"As the department attempts to recoup its $11.4 million shortfall" (House).
Wow, so the state continues to cut the budget every year, even when the economy was not in the condition that it currently is in. This event, as Dr. Jerz stated, involves more than just the Golden Gate Park, but every state in the United States and the world. The question is why does the state continue to not provide money to this park, even when the economy is good? Is it because the park is not worthy to keep open or is it because the state simply does not have even revenue to keep all of the parks operating at top condition. I feel terrible, as a scholar, to see a park and its workers lose money and improvements, but this is a choice from the state. This article reminded me of how a large economic issue can be focused on one event as small as a park. I quickly got a satellite image in my mind because of how we start large and zoom in on a topic or the opposite.
"He finally settled on cellulosic ethanol, a fuel made from organic scraps and non-edible parts of plants" (Baker).
After reading this news article, I felt a similar connection with the previous one (above). Baker was talking about a sport that thousands of people love in the world, but there is a larger issue facing the driver. Environmental issues and laws are changing every day, but it seems only to the better side of things. Once again, we begin with a large issue and focus it on one topic - more environmentally friendly cars.
Question: Are these articles focused on the larger issue of environmental and economic issues or are they suppose to show us how a large issue affects everyday people?
Click here for the course web page devoted to Sample Spot News.
I think they do both, really. In all honesty, I hadn't thought about their purpose being to "show us how a large issue affects everyday people" until I read your entry, but I actually wrote an entry on who they were about the bigger issues. It makes sense, though. If all we read about are these big issues, there is the question of, well, why does it matter? By showing how these issues do affect everyday people, the reporters answer this question. I think these articles go both ways. While I'm sure it could be possible, I don't think it would be easy to do one without the other.
Thanks, Jenn. I think your question of "why does it matter" is very important when discussing these articles. Each person is going to have a different opinion because some people care about somethings more than other people. I think it matters when a group of people or society become so familiar with a topic that it begins to affect a large mass of people (e.g. The extreme market downturn in March of this year, 2009). Articles in the paper that people can relate to become more personal because something is affecting their lives.