Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
more BP story analysis
Here's more coverage of the oil spill, a where-are-we-now in the process of the disaster.
Chicago Tribune, title- As plugging attempt nears, BP now says role of expensive relief wells unclear
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-us-gulf-oil-spill,0,1622568.story
The NY Times,title: BP Readies Plan to Pump Mud Into Runaway Well:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/us/03spill.html?hp
Both articles mention an amount of oil leaked so far, but number of gallons differ vastly.
Here's the NY Times version:
The tests come 18 days after BP placed a tight-fitting cap on the well that put a temporary end to months of leaking that had released as much as five million barrels of oil into the waters of the gulf. The well had been gushing out of control since the explosion that crippled the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20, killing 11 workers.
Here's the Tribune/AP version:
Engineers hoped to complete a final test by Monday evening to determine whether to proceed with the static kill. If the test is successful, Wells said, engineers would spend most of Tuesday and likely part of Wednesday slowly pumping the heavy mud down the well, which has spewed as much as 184 million gallons.
The NY Times mentions it in the 3rd paragraph.
The Tribune/AP mentions it second to last/last paragraph.
Both mention Hurricane Bonnie.
The Tribune/AP article quotes a Louisiana State University professor of environmental sciences saying that he's hoping that the process works.
The Times quotes a program director of the Petroleum Extension Service at the University of Texas, Austin, stating that the process is not complete and a leak could still occur.
Chicago Tribune, title- As plugging attempt nears, BP now says role of expensive relief wells unclear
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-us-gulf-oil-spill,0,1622568.story
The NY Times,title: BP Readies Plan to Pump Mud Into Runaway Well:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/us/03spill.html?hp
Both articles mention an amount of oil leaked so far, but number of gallons differ vastly.
Here's the NY Times version:
The tests come 18 days after BP placed a tight-fitting cap on the well that put a temporary end to months of leaking that had released as much as five million barrels of oil into the waters of the gulf. The well had been gushing out of control since the explosion that crippled the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20, killing 11 workers.
Here's the Tribune/AP version:
Engineers hoped to complete a final test by Monday evening to determine whether to proceed with the static kill. If the test is successful, Wells said, engineers would spend most of Tuesday and likely part of Wednesday slowly pumping the heavy mud down the well, which has spewed as much as 184 million gallons.
The NY Times mentions it in the 3rd paragraph.
The Tribune/AP mentions it second to last/last paragraph.
Both mention Hurricane Bonnie.
The Tribune/AP article quotes a Louisiana State University professor of environmental sciences saying that he's hoping that the process works.
The Times quotes a program director of the Petroleum Extension Service at the University of Texas, Austin, stating that the process is not complete and a leak could still occur.
Dance reviews and vivid images
Our conversation with Chris Vognar last week got me thinking about a type of criticism that seems to be discussed far less than that of film and theater.
I am drawn to dance reviews because of my own personal and professional relationship with dance. But from a journalistic perspective, dance reviews fascinate me for the unique issues they present: a dance reviewer needs not only to depict rich images for the reader (much as a film critic might do), but needs also to write in such a way as to make dance -- something far less popular than film or theater, for example -- something more accessible. To make something familiar that was first foreign and seemingly unapproachable is something I think a good journalist should be able to do with his or her writing.
One way that it seems some dance reviewers accomplish this is by use of vivid imagery. Dance is not just about movement, but about music and even atmosphere, and a reviewer who can capture these things in a review is more likely to captivate the reader. For example, I love the lead in this review of Boston Ballet's "Ultimate Balanchine" program:
"Done right, George Balanchine’s choreography etches itself in your mind like acid on metal. Thursday night, the Boston Ballet, in its presentation of three Balanchine works, left just such a lasting impression — if not with every line, spiral, and pattern, then with many of them."
That image, even to someone unfamiliar with Balanchine or even with ballet, makes an impression. The idea of lines being etched into our minds by movement is an intriguing one. Moreover, the very physical, very visual (with even a hint of violence) image of acid on metal is so vivid and almost tangible that with the very opening line of the review, reviewer Thea Singer has managed to bring the reader into the world of the physical...which is exactly where the reader needs to be to be fully immersed in the dance being described.
Ultimately, then, there may be a strong connection between painting very vivid images for the reader and making the content of the article feel more accessible to the reader. After all, a reader is less likely to grab onto a vague description of pirouettes and grand battements than they are to get reeled in by the image of acid burning metal (which is also intriguing because of how "un-balletic" the image would seem to most people, further increasing the articles approachability).
The full review is here: http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2010/05/08/boston_ballet_hits_four_temperaments/
I am drawn to dance reviews because of my own personal and professional relationship with dance. But from a journalistic perspective, dance reviews fascinate me for the unique issues they present: a dance reviewer needs not only to depict rich images for the reader (much as a film critic might do), but needs also to write in such a way as to make dance -- something far less popular than film or theater, for example -- something more accessible. To make something familiar that was first foreign and seemingly unapproachable is something I think a good journalist should be able to do with his or her writing.
One way that it seems some dance reviewers accomplish this is by use of vivid imagery. Dance is not just about movement, but about music and even atmosphere, and a reviewer who can capture these things in a review is more likely to captivate the reader. For example, I love the lead in this review of Boston Ballet's "Ultimate Balanchine" program:
"Done right, George Balanchine’s choreography etches itself in your mind like acid on metal. Thursday night, the Boston Ballet, in its presentation of three Balanchine works, left just such a lasting impression — if not with every line, spiral, and pattern, then with many of them."
That image, even to someone unfamiliar with Balanchine or even with ballet, makes an impression. The idea of lines being etched into our minds by movement is an intriguing one. Moreover, the very physical, very visual (with even a hint of violence) image of acid on metal is so vivid and almost tangible that with the very opening line of the review, reviewer Thea Singer has managed to bring the reader into the world of the physical...which is exactly where the reader needs to be to be fully immersed in the dance being described.
Ultimately, then, there may be a strong connection between painting very vivid images for the reader and making the content of the article feel more accessible to the reader. After all, a reader is less likely to grab onto a vague description of pirouettes and grand battements than they are to get reeled in by the image of acid burning metal (which is also intriguing because of how "un-balletic" the image would seem to most people, further increasing the articles approachability).
The full review is here: http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2010/05/08/boston_ballet_hits_four_temperaments/
Brief reflections on the small-town paper
For most of the residents of Homer, Alaska, the Homer News is the primary source of both local and international news. The town has only between 4,000 and 5,000 residents -- and while the small newspaper does include several international pages, they are flat -- ripped straight from the AP and without the intricate details and surprisingly sharp writing you find in the descriptions of the every-day man of Homer. But I have to wonder how much of of this is the result of the economy -- fewer reporting jobs in places like tiny Homer have, as we've discussed, forced many newsrooms to run more syndicated content from newswires to fill their pages. But, taking Homer as one example, this is a monumental loss because of the loss of the individual voice of the paper that goes with it. Comparing an edition of the Homer News from 5 years ago to one from today, the local content is less varied, fewer bylines can be found, and the international stories are rarely written from a local point of view. The latter is tragic if we consider one definition of the journalist that we have discussed in class: he/she who creates a lens on an issue, magnifies it, and makes it relevant by drawing connections for the reader.
With the loss of staff and the smaller budgets (in EVERY town, not just in Homer), comes a loss in the creation of that lens. A general AP story about the BP oil spill will not have the same resonance as one that carefully draws parallels between the current situation and oil spills in the past that have so deeply affected small fishing communities in Alaska and elsewhere. Ultimately, my fear is that while everyone is worried about the loss of the credible newspaper in the age of the everyman blog, I am worried too about the loss the intelligent local voice that knows how to make an enormous, impersonal issue smaller -- just enough to resonate with residents of places like Homer, AK.
With the loss of staff and the smaller budgets (in EVERY town, not just in Homer), comes a loss in the creation of that lens. A general AP story about the BP oil spill will not have the same resonance as one that carefully draws parallels between the current situation and oil spills in the past that have so deeply affected small fishing communities in Alaska and elsewhere. Ultimately, my fear is that while everyone is worried about the loss of the credible newspaper in the age of the everyman blog, I am worried too about the loss the intelligent local voice that knows how to make an enormous, impersonal issue smaller -- just enough to resonate with residents of places like Homer, AK.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Zedonk
As an animal lover I find that the Globe and the NYTimes are running more and more animal stories. The Times in particular has run a large number of topical animal features in the Sunday Magazine. After June spoke about computer assisted journalism last night I got to thinking that a fun article would be to look at the growth in news about animals.
This is one such article, a story about a zebra/donkey hybrid. http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/07/29/rare_mix_of_donkey_zebra_born_in_ga_park/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed7_HP The photo is from the article appearing July 29th, 2010, on the Boston Globe's online version.
Journalists, Provocateurs, Maybe Both
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/business/media/26carr.html?_r=1&ref=media
This article is about the activist/journalist/hybrid that exists on the internet. Like them or not, I fully believe that this is a trend that will continue and as a journalist one must learn how to anticipate it and work within or around it. In fact, it probably creates more opportunities for journalists.
This article is about the activist/journalist/hybrid that exists on the internet. Like them or not, I fully believe that this is a trend that will continue and as a journalist one must learn how to anticipate it and work within or around it. In fact, it probably creates more opportunities for journalists.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-ap-us-ansel-adams-lost-work,0,3439386.story?page=2
This article is about a collector claming to have found a collection of lost negatives belonging to Ansel Adams, the famous photographer.
There is some controversy whether the collection is truly Adams' work or not...the article contains quotes from both the owner, who claims they are the real thing, and a representative from the Adams family and the Publishing Rights Trust, both of whom believe they are fakes. I believe the article is a little quote heavy, and I believe the very end is not well done. It's:
"Norsigian is not fazed by naysayers. "Prove me wrong," he said. "This has been such a long journey. I thought I'd never get to the end. It kind of proves a construction worker-painter can be right."
I feel the fragmented structure of this quote makes it a weak quote, as well use of the words "kind of" and the awkward hyphenated "construction worker-painter" make it a weak quote overall, thus especially not a powerful ending. I actually think the quotes this journalist chose to use make the non-believers sound more convincing, and the believer himself sound a bit deluded. I am curious if that is in fact the case, or it was a matter of how this journalist wrote the article and the quotes he used, and if he had made different choices it could have come out completely differentely...or of course I am simply bringing my own bias into it!
There is some controversy whether the collection is truly Adams' work or not...the article contains quotes from both the owner, who claims they are the real thing, and a representative from the Adams family and the Publishing Rights Trust, both of whom believe they are fakes. I believe the article is a little quote heavy, and I believe the very end is not well done. It's:
"Norsigian is not fazed by naysayers. "Prove me wrong," he said. "This has been such a long journey. I thought I'd never get to the end. It kind of proves a construction worker-painter can be right."
I feel the fragmented structure of this quote makes it a weak quote, as well use of the words "kind of" and the awkward hyphenated "construction worker-painter" make it a weak quote overall, thus especially not a powerful ending. I actually think the quotes this journalist chose to use make the non-believers sound more convincing, and the believer himself sound a bit deluded. I am curious if that is in fact the case, or it was a matter of how this journalist wrote the article and the quotes he used, and if he had made different choices it could have come out completely differentely...or of course I am simply bringing my own bias into it!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Hi all,
I thought this article about Chinese authorities shaming alleged criminals was an interesting tie in to our conversation in class last night. Part of the shaming involves publishing lists of the accused. If China is doing it, we should think twice about it. Of course, this is different than shaming the proven guilty. Or is it? The good news is that there is a movement toward stopping this practice.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/world/asia/28china.html?hp
Also, today's Globe has a list of Massachusetts' most wanted.
I thought this article about Chinese authorities shaming alleged criminals was an interesting tie in to our conversation in class last night. Part of the shaming involves publishing lists of the accused. If China is doing it, we should think twice about it. Of course, this is different than shaming the proven guilty. Or is it? The good news is that there is a movement toward stopping this practice.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/world/asia/28china.html?hp
Also, today's Globe has a list of Massachusetts' most wanted.
The announcement of a new BP chief- NYT and Boston Globe style
It appears Tony Hayward is being sidelined in favour of - wait for it- an American CEO. It's interesting to see how the two papers cover the story.
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/07/26/bp_set_to_name_a_new_chief/?page=full
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/global/28oil.html?_r=1&hp
For once, the Globe article is on par in length as the Times. I thought I'd highlight the similarities and the differences between the two articles.
Differences
The Globe article is very much focused on Dudley – his background, his ability to lead and the fact that he's an American.
From the Globe: “It’s historic for them to pick an American,’’ said Amy Myers Jaffe, an energy expert at Rice University. “But it sends a message that merit and competency mean more than nationality.’’ is the closing line.
The Times on the other hand, dedicates the first couple of paragraphs to the financial impact of the disaster on BP.
As an aside, it looks like the Globe article was written earlier - the new CEO had not been officially confirmed by the board but only an anonymous source.
Similarties
Both articles include a dig at Tony Hayward's past performance. With the Globe including his quote “I’d like my life back’’ and the Times referring to his statement “sometimes you step off the pavement and get hit by a bus.”
The Globe includes a extra large photo of Hayward covering his face with one hand.
What's interesting are the other very similar lines which appear in both articles. Could this have come straight from a BP press statement or did they share the same news service?
Globe:
Dudley, 54, who grew up in Mississippi and spent summers fishing and swimming on the gulf, has been in charge of BP’s response to the spill for the past month.
Times:
Mr. Dudley, 54, grew up in Mississippi and has been in charge of BP’s response to the spill for the last month.
BP press statement:
The 54 year old was born in New York and grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He is married with two grown up children.
Bob Dudley (54) is a main board director of BP and currently runs the recently-established unit responsible for clean-up operations and compensation programmes in the Gulf of Mexico.
Globe:
The United States accounts for about one-third of the company’s oil and gas wells, refineries and other business interests and 40 percent of its shareholders.
Times:
BP has about a third of its business interests and 40 percent of its shareholders and employees in the United States.
BP press statement:
No comment on this topic
One wonders how much of the same information these two papers share. Would you like to bet whether the journalists have each other's email addresses saved in their contacts?
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/07/26/bp_set_to_name_a_new_chief/?page=full
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/global/28oil.html?_r=1&hp
For once, the Globe article is on par in length as the Times. I thought I'd highlight the similarities and the differences between the two articles.
Differences
The Globe article is very much focused on Dudley – his background, his ability to lead and the fact that he's an American.
From the Globe: “It’s historic for them to pick an American,’’ said Amy Myers Jaffe, an energy expert at Rice University. “But it sends a message that merit and competency mean more than nationality.’’ is the closing line.
The Times on the other hand, dedicates the first couple of paragraphs to the financial impact of the disaster on BP.
As an aside, it looks like the Globe article was written earlier - the new CEO had not been officially confirmed by the board but only an anonymous source.
Similarties
Both articles include a dig at Tony Hayward's past performance. With the Globe including his quote “I’d like my life back’’ and the Times referring to his statement “sometimes you step off the pavement and get hit by a bus.”
The Globe includes a extra large photo of Hayward covering his face with one hand.
What's interesting are the other very similar lines which appear in both articles. Could this have come straight from a BP press statement or did they share the same news service?
Globe:
Dudley, 54, who grew up in Mississippi and spent summers fishing and swimming on the gulf, has been in charge of BP’s response to the spill for the past month.
Times:
Mr. Dudley, 54, grew up in Mississippi and has been in charge of BP’s response to the spill for the last month.
BP press statement:
The 54 year old was born in New York and grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He is married with two grown up children.
Bob Dudley (54) is a main board director of BP and currently runs the recently-established unit responsible for clean-up operations and compensation programmes in the Gulf of Mexico.
Globe:
The United States accounts for about one-third of the company’s oil and gas wells, refineries and other business interests and 40 percent of its shareholders.
Times:
BP has about a third of its business interests and 40 percent of its shareholders and employees in the United States.
BP press statement:
No comment on this topic
One wonders how much of the same information these two papers share. Would you like to bet whether the journalists have each other's email addresses saved in their contacts?
Monday, July 26, 2010
pyramid scheme?
With little resources to improve traffic safety and driver knowledge, copper pyramids are being buried at some of the most accident-prone locations in Nagpur, India.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/pyramid-power-used-to-stop-road-accidents/story-e6frf7jx-1225891303955
The Herald Sun Australia article allows the reader information, several effective quotes and a statistic at the bottom of the article. Readers are able to conclude for themselves if the pyramid idea is a little nutty.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6160940.cms
The Times of India covers the story with less information on the traffic situation in Nagpur and quickly slants the topic, deciding for the reader. This is even evident in the title, which is designed to catch your eye: 'Cops Turn To Voodoo For Curbing Mishaps'. There are no interviews or quotes in the article.
A quirky story that can be seen as entertaining, silly or positive, depending on how it is approached. The story can even be acknowledged from an India cultural perspective, as the pyramid placement is guided according to Vastu (as mentioned in the Herald Sun Australia article), which is an ancient Hindu style of object positioning.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/pyramid-power-used-to-stop-road-accidents/story-e6frf7jx-1225891303955
The Herald Sun Australia article allows the reader information, several effective quotes and a statistic at the bottom of the article. Readers are able to conclude for themselves if the pyramid idea is a little nutty.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6160940.cms
The Times of India covers the story with less information on the traffic situation in Nagpur and quickly slants the topic, deciding for the reader. This is even evident in the title, which is designed to catch your eye: 'Cops Turn To Voodoo For Curbing Mishaps'. There are no interviews or quotes in the article.
A quirky story that can be seen as entertaining, silly or positive, depending on how it is approached. The story can even be acknowledged from an India cultural perspective, as the pyramid placement is guided according to Vastu (as mentioned in the Herald Sun Australia article), which is an ancient Hindu style of object positioning.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
More on the Burka ban
I've been following this story closely because it's producing some surprising articles and opinions from unlikely places.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/ex-cricketer-warns-prime-minister-not-to-ban-the-burka-in-uk-1.1043508
This from The Herald Scotland is an interview with former Pakistani cricketer/politician Imran Khan which smacks of a press release. The story is interesting because it doesn't touch on any of Khan's controversial past which is constant tabloid news and instead has a steady flow of thought provoking and articulate quotes, including this one;
“People are allowed to take off their clothes and walk around virtually naked. And yet people who cover themselves don’t seem to have that freedom,” he told crowds in Glasgow.
From Canada's Globe and Mail comes this op-ed about a French business man offering to pay government imposed Burka fines, while based on a potentially interesting story bout a powerful man flouting the law, doesn't even form proper rhetoric and relies on general statements that are not supported by fact or authoritative opinion.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/fighting-a-burka-ban-with-a-bucketful-of-euros/article1640347/
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Boston Globe Publishes Edited New York Times Article
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/world/asia/22military.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=north%20korea&st=cse
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2010/07/22/us_to_widen_sanctions_against_north_korea/
The New York Times and the Boston Globe released the same article concerning new sanctions against North Korea; but with a few notable changes.First, the Boston Globe decided on the title "US to widen sanctions against North Korea", while the New York Times used "Clinton Visits Korean Border and Announces Sanctions" in its printed edition and "U.S. Announces More Sanctions on N. Korea" online.
Secondly, changes were made to fit the Boston Globes style book, where "Mrs. Clinton" and Mr. Gates" were changed to simply "Clinton" and "Gates." Also, some language was simplified, such as "Then on Wednesday" (Times) was changed to just "Yesterday" (Globe) and "enshrined in the latest Security Council resolution against North Korea" (Times) was reduced to "the Security Council" (Globe).
Most notably however, are the six paragraphs edited out for the Boston Globe version. The result is an article which is more succinct and less informed. The original story by the New York Times goes into more detail and was designed for an audience with a greater interest in the topic. The Boston Globe version, on the other hand, was reconstructed for a readership with a more passing interest - such as myself. I found it interesting that upon first reading the New York Times article, it was during the paragraphs the Boston Globe edited out which my concentration began to wain.
a little morbid, but...
Well, here is a strange little story about history, an auction and some embalming tools. An embalmer who supposedly handled Elvis' embalming, has listed funerary tools in a Chicago auction set in August.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-talk-elvis-autopsy-auction-0722-20100721,0,1877502.story
The Chicago Tribune article seems to handle the story as more of an announcement. The authenticity and the ethics of the tool set is questioned at the bottom of the article by president of a local mortuary college, Worsham College of Mortuary Science (in Wheeling).
On the other side of the Mississippi is an article written by the Commercial Appeal.
The paper in Elvis' home town, Memphis, has something else to say about the story. The article's lede is about the tools' authenticity.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jul/21/truth-about-macabre-auction-buried-in-past/
I feel it is sensationalistic that the have to show pictures of the tools. That, I just don't want to see. Scroll down on that if it's too much to view.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-talk-elvis-autopsy-auction-0722-20100721,0,1877502.story
The Chicago Tribune article seems to handle the story as more of an announcement. The authenticity and the ethics of the tool set is questioned at the bottom of the article by president of a local mortuary college, Worsham College of Mortuary Science (in Wheeling).
On the other side of the Mississippi is an article written by the Commercial Appeal.
The paper in Elvis' home town, Memphis, has something else to say about the story. The article's lede is about the tools' authenticity.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jul/21/truth-about-macabre-auction-buried-in-past/
I feel it is sensationalistic that the have to show pictures of the tools. That, I just don't want to see. Scroll down on that if it's too much to view.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Mel Gibson commentary
It's been hard to stop watching the long, downward spiral of Mel Gibson. Locally (in Australia), the media are unsure of whether to label him as an 'Aussie' or just an American who spent sometime here in childhood.
While daily reports become increasingly negative about Gibson behaviour, I found this article in the Sydney Morning Herald interesting.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/mel-gets-crucified-while-roman-gets-off-scot-free-20100717-10f2b.html
The article, who's only sources are a few quotes of Whoopi Goldberg and a pop culture website called 'Dickipedia' compares perceptions of Gibson with Roman Polanski and questions validity of the views.
Contrasted with this from the New York Times,
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/mel-gets-crucified-while-roman-gets-off-scot-free-20100717-10f2b.html
It's a far more credible piece and comments on Gibson failing appeal outside of America. It looks into the emotional reactions of European audiences and compares him Tom Cruise's long and sometimes controversial career.
Just too very different takes on one man.
more about screens, online journalists and creativity
A continuation on the topic posted about burned out, young e-journalists, this is an article examining how screens and all of the immediate information available to us are affecting our creativity. An alarming quote from Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse and, as the article mentions, one of the world’s leading brain scientists,“The technology is rewiring our brains.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html
In a previous article, the Boston Globe covered a story similar to the Times, back in 2008. According to the Boston Globe, this digital squelching of creativity is not good. For, it is in this downtime where creativity and daydreaming exists.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/08/31/daydream_achiever/?page=1
Both articles approach the topic of creativity from different angles, both citing recent research on creativity.
In the Globe article, Teresa Belton, a research associate at East Anglia University in England, studied creations of children and deemed their 'creativity' slightly void of the vivid creativity of children of past generations. The NY Times article focuses more on creativity's affect on interpersonal relationships.
Both articles cite researchers from neuroscientists, research assistants and professionals. I feel that including an expert on addiction studies, such in the NY Times article, helps make the article more haunting.
And, an unrelated point, I like the title of the Boston Globe article. :)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html
In a previous article, the Boston Globe covered a story similar to the Times, back in 2008. According to the Boston Globe, this digital squelching of creativity is not good. For, it is in this downtime where creativity and daydreaming exists.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/08/31/daydream_achiever/?page=1
Both articles approach the topic of creativity from different angles, both citing recent research on creativity.
In the Globe article, Teresa Belton, a research associate at East Anglia University in England, studied creations of children and deemed their 'creativity' slightly void of the vivid creativity of children of past generations. The NY Times article focuses more on creativity's affect on interpersonal relationships.
Both articles cite researchers from neuroscientists, research assistants and professionals. I feel that including an expert on addiction studies, such in the NY Times article, helps make the article more haunting.
And, an unrelated point, I like the title of the Boston Globe article. :)
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Foreign accents make speakers seem less truthful to listeners
http://www.physorg.com/news198776761.html
I found this article to be interesting in light of the conversation we had last night in class about how to present quotes from people who don't speak english as their primary language.
"Accent might reduce the credibility of non-native job seekers, eyewitnesses, reporters or people taking calls in foreign call centers," said Shiri Lev-Ari, lead author of "Why Don't We Believe Non-native Speakers? The Influence of Accent on Credibility," written with Keysar and published in the current issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Levi-Ari is a post-doctoral researcher at the University whose work focuses on the interactions between native and non-native speakers.
Of course as reporters we don't project an accent but I think that this research can be extended to the nonnative speaker who struggles with rules of grammar or translation. If their words are presented exactly, I believe it diminishes the credibility of their statements.
Don't get my mother, whose native language is Romanian, started on this subject. She believes she has been discriminated against for years in America because she has an accent.
I found this article to be interesting in light of the conversation we had last night in class about how to present quotes from people who don't speak english as their primary language.
"Accent might reduce the credibility of non-native job seekers, eyewitnesses, reporters or people taking calls in foreign call centers," said Shiri Lev-Ari, lead author of "Why Don't We Believe Non-native Speakers? The Influence of Accent on Credibility," written with Keysar and published in the current issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Levi-Ari is a post-doctoral researcher at the University whose work focuses on the interactions between native and non-native speakers.
Of course as reporters we don't project an accent but I think that this research can be extended to the nonnative speaker who struggles with rules of grammar or translation. If their words are presented exactly, I believe it diminishes the credibility of their statements.
Don't get my mother, whose native language is Romanian, started on this subject. She believes she has been discriminated against for years in America because she has an accent.
Monday, July 19, 2010
BP and oil 'Seeps': New York Times vs Sydney Morning Herald
Stats:
Number of words- NYT: 1,169 SMH: 746
Number of people quoted- NYT: 4 (2 Govt, 2 BP) 1, SMH: 5 (3 BP, 1 public, 1 govt)
Number of reporters- NYT: 1, SMH: 1
Weekend Circulation- NYT: 1.4m SMH: 304k
I looked at the latest BP coverage through 2 publications- The New York Times and my local Sydney newspaper
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/20/us/20oilspill.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=all
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/bp-well-stays-shut-despite-seepage-20100720-10i3t.html
Observations:
1. The NYT writes with more authority. Both articles share one quote from Admiral Allen who is the govt spokesperson:
"I authorized BP to continue the integrity test for another 24 hours ...this test could worsen the overall situation"
What I found interesting is that the SMH called out specifically that it was in a statement, whereas NYT inserts it as a direct quote, which for me suggests they were either talking to him in person or at a press conference
2. Again, the NYT includes alot more content than its competitors- giving additional coverage to the scientific elements of the rescue mission and the different options. It would be interesting to find out the different demographics to see if this reflects their audiences level of education
3. The NYT leads with a heavy govt focus - how the government is enforcing certain behaviours. The first couple paragaphs of the SMH article focus on BP's response - and an almost flippant comment from COO Doug Suttles.
4. But the most striking difference was in the content in the latter part of both articles. The SMH takes on a very human approach - inserting a quote from a local resident, but then spends several paragraphs on the compensation element, quoting the manager of BP's compensation fund encouraging people to apply for funds.
With respect to point 4- why is this the case? Why the left field focus on compensation?
My theory is that it links back to the period of Drought that Australia experienced in 2005-2007. There was alot of coverage in the paper about Government support and 'bailouts' to farmers that were going out of business due to the lack of rain. This 'help the helpless' value was very popular in the Australian media for quite some time, and could explain why the reporter has chosen to focus on this element, even though none of his readers would be eligible for compensation.
Number of words- NYT: 1,169 SMH: 746
Number of people quoted- NYT: 4 (2 Govt, 2 BP) 1, SMH: 5 (3 BP, 1 public, 1 govt)
Number of reporters- NYT: 1, SMH: 1
Weekend Circulation- NYT: 1.4m SMH: 304k
I looked at the latest BP coverage through 2 publications- The New York Times and my local Sydney newspaper
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/20/us/20oilspill.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=all
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/bp-well-stays-shut-despite-seepage-20100720-10i3t.html
Observations:
1. The NYT writes with more authority. Both articles share one quote from Admiral Allen who is the govt spokesperson:
"I authorized BP to continue the integrity test for another 24 hours ...this test could worsen the overall situation"
What I found interesting is that the SMH called out specifically that it was in a statement, whereas NYT inserts it as a direct quote, which for me suggests they were either talking to him in person or at a press conference
2. Again, the NYT includes alot more content than its competitors- giving additional coverage to the scientific elements of the rescue mission and the different options. It would be interesting to find out the different demographics to see if this reflects their audiences level of education
3. The NYT leads with a heavy govt focus - how the government is enforcing certain behaviours. The first couple paragaphs of the SMH article focus on BP's response - and an almost flippant comment from COO Doug Suttles.
4. But the most striking difference was in the content in the latter part of both articles. The SMH takes on a very human approach - inserting a quote from a local resident, but then spends several paragraphs on the compensation element, quoting the manager of BP's compensation fund encouraging people to apply for funds.
With respect to point 4- why is this the case? Why the left field focus on compensation?
My theory is that it links back to the period of Drought that Australia experienced in 2005-2007. There was alot of coverage in the paper about Government support and 'bailouts' to farmers that were going out of business due to the lack of rain. This 'help the helpless' value was very popular in the Australian media for quite some time, and could explain why the reporter has chosen to focus on this element, even though none of his readers would be eligible for compensation.
Another Sports Writing Post
This is from the book Not by a Long Shot: A Season at a Hard Luck Horse Track written by TD Thornton, the subject of my journalist profile. I wish I could do justice through my profile to his writing. It's his desscription of arriving at Suffolk Downs Race Track. It's very different from mine!
Although it would be difficult to mistake the 190-acre parcel of property for anything other than a horse track if viewed from above or seen on a map, Suffolk Downs at street level is perplexingly hidden from view by its own insular neighborhood along the heavily congested airport road three miles north of downtown Boston. Fenced off behind twists of barbed wire at an irregular corner where the reckless undulation of Revere Beach Parkway bisects trash-strewn Route 1A, the 65-year-old facility hulks hard by the clatter of the Blue Line subway, just a few furlongs from the offshore blasts and roiling winter riptide of the Atlantic Ocean.
Approaching from the city, soon after the barrage of billboards gives way to the skinny side streets of tightly packed triple-decker apartment buildings that comprise Orient Heights, the first and most obvious racetrack landmark is the Madonna Queen National Shrine, a 35-foot Virgin Mary standing unintentional but benevolent guard over Suffolk Downs and its surroundings. Erected in honor of an Italian apostle who once proclaimed “Beside every work of charity shall stand a work of faith,” the Catholic monolith stands on a lonely hillside overlooking a gargantuan industrial fuel farm. Three dozen squat, multi-story tanks block any available frontage for a quarter mile along 1A, sprawling north past the border where East Boston meets Revere—the city that rhymes with severe, and historical home of the nation’s first public beach. In the domineering shadow of the oil yard, the highway landscape becomes a blurry hodgepodge of suspicious used car lots and auto body shops, surly gas stations, a greasy diner, and a smoke-filled bar called the Esquire Club that closely resembles a 1950’s atomic bomb shelter.
Bending to the right onto the Route 145 parkway at the corner, where traffic lights are ruthlessly ignored and street signs have been rendered unreadable by graffiti, the beach road to the racetrack is lined on one side with functional blue-collar houses opposite a row of decaying, vacant buildings, a cramped, bare trailer park, and the occasional grocery cart from the nearby mega-mart abandoned to rust in a culvert of thick brown reeds. Farther east but before the road meets the sea is the modest Beachmont neighborhood, dotted with storefront coffee and sandwich shops, small ethnic restaurants with names like “Luigi’s,” liquor stores that do brisk business in nips and individual cigarettes, and the VFW post abutting the spacious Belle Isle Marsh tidal flats, a popular hangout frequented by birdwatchers during the day and nefarious local hoodlums after nightfall.
Turning into the track at its main stable gate, on the immediate left is the barn area, home to some 1,200 Thoroughbred racehorses and a hundred or so caretakers who live onsite in subsidized dormitories and tack rooms. The shed rows—numbered, white, barracks-like, one-story barns with porch-roof overhangs—are visible from outside a red wooden fence topped by slanted blue chain-link, there to either keep people out or in; no one knows for sure. The access road opens into a huge windblown parking lot, a vast expanse of potholed, pockmarked asphalt so large that Suffolk Downs rents parts of it to Logan Airport for overflow parking and to an offshore wastewater plant for use as a shuttle lot. Cast to one side are a handful of horse vans and hitch trailers parked at odd angles, salvaged either for parts, or, for the homeless, a place to sleep. Opposite the abandoned vehicles are huge, steep mountains of sand, clay, and loam that will, by closing day in June, be part of the horse track itself, added to the one-mile oval in truckloaded increments to combat erosion, attrition, and runoff.
The press parking area, where I am headed, is immediately in front of the massive tan exterior of the Suffolk Downs grandstand, built for $2.4 million in 1935 and considered for years thereafter to be the largest, most modern concrete sports facility in the nation. The building is skirted with colorful flags and green-accented awnings with the sleek but simple logo of an elongated white horse in full stride, but some of the awnings show signs of neglect and hang tattered by punishing winter winds. A cleaning crew worker, seemingly the same old Hispanic gentleman every single day, slowly pushes a wheeled garbage bin around a rectangle of pavement that decades ago used to be the fancy backyard paddock, herding and sweeping the refuse of yesterday’s losing programs, Racing Forms, and discarded tickets amid a hovering flock of mournful, scavenging gulls.
Entering the unlit grandstand hours before racing, one senses history in the shadows beneath the banks of silent television monitors and vacant, brick-walled betting stations on the sloping first-floor concourse. Unlike the close, claustrophobic layouts and generic food-court decor of newer venues, Suffolk Downs was designed to comfortably accommodate crowds upward of 40,000 on several simple, open levels in endless rows of tiered seating. Although average daily attendance has now dwindled to roughly one-tenth that initial figure, little has changed structurally. The impressive, exposed geometric framework makes the grandstand feel like an important public place in an old-fashioned kind of way. Boisterous, five-figure racetrack crowds turn out only once a year now, on Massachusetts Handicap Day just before the close of the season in June, and as I walk toward the escalators humming obediently at the far end of the muted pavilion, I gaze up to the Hall of Champions banners high above the wagering floor honoring MassCap winners from a bygone era: Top Row—1935; War Relic—1941; Market Wise—1943; Promised Land—1958. Names and years span the length of the grandstand ceiling, bright flags swaying gently in the darkened chamber; brief bits of racehorse glory and Suffolk Downs lore whose relevance is hazily recalled by a sadly diminishing few.
As I step off the escalator onto the second-floor mezzanine, taking the first left up the racetrack ramp into section 207, I am initially blinded by the eastern sun, but climbing the gradual concrete incline reveals Suffolk Downs in increments: First the black, skeletal, right-angled steelwork framing a sheer glass wall of windows; beyond that, the fallow, brown expanse of infield sprouting a bounty of scattered trees and shrubs, and within it, the hand-stenciled tote board fronting a small man-made pond fringed with a variety of winter birdlife; the perfect twin symmetry of the racecourse rails with the sleeping green turf course concentrically ensconced inside the larger, wider, banked dirt oval; the truism of the tall, striped wooden marker poles, each topped with a gold orb and solidly spaced a sixteenth of a mile apart. Then finally, the athletes themselves come into focus—scores of beautiful Thoroughbreds sweating, steaming and prancing in the morning chill; running and gunning alone, in tandems, or in teams, flaring plumes of exhaled vapor as they skip over the rich brown racing surface. The more furious trainees hug the inside Fontana rail, cornering effortlessly, while way off on the backstretch, nervous fillies and contented old geldings gallop parallel to the cacophonous subway rail that rattles through the salt marsh. An exercise girl on a patient pony schools a young, unraced prospect on a leather shank, while anonymous jockeys in blue jeans, flak jackets, and ski vests bear down astride steeds who whiz through the homestretch unencumbered by betting odds or past performances. Off in the distance, the deep waters of Massachusetts Bay sparkle crisply in the early sun.
Alone in the Suffolk Downs morning amid rows of upturned orange grandstand seats, it is easy to understand why some people come to the track for a day at the races and never leave, choosing Thoroughbreds not so much as a way to make a living, but as a way of life.
Although it would be difficult to mistake the 190-acre parcel of property for anything other than a horse track if viewed from above or seen on a map, Suffolk Downs at street level is perplexingly hidden from view by its own insular neighborhood along the heavily congested airport road three miles north of downtown Boston. Fenced off behind twists of barbed wire at an irregular corner where the reckless undulation of Revere Beach Parkway bisects trash-strewn Route 1A, the 65-year-old facility hulks hard by the clatter of the Blue Line subway, just a few furlongs from the offshore blasts and roiling winter riptide of the Atlantic Ocean.
Approaching from the city, soon after the barrage of billboards gives way to the skinny side streets of tightly packed triple-decker apartment buildings that comprise Orient Heights, the first and most obvious racetrack landmark is the Madonna Queen National Shrine, a 35-foot Virgin Mary standing unintentional but benevolent guard over Suffolk Downs and its surroundings. Erected in honor of an Italian apostle who once proclaimed “Beside every work of charity shall stand a work of faith,” the Catholic monolith stands on a lonely hillside overlooking a gargantuan industrial fuel farm. Three dozen squat, multi-story tanks block any available frontage for a quarter mile along 1A, sprawling north past the border where East Boston meets Revere—the city that rhymes with severe, and historical home of the nation’s first public beach. In the domineering shadow of the oil yard, the highway landscape becomes a blurry hodgepodge of suspicious used car lots and auto body shops, surly gas stations, a greasy diner, and a smoke-filled bar called the Esquire Club that closely resembles a 1950’s atomic bomb shelter.
Bending to the right onto the Route 145 parkway at the corner, where traffic lights are ruthlessly ignored and street signs have been rendered unreadable by graffiti, the beach road to the racetrack is lined on one side with functional blue-collar houses opposite a row of decaying, vacant buildings, a cramped, bare trailer park, and the occasional grocery cart from the nearby mega-mart abandoned to rust in a culvert of thick brown reeds. Farther east but before the road meets the sea is the modest Beachmont neighborhood, dotted with storefront coffee and sandwich shops, small ethnic restaurants with names like “Luigi’s,” liquor stores that do brisk business in nips and individual cigarettes, and the VFW post abutting the spacious Belle Isle Marsh tidal flats, a popular hangout frequented by birdwatchers during the day and nefarious local hoodlums after nightfall.
Turning into the track at its main stable gate, on the immediate left is the barn area, home to some 1,200 Thoroughbred racehorses and a hundred or so caretakers who live onsite in subsidized dormitories and tack rooms. The shed rows—numbered, white, barracks-like, one-story barns with porch-roof overhangs—are visible from outside a red wooden fence topped by slanted blue chain-link, there to either keep people out or in; no one knows for sure. The access road opens into a huge windblown parking lot, a vast expanse of potholed, pockmarked asphalt so large that Suffolk Downs rents parts of it to Logan Airport for overflow parking and to an offshore wastewater plant for use as a shuttle lot. Cast to one side are a handful of horse vans and hitch trailers parked at odd angles, salvaged either for parts, or, for the homeless, a place to sleep. Opposite the abandoned vehicles are huge, steep mountains of sand, clay, and loam that will, by closing day in June, be part of the horse track itself, added to the one-mile oval in truckloaded increments to combat erosion, attrition, and runoff.
The press parking area, where I am headed, is immediately in front of the massive tan exterior of the Suffolk Downs grandstand, built for $2.4 million in 1935 and considered for years thereafter to be the largest, most modern concrete sports facility in the nation. The building is skirted with colorful flags and green-accented awnings with the sleek but simple logo of an elongated white horse in full stride, but some of the awnings show signs of neglect and hang tattered by punishing winter winds. A cleaning crew worker, seemingly the same old Hispanic gentleman every single day, slowly pushes a wheeled garbage bin around a rectangle of pavement that decades ago used to be the fancy backyard paddock, herding and sweeping the refuse of yesterday’s losing programs, Racing Forms, and discarded tickets amid a hovering flock of mournful, scavenging gulls.
Entering the unlit grandstand hours before racing, one senses history in the shadows beneath the banks of silent television monitors and vacant, brick-walled betting stations on the sloping first-floor concourse. Unlike the close, claustrophobic layouts and generic food-court decor of newer venues, Suffolk Downs was designed to comfortably accommodate crowds upward of 40,000 on several simple, open levels in endless rows of tiered seating. Although average daily attendance has now dwindled to roughly one-tenth that initial figure, little has changed structurally. The impressive, exposed geometric framework makes the grandstand feel like an important public place in an old-fashioned kind of way. Boisterous, five-figure racetrack crowds turn out only once a year now, on Massachusetts Handicap Day just before the close of the season in June, and as I walk toward the escalators humming obediently at the far end of the muted pavilion, I gaze up to the Hall of Champions banners high above the wagering floor honoring MassCap winners from a bygone era: Top Row—1935; War Relic—1941; Market Wise—1943; Promised Land—1958. Names and years span the length of the grandstand ceiling, bright flags swaying gently in the darkened chamber; brief bits of racehorse glory and Suffolk Downs lore whose relevance is hazily recalled by a sadly diminishing few.
As I step off the escalator onto the second-floor mezzanine, taking the first left up the racetrack ramp into section 207, I am initially blinded by the eastern sun, but climbing the gradual concrete incline reveals Suffolk Downs in increments: First the black, skeletal, right-angled steelwork framing a sheer glass wall of windows; beyond that, the fallow, brown expanse of infield sprouting a bounty of scattered trees and shrubs, and within it, the hand-stenciled tote board fronting a small man-made pond fringed with a variety of winter birdlife; the perfect twin symmetry of the racecourse rails with the sleeping green turf course concentrically ensconced inside the larger, wider, banked dirt oval; the truism of the tall, striped wooden marker poles, each topped with a gold orb and solidly spaced a sixteenth of a mile apart. Then finally, the athletes themselves come into focus—scores of beautiful Thoroughbreds sweating, steaming and prancing in the morning chill; running and gunning alone, in tandems, or in teams, flaring plumes of exhaled vapor as they skip over the rich brown racing surface. The more furious trainees hug the inside Fontana rail, cornering effortlessly, while way off on the backstretch, nervous fillies and contented old geldings gallop parallel to the cacophonous subway rail that rattles through the salt marsh. An exercise girl on a patient pony schools a young, unraced prospect on a leather shank, while anonymous jockeys in blue jeans, flak jackets, and ski vests bear down astride steeds who whiz through the homestretch unencumbered by betting odds or past performances. Off in the distance, the deep waters of Massachusetts Bay sparkle crisply in the early sun.
Alone in the Suffolk Downs morning amid rows of upturned orange grandstand seats, it is easy to understand why some people come to the track for a day at the races and never leave, choosing Thoroughbreds not so much as a way to make a living, but as a way of life.
So You Want to be a Journalist...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/business/media/19press.html?hpw
In a World of Online News, Burnout Starts Younger
This is a good article about what it takes to be a journalist in an online world. I wonder if the lede is factual.
In a World of Online News, Burnout Starts Younger
This is a good article about what it takes to be a journalist in an online world. I wonder if the lede is factual.
Covering the slower sports.
After reading Kristina's post on good sportswriting I was interested in finding features on sports with less action and more tactics.
This blog/feature interview from the BCC on Louis Oosthuizen, winner of the 2010 Golf Open, is jam packed with quotes and comparisons between Oosthuizen and fellow South African great, Ernie Els.
While the descriptions are short, Hodgetts delivers clear, concise images of the man and the golfer.
Eg. "Despite winning by seven shots, the man they call "Shrek" - because of his resemblance to the film character - only relaxed after his drive hit the deck on the 18th."
"But 'Oosty' should have the final word. In fact, Oosty paid for the final word. He bought champagne for the entire media centre after his victory. Long live King Louis."
Friday, July 16, 2010
Vietnam-era Transcripts
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/07/15/in_vietnam_era_files_parallels_of_anxiety/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/world/asia/15vietnam.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=senate%20records%20show%20doubts%20on%20'64%20vietnam%20war%20crisis&st=cse
In these two articles reporting on the release of previously classified Vietnam-era transcripts, both make reference to the parallels between that war and the current one in Afghanistan. However, while the Boston Globe makes these parallels the major focus of the article, The New York Times centers upon the content of the transcripts themselves.
This is clearly seen within the two respective titles: "In Vietnam-era files, parallels of anxiety" (Boston Globe) and "Senate Records Show Doubts on '64 Vietnam War Crisis" (New York Times).
In the Boston Globe, the article opens with a series of phrases quoted from the transcript to accentuate the similarities between the two wars and then moves very quickly to the interview with John Kerry where he speaks explicitly about it. The New York Times article, on the other hand, after mentioning the parallels (for which was the reason of its release) focuses on the transcript from a more historical perspective. The quotations are longer and placed within its own context. Furthermore, John Kerry is not mentioned until three quarters into the article and the quotes used from his interview are more orientated toward his reflections on Vietnam. In contrast, the Boston Globe doesn't bring up the historical context of the transcript until three quarters into its respective article.
I think differing angles of these two articles speaks to the larger demographic of the New York Times, who's readership would have a greater interest in these transcripts alone, while the Boston Globe needed to give the story a more present relevance by placing it within the context of the current war.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/world/asia/15vietnam.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=senate%20records%20show%20doubts%20on%20'64%20vietnam%20war%20crisis&st=cse
In these two articles reporting on the release of previously classified Vietnam-era transcripts, both make reference to the parallels between that war and the current one in Afghanistan. However, while the Boston Globe makes these parallels the major focus of the article, The New York Times centers upon the content of the transcripts themselves.
This is clearly seen within the two respective titles: "In Vietnam-era files, parallels of anxiety" (Boston Globe) and "Senate Records Show Doubts on '64 Vietnam War Crisis" (New York Times).
In the Boston Globe, the article opens with a series of phrases quoted from the transcript to accentuate the similarities between the two wars and then moves very quickly to the interview with John Kerry where he speaks explicitly about it. The New York Times article, on the other hand, after mentioning the parallels (for which was the reason of its release) focuses on the transcript from a more historical perspective. The quotations are longer and placed within its own context. Furthermore, John Kerry is not mentioned until three quarters into the article and the quotes used from his interview are more orientated toward his reflections on Vietnam. In contrast, the Boston Globe doesn't bring up the historical context of the transcript until three quarters into its respective article.
I think differing angles of these two articles speaks to the larger demographic of the New York Times, who's readership would have a greater interest in these transcripts alone, while the Boston Globe needed to give the story a more present relevance by placing it within the context of the current war.
Example of good sports writing
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/17/sports/golf/17open.html?ref=golf
When June suggested we start reading some sports articles for great verb usage, I began searching for one and came across this one on golf in the New York Times.
It's had to describe an action packed sport in words, but I think the writer does an excellent job here of setting the mood. Although there are only a couple of examples of great verbs here, I still think it is worth reading.
I can clearly see the kind of day it was, what the balls were doing, and how the players were affected by this.
Below is my favorite sentence taken from the story.
"With winds gusting between 30 and 40 miles an hour, balls veering into unfriendly clumps of tall grass and the player backups at the tees beginning to resemble Los Angeles at rush hour, a par became something close to nirvana."
How awesome is that!
When June suggested we start reading some sports articles for great verb usage, I began searching for one and came across this one on golf in the New York Times.
It's had to describe an action packed sport in words, but I think the writer does an excellent job here of setting the mood. Although there are only a couple of examples of great verbs here, I still think it is worth reading.
I can clearly see the kind of day it was, what the balls were doing, and how the players were affected by this.
Below is my favorite sentence taken from the story.
"With winds gusting between 30 and 40 miles an hour, balls veering into unfriendly clumps of tall grass and the player backups at the tees beginning to resemble Los Angeles at rush hour, a par became something close to nirvana."
How awesome is that!
France's burqa debate
I've been watching this issue for a while and as it comes to a head, there are some intriguing angles appearing on the French move to ban the burqa in public.
The Telegraph dives into the political and security banter, quoting Islamic preacher Omar Bakri and the British home secretary. It's a short article, though informative and relies on alarming quotes.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7878011/Islamist-preacher-warns-France-against-banning-the-burka.html
This from The Express Tribune describes the world of Islamic women's fashion and it's impact 0n western style. Quotes are from a designer and a magazine columnist. The French issue, I think, provided timeliness for an interesting story I wouldn't have otherwise noticed.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/28074/hijab-inspires-haute-couture/
Thursday, July 15, 2010
In BP’s Record, a History of Boldness and Costly Blunders
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/business/energy-environment/13bprisk.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&th&emc=th
This article gave me great appreciation for the reporters' (I assume there is more than one, as Julia Werdigier is listed as a contributing reporter. )hard work gathering, digesting, and synthesizing this information for me. There are many sources, both inside and outside the company, scientists, engineers, workers, and more. Assuming that I trust the author's take, it's a great relief to have it all compiled for me. I especially appreciate this effort after our discussion yesterday about choosing only the best and most important elements of our interviews and consolidating them to tell one story.
Also, I was both shocked and amused by the contrast between the fastidious personal safety rules inflicted on BP personnel in the workplace and beyond (to save on insurance premiums, in part) and the shoddiness found in their billion-dollar projects.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
contrasting articles...
I was not at the top of my game on Monday in class. An unspeakable murder occurred in my apartment complex. The investigators were still 10 feet from my window when I logged on to Harvard's IM system. As a journalism student, I was caught near a story
where a child was murdered by my neighbor. A father suffocated his five year old son. This could have happened anywhere.
I had the chance to experience a story on the other side of the notepad:
When the cameras, journalists and police rolled into town, I noticed that the media was quick to ask anybody. There didn't seem to be much discernment with credible sources or experience.
A few minutes before class, the Atlanta Journal Constitution called me, out of the blue, for a quote. I didn't want to say anything derogatory. However, I wanted the world to know what a bright and beautiful child the boy was. Since then, the breaking story has been taken off the AJC searches and replaced with the story link below.
Here, the reporter interviews an actual neighbor:
http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/father-charged-with-killing-569077.html
Here is the same story, different news source. The woman quoted in the story most likely did not know of the family/ the boys. And, as much, her quote is broad and not revealing in the slightest.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20010543-504083.html
where a child was murdered by my neighbor. A father suffocated his five year old son. This could have happened anywhere.
I had the chance to experience a story on the other side of the notepad:
When the cameras, journalists and police rolled into town, I noticed that the media was quick to ask anybody. There didn't seem to be much discernment with credible sources or experience.
A few minutes before class, the Atlanta Journal Constitution called me, out of the blue, for a quote. I didn't want to say anything derogatory. However, I wanted the world to know what a bright and beautiful child the boy was. Since then, the breaking story has been taken off the AJC searches and replaced with the story link below.
Here, the reporter interviews an actual neighbor:
http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/father-charged-with-killing-569077.html
Here is the same story, different news source. The woman quoted in the story most likely did not know of the family/ the boys. And, as much, her quote is broad and not revealing in the slightest.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20010543-504083.html
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
BP Oil coverage: NY Times vs Boston Globe
Reading today's coverage of BP's latest attempt to stop the oil spill highlighted some interesting differences between the NY Times and the one in the Boston Globe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/us/14cap.html?_r=1&hp
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/07/13/bp_testing_effectiveness_of_new_cap_on_damaged_well/
Some quick statistics:
Word count- BG:549 NYT:1,080
Multimedia - BG: Film clip NYT: Interactive map
Number of reporters involved- BG: 1 NYT:2
Number of people directly quoted in article- BG: 1 (not from BP) NYT: 3 (all from BP)
The NY Times, at double the word count, provided a much more comprehensive update - focusing on the technical challenges that needed to be overcome the leak. There was information on the process involved, how practise runs had been actioned and direct quotes from two BP executives.
What I found most striking though, was the difference in the extent direct quotes were used in both articles. Both pieces refered to comments made by Doug Sutter- BP's Chief Operating Officer. The Times quotes Mr Sutter directly, while the Globe uses an indirect method.
"The Helix Producer, began operating yesterday and should be up to its capacity of collecting roughly 1 million gallons of oil a day within a few days, chief operating officer Doug Suttles said".
What I found odd was that the only direct quote in the Globe was from a Professor from the University of Houston. It was as if the Globe reporter wasn't at the BP press briefings and relied on other sources to write the article.
The Times credits co-authorship of the article to a reporter in London - so perhaps he was able to obtain more timely information (given London is 5 hours ahead of Boston it's possible!) I could be being a bit harsh with my analysis- let's see what happens over the next couple of days.
Writing for the Globe: Tom Breen
Writing for the times: Henry Fountain (New Orleans) and Alan Cowell (London)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/us/14cap.html?_r=1&hp
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/07/13/bp_testing_effectiveness_of_new_cap_on_damaged_well/
Some quick statistics:
Word count- BG:549 NYT:1,080
Multimedia - BG: Film clip NYT: Interactive map
Number of reporters involved- BG: 1 NYT:2
Number of people directly quoted in article- BG: 1 (not from BP) NYT: 3 (all from BP)
The NY Times, at double the word count, provided a much more comprehensive update - focusing on the technical challenges that needed to be overcome the leak. There was information on the process involved, how practise runs had been actioned and direct quotes from two BP executives.
What I found most striking though, was the difference in the extent direct quotes were used in both articles. Both pieces refered to comments made by Doug Sutter- BP's Chief Operating Officer. The Times quotes Mr Sutter directly, while the Globe uses an indirect method.
"The Helix Producer, began operating yesterday and should be up to its capacity of collecting roughly 1 million gallons of oil a day within a few days, chief operating officer Doug Suttles said".
What I found odd was that the only direct quote in the Globe was from a Professor from the University of Houston. It was as if the Globe reporter wasn't at the BP press briefings and relied on other sources to write the article.
The Times credits co-authorship of the article to a reporter in London - so perhaps he was able to obtain more timely information (given London is 5 hours ahead of Boston it's possible!) I could be being a bit harsh with my analysis- let's see what happens over the next couple of days.
Writing for the Globe: Tom Breen
Writing for the times: Henry Fountain (New Orleans) and Alan Cowell (London)
Monday, July 12, 2010
'Asylum Seekers' and 'Boat People'
I have been following the issue of how Australia should process illegally trafficked refugees whom travel (usually through south east Asia) into Australian waters with the hope of gaining asylum.
The issue has resurfaced in the lead up to a soon to be announced federal election. These two articles report on the current government plan to set up a processing center offshore in East Timor.
The Age is a broad sheet newspaper, though publish for Melbourne it has a keen national audience and long held associations with the Labor (left) current government.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/timor-mps-vote-no-to-asylum-bid-20100712-107vu.html
Crikey.com.au is a relatively new reporting and blog site that has respected political contributors and was founded by a former senior staffer from the Liberal (right) government.
http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/07/13/will-there-be-an-east-timor-solution-or-not/
The Age article quotes politicians from both sides and the spokesperson for Australia's Governer-General. It leads with the government's insistence that the plan will pass, before going on to explain the obstacles. It quotes the opposition as admitting to being the underdog in the upcoming election and the writer speculates on the details of that election.
Crikey.com.au featured coverage of the story from several Australian papers. It lead with the fact that the government has several issues before touching on the press release with the Prime Minister insisting the plan was going ahead. Interestingly, this article focused on media and government explanations of why the refugees could not be processed on Australian soil and granted protection visas.
I found the Crikey article to be a more entertaining read, but it didn't provide me with any factual evidence to support anything.
http://www.sourcebottle.com.au
http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/07/12/getting-sourcey-time-to-apply-ethical-standards-to-bad-journalism/
The writer mentions the popularity of http://www.sourcebottle.com.au which serves as a middle man between the journalist and the scatted mediums of Twitter and Facebook.
I agree with the writer that this can be a useful tool for journalists but I think the potential for laziness to is too big a risk to take. It is better than a journalist cyber scouting their own friends and families for contacts, so it may be the lesser of two evils.
Sharing Story Emboldens Survivor
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/07/12/sharing_story_emboldens_survivor/?page=2
This is a grim article about a rape survivor revisiting her past and identifying her attacker as a man who committed a string of rapes.
The structure of this article seems to be series of zooming in on the individual victims and their stories, then zooming out again at the larger picture. However, the series of small paragraphs felt choppy and awkward to me; the story did not flow. Personally, I find op-ed columns easier to read because I fid them more gracefully and orginally written, perhaps because they're often writen with passion and conviction. Of course I read this article and felt admiration and respect for te courage of these women who were raped and have come forward, and awe and horror for what they been through. But it was in no way a memorable article, I read it and will forget it, and I guess I'm still trying to figure out what makes an article unforgettable.
Exploring the K2 craze
Shifting to how different newspapers cover the same stories or beats, I found two different articles written about the new synthetic marijuana craze (called "K2" or "Spice"). Both were published on the 10th.
Links:
I thought Gay's piece had a much better lede -- it was magnetic and also directly relevant to the topic at hand -- it mentions synthetic marijuana right away. Savage's lede to me wasn't directly related to the article's main theme. If you struck that opening paragraph from the article, you'd not have lost anything, and hence, you don't really gain anything by it being in there.
Both articles used a mix of sources -- both quoted a store owner who sells Spice and both got statements from different individuals at the DEA. Both also used the same medical source, a Dr. Anthony Scalzo, but got different quotes from him. Gay's article gets the gold star though because he got a statement from the creator of K2, a Clemson University chemist named John W. Huffman. I think it's natural to wonder about the origins of a narcotic like this, so mentioning who created it was important, and especially good to have gotten material from him. Savage's piece doesn't even mention Huffman.
One aspect I did like better about the Savage piece was that it included firsthand experience of people who've actually tried K2 -- both symptoms and effects. Reading Gay's piece alone you'd not have any idea how the drug affects you other than some conjecture about how dangerous it is.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Unbridled hope -- Horse racing article
http://www.boston.com/sports/other_sports/horse_racing/articles/2010/07/10/unbridled_hope/
I saw the reporter for the Globe work this story on Wednesday. He apparently had the full support of the track PR director who brought several groups of people to a picnic table where the reporter had set up shop. I was curious so I sat nearby and eavesdropped. (He is not the subject of my article.)
They are interesting little tidbits but overall I find the article too fluffy and mostly a PR piece for the track. For all the interviewing he did I am surprised how few direct quotes he used.
He appeared at the track in jeans and a t-shirt, a little unkempt I thought. But he had a very nice interviewing style -- there was a certain calm about him and he chatted with the subjects. I could see him express his own opinions on occasion.
I like the lead, hate the title -- too trite.
I saw the reporter for the Globe work this story on Wednesday. He apparently had the full support of the track PR director who brought several groups of people to a picnic table where the reporter had set up shop. I was curious so I sat nearby and eavesdropped. (He is not the subject of my article.)
They are interesting little tidbits but overall I find the article too fluffy and mostly a PR piece for the track. For all the interviewing he did I am surprised how few direct quotes he used.
He appeared at the track in jeans and a t-shirt, a little unkempt I thought. But he had a very nice interviewing style -- there was a certain calm about him and he chatted with the subjects. I could see him express his own opinions on occasion.
I like the lead, hate the title -- too trite.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Fans of Miley Cyrus Question Her New Path
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/fashion/11miley.html?_r=1&hp
An article about Miley fans picking up on her overtly sexual image change..and not liking it. As a mother of a young girl (and a feminist) it was nice to see the article from the mouths of kids, instead of an adult analysis of why Miley's tricks may/may not be working.
Like June mentioned in class, the children are cited by their first names, instead of by their last.
I love what one girl subtly says about Miley's change:
“I feel like she acts 25. She looks so old. She is too old for herself.” She, like others her age, has had enough.
Further down, the article takes an serious approach by quoting Gary Marsh, president of entertainment and chief creative officer of Disney Channels Worldwide.
Mr. Marsh said it is not Disney’s responsibility to guide her through the transition. “The network’s role is not to give personal advice,” he said.
I enjoyed the article because it was nice to hear children's entertainment from a child's point of view. It seems like a well-rounded article, interviewing a good amount of valuable sources.
An article about Miley fans picking up on her overtly sexual image change..and not liking it. As a mother of a young girl (and a feminist) it was nice to see the article from the mouths of kids, instead of an adult analysis of why Miley's tricks may/may not be working.
Like June mentioned in class, the children are cited by their first names, instead of by their last.
I love what one girl subtly says about Miley's change:
“I feel like she acts 25. She looks so old. She is too old for herself.” She, like others her age, has had enough.
Further down, the article takes an serious approach by quoting Gary Marsh, president of entertainment and chief creative officer of Disney Channels Worldwide.
Mr. Marsh said it is not Disney’s responsibility to guide her through the transition. “The network’s role is not to give personal advice,” he said.
I enjoyed the article because it was nice to hear children's entertainment from a child's point of view. It seems like a well-rounded article, interviewing a good amount of valuable sources.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/opinion/08thu1.html?hp
Clearly positioned on the editorial page, the author's 2nd paragraph is laden with opinion.
In the third para, the Justice Department is listed as a source. Is this also rather vague? Seems like perhaps the writer is using this source to back up the opinion that follows ... there are no stats offfered to back up these theories.
Of course, I also have a problem with the racial profiling resulting from the Arizona law ... but I'm not sure I'm convinced by the rest of the list of reasons.
In case there was any doubt this was an opinion piece, the use of the word "fortunately" lets us know where the writer stands.
Any comments?
The Constitution Trumps Arizona
In the end of the first paragraph the article states "the government said in its lawsuit." Would it be better to actually list a name here as the source? Or do you think the source is off the record? Or is it a quote from a document?Clearly positioned on the editorial page, the author's 2nd paragraph is laden with opinion.
In the third para, the Justice Department is listed as a source. Is this also rather vague? Seems like perhaps the writer is using this source to back up the opinion that follows ... there are no stats offfered to back up these theories.
Of course, I also have a problem with the racial profiling resulting from the Arizona law ... but I'm not sure I'm convinced by the rest of the list of reasons.
In case there was any doubt this was an opinion piece, the use of the word "fortunately" lets us know where the writer stands.
Any comments?
A Lead Question
From the Huffington Post, this article uses a question as a lead.
Unemployment Extension Standoff, Day 36: Blaming The Unemployed
I think it works.
Unemployment Extension Standoff, Day 36: Blaming The Unemployed
I think it works.
RIP Juanita Kreps
Obituaries are an important part of the news. Sadly, we don't get to see that many of them and often the ones we do see are paid placements by families who write them themselves. So, getting to read the New York Times obituary of someone you knew, is special.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/us/08kreps.html?ref=politics
I see that the beauty of writing an obituary is that it is pretty straightforward in terms of structure. Curiously there are no direct quotes. I would think that Dick Brodhead, the president of Duke would have been easily reached for comment. Hang on, lets check and see how the Herald Sun or the News and Observer handle this.
Herald Sun has nothing but here is an article from the News and Observer which is the main paper in the area:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/08/570325/juanita-kreps-dies-was-outstanding.html#storylink=misearch
It has many direct quotes including one from Jimmy Carter.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/us/08kreps.html?ref=politics
I see that the beauty of writing an obituary is that it is pretty straightforward in terms of structure. Curiously there are no direct quotes. I would think that Dick Brodhead, the president of Duke would have been easily reached for comment. Hang on, lets check and see how the Herald Sun or the News and Observer handle this.
Herald Sun has nothing but here is an article from the News and Observer which is the main paper in the area:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/08/570325/juanita-kreps-dies-was-outstanding.html#storylink=misearch
It has many direct quotes including one from Jimmy Carter.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Bad Hijab
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/middle-east/100610/iran-hijab-girls-women-exotic?page=0,0
This is a very interesting article revealing how young women in Iran react to their extremist culture when forced to engage with the larger world around them.
However, I wonder whether this story would have been stronger if the painter, Saghar Daeeri, was introduced earlier. As facinating as it is, it doesn't always seem clear what this story is about (i.e. the painters art or the culture from which the art has sprung). It almost seems like it is two stories in one.
This is a very interesting article revealing how young women in Iran react to their extremist culture when forced to engage with the larger world around them.
However, I wonder whether this story would have been stronger if the painter, Saghar Daeeri, was introduced earlier. As facinating as it is, it doesn't always seem clear what this story is about (i.e. the painters art or the culture from which the art has sprung). It almost seems like it is two stories in one.
Cat and Mouse
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/education/06cheat.html?_r=1&sq=to stop cheats, colleges learn their trickery&st=cse&adxnnl=1&scp=1&adxnnlx=1278532937-4WFJ3fxxgmKL5ZgOZOXHbw
Here is an article by Trip Gabriel which discusses the new and inventive ways students try to cheat and what colleges are doing to try and stop them. From trying to find a way around "Big Brother" tactics being used for examinations to figuring out algorithmic loop-holes in anti-plagiarism technology (such as Turnitin.com), it makes me wonder if students spent as much time studying they wouldn't have to worry about any of this.
I thought the writer was very affective in how the information was organized by way of cause and solution - portraying in a sense, a game of "cat and mouse" between the cheating students and the establishment. Also, this article is a great example of circular structure as it both begins and ends with discussing the University of Central Florida's new examination rules.
Here is an article by Trip Gabriel which discusses the new and inventive ways students try to cheat and what colleges are doing to try and stop them. From trying to find a way around "Big Brother" tactics being used for examinations to figuring out algorithmic loop-holes in anti-plagiarism technology (such as Turnitin.com), it makes me wonder if students spent as much time studying they wouldn't have to worry about any of this.
I thought the writer was very affective in how the information was organized by way of cause and solution - portraying in a sense, a game of "cat and mouse" between the cheating students and the establishment. Also, this article is a great example of circular structure as it both begins and ends with discussing the University of Central Florida's new examination rules.
nathan's arrests one of it's own
Here is an article on the July 4th incident at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest. The contest was interrupted by one if it's former competitive eating champions, Takeru Kobayashi.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/05/takeru-kobayashi-faces-ch_n_635522.html
Kobayashi stormed the stage and NYC police had no problems handcuffing and arresting him promptly.
The journalist, Eva Dou, quotes several cites that were useful to the article, such as "common folk", such as interviewing Kobayashi's competitor, Joey Chestnut, the new winner of the eating contest. The journalist also quotes Kobayashi's lawyer.
One part of the article stuck out to me, though. I'm curious to see what you feel about the journalist citing Kobayashi's hometown paper, Kyodo News (in Japan). It is quoted below:
But a few days ago, he told Japan's Kyodo News: "I really want to compete in the (Coney Island) event."
It was from this source that the journalist pulled a quote from Kobayashi. I wonder if it was in concern for time or if Eva Dou just wasn't able to get to Kobayashi in time for deadline?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/05/takeru-kobayashi-faces-ch_n_635522.html
Kobayashi stormed the stage and NYC police had no problems handcuffing and arresting him promptly.
The journalist, Eva Dou, quotes several cites that were useful to the article, such as "common folk", such as interviewing Kobayashi's competitor, Joey Chestnut, the new winner of the eating contest. The journalist also quotes Kobayashi's lawyer.
One part of the article stuck out to me, though. I'm curious to see what you feel about the journalist citing Kobayashi's hometown paper, Kyodo News (in Japan). It is quoted below:
But a few days ago, he told Japan's Kyodo News: "I really want to compete in the (Coney Island) event."
It was from this source that the journalist pulled a quote from Kobayashi. I wonder if it was in concern for time or if Eva Dou just wasn't able to get to Kobayashi in time for deadline?
Girls For Sale
http://www.nytimes.com//2004/01/17/opinion/girls-for-sale/html?ref=nicholasdkhristof
This is an old article by Nicholas D. Khristof, an op-ed columnist that my parents recommended to me.
What is interesting to me about this article is how personal it is--"I" is used frequently, and the article actually ends with Khristof stating that he is determined to buy the freedom of the two women he interviewed who are prostitutes/slaves in Poipet, Cambodia. The article is clearly infused with his outrage at this gruesome, terrible reality and I am curious if all of his articles are written in this style. On one level, I find it satisfying, and intriguing--of course I'm going to read the next article because I want to know what happens to the girls--but on the other hand I am little thrown off. I feel that I am reading to learn about the plight of these young women as much as I am reading about Nicholas Khristof and his pledge to commit a heroic act.
This is an old article by Nicholas D. Khristof, an op-ed columnist that my parents recommended to me.
What is interesting to me about this article is how personal it is--"I" is used frequently, and the article actually ends with Khristof stating that he is determined to buy the freedom of the two women he interviewed who are prostitutes/slaves in Poipet, Cambodia. The article is clearly infused with his outrage at this gruesome, terrible reality and I am curious if all of his articles are written in this style. On one level, I find it satisfying, and intriguing--of course I'm going to read the next article because I want to know what happens to the girls--but on the other hand I am little thrown off. I feel that I am reading to learn about the plight of these young women as much as I am reading about Nicholas Khristof and his pledge to commit a heroic act.
Old Media vs. New Media -- NY Times columnists chat
This piece -- a conversation between columnists David Brooks and Gail Collins, touches on some of the very issues we discussed last week surrounding relationships with sources. Brooks and Collins provide some interesting nuggets on the media as they see it -- within the realm of opinion, in this case.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/old-media-v-new-media/?ex=1293595200&en=5a7e67879e074ea3&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=OP-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M156-ROS-0710-PH&WT.mc_ev=click
One way that Brooks tries to keep himself balanced in his writing is to be sure he is not spending more time interviewing sources on one side vs. another: "I try to interview one Republican for each Democrat. Sometimes it’s head-spinning because they see the world so differently, but at least it compels you to try to be fair." Moreover, idea of having an interview "quota" -- in Brooks' case about 15 a week -- to keep on track is an interesting one. I imagine it would keep you extremely connected and involved in the conversations around you (in this case in Washington).
I also think that Collins makes an interesting point when she says the following: "I see the columnist’s job as taking all that complexity and boiling it down so you can make sense of it for the reader." As a columnist she is presenting opinion, but she is doing so based on facts and research, which she then interprets for the reader.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/old-media-v-new-media/?ex=1293595200&en=5a7e67879e074ea3&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=OP-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M156-ROS-0710-PH&WT.mc_ev=click
One way that Brooks tries to keep himself balanced in his writing is to be sure he is not spending more time interviewing sources on one side vs. another: "I try to interview one Republican for each Democrat. Sometimes it’s head-spinning because they see the world so differently, but at least it compels you to try to be fair." Moreover, idea of having an interview "quota" -- in Brooks' case about 15 a week -- to keep on track is an interesting one. I imagine it would keep you extremely connected and involved in the conversations around you (in this case in Washington).
I also think that Collins makes an interesting point when she says the following: "I see the columnist’s job as taking all that complexity and boiling it down so you can make sense of it for the reader." As a columnist she is presenting opinion, but she is doing so based on facts and research, which she then interprets for the reader.
Feature or Propaganda?
This article I found in my hometown paper. It is not labelled as an opinion piece and is penned by a leading sports writer and commentator.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/howards-innings-turns-to-ashes/story-e6frg6z6-1225886879441
It is a feature on the recent rejection of former Australian Prime Minister, John Howard's bid to become Vice President of the International Cricket Council.
The only hard fact presented is that the bid failed to be approved by 7 national cricket bodies.
The article becomes a diatribe, attacking not only the cricket teams but the Governments of India, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. At the same time heralding Howard as a hero of "Anglo Saxon" nations including New Zealand and England and a fighter against Zimbabwe's leader Magabe.
Sure, it's an entertaining read but even as an editorial it lacks factual backing and borders on hysteria.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Short but sweet -- drier news still has life
Though short, and covering a topic about which there is arguably not too very much to say, I like the way this piece about the heat wave in New York City moves from overview to more official source to "little person" quote. This structure, moving from the big picture, through a quote from the energy company spokesman, and finally to an almost humorous anecdotal bit from a resident of the city, allows me to feel like I have all the important information, while also being drawn in on a more personal level to how the wave is affecting the city's residents.
The story is an example of how drier, more mundane news can be presented in a way that is still captivating. The story's lead also reflects this, playing up the drama of the situation with its somewhat exaggerated language using words like "grip," "threatened," and "dared."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/nyregion/07heat.html?hp
The story is an example of how drier, more mundane news can be presented in a way that is still captivating. The story's lead also reflects this, playing up the drama of the situation with its somewhat exaggerated language using words like "grip," "threatened," and "dared."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/nyregion/07heat.html?hp
Can a political correspondent over use direct quotes?
Treatment of refugees is always a thorny issue, and this article from my home town newspaper describes Australia’s latest move to manage asylum seekers.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/labors-indian-ocean-solution-20100706-zz3x.html?autostart=1
Phillip Coorey – the Chief Political Correspondent for the paper, uses an interesting mix of direct quotes and his own commentary. During the course of a fairly short article he manages to quote Prime ministers of 2 different countries, an unnamed source, a UNHCR spokesman and the Australian opposition leader. Anyone else? ;)
For most of the article, this seems to work – but I found the repeated use of short quotes for example:
A UNHCR spokesman welcomed the lifting of the freeze. He said the commission was favourably disposed towards the Timor proposal but said it was ''too early to discuss specifics''
Mr Abbott said the Coalition would turn around boats ''where circumstances permit''.
made the article rather disjointed. As a piece it certainly integrates official (and unnamed) sources into the core of the article – but I feel like it could have been done in a more coherent fashion.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/labors-indian-ocean-solution-20100706-zz3x.html?autostart=1
Phillip Coorey – the Chief Political Correspondent for the paper, uses an interesting mix of direct quotes and his own commentary. During the course of a fairly short article he manages to quote Prime ministers of 2 different countries, an unnamed source, a UNHCR spokesman and the Australian opposition leader. Anyone else? ;)
For most of the article, this seems to work – but I found the repeated use of short quotes for example:
A UNHCR spokesman welcomed the lifting of the freeze. He said the commission was favourably disposed towards the Timor proposal but said it was ''too early to discuss specifics''
Mr Abbott said the Coalition would turn around boats ''where circumstances permit''.
made the article rather disjointed. As a piece it certainly integrates official (and unnamed) sources into the core of the article – but I feel like it could have been done in a more coherent fashion.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Welcome to the era of the algorithm as editor
Link: At Yahoo, Using Searches to Steer News Coverage
An interesting article that touches on allot of the issues in chapters 2 and 3 of our Elements text. It concerns the algorithmic editorial process now employed by Yahoo News to steer what kind of articles their newsroom writes up. As it's based on what topics people are searching for, the result will be news that is demand and interest oriented rather than news that serves important and necessary social purposes. Reading the article I get no sense at all that these folks are aware of any motivation for news besides profit, which illustrates exactly the dangers involved when shareholder driven companies are controlling the news.
“Essentially those in charge of analytics-driven content say, ‘These journalists, they only got it half right. Why produce all this stuff that doesn’t make money. Just produce the stuff that sells,’ ” Mr. Doctor said.
Lovely.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
beliefnet sold again.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/03/us/03beliefs.html?ref=us
Here is an article about beliefnet being sold...again.
Because beliefnet is such a vast, vast site with many religions covered, I was dismayed and relieved that beliefnet was changing hands again.
I also find it reassuring that the journalist quotes beliefnet's new owner, Affinity4’s president, Stephen D. Halliday. Halliday states in the article that he has no desire to alter the editorial content. After all, who knows how much has changed since Murdoch purchased it. Of course, only time will tell if Halliday's being honest or not about his intentions for beliefnet. But, for now, it's a simple reassurance for me, the reader. I appreciate that the NY Times went right to the president of Affinity4 for a quote.
I enjoyed reading the article because Oppeneimer (author) discusses with beliefnet's founder, Steven Waldman, how beliefnet came about being financially successful, even after flailing and having to rebuild itself.
Here is an article about beliefnet being sold...again.
Because beliefnet is such a vast, vast site with many religions covered, I was dismayed and relieved that beliefnet was changing hands again.
I also find it reassuring that the journalist quotes beliefnet's new owner, Affinity4’s president, Stephen D. Halliday. Halliday states in the article that he has no desire to alter the editorial content. After all, who knows how much has changed since Murdoch purchased it. Of course, only time will tell if Halliday's being honest or not about his intentions for beliefnet. But, for now, it's a simple reassurance for me, the reader. I appreciate that the NY Times went right to the president of Affinity4 for a quote.
I enjoyed reading the article because Oppeneimer (author) discusses with beliefnet's founder, Steven Waldman, how beliefnet came about being financially successful, even after flailing and having to rebuild itself.
Illegal immigrant status dashes college plans
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/ct-met-undocumented-students-20100619,0,960245.story?page=1
I would like to have been educated more on the 'dream act', when it began to stir and exactly who was involved.
Finishing (instead of beginning) with Wielgosz and her contribution could have subtracted from the immigration issue, making this soft new. But clever blending of the 'common folk' and the experts was done very well.
Thoughts?
Friday, July 2, 2010
Me, Myself and iPhone
The title for this post is actually an article that appeared in the New York Times within the last week. It initially appeared in the "multi-media" section of the Times' online edition, but was moved the next day and filed under "technology." (Yet another interesting example of the flexibility of online content.)
I ran my cursor right over the link at first. I am not one for technology-related news, but the accompanying photo caught my eye and up I scrolled. One graf in, I groaned to myself, thinking this would turn out to be a fluff piece (think advertisement masquerading as journalism), but the writer managed to take the findings of a recent study about what makes a photo attractive to people of the opposite sex (another groan) and was able to furnish readers what could have been a story about how best to master taking photos of oneself, into a great read with a look into what I think is a fascinating bit of sociology.
Here is a quote from a woman who found her son playing with her iPhone: “He was holding it up like he was taking a picture, but he was holding it in the wrong direction,” she said. “So I went over to take it and show him, but he clutched at it and said, ‘No, Mama — me!’ And he held it up to show me: He was taking a picture of himself.”
If anyone is interested, link story is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/fashion/01ONLINE.html?_r=1&ref=technology
It almost seems as if thisi journalist was brought a so-so idea from an editor, to which he added some dimension with a little "saved string"...
I ran my cursor right over the link at first. I am not one for technology-related news, but the accompanying photo caught my eye and up I scrolled. One graf in, I groaned to myself, thinking this would turn out to be a fluff piece (think advertisement masquerading as journalism), but the writer managed to take the findings of a recent study about what makes a photo attractive to people of the opposite sex (another groan) and was able to furnish readers what could have been a story about how best to master taking photos of oneself, into a great read with a look into what I think is a fascinating bit of sociology.
Here is a quote from a woman who found her son playing with her iPhone: “He was holding it up like he was taking a picture, but he was holding it in the wrong direction,” she said. “So I went over to take it and show him, but he clutched at it and said, ‘No, Mama — me!’ And he held it up to show me: He was taking a picture of himself.”
If anyone is interested, link story is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/fashion/01ONLINE.html?_r=1&ref=technology
It almost seems as if thisi journalist was brought a so-so idea from an editor, to which he added some dimension with a little "saved string"...
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Frank Sinatra Has a Cold
The passage in our Letters text (p. 54) about Gay Talese's 1966 profile of Frank Sinatra for Esquire Magazine piqued my interest enough that I looked up the piece.
I was intrigued by this idea of profiling somebody without ever having interviewed them, using only your powers of observation. It's something I'd like to try sometime, for the intellectual challenge, and also because I feel my observational skills are up to the task.
I've been reading this piece slowly on my eBook Reader (it's quite long) but I'm enjoying the unique style it brings as well -- use of fiction-style writing in non-fiction without losing the reliability and accuracy demanded by good reporting -- the so-called New Journalism. A style not appropriate for our particular class as we focus on the foundations, but perhaps inspiring to those who think of themselves more as writers who do journalism than journalists who write.
Red Tailed Hawks in Cambridge
http://wbztv.com/local/red.tailed.hawks.2.1702113.html
Virtually all of the direct sources are from onlookers. There are none from experts but then this story really is about peoples' joy in having a bit of wildlife in the city.
Virtually all of the direct sources are from onlookers. There are none from experts but then this story really is about peoples' joy in having a bit of wildlife in the city.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
"The most," and an invisible couple
When embarking upon this article, a rare "Home & Garden" piece that I read (not usually finding this section of the Times to be my cup of tea), I became wrapped up much more in the description of the characters in this piece than of the little Victorian retreat at the heart of the story.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/garden/24cottage.html?ref=garden
It felt to me like an "invisible person" story of sorts -- a look into a world not immediately visible to the average observer (though in this case, the invisibility was even more literal than in the case of a yoga instructor or a gas station attendant -- these people live in a wooden, hidden retreat).
There are moments when author Joyce Walder's descriptions bring these two characters to life in much the way many of our "invisible person" stories brought "the little people" around us to life. For example, this moment struck me: "Mr. Foster, 51, is a man whose chest gives the impression that he has to go through doors sideways." A vivid picture indeed.
I also wanted to point out that this article begins with the sort of moral/generalization/hyperbole that we discussed at length in Jason's pieces. What do you guys think of beginning the piece with this line?:
"THE most magical things in life are the ones that spring up where you least expect them..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/garden/24cottage.html?ref=garden
It felt to me like an "invisible person" story of sorts -- a look into a world not immediately visible to the average observer (though in this case, the invisibility was even more literal than in the case of a yoga instructor or a gas station attendant -- these people live in a wooden, hidden retreat).
There are moments when author Joyce Walder's descriptions bring these two characters to life in much the way many of our "invisible person" stories brought "the little people" around us to life. For example, this moment struck me: "Mr. Foster, 51, is a man whose chest gives the impression that he has to go through doors sideways." A vivid picture indeed.
I also wanted to point out that this article begins with the sort of moral/generalization/hyperbole that we discussed at length in Jason's pieces. What do you guys think of beginning the piece with this line?:
"THE most magical things in life are the ones that spring up where you least expect them..."
Good News for Me
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/science/29tier.html?hpw
I am a regular reader of the NYTimes. An article in the Science section caught my eye today and I managed to read it pretty much in its entirety in between writing an email to a friend and checking out trail maps for Sherborn.
The article is entitled, oh wait I forgot, must go back and check....
Oh yes, I was writing this post. The article is entitled Discovering the Virtues of a Wandering Mind.
The author uses a lot of direct sources as I believe it should given that it is a an article about something "scientific".
What I find interesting about it besides the topic was how the writer showed the recent evolution of thought on the wandering mind. I also find it interesting that the author didn't feel compelled to present a "fair and balanced" perspective. He presented a variety of sources that pretty much support the same conclusion.
These researchers findings may be complete hogwash but there is nothing in the article to suggest that other than that their findings contradict earlier beliefs. Otherwise, it is up to the reader to put on her critical thinking cap and decide whether the findings are valid or not and whether the research methods are valid or not.
Unfortunately there is science to support all different kinds of agendas -- global warming is bad/global warming is good, butter is bad for you/margarine once good is now bad. In a world where science is often revered as absolute, I think great care needs to be taken by a reporter in using scientific study to support an argument. The first question I think I will ask is, "Who funded that study and what was their objective in funding it?"
I am a regular reader of the NYTimes. An article in the Science section caught my eye today and I managed to read it pretty much in its entirety in between writing an email to a friend and checking out trail maps for Sherborn.
The article is entitled, oh wait I forgot, must go back and check....
Oh yes, I was writing this post. The article is entitled Discovering the Virtues of a Wandering Mind.
The author uses a lot of direct sources as I believe it should given that it is a an article about something "scientific".
What I find interesting about it besides the topic was how the writer showed the recent evolution of thought on the wandering mind. I also find it interesting that the author didn't feel compelled to present a "fair and balanced" perspective. He presented a variety of sources that pretty much support the same conclusion.
These researchers findings may be complete hogwash but there is nothing in the article to suggest that other than that their findings contradict earlier beliefs. Otherwise, it is up to the reader to put on her critical thinking cap and decide whether the findings are valid or not and whether the research methods are valid or not.
Unfortunately there is science to support all different kinds of agendas -- global warming is bad/global warming is good, butter is bad for you/margarine once good is now bad. In a world where science is often revered as absolute, I think great care needs to be taken by a reporter in using scientific study to support an argument. The first question I think I will ask is, "Who funded that study and what was their objective in funding it?"
Why do adults suddenly develop hay fever?
I found this BBC feature article on the late onset of hay fever.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8763115.stm
The article had great official sources (eg. Chief palynologist at the National Pollen and Aerobiology Unit at the University of Worcester). The quotes were interesting but I became frustrated with the vague use of studies and statistics.
"Between 15 and 20% of people in the UK are thought to be affected, with the numbers being even higher among teenagers and symptoms typically peaking in people's 20s."
I think the expert information could have been used in tandem with actual late onset sufferers and/or greater attention given to the validity of the Austrian study.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
a little bit about love, identity and self-knowledge...
This is a CNN online article. I'm personally not a big CNN fan for a news source, but I find article topic compelling enough to be shared.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/06/28/bisexual.male.last.closet/?hpt=Mid
An article about bisexual men and the mystery of bisexual and gay stereotypes, including biases in the gay community itself.
I think that the article draws from good official sources, including the CDC, Emory University professors, Campus Pride and Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University.
Even Freud and Sociologist Eric Anderson are cited, arguing the thought put into understanding males who identify as bisexual.
In alignment with our reading in Freedman, who advises against leaning too heavily on "anonymous" sources, this article does so by mentioning only a first name, as in this paragraph:
Despite the skepticism from others, some bisexuals acknowledge there are upsides to their sexual orientation, even though they remain in limbo between two worlds. John, 41, a bisexual from California, said his sexual orientation makes him open-minded. For privacy reasons, he declined to give his last name.
"The world is not black or white to me, but a rich diversity of colors, and it is not either/or, but both/and," he wrote in an e-mail.
I do think that the article runs a little long. This could have been remedied by being divided up into several articles, perhaps in a series.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/06/28/bisexual.male.last.closet/?hpt=Mid
An article about bisexual men and the mystery of bisexual and gay stereotypes, including biases in the gay community itself.
I think that the article draws from good official sources, including the CDC, Emory University professors, Campus Pride and Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University.
Even Freud and Sociologist Eric Anderson are cited, arguing the thought put into understanding males who identify as bisexual.
In alignment with our reading in Freedman, who advises against leaning too heavily on "anonymous" sources, this article does so by mentioning only a first name, as in this paragraph:
Despite the skepticism from others, some bisexuals acknowledge there are upsides to their sexual orientation, even though they remain in limbo between two worlds. John, 41, a bisexual from California, said his sexual orientation makes him open-minded. For privacy reasons, he declined to give his last name.
"The world is not black or white to me, but a rich diversity of colors, and it is not either/or, but both/and," he wrote in an e-mail.
I do think that the article runs a little long. This could have been remedied by being divided up into several articles, perhaps in a series.
Joe Biden, and Objectivity in an Online World
This blog post, about Joe Biden jokingly calling a shop owner a smartass, illustrates several of the issues of objectivity that Freedman alludes to, and comments directly on whether the press should cover stories like this. I agree with the author that the Biden incident is really more of a non-story, but the press will jump on it--not necessarily because they're biased against Biden, but because it's the sort of punchy, gossipy story that easily gets readers' attention.
A problem I have with this article is that it's obviously written as commentary/editorial, but it's not distinguished very well from Salon's news coverage. I expect this to become a bigger problem as newspapers switch to online-only content. Many newspapers host blogs on their websites, which have a similar function to columns. The New York Times does a lot to ensure that its blogs look different from its news coverage, but Salon isn't as good about this. Also, it can be hard to draw a line between a blog and a newspaper--much of Salon's coverage is more opinionated and casual than that of print newspapers, but it's generally a pretty reliable and respected publication. On the other hand, one of my favorite literary blogs, The Millions, started out as one person's blog, but is now designed and written like more like a magazine. The line between the two is not only blurry, but it seems to move over time.
A problem I have with this article is that it's obviously written as commentary/editorial, but it's not distinguished very well from Salon's news coverage. I expect this to become a bigger problem as newspapers switch to online-only content. Many newspapers host blogs on their websites, which have a similar function to columns. The New York Times does a lot to ensure that its blogs look different from its news coverage, but Salon isn't as good about this. Also, it can be hard to draw a line between a blog and a newspaper--much of Salon's coverage is more opinionated and casual than that of print newspapers, but it's generally a pretty reliable and respected publication. On the other hand, one of my favorite literary blogs, The Millions, started out as one person's blog, but is now designed and written like more like a magazine. The line between the two is not only blurry, but it seems to move over time.
Monday, June 28, 2010
| 'Drug lord' pleads not guilty in US This is an article in AlJazeera. I read several AlJazeera articles and perhaps it's due to the fact that they are being translated into English but they all had a choppy, abrupt style that, interestingly, seemed to work at some points and not at others. There are many paragraph breaks, and isolated sentences, such as this excerpt: "Court papers said that drug dealers in the US regularly sent "cash and goods, including clothing and electronics to Coke as 'tribute' payments, in recognition of his leadership and assistance". The tributes also included firearms, court papers said." I feel the way this was divided up was effective: "firearms" takes on dramatic significance, as it should. Here is an example of it not being effective, in my opinion: "Coke, the alleged leader of the so-called "Shower Posse" gang, was captured by police at a road checkpoint on the outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica's capital, on Tuesday. He agreed to be extradited to the US on Wednesday." This divide seems random and awkward. I definitely recommend checking out AlJazeera for some of its heavily biased political articles and different style of writing! |
Having a hard day juggling study and work? This inspired me.
Coming from a tech and business background – I generally don’t get much exposure to human interest stories at work which is possibly why articles such as this strike a chord.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/03/23/for_student_mothers_reality_a_harsh_teacher/?page=full
Tracy Jan is writing a series of articles on English High, also nicknamed “Pregnant High” as 5% of the students are teenage parents. The school is under threat of closure as its rate of graduating students is below standard.
Jan sympathetically profiles the life of Jennifer Smith, a teenage single mother, parent of a rather active 2 year old.
“She had to bathe him and get him to sleep, tasks familiar to any mother. But for Smith there was added urgency... Lurking in a corner of her room behind a shoe rack was a cardboard display panel for a science project that was already late. The 18-year-old needs the project to pass chemistry, a class that she failed last year and one she cannot graduate without... Tonight was her last chance to finish”
“She says she has never regretted giving birth to Sam at age 15, yet she longs for the life of a normal high school student. She can't join any after-school clubs or play sports because she has no babysitter. She doesn't date”
Jan inserts a quote from the school’s headmaster (does this count as an official source?)
"We want to hold them to the same standards as regular students but we understand students like Jen have different needs," Duarte said of student-parents. "A lot of them forfeit their youth”
which is seamlessly woven into the article in between Smith’s story.
This article encouraged me – it reminded me how lucky I am to have the fairly carefree life I’ve been given. But it’s more than just a description of the life of a teenage mother.
Jan also artfully encourages the reader to think how far standards should be flexed to accommodate mothers such as Smith, describing the frustration of the overworked teachers and how the students (due to very legitimate circumstances) can repeatedly fail to meet standard requirements.
Jan does not conclude the article with an editorial comment or solid ending, but leaves the story open. A skilful way of encouraging the reader to think further.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/03/23/for_student_mothers_reality_a_harsh_teacher/?page=full
Tracy Jan is writing a series of articles on English High, also nicknamed “Pregnant High” as 5% of the students are teenage parents. The school is under threat of closure as its rate of graduating students is below standard.
Jan sympathetically profiles the life of Jennifer Smith, a teenage single mother, parent of a rather active 2 year old.
“She had to bathe him and get him to sleep, tasks familiar to any mother. But for Smith there was added urgency... Lurking in a corner of her room behind a shoe rack was a cardboard display panel for a science project that was already late. The 18-year-old needs the project to pass chemistry, a class that she failed last year and one she cannot graduate without... Tonight was her last chance to finish”
“She says she has never regretted giving birth to Sam at age 15, yet she longs for the life of a normal high school student. She can't join any after-school clubs or play sports because she has no babysitter. She doesn't date”
Jan inserts a quote from the school’s headmaster (does this count as an official source?)
"We want to hold them to the same standards as regular students but we understand students like Jen have different needs," Duarte said of student-parents. "A lot of them forfeit their youth”
which is seamlessly woven into the article in between Smith’s story.
This article encouraged me – it reminded me how lucky I am to have the fairly carefree life I’ve been given. But it’s more than just a description of the life of a teenage mother.
Jan also artfully encourages the reader to think how far standards should be flexed to accommodate mothers such as Smith, describing the frustration of the overworked teachers and how the students (due to very legitimate circumstances) can repeatedly fail to meet standard requirements.
Jan does not conclude the article with an editorial comment or solid ending, but leaves the story open. A skilful way of encouraging the reader to think further.
Are Cells the New Cigarettes?
Cells meaning cell phones, and the potentially harmful effects from the radiation they emit while we have them strapped to our bodies and glued to our ears much of the day.
San Francisco just became the first city in the country to pass legislation making cellphone retailers display radiation levels, and the Mayor of San Francisco talks about how much flack he received about it from telecommunications lobbyists as well as conference organizers and businesses. To quote one passage:
``The Wireless Association, which is scheduled to hold a major convention here in October 2010, has already contacted us about canceling their event if the legislation moves forward. They also have told us that they are in contact with Apple, Cisco, Oracle and others who are heavily involved in the industry, as you know, about not holding future events in your city for the same reason.''
To which the writer responds:
``They should be sending Mayor Newsom a bottle of good California wine for caring about whether kids’ brains get fried, not leaving him worried about whether they’ll avenge themselves in his campaign for lieutenant governor.''
I found this exchange (and article) interesting because of the conflict of interest it demonstrates between citizen interests (safety in this case) and profit motives of big business. Clearly they aren't always in-line. Something both of our assigned readings discussed was the danger of media conglomeration on the independent press, which needs to stay independent in order to monitor power of not only government, but powerful corporations. This article I think is a good example of why this is the case.
I remember hearing this past December that Comcast plans to purchase a 51% stake of NBC Universal, which is already just a unit of General Electric. This is about as far from press independence as you can get. Is anyone else here concerned about this trend? It seems to only be increasing.
Friday, June 25, 2010
New York's skyscrapers, and unconventional sources
For my other course, we had to read this piece about the "skyscraper boom" in New York City, and discussed the sources a bit in class--a discussion I thought might be of interest here. Besides being gorgeously written, the article uses a variety of sources that might not fly in "hard journalism"--poetry, an (unscientific but interesting) study of skyscrapers the author photographed, and a blog. All this is admissible here because the piece toes the line between feature, personal essay, and criticism. Our teacher also pointed out that many other news stories about skyscrapers had run by the time this piece came out, so Davidson's more thoughtful approach was necessary to make the piece more appealing. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how Davidson would have had to change this if it were a news piece, and also how his techniques might be integrated into our own writing.
Altargate in Sweden
http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2010/06/20106191366543896.html
An article about the recent marriage of the Swedish crown princess is a story about feminism and equal rights for women in Sweden.
I feel that the lead could have been stronger and would have made the story that much more interesting. That said at the moment this is the most emailed piece on Al Jazeera's website at the moment.
I think the writer made very good use of direct sources. She was able to tell this story as an honest broker of the information without revealing her bias though I bet she has one.
The story is at once timely and timeless in that it uses a news event to portray an aspect of Swedish culture that I didn't even begin to know until I read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It makes me wonder how Kalle Blomquist would tell this story.
An article about the recent marriage of the Swedish crown princess is a story about feminism and equal rights for women in Sweden.
I feel that the lead could have been stronger and would have made the story that much more interesting. That said at the moment this is the most emailed piece on Al Jazeera's website at the moment.
I think the writer made very good use of direct sources. She was able to tell this story as an honest broker of the information without revealing her bias though I bet she has one.
The story is at once timely and timeless in that it uses a news event to portray an aspect of Swedish culture that I didn't even begin to know until I read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It makes me wonder how Kalle Blomquist would tell this story.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Gulf Oil Spill: Boat Captain Commits Suicide
My gosh, I am sorry to bring forth another sad post. But, at the same time, I feel that the story is worth analyzing, considering the profound effect that the BP spill has left on the region and its locals. This LA Times article explores that. I promise that I'll look for a more upbeat article, next time around.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/06/gulf-oil-spill-boat-captain-despondent-over-spill-commits-suicide.html
This is a current headline, evoking "timeliness". It also draws from a "consequence", as it is directly related to a resident from the area of the BP spill.
The sorrow has set itself so deep that a local employee has decided to end his life.
Or, so many in the article have determined.
The author mentions that an autopsy IS TO BE performed, therefore, I question if it is correct to go ahead and cite this story as something that has absolutely happened. The authorities are still investigating and no autopsy report has been seen. Has the author has been too quick to resolve the story?
While there appears to evidence and a general mood that Kruse took the action to kill himself, it is not an absolute. Is it a "hook" that an autopsy has been yet to be performed, yet it is suggested that this is a firm suicide?
What do you think?
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/06/gulf-oil-spill-boat-captain-despondent-over-spill-commits-suicide.html
This is a current headline, evoking "timeliness". It also draws from a "consequence", as it is directly related to a resident from the area of the BP spill.
The sorrow has set itself so deep that a local employee has decided to end his life.
Or, so many in the article have determined.
The author mentions that an autopsy IS TO BE performed, therefore, I question if it is correct to go ahead and cite this story as something that has absolutely happened. The authorities are still investigating and no autopsy report has been seen. Has the author has been too quick to resolve the story?
While there appears to evidence and a general mood that Kruse took the action to kill himself, it is not an absolute. Is it a "hook" that an autopsy has been yet to be performed, yet it is suggested that this is a firm suicide?
What do you think?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The Jim Dwyer email exchange (read from bottom to top)
On Wed, 6/23/10, Jim Dwyer wrote:
From: Jim Dwyer
Subject: Re: Journalism Student - Question on Your 6/22/10 Article Structure
To: "Annette Montalvo"
Date: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 8:43 PM
Hi Annette (and15 others)
The answer -- quickly, since class may be ending -- is that the 2nd and 4th paragraphs were not written as a single graph. If I recall correctly, I wrote the second paragraph because the first one really didn't tell the story (though it did set the scene, and set up the kicker at the end of the column).
I didn't reveal the information about the deafness of the peddlers until the fourth paragraph because 1. Their deafness gave the story a twist, but was not the essential horror of enslavement; 2. The deafness was, nevertheless, an important detail that needed a bit of "word space," as Roy Clark of Poynter Institute would say -- that is, it could be lost in the second paragraph, describing the peddling operation. I'm always concerned that people will read over certain significant details unless they're given plenty of space and reinforced in some way. In fact, originally, I only had one sentence in the 4th graph, but added the second sentence with Gutierrez's fluency in Mexican Sign Language so that the deafness was fixed in the reader's head.
You'll notice that the detail about his current job, at the Statue of Liberty, also got its own paragraph -- a matter, again, of word space.
Finally --- a teacher of mine once said, "If you have a good story, tell it. If you have a weak story, write it."
This was a good story. I just got out the way and let it rip.
good luck
On Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 7:58 PM, Annette Montalvo wrote:
Dear Mr. Dwyer:
I'm a student in a journalism class at Harvard Extension School.
Tonight we were discussing your June 22 "Descent into Slavery..." article on Jose Gutierrez, a deaf peddler. We're reading the article aloud, stopping to analyze each paragraph and the structure of the article.
Here's the class question: Were the 2nd and 4th paragraphs originally written as one nut graf? Or were they always split by the 3rd paragraph?
I thought the 2nd paragraph orignally might as read as it is now , ending with "climbing ladder..." and then straight to "Mr. Gutierrez the youngest...."
I thought the 3rd paragraph was written as is, but ending with "All of the peddlers were deaf," works effectively to surprise the reader and lure them into wanting to know more.
I raised the question in class, wondering if you changed the order on a 2nd or 3rd draft, or the editor changed it, thinking it was more effective that way. Our professor said I should email Mr. Dwyer and ask him myself.
So, can you share with our class the thought/writing process of the beginning of your article?
Looking forward to your reply,
Annette Montalvo, Journalism Student ( + another 15 students)
From: Jim Dwyer
Subject: Re: Journalism Student - Question on Your 6/22/10 Article Structure
To: "Annette Montalvo"
Date: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 8:43 PM
Hi Annette (and15 others)
The answer -- quickly, since class may be ending -- is that the 2nd and 4th paragraphs were not written as a single graph. If I recall correctly, I wrote the second paragraph because the first one really didn't tell the story (though it did set the scene, and set up the kicker at the end of the column).
I didn't reveal the information about the deafness of the peddlers until the fourth paragraph because 1. Their deafness gave the story a twist, but was not the essential horror of enslavement; 2. The deafness was, nevertheless, an important detail that needed a bit of "word space," as Roy Clark of Poynter Institute would say -- that is, it could be lost in the second paragraph, describing the peddling operation. I'm always concerned that people will read over certain significant details unless they're given plenty of space and reinforced in some way. In fact, originally, I only had one sentence in the 4th graph, but added the second sentence with Gutierrez's fluency in Mexican Sign Language so that the deafness was fixed in the reader's head.
You'll notice that the detail about his current job, at the Statue of Liberty, also got its own paragraph -- a matter, again, of word space.
Finally --- a teacher of mine once said, "If you have a good story, tell it. If you have a weak story, write it."
This was a good story. I just got out the way and let it rip.
good luck
On Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 7:58 PM, Annette Montalvo
Dear Mr. Dwyer:
I'm a student in a journalism class at Harvard Extension School.
Tonight we were discussing your June 22 "Descent into Slavery..." article on Jose Gutierrez, a deaf peddler. We're reading the article aloud, stopping to analyze each paragraph and the structure of the article.
Here's the class question: Were the 2nd and 4th paragraphs originally written as one nut graf? Or were they always split by the 3rd paragraph?
I thought the 2nd paragraph orignally might as read as it is now , ending with "climbing ladder..." and then straight to "Mr. Gutierrez the youngest...."
I thought the 3rd paragraph was written as is, but ending with "All of the peddlers were deaf," works effectively to surprise the reader and lure them into wanting to know more.
I raised the question in class, wondering if you changed the order on a 2nd or 3rd draft, or the editor changed it, thinking it was more effective that way. Our professor said I should email Mr. Dwyer and ask him myself.
So, can you share with our class the thought/writing process of the beginning of your article?
Looking forward to your reply,
Annette Montalvo, Journalism Student ( + another 15 students)
Media vs. Military
I found this NPR blog post interesting.
As we've seen in today's news and countless other times throughout history, a story can have massive political ramifications...but what is less immediately apparent is the effect this has on journalists, many of whom now fear that they will have LESS access to sensitive areas like the military moving forward. Reporters have to walk a fine line in times of war without the military being especially afraid of a PR disaster like this one occurring again. Do you guys think that the author of the Rolling Stone piece should have done anything differently, given that he must have known that his piece would make huge waves in Washington? Theoretically he was just doing his job, and doing it well, uncovering an interesting story about the highest in command...but what about the journalists who are left to suffer the consequences? Should we see this as just a commonplace issue that journalists have to deal with in their line of work?
As we've seen in today's news and countless other times throughout history, a story can have massive political ramifications...but what is less immediately apparent is the effect this has on journalists, many of whom now fear that they will have LESS access to sensitive areas like the military moving forward. Reporters have to walk a fine line in times of war without the military being especially afraid of a PR disaster like this one occurring again. Do you guys think that the author of the Rolling Stone piece should have done anything differently, given that he must have known that his piece would make huge waves in Washington? Theoretically he was just doing his job, and doing it well, uncovering an interesting story about the highest in command...but what about the journalists who are left to suffer the consequences? Should we see this as just a commonplace issue that journalists have to deal with in their line of work?
Headlines and Journalistic Differences Across the Pond?
When reading or listening to U.K. news reports (namely the BBC), I tend to notice a difference in the way things are presented vs. in U.S. media, especially with regard to the headline or the lead-in. For example, immediately following Obama's meeting with General McChrystal today, the BBC website homepage read something along the lines of "Fate of U.S. Commander Uncertain" while the Boston Globe and the New York Times tended more towards neutral headlines on the story, like: "Obama's Meeting with McChrystal Concludes." Half an hour later, when the news broke that McChrystal had been fired, the U.K. media was direct: "Obama Fires U.S. Afghan Commander," while the U.S. media was again more gentle in tone: "Obama Relieves McChrystal of Command." These are somewhat tame recent examples (vs. more extreme examples that sometimes arise) of what I tend to see as a trend in the way the top U.K. media presents its stories vs. the way the top U.S. media does the same. I am not sure if I prefer one over the other, but it gets me thinking about how journalism takes different forms based on culture and nationality.
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