A journalism professor at the University of North Carolina said that Edwards’s aides were pressuring him to remove a YouTube video made by one of his student criticizing Edwards.
The journalism student Carla Babb went to the Edwards headquarters to make an interview with a student intern. However, after seeing the headquarters, her focus changed to the contrast between Edwards’ message to erase poverty and setting of Edwards’ center in an affluent part of Chapel Hill.
After the video was published, Babb’s journalism professor was called by Edwards’ people demanding explanations for why the focus changed and saying that they felt, “blind-sided by the way the reporter presented the piece in the pitch,” reported a NYT article.
So, as a student journalist, I think this is a pretty nice case for me to think about. First of all, it shows that student journalists are not treated as real journalists in the political world. Politicians think they can call up the professor and tell them to scold the student, which they couldn’t do in case of an editor.
Also, politics at college is a swampy area. What if the professor had been a hard-core Edwards-supporter? Again, the question of objectivity comes up. Apparently, politics can’t be kept outside of colleges, but at the same time, both students and professors have to be cautious about what they say and they react to others’ opinions.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Book Chapter 14: Covering a Beat
Beats. If there’s one that I’d love to cover, that would be: SHOPPING MALLS!! Em would love to hang out and socialize in malls. I could make friends with the sales people at H&M, get acquainted with the “system” like when new collections come and become part of the community!! For me, the “Be there” part would go perfectly.
The primarily purpose of beats is to get people in involved, which sounds cool. This looks really a community building service.
So, I start researching the newspaper library, which is understandable, cause I wanna know about news in the past, not academic stuff. Yeah, knowing history: the good old Mr. Fisk keeps coming up all the time. And he is right!
But knowing history seems to mean that I have to stalk my sources. I can’t ask “Are you married?” because I already know it: I checked the guy’s MySpace. Instead, I should ask: “I understand you spent your honeymoon at Barbados, how was the Jacuzzi in your hotel room? You know, the one you took of picture of!” Okay, just kidding…
Beats require persistence. I can’t really comment on this, since I don’t really have it yet. But I’m gonna get one soon! I saw they’re on sale at Amazon!
Here a couple things that I found just soo true and so important:
1. Do favor when you can. YES! I hate asking favors. Every time I call someone for an interview, I feel I wasting their time and they’re doing a favor for me. So I’d feel soo much better if I could do something in return!
2. Don’t shun good news. YES! I like to think that I’m a positive person, so I’d love to transmit something good to people. I want my audience to put down that newspaper or switch of that TV with a smile thinking that they got something today. Something that might help them to have a bit nicer day.
3. Protect sources. Loyalty is important. But as the book mentions on the next page, journalists shouldn’t be influenced by what the sources feel, think or what their agendas are.
When it comes to online coverage, the only thing I can say is: RSS feed. Mostly in case of beats, that’s the ultimate invention!
Covering religion. I pretty much agree with what the book has to say about this topic. Actually, I just saw the other day Joel Osteen and his wife on Larry King Live. Osteen is the senior pastor of the largest U.S. congregation. It was interesting.
And environmental beats! They are sooo important. My vision is that one day all those local environment beat reporters will join together and create a global perspective. This way the local publics could be connected and global changes could be made. For example, I was amazed by CNN’s Planet In Peril. Honestly, I couldn’t watch the entire show, but it’s on my do-to-list to download it from iTunes. The point was to connect all those places with environmental problems and to give a big picture of what’s going on globally. I just loved it. If I were to work for CNN (which dream I hope will come true one day) I’d love to do such reporting!
The primarily purpose of beats is to get people in involved, which sounds cool. This looks really a community building service.
So, I start researching the newspaper library, which is understandable, cause I wanna know about news in the past, not academic stuff. Yeah, knowing history: the good old Mr. Fisk keeps coming up all the time. And he is right!
But knowing history seems to mean that I have to stalk my sources. I can’t ask “Are you married?” because I already know it: I checked the guy’s MySpace. Instead, I should ask: “I understand you spent your honeymoon at Barbados, how was the Jacuzzi in your hotel room? You know, the one you took of picture of!” Okay, just kidding…
Beats require persistence. I can’t really comment on this, since I don’t really have it yet. But I’m gonna get one soon! I saw they’re on sale at Amazon!
Here a couple things that I found just soo true and so important:
1. Do favor when you can. YES! I hate asking favors. Every time I call someone for an interview, I feel I wasting their time and they’re doing a favor for me. So I’d feel soo much better if I could do something in return!
2. Don’t shun good news. YES! I like to think that I’m a positive person, so I’d love to transmit something good to people. I want my audience to put down that newspaper or switch of that TV with a smile thinking that they got something today. Something that might help them to have a bit nicer day.
3. Protect sources. Loyalty is important. But as the book mentions on the next page, journalists shouldn’t be influenced by what the sources feel, think or what their agendas are.
When it comes to online coverage, the only thing I can say is: RSS feed. Mostly in case of beats, that’s the ultimate invention!
Covering religion. I pretty much agree with what the book has to say about this topic. Actually, I just saw the other day Joel Osteen and his wife on Larry King Live. Osteen is the senior pastor of the largest U.S. congregation. It was interesting.
And environmental beats! They are sooo important. My vision is that one day all those local environment beat reporters will join together and create a global perspective. This way the local publics could be connected and global changes could be made. For example, I was amazed by CNN’s Planet In Peril. Honestly, I couldn’t watch the entire show, but it’s on my do-to-list to download it from iTunes. The point was to connect all those places with environmental problems and to give a big picture of what’s going on globally. I just loved it. If I were to work for CNN (which dream I hope will come true one day) I’d love to do such reporting!
Reading
Chapter 8: Covering Criminal Courts
When I think of criminal cases, the first things that pop into my mind are Chicago, the movie, and Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy. I always thought that all crime cases involve lengthy investigations and gathering of evidence, then there’s always an extra smart defense lawyer. Apparently, I was wrong. The article says 95% of crime cases end with a guilty plea. Wow… And the cases that get media attention are probably way less than only 5% of all cases! I guess the media do create a somewhat unrealistic image about criminal court proceedings.
Then it turns out that prosecutors try to make a deal with the defendant so that they can avoid paper work. Hm… a bit pathetic, I guess. Yeah, I know it’s not just paper work but lots of time, effort, etc. that can be saved by a simple guilty plea. But what if an innocent person decides to give in to the prosecutors’ persuasion and go to jail because he thinks that proving his innocence would be impossible and long and tiring? I mean to me, the entire criminal justice system seems risky, aggressive and blurred.
The other thing that kind of struck me was this “proof beyond reasonable doubt” along with the “guilty or not guilty” thing. This is such a cynical standpoint. Just because no one can be 100% sure about the truth, that doesn’t mean that there is no truth. But thanks to the miraculous AP Style, I can write that the defendant was INNOCENT!
But being a criminal court journalist is I guess not always fun. I’m thinking of the 7 years in prison I get if I’m trying to contact a juror during the trial. I know that there is a logical reason behind it, but 7 years seem a lot to me. I might as well just kill someone and get 10 years in prison. It’s kind of like in Wegmans… You can get half a gallon milk for $3.30 or get one gallon for $3.80. I usually pick the one gallon bottle. So, if I want to go to jail, I guess I want to do if do for killing some dictator and not for talking to a juror.
I don’t agree with death penalty. I know, as a journalist, no one really cares what I agree with, but I really don’t agree with death penalty. First of all, I don’t think anybody has the right to take someone else’s life, even if that person had killed other people. And second, what’s the point of killing a criminal? That’s almost like rewarding them: instead of long years in prison, they get to die quickly and painlessly.
Chapter 9: Covering Civil Courts
While criminal courts seem cruel and frightening, civil courts look kind of loopy and exciting. Some of the cases mentioned just blew my mind, starting with “The lady, her lap and the hot McDonald’s coffee” story. People become extraordinarily smart when it comes to getting lots of money without working for it…
Of course, I understand that for many, “tort” cases are the last chance to get someone back on track, mostly if they got hurt really bad or something. I’m sorry for those people because they not only have to stop working but they also have to go through a lengthy trial to get compensation. Like those poor guys in that PBS video “A Dangerous Business.”
But also, I kind of understand that the government wants to cut down on class action suits. My dad’s aunt told me once that she was flying back from Hawaii when the plane got into turbulence and plummeted 300 feet. The passengers ended up suing the airline and everyone got $100 compensation. If there were let’s say 150 passengers on board, that means the airline had to pay about $15,000 for a single turbulence. That kinda sucks.
Burden of proof. This thing with the percentages… How can anyone say how many percent the evidence is? So, if I show a video of my boss beating me up in a case where I’m suing my company, is it 51% or 100%? It’s so subjective! I think the human factor plays such a big role in jurisdiction.
And finally those settlements. First of all, if a Roman Catholic priest molests children, shouldn’t that be a criminal case? Mostly, because he’s a priest! People tend to trust them more, so that’s why they should be judged more seriously. And then the workers who sell themselves to the company instead of suing and thus helping others… I would sue those workers for being antisocial and selfish!
When I think of criminal cases, the first things that pop into my mind are Chicago, the movie, and Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy. I always thought that all crime cases involve lengthy investigations and gathering of evidence, then there’s always an extra smart defense lawyer. Apparently, I was wrong. The article says 95% of crime cases end with a guilty plea. Wow… And the cases that get media attention are probably way less than only 5% of all cases! I guess the media do create a somewhat unrealistic image about criminal court proceedings.
Then it turns out that prosecutors try to make a deal with the defendant so that they can avoid paper work. Hm… a bit pathetic, I guess. Yeah, I know it’s not just paper work but lots of time, effort, etc. that can be saved by a simple guilty plea. But what if an innocent person decides to give in to the prosecutors’ persuasion and go to jail because he thinks that proving his innocence would be impossible and long and tiring? I mean to me, the entire criminal justice system seems risky, aggressive and blurred.
The other thing that kind of struck me was this “proof beyond reasonable doubt” along with the “guilty or not guilty” thing. This is such a cynical standpoint. Just because no one can be 100% sure about the truth, that doesn’t mean that there is no truth. But thanks to the miraculous AP Style, I can write that the defendant was INNOCENT!
But being a criminal court journalist is I guess not always fun. I’m thinking of the 7 years in prison I get if I’m trying to contact a juror during the trial. I know that there is a logical reason behind it, but 7 years seem a lot to me. I might as well just kill someone and get 10 years in prison. It’s kind of like in Wegmans… You can get half a gallon milk for $3.30 or get one gallon for $3.80. I usually pick the one gallon bottle. So, if I want to go to jail, I guess I want to do if do for killing some dictator and not for talking to a juror.
I don’t agree with death penalty. I know, as a journalist, no one really cares what I agree with, but I really don’t agree with death penalty. First of all, I don’t think anybody has the right to take someone else’s life, even if that person had killed other people. And second, what’s the point of killing a criminal? That’s almost like rewarding them: instead of long years in prison, they get to die quickly and painlessly.
Chapter 9: Covering Civil Courts
While criminal courts seem cruel and frightening, civil courts look kind of loopy and exciting. Some of the cases mentioned just blew my mind, starting with “The lady, her lap and the hot McDonald’s coffee” story. People become extraordinarily smart when it comes to getting lots of money without working for it…
Of course, I understand that for many, “tort” cases are the last chance to get someone back on track, mostly if they got hurt really bad or something. I’m sorry for those people because they not only have to stop working but they also have to go through a lengthy trial to get compensation. Like those poor guys in that PBS video “A Dangerous Business.”
But also, I kind of understand that the government wants to cut down on class action suits. My dad’s aunt told me once that she was flying back from Hawaii when the plane got into turbulence and plummeted 300 feet. The passengers ended up suing the airline and everyone got $100 compensation. If there were let’s say 150 passengers on board, that means the airline had to pay about $15,000 for a single turbulence. That kinda sucks.
Burden of proof. This thing with the percentages… How can anyone say how many percent the evidence is? So, if I show a video of my boss beating me up in a case where I’m suing my company, is it 51% or 100%? It’s so subjective! I think the human factor plays such a big role in jurisdiction.
And finally those settlements. First of all, if a Roman Catholic priest molests children, shouldn’t that be a criminal case? Mostly, because he’s a priest! People tend to trust them more, so that’s why they should be judged more seriously. And then the workers who sell themselves to the company instead of suing and thus helping others… I would sue those workers for being antisocial and selfish!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Covering Crime and Justice
[In this posting, I’m using bullet points to list the things that stood out for me.]
Chapter 1
- A good crime reporter must have: “exceptional initiative and determination, an eye for accuracy and details, a knack for sourcing, and the ability to tell a story.”
- The difference between small-town reporters and big-city ones is that the first one needs to have good relationships with sources, because he or she will deal with the very same sources all the time. Having a good relationship with certain people is highlighted many, many times. I feel that journalism on this level is pretty much about knowing the right person and being able to contact them any time.
- The public became fascinated with crime reports only two centuries ago. Why did this happen? Does this show some sort of shift in the society? Journalists started write “entertaining, impolite stories about pretty lawbreakers,” and the public loved them, because they featured sex, violence, blood and scandal.
- Felony: more than one year in prison; misdemeanor: less than one year in jail; violation: lesser offence
- Robbery: larceny involving violence; burglary: unlawfully entering someone’s property
- Crime reporters (and I guess this applies to all sorts of reporters as well) shouldn’t take editorial suggestions and criticism personally. Also, the document suggests how to have a good relationship w/ the editor adding, “Consider personal component and dress appropriately,” and, “Don’t whine!” Interesting. So no mini skirts and hysterical crying.
- Question: “The 1999 U.S. Supreme Court ruling limited access to private property for tag-along journalists.” Does this apply to us during the upcoming police-ride alongs?
- Wording is import, again. Someone is arrested “on suspicion of,” “in connection with” or simply “in” something. NOT “for.”
- Journalists are humans, too. So, it’s nice reading about crimes and stuff, but I guess crime reporting is not as easy as it seems. Personal and human factors are involved in this sort of job, as well. I’m a really sensitive person, and I think crime reporting would just wear me out totally. I’d get emotionally involved, which would make it so hard to concentrate on writing and accuracy. Also, the article mentions that many times journalists suffer from port-traumatic stress disorder…
- Personal safety. So, basically the trunk of my car needs to be transformed into some surviving supplement storage. Flashlight, water, food, bad-weather clothing, first-aid kit and… of course… extra pens and notebooks! It’s also important to wear the MEDIA sign on my clothing, except when it becomes rather dangerous by making me a target. How comforting…
- When dealing victims, journalists must be really sensitive. I knew this before, but I never thought that in such cases it’s acceptable to allow the source to read the story before it’s published, which is never-ever done in news business.
- Keeping the distance with the police in important. Journalists shouldn’t seem pro-police in order to get the information they want from police officers.
- I found a line that I think is so true. “We pretend to be interested in thing we really aren’t. We do what we need to do to wheedle information out of people.” And so many thins pretending makes me sick. Even though I’m taking acting classes, there is a big difference between theatrical acting and journalistic acting. In theater, acting is not about putting something ON, but it’s about letting something out of ourselves. In journalism, I think it’s just the opposite. We put on the mask of being interested, but we do because the deadlines are coming up and we need x hundred word about the frozen microbes on the North Pole.
- I like the 12 additional questions when reporting. I guess I’ll make my extra-dozen-q list!
- Corruption among police officers. Well, that was a kind of stunning part. I think it all comes down to power-relationships. Just like in Orwell’s Animal Farm, the ones with more power thing that they can do whatever they want. And this is sad.
- I don’t want to be arrested for doing my job!!
Chapter 5
- Victims: people who are affected by a crime, which includes family members, too. I think in case of 9/11, we can say that every American was a victim.
- High-, medium- and low-risk victims. A woman traveling alone at night is a high-risk victim. Why?! Isn’t the problem with the society? Just because it’s dark outside and I happen to be a woman, I become likely to be raped?
- Being sensitive. I like all the methods described in the article when it comes to interviewing victims. For example, standing apart from the crowd of journalists, and just handing a business card with a note on it. I think this is a really gentle way of approaching a victim. Also, triple-checking names and dates!
- Rape. I think this is the worst of all crimes. The article says that more than 350,000 people are raped each year. That means 3,500,000 in a decade. More than 1% of the U.S. population! Another stunning number: 84% of rape victims don’t report the crime to the police.
Chapter 7
- I felt so lost!
- Okay, so there are two court systems: federal and state. Within each, there are 3 levels: trial court, intermediate appeals and final appeals. The first is where the entire trail procedure is with a judgment at the end. The second only inspects the first one if all the procedures were lawful. And the final appeals level is the “supreme” court, which can change the judgment made by the court trial.
- A good court reporter is “part historian, part critic, part transcriber, part observer—and always a good listener, accurate note taker and critical thinker.” Anything else?!
- Trials are like a sports events. “Hey yo, I got tix for the O.J. game tonight. Wanna come?”
- Making friends with court people is important. The list is not that long: docket clerks, court clerks, court reporters (even though these guys don’t think just record information), law clerks, bailiffs and administrations people. And of course lawyers and the members of the jury. But with lawyers, journalists must be skeptical, because they are cunning!
- Journalists have access to every document. The only problem is that I’d get so confused by a huge pile of files. So… do court reporters sleep at all? If I had to go through lots and lots of papers, I wouldn’t…
Chapter 1
- A good crime reporter must have: “exceptional initiative and determination, an eye for accuracy and details, a knack for sourcing, and the ability to tell a story.”
- The difference between small-town reporters and big-city ones is that the first one needs to have good relationships with sources, because he or she will deal with the very same sources all the time. Having a good relationship with certain people is highlighted many, many times. I feel that journalism on this level is pretty much about knowing the right person and being able to contact them any time.
- The public became fascinated with crime reports only two centuries ago. Why did this happen? Does this show some sort of shift in the society? Journalists started write “entertaining, impolite stories about pretty lawbreakers,” and the public loved them, because they featured sex, violence, blood and scandal.
- Felony: more than one year in prison; misdemeanor: less than one year in jail; violation: lesser offence
- Robbery: larceny involving violence; burglary: unlawfully entering someone’s property
- Crime reporters (and I guess this applies to all sorts of reporters as well) shouldn’t take editorial suggestions and criticism personally. Also, the document suggests how to have a good relationship w/ the editor adding, “Consider personal component and dress appropriately,” and, “Don’t whine!” Interesting. So no mini skirts and hysterical crying.
- Question: “The 1999 U.S. Supreme Court ruling limited access to private property for tag-along journalists.” Does this apply to us during the upcoming police-ride alongs?
- Wording is import, again. Someone is arrested “on suspicion of,” “in connection with” or simply “in” something. NOT “for.”
- Journalists are humans, too. So, it’s nice reading about crimes and stuff, but I guess crime reporting is not as easy as it seems. Personal and human factors are involved in this sort of job, as well. I’m a really sensitive person, and I think crime reporting would just wear me out totally. I’d get emotionally involved, which would make it so hard to concentrate on writing and accuracy. Also, the article mentions that many times journalists suffer from port-traumatic stress disorder…
- Personal safety. So, basically the trunk of my car needs to be transformed into some surviving supplement storage. Flashlight, water, food, bad-weather clothing, first-aid kit and… of course… extra pens and notebooks! It’s also important to wear the MEDIA sign on my clothing, except when it becomes rather dangerous by making me a target. How comforting…
- When dealing victims, journalists must be really sensitive. I knew this before, but I never thought that in such cases it’s acceptable to allow the source to read the story before it’s published, which is never-ever done in news business.
- Keeping the distance with the police in important. Journalists shouldn’t seem pro-police in order to get the information they want from police officers.
- I found a line that I think is so true. “We pretend to be interested in thing we really aren’t. We do what we need to do to wheedle information out of people.” And so many thins pretending makes me sick. Even though I’m taking acting classes, there is a big difference between theatrical acting and journalistic acting. In theater, acting is not about putting something ON, but it’s about letting something out of ourselves. In journalism, I think it’s just the opposite. We put on the mask of being interested, but we do because the deadlines are coming up and we need x hundred word about the frozen microbes on the North Pole.
- I like the 12 additional questions when reporting. I guess I’ll make my extra-dozen-q list!
- Corruption among police officers. Well, that was a kind of stunning part. I think it all comes down to power-relationships. Just like in Orwell’s Animal Farm, the ones with more power thing that they can do whatever they want. And this is sad.
- I don’t want to be arrested for doing my job!!
Chapter 5
- Victims: people who are affected by a crime, which includes family members, too. I think in case of 9/11, we can say that every American was a victim.
- High-, medium- and low-risk victims. A woman traveling alone at night is a high-risk victim. Why?! Isn’t the problem with the society? Just because it’s dark outside and I happen to be a woman, I become likely to be raped?
- Being sensitive. I like all the methods described in the article when it comes to interviewing victims. For example, standing apart from the crowd of journalists, and just handing a business card with a note on it. I think this is a really gentle way of approaching a victim. Also, triple-checking names and dates!
- Rape. I think this is the worst of all crimes. The article says that more than 350,000 people are raped each year. That means 3,500,000 in a decade. More than 1% of the U.S. population! Another stunning number: 84% of rape victims don’t report the crime to the police.
Chapter 7
- I felt so lost!
- Okay, so there are two court systems: federal and state. Within each, there are 3 levels: trial court, intermediate appeals and final appeals. The first is where the entire trail procedure is with a judgment at the end. The second only inspects the first one if all the procedures were lawful. And the final appeals level is the “supreme” court, which can change the judgment made by the court trial.
- A good court reporter is “part historian, part critic, part transcriber, part observer—and always a good listener, accurate note taker and critical thinker.” Anything else?!
- Trials are like a sports events. “Hey yo, I got tix for the O.J. game tonight. Wanna come?”
- Making friends with court people is important. The list is not that long: docket clerks, court clerks, court reporters (even though these guys don’t think just record information), law clerks, bailiffs and administrations people. And of course lawyers and the members of the jury. But with lawyers, journalists must be skeptical, because they are cunning!
- Journalists have access to every document. The only problem is that I’d get so confused by a huge pile of files. So… do court reporters sleep at all? If I had to go through lots and lots of papers, I wouldn’t…
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Others' blogs
http://thestorysofar-jt.blogspot.com/
“Don’t judge others”
“Hillary, Hillary, Hillary”
http://reporterandrea.blogspot.com/
“08-10/14/07”
http://amusante123.blogspot.com/
"Colbert, Kucinich's Deep Pockets"
http://fallingfornews2007.blogspot.com/
“I'm glad you realized who you are, Guiliani!”
http://lvpdnews-lara.blogspot.com/
"Booming Baby Bonds!"
"Health Care, who needs it?"
http://seagullatemycheetos.blogspot.com/
"Political Blogging"
“Don’t judge others”
“Hillary, Hillary, Hillary”
http://reporterandrea.blogspot.com/
“08-10/14/07”
http://amusante123.blogspot.com/
"Colbert, Kucinich's Deep Pockets"
http://fallingfornews2007.blogspot.com/
“I'm glad you realized who you are, Guiliani!”
http://lvpdnews-lara.blogspot.com/
"Booming Baby Bonds!"
"Health Care, who needs it?"
http://seagullatemycheetos.blogspot.com/
"Political Blogging"
Monday, October 15, 2007
The truest Republican of the Republican wing of the Republican Party… or something like that
So, it seems some of the Republican candidates fight over who is the “real Republican.” Mitt Romney said in an Oct 12 speech that he was the only true Republican candidate. Answers came from John McCain and Fred Thompson the very next day.
Silly story with tons of good quotes. For example, Romney said that he represented the “Republican wing of the Republican Party.” So, who represents then the Democratic wing of the Republican Party or the Republican wing of the Democratic Party or the Republican-Democratic wing of the Anarchist Party? Yeah, exactly, I don’t get it either.
But as I said, all articles are full of quotes, which makes them easier to read. It’s also kind of amusing to read candidates throwing mud at each other.
Oddly enough, only one out of three articles quote Romney’s spokesperson defending him, the others mention only Romney’s infamous “Republicanest Republican” quotes.
I think this whole thing is ridiculous. Seriously, why do candidates have to say stupid things? Romney could have waited until the public says, “Wow, this guy is the real Republican!” but no, he couldn’t. Probably, he should have waited for such a comment forever, anyways.
A search in Google News brings up 123 articles written on the issue. This is just… Do people really care who is the true Republican?!
Silly story with tons of good quotes. For example, Romney said that he represented the “Republican wing of the Republican Party.” So, who represents then the Democratic wing of the Republican Party or the Republican wing of the Democratic Party or the Republican-Democratic wing of the Anarchist Party? Yeah, exactly, I don’t get it either.
But as I said, all articles are full of quotes, which makes them easier to read. It’s also kind of amusing to read candidates throwing mud at each other.
Oddly enough, only one out of three articles quote Romney’s spokesperson defending him, the others mention only Romney’s infamous “Republicanest Republican” quotes.
I think this whole thing is ridiculous. Seriously, why do candidates have to say stupid things? Romney could have waited until the public says, “Wow, this guy is the real Republican!” but no, he couldn’t. Probably, he should have waited for such a comment forever, anyways.
A search in Google News brings up 123 articles written on the issue. This is just… Do people really care who is the true Republican?!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Chatper 13: Other Types of Basic Stories
“Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Pause. Tap. Tap. Tap.” Best lede ever! But how does the story end? Who was murderer???
Police reports are inaccurate. Ouch! Police officers lie to cover up shortcomings and misconduct. Man, I think I’m just too naïve to be a journalist. Seriously. Who can we trust after all? I don’t want to end up as a bitter person who thinks everybody is suspicious and no one can be trusted.
It’s good to know that in crime stories, both inverted pyramid style and chronological order works. Even though, I think these two structures are mixed many times. Obviously, when a reporter uses chronological order, the story won’t start like this: “Jack and Jill woke up in the morning and decided to go for a ride,” and then end like: “And then Jack suddenly pushed Jill over the cliff. She died immediately.” The news that someone was killed always goes to the top of the story in some form.
I realized that I don’t want to cover accidents, because I can’t really take blood. I can’t even watch ER. And the worst is that in such a situation I have to keep looking for sources and push people to talk about what happened…
Oh, something funny. No, actually it’s rather ridiculous. In the middle of a disaster, when people are losing their relatives and homes, and firefighters are risking their lives, a journalist’s biggest problem is: “I can’t obtain the quotes I need to improve my story!” Ridiculous!! If I were a firefighter, I’d be really mad at journalists…
It was important to learn what’s the difference between being arrested and being charged. And again, this thing with really cautious wording! In print, the demand for accurate wording is acceptable. But how about broadcast, for example? What if libelous things just slip out when I’m reporting?
And finally: how can an editorial get to the front-page in case of a murder trial?
Police reports are inaccurate. Ouch! Police officers lie to cover up shortcomings and misconduct. Man, I think I’m just too naïve to be a journalist. Seriously. Who can we trust after all? I don’t want to end up as a bitter person who thinks everybody is suspicious and no one can be trusted.
It’s good to know that in crime stories, both inverted pyramid style and chronological order works. Even though, I think these two structures are mixed many times. Obviously, when a reporter uses chronological order, the story won’t start like this: “Jack and Jill woke up in the morning and decided to go for a ride,” and then end like: “And then Jack suddenly pushed Jill over the cliff. She died immediately.” The news that someone was killed always goes to the top of the story in some form.
I realized that I don’t want to cover accidents, because I can’t really take blood. I can’t even watch ER. And the worst is that in such a situation I have to keep looking for sources and push people to talk about what happened…
Oh, something funny. No, actually it’s rather ridiculous. In the middle of a disaster, when people are losing their relatives and homes, and firefighters are risking their lives, a journalist’s biggest problem is: “I can’t obtain the quotes I need to improve my story!” Ridiculous!! If I were a firefighter, I’d be really mad at journalists…
It was important to learn what’s the difference between being arrested and being charged. And again, this thing with really cautious wording! In print, the demand for accurate wording is acceptable. But how about broadcast, for example? What if libelous things just slip out when I’m reporting?
And finally: how can an editorial get to the front-page in case of a murder trial?
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