Portfolio

2009-04-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

Best of Blogs

Sherwin Siy, author of the blog post “Debating Three Strikes, Not the Problem it’s supposed to fix,” http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/2092, discusses the problem with that policy. The best aspect of his blog is that he maintains his topics current and provides background information. The way he writes is very clear and concise because he is an attorney. Most of the blog posts are law related and address many legal issues. Overall, the website is very easy to navigate through the different topics and has video guest speakers.

In Steve Adubato blog, “Take Tom Kean’s Advice on Higher Ed,” http://blog.nj.com/steveadubato/2009/03/take_tom_keans_advice_on_highe.html#more, he discussed the current issue about funding for higher education. Although, the blog is a little lengthy it is very well written. When I read his blog, I can feel the desperation about the school funding issue due to his careful selection of words. The website is very easy to navigate but the website lacks color and personality.

The content of the “Yes Men Strike Again” blog http://www.funnyordie.com/blog was composed by the FOD team. They address the controversial topic about petroleum and Exxon issues. The blog post was very elaborate with videos and provided good information. A very distracting aspect is the numerous advertisements. They are constantly changing ranging from the World of Warcraft to Rachel Ray.

2009-04-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/TheBlackSphere/2009/02/13/The-Black-Sphere-Radio-Show/
This is a blog with a talk radio station that makes fun of liberals. People can create their free talk show and have people blog about different topics. Their main focus is on bashing liberals and pointing fingers. Overall there are a lot of different links that will lead you to blogs, video chat and more interactive options.

Lots of police behaving badly and one funny appellate lawyer (http://pdstuff.apublicdefender.com/2009/01/26/lots-of-police-behaving-badly-and-one-funny-appellate-lawyer/)
This blog is actually very funny and short. The blog is very humorous while pointing out the truth and hypocrisy about police. The writer of the blog incorporated links to support his claims. After every blog post there is a section where readers can add comments.

President Obama: What Is So Funny About Taxing And Regulating Marijuana?
http://blog.norml.org/2009/03/26/president-obama-what-is-so-funny-about-taxing-and-regulating-marijuana/
This blog is actually very entertaining because of the various links and options to purchase gear. Although I am not an advocate of drugs and mind altering substances I thought this blog would be mildly entertaining. The best aspect about this blog is that it gets updated on a daily basis and the people who add to the website are very passionate about their cause.

2009-03-24T05:53:00.001-07:00

Has technology ruined our future careers?

Walter Mears is a very intelligent man and very poised. He is very knowledgeable about journalism and media. Mears explained aspects about the Associated Press and how it used to work. I enjoyed that part of the class because I understand more about the broader view of the whole industry.

Mears seems like a person who does not sugar coat anything. I wished he would have because after hearing a long list of the downfall of newspapers I felt depressed and unmotivated. Being a news editorial major it is very exhausting to hear so many people assuming the worst and their assumptions of the future of my career. I have heard more than three teachers telling students from news editorial major to change their major because they will not find any jobs! Last semester I had a teacher that asked all news editorial students to raise their hands and then told them they ought to change their major. Aren’t teachers and guest speakers supposed to tell students about journalism and encourage students to finish their degree? Apparently not!

Some items on the list of bad news Mears told the class included: Associated Press cut their rates by 10%, many people are not interested in learning the facts a newspaper has to offer, newspapers are becoming a corporation, foreign reporting has decreased due to lack of money, internet has played a large part in newspaper downfall.

I do agree with Mears that technological advancements have at some extent endangered the future of newspapers. Broadcast news is a fast and sometimes an instant manner to get your daily news. The internet has also facilitated people having free access to news and breaking news. According to Mears there is an ongoing controversy about “who actually owns the news.” It is true that the future of this industry is not certain but the industry might change in a positive manner.

Just because the industry is changing it doesn’t mean it is bad.

Blog about Blogs

2009-03-11T20:06:00.001-07:00

Even though he was elected president there is no sign of paradise

According to Alan Mutter’s blog, there is not enough money to help journalistic institutions all over America. In hopes to salvage whatever is left of print journalism grants are in immediate need. Newspaper circulation has decreased and advertisement has decreased. In his blog he expresses his concerns about the future of journalism because it is also his career. In his blog he elaborates on the necessity of financial help to preserve the industry. At some extent it is alarming for me as a reader to see the large amounts of money that is needed.

In Paul Watson blog he mentioned the heated debate with Ron Paul about Obama foreign policy. Watson elaborated on the contradiction that Obama said when referring to the war and the troops in Afghanistan. According to his blog, Obama said he would bring the troops home from Iraq but instead sent more than 30,000 troops. In Watson’s blog, I can sense the disappointment or anger in his writing.

In Kimberly Hill’s blog, she discusses the new policy blog that Google launched this week. According to Hill the blog is designed to let policy makers all around the world have a chance to share their opinions with policy makers and corporate sponsored blogs.

In all these blogs there are different writing styles that I appreciate. In the first blog the tone I got when I read it was concerned and wanting a call to action. In the second blog I felt that the blogger wanted to point out that just because Obama is president, that doesn’t mean he is going to save the country from its own policy. And the last blog there is a neutral informative tone, the reporting job was very well done.

I hope I don’t die after meeting him

2009-03-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to meet a column writer with a few deadly stories. Martin Fennelly is a sport columnist for The Tampa Tribune.
“Everyone should work for a newspaper that goes out of business,” Fennelly said. Well he is right! At this rate if anyone is working for a small newspaper or The Tampa Tribune (just kidding) it will shortly go out of business.

While making animated face expressions, he talked about his experiences with seven people who ended up dieing. He chuckled when he talked about a boater he was going to interview but ended up dieing. Humorously, Fennelly said that he asked the boaters parents what happened when he encountered them. “’I asked his parents what’s going on’, as a journalist not knowing was funny,” said Fennelly.

Comfortably, he talked to the class as if he were talking to his colleagues or friends and dressed like he was going to visit Australia. He said that even though there are stories that are very emotional, as a reporter you must do your job at the end of the day. He also said, a part of being a reporter is to be able to deal with uncomfortable situations. One of the phrases he detests is “good writer but not a good reporter,” because he believes in order to be a good writer, you have to know how to be a reporter.

“If you want to write well, read well,” once he said that something clicked in my head. When I didn’t read extra books outside what is required for school, my writing was even more horrendous. Fennelly said that when writing columns about hot topics, you should convey an image without writing curse words. Just like with speaking, it is harder to insult someone without cursing at them but the message is more effective.

At the end of the day I will remember one of his last words, “if you’re writing it and enjoying it, it’s something you love doing”

An intelligent stand up comedian

2009-02-16T20:27:00.000-08:00

Howard Troxler, passes around the room animatedly while talking. It was the first time the class had a guest speaker of his peculiar demeanor and had to talk about his columns. For the first ten minutes of class, Troxler was very quiet but as soon as he was given the microphone he never stopped talking. And that’s a good thing.

His height does not give him justice because his personality is larger than life. He has a sarcastic approach to his columns. He said if you are going to complain about something in a column back it up with facts, otherwise you are just whining.

Troxler enjoys finding a different approach to his stories because it is more effective and entertaining. “You can’t be clever enough,” Troxler said. He found the perfect words to answer the dilemma about blogs. “Is blogging journalism? Just like a piece of paper, it depends what’s on it,” Troxler said.

Troxler is as witty and sarcastic as Joe Rogan and as smart as someone who graduated with honors. Throughout his visit, I couldn’t help but wonder if in high school he was the class clown. Troxler is the same way sarcastic, funny and intelligent in print and in person, he has a lot of energy.

He pointed out that sometimes he cannot find an interesting and engaging column idea so he breaks the cycle by adding a “dog column.” Troxler said that his columns can take anywhere from 45 min to two years, he said in several occasions he procrastinates until the last minute. “I keep track of my columns in an excel sheet because I want at least 50% of my columns to be good,” Troxler said.

It was almost time for the class to be dismissed and Troxler was still talking and ready to continue. Time actually flew by because it was very entertaining to hear all the random racing thoughts. Even though his comments made the class laugh, everything had truth and facts to support his comments.

2009-02-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

What goes around might come around

2009-01-28T17:24:00.001-08:00

Tim Nickens is the current editor of editorials for the St. Petersburg Times. It is apparent that working for the Times is his true calling because in 1983 he debuted as a reporter but left to pursue other interests. And in 2004 Nickens came back to the Times as an editor.

As Nickens sat down in a very poised manner in front of our class, he started talking about his career patters. He described his life as a reporter, state the facts and keep to the point. “Objectivity is a shield,” Nickens said. He became mortal when he expressed his insecurities about coming back to the Times as an editor. “I wasn’t sure I could do it,” he said.

Not only did Nickens share his vulnerability about doubting himself, he also lightened the room through humor. When he was about to answer a question a student asked, he said “I take requests.”

According to Nickens, newspaper articles are aimed to appeal to all the readers. On the other hand, editorials are targeted to a certain group of people. “You really aim at one person,”

It was a very refreshing experience to know, there are still some newspapers who value editorials. Editorials keep the readers thinking about current topics of concerns and challenges people to create change when necessary.

"Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him." Dwight D. Eisenhower

A New Chapter in a Reporters Life

2009-01-21T17:49:00.000-08:00

Rosemary Goudreau is from Tampa and was the editorial page editor of The Tampa Tribune but got laid off about two months ago. She used to be the managing editor of The Cincinnati Enquirer and reporter for The Miami Herald.

On Jan. 14, Goudreau spoke to professor Gil Thelen Critical writing class. She started talking about her background in reporting and editing. Goudreau said a good editorial tells people about something they didn’t previously know. “Having something to say moves people internally,” said Goudreau.

According to Goudreau, one the pitfalls of writing editorial, opinions or columns, is that people sometimes don’t want to be told what to think. When writing and trying to convey your own opinion it is recommended to omit the word “I” and use the word “you.” “It gives the readers a call to action,” Goudreau said.

Goudreau said when writing an editorial the journalist is supposed to write the institutions voice. The key factor is to find a connection between the newspaper and readers. Even though the writer does not share the same values of the newspaper the writer has to voice the opinion of the owners and majority.

Goudreau elaborated about the difference between a reporter and a columnist by the following example:

Sports Reporter Vs. Sports Columnist
The reporter tells exactly what happened during the game and states all the facts.
The columnist writes about his/her point of view about that same game while adding some facts.

She said that in most ocassions the newspaper will send both a reporter and a columnist to cover the same game.

While Listening to Goudreau speak, I felt very uneasy because she got laid off even though she has a lot of experience. I am appalled that a newspaper who had an asset in their company, decided to terminate someone’s career. It makes me realize that all media is going through a new faze that no one can predict what is going to happen.

Vicki Chachere Life as a Former Reporter Turned into a Critical Writer.

2009-01-12T13:27:00.000-08:00

Vicki Chachere is the news manager; her job is to tell the USF story. She used to be a reporter and an editorial writer for the Tampa Tribune from 2003-2008. Last week she spoke to our class about her transition from a reporter to a critical writer.

Chachere explained that a reporter’s job is to research and inform the public about the truth without adding personal opinions. But a critical writer informs people about the truth while adding their personal points of view. She believes editorial writers have the power to influence the public. Chachere said, she njoys being a critical writer because she can express her opinions.

“What you think may not be true,” said Chachere, because many people believe some things are true without even knowing the validity about that belief. Many people confuse general knowledge for true knowledge, in many cases they are wrong. According to Chachere, research is the best way to prove yourself right or even wrong. The important thing is to find out the truth.

When Writing editorials Chachere recommended not to write about topics that can cause an unwanted reaction. The two most unrecommended topics are abortion and spanking children as a form of discipline because the readers will bombard your inbox.Her advice to the class was to write about topics that would stir up personal emotion in yourself and the readers. “All viewpoints must be backed up by facts,” Chachere said. “Write about things you are passionate about.”

She also recommended the classroom to think outside the box when writing an editorial because many topics have already been covered. The key factor is to find a different approach to captivate the readers and to distinguish yourself from other writers.

When the classroom was having their editorial meeting, Chachere was very insightful on how to narrow to topic and make it your own. She gave a lot of positive feedback and helped the students. She gave the students starting points for their editorial investigation. She suggested putting sources from where all information was obtained to establish credibility with the readers.

The most important aspect is to make the editorial memorable whether it was for uncovering the truth or giving people another way of thinking about a specific topic. Personal style is very important, it will make your writing characteristic of who you are as a writer.

2009-01-07T17:16:00.000-08:00