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..."
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
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.
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