" and in the background I hear, "that's because your stupid."

Now, I know the professor didn't hear, because after I said I didn't know how to act the phrase out, she said, "I guess this is a really tough one" and wound up just telling the class what it was.

Now, back to the part about my stupidity. Pardon my FRENCH, but you're an asshole, buddy. I'd like to take a trip to Mexico with whoever said that and see who can communicate with the locals. He's up shit creek with no paddles if he has to ask where a bathroom is.

Donde el bathroomo won't cut it, sorry.

I don't understand why people feel the need to insult others, whom they don't even know, to make themselves look suave. Had I thought about it I would have snapped some smart alec comment back to him that used intelligence to make him feel like the lowly speck he is. Sorry, I'm upset!

I guess I really shouldn't be upset by such a childish comment; but please do not call me stupid when you don't even know me. It just really irked me, that's all.

This is the first time I've ever witnessed something to juvenile at SHU. Nobody has ever made fun of me for anything before during my time here...I feel like I'm in middle school again, really!

I should have said, "I know you are but what am I?" hah.

Really, I guess I was just taken aback. We're in COLLEGE now people. I know the majority of you who read this would never even think about calling somebody stupid under your breath (which it turned out to be much louder than that), but if you do think about it just don't bother wasting your time on negativity. It brings everybody down and just makes you stand out as the immature loser you really are!

I'm really hostile, man! Way to put me in a bad mood. I don't even know who it was, I acted like I didn't even here him. I know it's one of four slacker guys who sit in the back quad of computers.

Did I mention the professor has to beat an answer out of them every class...and I'M STUPID?

Well, I think I'm done ranting about something so immature, it's a waste of my time I guess.

I'm going to go have a cancer stick now. (Any pointers on quitting, let me know! $4.90 a pack is way too much, not to mention the smokers cough is unappealing, my lungs are being poisoned, and my hands smell GROSS)

Yesterday, I attended some of the homecoming events at school. Not only for fun, but to get quotes for my News Writing class. I brought my best friend along with me to check out campus, because I want her to transfer to Seton Hill next year. She was really impressed with the changes on campus, especially the McKenna center. It was fun to show off our school.

I'm always nervous when I have to interview people, something I've been working on overcoming. I didn't really know who I wanted to interview- students, parents, faculty...? The lantern tour of campus was really fun (good exercise!) and I learned interesting facts about SHU. The group on the tour was really friendly and talkitave. I was surprised that there was a mix of students and parents a like. I wound up getting more quotes from the adults than the students, which I wasn't expecting. So I was able to find an angle for my article that was different from the one I was expecting to have.

Overall, I think my article will be successful. I was able to have a lot of fun and not stress so much about getting quotes. I just wrote things down as they came to me. Sometimes the best things come to you without having to search for them.