What Kind of Journalism

Print Journalism:

Paul Grosswiler is interested in writing and looked to make a practical living as a journalist.  He started by writing the police beat and obituaries for newspapers. He moved to Maine and worked for Bangor Daily News as a copy editor. 

He now teaches at the University of Maine in Orono. His ultimate goal is to become a buckraker as an influential journalist in government and business. Influenced by Elijah Love Joy who taught him that truthful journalism can be dangerous but the courage is necessary for progress.

News is a social construct that both the public and journalist influence.  Newspapers can sometimes be pressured by their audience and the advertiser. The newspaper gathers the audience for the advertiser by way of the news.

Grosswiler taught us that the lead is the most important part of the story. Also to focus on S.V.O, subject, verb and object.  Active voice, deadlines and criteria are a driving force in print journalism.

 

Rhetoric in Journalism

Professor Nathan Stormer came and talked to our class today on rhetoric in journalism.  We haven’t covered rhertoric much in our class but we have focused on the politically correct and structure part of rhetoric.

I was in the group responsible to find a guess speaker on print journalism.  I felt that having Stormer talk to our class about rhetoric and how it is used in journalism would give us a different perspective on writing for print.

Stormer talked to us about using metaphors and analogies to convey our writing effectiviley to our audience.  Using correct metaphors and analogies gives our audience less of a chance to misstake what we were writing.

Stormer also talked to us about using the audience’s senses to create the scene.  While most people rely on their sight, we can also use the other senses to give the audience a more creative and acuarate story to read.

Looking a print journalism from a different perspective allowed me to analyze what it is I am trying to say and make sure that what I am saying is understood.  The most challenging part of writing for me is making sure that my writing is structured and understood correctly.  Using some of Stormer’s suggestions I should be able to do that better now.

 

The Young Voice

The youth started voting during, “Early Vote Day,” Thursday afternoon in the Union. Although, “In past elections the youth hasn’t turned out to vote,” said political science professor, Richard Powell.

Turning Point

This election might just be the turning point in the youth vote. With close to 1000 college students and Orono residents turning out for, “Early Vote Day,” Nate Wildes, UMaine Uvote member, considers it a giant success. Wildes was at the Union all day making sure students who wanted to vote were registered and that the event ran without a hitch. “Energy is more important spent on getting voters then campaigning for a party,” Wildes said. 3,300 students have been registered on campus through the efforts of College Republicans and College Democrats this term.

Accessibility

Orono is not the only area focusing on getting the youth involved. “Nearly all of Eastern Maine Community College’s and Husson College’s students have been registered,” Michael Gleason said. Gleason is the Deputy Registrar in Bangor and said, “The excitement is being seen all over and from all ages, the other day a 100 year old lady came into vote.” She told Gleason that, “I guess it is about time I voted.”

Bangor is also offering early voting by opening up the Civic Center starting Monday – Thursday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Gleason believes that offering early voting allows everyone a better opportunity to vote. He said, “Accessibility is a challenge that most voters find when it comes to voting.” With people like Wildes and Gleason working hard to make accessibility easier, the voting turnout is expected to break records

 

With accessibility and excitement taken care of, young people are focusing on the campaigns and the issues. The candidates now have to focus on connecting to the youth whom just might be the actual swing vote this election.

 

Media Writing Tips

While surfing the net I came across this web sit and found it very helpfull.  http://mtsu32.mtsu.edu:11178/171/tips.htm#elements

 

Just Beat It

The beat I am covering is going to be science, environment, and green living.  I choose this beat because I feel this is the challenge of our generation.  Every generation in our country has had to deal with issues that shape our future.  For example the civil war, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, Vietnam, Civil Rights, the Cold War and now our generation has the energy crisis.  It will be our responsibilty to focus and solve this issue for our future generations.

 

Why This Republican Is Voting Democrat

I am a republican and proud of that.  I am not proud of the scare and fear tactics that the republican party is not reverting to though.  Honestly is this were we are going as a nation?  For a campaign to revert back to fear as a policy is degrading as a member.  I have never been more ashamed of being a republican than I am now.  For McCain and Palin to attack Obama about terrorism is shameful!  I am beyond angry!  This is a time for the republican party to change it’s direction, to modernize it’s political platform.

BUT NO!

They can’t do that, because they might lose the election.  God forbid that that happens!  John McCain, wake up!  This is getting stupid, I was willing to support you even though some of your tax and healthcare motives were questionable.  I know that you are using anger as a way to revitalize the party but that is not only moronic but dangerous!  I am tired of this and now am supporting Obama full force and will do everything in my limited power to register as many young voters.  I am so tired of this campaign and will not be supporting the republican party until they change their political goals

 

This Week’s News:

In a week full of news it is hard to find which is the most important.  There was another bank being bought out, there was a man in New York City getting his fifteen minutes for killing a cat, there is a boat, carrying arms and munition, being controlled by Somalia pirates.  The most important news is the bailout plan being pushed through Congress right now.  It seems that a plan of 700 billion dollars being dispersed throughout our economy is going to be passed this week.  Business, homeowners and students, we all are going to be affected in some way by this crisis.  700 billion dollars is a lot of money that needs to come from somewhere and it is going to add to our national debt, that one day our children are going to have to deal with.  In reality it will cost every American2,300 dollars to finance this bailout package.  The question being, is the American public responsible for the negligence of wall street?

 

Color the World Gray: An Interview

One of Dr. Sandra Hardy’s students remembered her saying, “Eventually the world will probably be gray,” meaning that whatever makes us different will one day be viewed as indifferent.

TOLERANCE:

Remarkably Hardy’s teaching of tolerance started during the 60’s, a time of incredible intolerance. Hardy started teaching high school at Central High Connecticut in the 60s and into the 70s. 

Because of her efforts in getting both black and two thousand white students involved in the arts, her high school was the only one in Connecticut not to riot after the assassination of Martin Luther King.

THEATER AND TOLERANCE:

Theater offers a window into the world of intolerance.  It has been a medium in the social context and has helped influence social outcomes.

After the production of,“The Marriage of Figaro.” Napoleon said that, “The French Revolution started with that damn play.”  Dr. Hardy has directed over eighteen main stage productions at the University of Maine, some that deal with tolerance issues. Such as, “Bent, Cabaret, and Rocky Horror Show.” 

Students that have taken her classes have come out saying, “wow.”

Her vast knowledge of theater can be intimidating and the seriousness that she requires of her students is matched only by the seriousness that she finds in theater. She sees human condition to be the seriousness in theater.

Hardy said that, “respecting students enables them, while condescension underestimates them.”

Theater is able to portray human behavior and condition like no other art. There are other mediums like television and cinema but the interaction that a live audience has with a theater production allows it to enter a separate reality with their own preconditions. Hardy said, “There is nothing like New York City Theater.” The nostalgia of walking down Broadway and stepping into a separate world that can explain the way you are feeling is a release that we all find ourselves sometimes looking for.

The arts can be forms of expressions for those of us that don’t know how to express ourselves.

With Hardy teaching her students tolerance and directing productions that open our eyes to human condition the world might one day be colored gray.

 

No, You Hold Me Closer

I really don’t know what it is about sing along songs but I love them. I’m talking about the kind of song that comes on the radio when you are all alone in your car going northbound on interstate 95. The kinds of songs that will make you grab the air and belt out your beautiful voice for your pretend audience to hear. Granted, I don’t care who is in the car with me I’ll sing like I would anywhere, usually to the dismay of my audience. That song that brings me to a self sense of celebrity is “Tiny Dancer” by Sir. Elton John. Do I consider it my favorite song? There are countless songs that come to mind when I think about my favorite. It is like asking me what do you like more better peanut butter or jelly? I don’t know, it is all according to what mood I’m in, honestly!

The mood that I have been in lately is one of love longing and love lost. That is why “Tiny Dancer” is speaking to me now. This song was written by a brilliant lyricist, Bernie Taupin, who at the young age of 17 answered an advertisement for talent placed in the “New Musical Express.” Ever since 1967, excluding years 1977-1779, Elton John and Bernie Taupin have collaborated on over 30 albums together. The song “Tiny Dancer” was part of the album “Madman Across The Water” that released on February 7, 1972. I believe these dates are important factors when you consider what the lyrics of the song mean.

During this time in history there was a strong “hippie” movement and Bernie grew up near the southwestern part of Lincolnshire, England. He attended a Christian school and at the age of 15 dropped out and hitchhiked across the country with his friends. What I find wonderful about this song is that it was from the first album published after being in the U.S. The song is actually about one of the dancers, Maxine Feibelman, that toured with Elton and his band. Maxine and Bernie married each other in 1971 and if you listen to the words of the song you can see into his heart just a little bit. That is what music and other forms of art allow us to do. When you can’t find the words or the image or the music to express yourself artist are there to portray your feelings to the world. Maybe that is what I am trying to say right now without knowing how.

 

Ten Things I Hate About….

Just when I thought I had figured out the general grammar rules, BAM! AP or as I like to call them, “The Associated Press from Hell,” have given us all the, “2007 Associated Press Stylebook.” OK, so I might be exaggerating a little bit when I said that the Associated Press originated from hell. What I am conveying to my audience is that I am, how they say, “stuck in my ways,” and don’t like relearning things I though I already knew. To my horror I do need to relearn, and relearn I shall with ten rules of AP style that I didn’t not realize.

1. The terms: Burglar, larceny, robbery, and theft. They all have different meanings and yet they are all crimes based on the same outcome, my stuff is taken. Need to make sure I use the correct term to define the action taken by the criminal.

2. All right, that is all I need to say. Maybe not, it is two words.

3. Within seven days of publication use the day of the week of event. If it is more then a week use the date of event.

4. The word local almost never needs to be used. Find a way around it. Never thought about that.

5. Using the words fewer and less, now make sense to me. You use fewer when you can count something and less when you can’t.

6. Compass directions are lower case but noun direction is capitalized. I am standing North of…

7. The difference between a majority and a plurality is the percentage. If it is over 50% then you use majority. If it is broken up between three subjects and less then 50% it is a plurality.

8. Satan is capitalized but devil is not. Hmm, is the someone spinning in hell for this one?

9. Nouns like team, group and committee, take singular verbs.

10. You only abbreviate street, avenue and boulevard if they follow a numbered address. All other address descriptions need to be spelled out.