Chapter 8- Covering Criminal Courts
This chapter focused on criminal court cases.
I found this interesting: in law the correct terms are guilty or not guilty and never "proven innocent" but in reporting the proper term is "not guilty" because in case the "not" is somehow dropped the message does not change. I never thought about that before but it definitely makes sense.
Then there was the information on the term "Gag Order" which is when the media's access to a trial is limited due to the lawyers "trying their case in media more than the courtroom." I think that the media SHOULD be allowed in the courtroom. It is a public place and it is a right that we have in America to have access to court. HOWEVER, it is very important that the media does not sensationalize a trial, it important to stick to the facts and not create more conflict and tension that may not exist.
Finally a good tip was to pay attention during jury selection because it says alot about the trial. Sometimes jury selection is held in jury chambers but reporters are STILL allowed access except in unusual cases.
Chapter 9- Covering Civil Court Cases
In my Iroquois and Their Neighbors class we are studying the court cases of the Cayuga and Oneida so all this extra information on civil cases is really helpful. Basically civil cases take a long time to go to court and are not usually followed as closely as criminal cases because "pre-trial" is so lengthy. It was interesting to see how media plays a part before a case. Something news worthy may have sparked a civil case OR be used in a case.
After reading these court articles I realized I am much more interested in the workings court than I thought I was, I guess this is good because I may be reporting on it one day.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Hola America!
A recent article in the NY Times talked about the rise of awareness of the emerging Latino citizens in Iowa. I think it is a demographic that many candidates, sadly forget about. I have noticed many more Hispanics moving into my neighborhood and city in New Jersey, now I am not sure how many of them actually citizens of the United States or how many of them will vote but I think that Latinos will start to become more involved in the country. Having the ability to vote for who they want to represent them is a chance that they may have not had in the past.
One point was made by Alex Orozco, an organizer with United for the Dignity and Safety of Immigrants that I think is really interesting:
“But they are not. I don’t sense that the Democrats think immigration is a priority for them, not even close. When they do talk, they are often very good at talking more about enforcement because if they talk positively, they open themselves up to attack. The Republicans care more about this issue — but in a negative way.”
Of course Latinos are not going to vote republican but then again there really isn't a trust in Democrats either. I know that Obama has been heavily campaigning in Hispanic communities but I think it will take longer than this upcoming election to establish trust with Latinos voters. It is a very touchy issue right now and I don't think many of the candidates know how to handle it.
One point was made by Alex Orozco, an organizer with United for the Dignity and Safety of Immigrants that I think is really interesting:
“But they are not. I don’t sense that the Democrats think immigration is a priority for them, not even close. When they do talk, they are often very good at talking more about enforcement because if they talk positively, they open themselves up to attack. The Republicans care more about this issue — but in a negative way.”
Of course Latinos are not going to vote republican but then again there really isn't a trust in Democrats either. I know that Obama has been heavily campaigning in Hispanic communities but I think it will take longer than this upcoming election to establish trust with Latinos voters. It is a very touchy issue right now and I don't think many of the candidates know how to handle it.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Reporting on Court Causes and Crime for Dummies
Whew! Finally done with the reading for this week.
The readings on court and crime cases were very interesting, mostly because it was very informational. I really was not educated in either subject to everything I read was relatively new to me. So here is my break down on the reading, chapter by chapter:
Chapter 1.
This chapter dealt with getting into the crime reporting field and offered lots of good tips. First off, it said that most crime reporters do not get any training when they start the job so they either need to know about crime before hand or be a quick learner. OR they could read this chapter.
This chapter also, distinguished the differences between theft, burglary, robbery and all those other fun terms. This helped me because I didn't realize that there was such a difference between all of them. Now, I can be accurate. The author also suggested that in order to report about cops and crime, act like you are going to become a cop. Get into the element.
The author also urged to "tread lightly" because the crime happened to real people. Which I can see getting so wrapped up in the story that it could be easy to forget about that. He also mentioned the stress and danger of the field of crime reporting. I guess I won't really know until I try it but I don't think that crime reporting would be the right news reporting for me. It is a very stressful job, not that other reporting isn't but its stressful in a different way because you are dealing with people dying or who died, and other serious events. It would be hard to move from one depressing story to another and not have it affect me.
I liked the question that was asked at the end of the chapter: Do we give readers and viewers what they demand, or do they merely eat what we feed them? I think that this is a BIG question in the media right now. If you look at the headlines of the day you start to wonder. I think that some news outlets know what sells, and only reports about those topics, which is not what journalism is supposed to be about.
Finally this chapter emphasized standard reporting tactics such as to stalk sources, but make sure not to harass them and to be weary of everyone, always suspect.
Chapter 5
Chapter five was about dealing with victims. When you first meet a victim be careful and sincere. A good tip I got out of this chapter was that in order to stand out in an event where there are many reporters, be the one to just give a card with a note. This is because the best stories may come up after a while and/or the victim may remember you more than all the other journalists badgering them with questions. This chapter also said to use judgement with graphic details, not everything is fit to print.
Chapter 7
Chapter 7 is basically a crash course in the U.S. court systems and how a journalist should handle stories about court cases. It is hard to grasp all of the information so quickly, so this chapter would be a great reference if I needed to look something up really quick. While I was reading it though I wished that I had paid more attention to my civics class back in middle school.
I liked how the author related covering a court case like a sporting event. There is a winner and loser. So true.
Another good tip to remember was that it's about more than words. Watch how everyone in the court room acts, the jury sees this and the public should be able to also. Adding details about facial expressions and such would also be great elements to storytelling.
I liked that this chapter reminded that it is important to be respectful to everyone. Everyone and anyone could be helpful and no one wants to help you if you rude.
Chapter 7 also emphasized to make use of legal documents because a document can't turn on you. Then it also went on to explain the different sources that would be helpful to a reporter on a court case including; docker clerks, court clerks, law clerks, etc.
Of course, lawyers are excellent sources, although the chapter reminded me that a reporter must remember to keep objectivity when writing. Lawyers are representing their client and thus, may say things to only help their client. But they may also know when anything big in the case is going to happen, so they would be a good one to get a heads up from.
Finally, when reporting on court cases be prepared to stand up for what you wrote. And, this why having a documents as sources is important too.
The readings on court and crime cases were very interesting, mostly because it was very informational. I really was not educated in either subject to everything I read was relatively new to me. So here is my break down on the reading, chapter by chapter:
Chapter 1.
This chapter dealt with getting into the crime reporting field and offered lots of good tips. First off, it said that most crime reporters do not get any training when they start the job so they either need to know about crime before hand or be a quick learner. OR they could read this chapter.
This chapter also, distinguished the differences between theft, burglary, robbery and all those other fun terms. This helped me because I didn't realize that there was such a difference between all of them. Now, I can be accurate. The author also suggested that in order to report about cops and crime, act like you are going to become a cop. Get into the element.
The author also urged to "tread lightly" because the crime happened to real people. Which I can see getting so wrapped up in the story that it could be easy to forget about that. He also mentioned the stress and danger of the field of crime reporting. I guess I won't really know until I try it but I don't think that crime reporting would be the right news reporting for me. It is a very stressful job, not that other reporting isn't but its stressful in a different way because you are dealing with people dying or who died, and other serious events. It would be hard to move from one depressing story to another and not have it affect me.
I liked the question that was asked at the end of the chapter: Do we give readers and viewers what they demand, or do they merely eat what we feed them? I think that this is a BIG question in the media right now. If you look at the headlines of the day you start to wonder. I think that some news outlets know what sells, and only reports about those topics, which is not what journalism is supposed to be about.
Finally this chapter emphasized standard reporting tactics such as to stalk sources, but make sure not to harass them and to be weary of everyone, always suspect.
Chapter 5
Chapter five was about dealing with victims. When you first meet a victim be careful and sincere. A good tip I got out of this chapter was that in order to stand out in an event where there are many reporters, be the one to just give a card with a note. This is because the best stories may come up after a while and/or the victim may remember you more than all the other journalists badgering them with questions. This chapter also said to use judgement with graphic details, not everything is fit to print.
Chapter 7
Chapter 7 is basically a crash course in the U.S. court systems and how a journalist should handle stories about court cases. It is hard to grasp all of the information so quickly, so this chapter would be a great reference if I needed to look something up really quick. While I was reading it though I wished that I had paid more attention to my civics class back in middle school.
I liked how the author related covering a court case like a sporting event. There is a winner and loser. So true.
Another good tip to remember was that it's about more than words. Watch how everyone in the court room acts, the jury sees this and the public should be able to also. Adding details about facial expressions and such would also be great elements to storytelling.
I liked that this chapter reminded that it is important to be respectful to everyone. Everyone and anyone could be helpful and no one wants to help you if you rude.
Chapter 7 also emphasized to make use of legal documents because a document can't turn on you. Then it also went on to explain the different sources that would be helpful to a reporter on a court case including; docker clerks, court clerks, law clerks, etc.
Of course, lawyers are excellent sources, although the chapter reminded me that a reporter must remember to keep objectivity when writing. Lawyers are representing their client and thus, may say things to only help their client. But they may also know when anything big in the case is going to happen, so they would be a good one to get a heads up from.
Finally, when reporting on court cases be prepared to stand up for what you wrote. And, this why having a documents as sources is important too.
Blogs
Jen Giuliani: “um…9/11”
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1432332054926314857&postID=3602196364363561284
Angela Three Mile Island and Orwell
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=42257117073682694&postID=8521362734687163673
Moria I feel like I've been reading about crime for 827382 days...
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7382047850767314362&postID=853000419101295301
Brianna Really…what the fuck
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8919329766601485080&postID=301656211991392007
LuAnn More than words
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1074779367077476366&postID=8022255638331648111
Laura Hillary Clinton, no joke.
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2995385118409212375&postID=5799656686020647222
Marcus News Reporting and Writing
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6931476094949381542&postID=4038962242675357408
Kayla $5000 per baby? I wonder how much for twins…
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3914167033385081404&postID=6000932847964547380
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1432332054926314857&postID=3602196364363561284
Angela Three Mile Island and Orwell
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=42257117073682694&postID=8521362734687163673
Moria I feel like I've been reading about crime for 827382 days...
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7382047850767314362&postID=853000419101295301
Brianna Really…what the fuck
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8919329766601485080&postID=301656211991392007
LuAnn More than words
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1074779367077476366&postID=8022255638331648111
Laura Hillary Clinton, no joke.
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2995385118409212375&postID=5799656686020647222
Marcus News Reporting and Writing
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6931476094949381542&postID=4038962242675357408
Kayla $5000 per baby? I wonder how much for twins…
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3914167033385081404&postID=6000932847964547380
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Obama
I just read an article in the Baltimore Sun that reported on an interview on NPR with Barack Obama. It mainly talked about Obama's opinion on the war with Iraq and how it differs from Clinton's. I have been reading the news about the 2008 Election candidates but I hadn't really heard any interviews or speeches by Obama before. I only knew his views from how the media portrayed them, I hadn't yet heard them come directly from him. So this interview was really interesting. There is a difference between knowing about someone and then actually hearing how they speak, and how they process information and how they express themselves. I first started reading the article thinking I would blog about something to do with Obama vs. Clinton but then I was really intrigued by the responses that Obama was giving. He gave me this impression of a very calm and rational persona. I also saw him as not trusting everything congress and the Bush-Cheney team tries to get voted for and that is REALLY important because by now I think its been pretty clear that they are not to be trusted.
I know that many people do not think that Obama has a chance against Clinton because he is so young and not as experienced, but I think that it is time for a change. Not just a small change but a HUGE change. America needs a young, spirited and rational person to change things for the better.
I know that many people do not think that Obama has a chance against Clinton because he is so young and not as experienced, but I think that it is time for a change. Not just a small change but a HUGE change. America needs a young, spirited and rational person to change things for the better.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Giuliani, a Democrat?
I am not really a fan of Giuliani, but it was hard to pass up blogging about him this week because he just campaigned in my hometown, Cape May, NJ. Staying true to my roots I will use my local paper as a reference, The Atlantic City Press.
Giuliani stopped by the seaside town to help raise money for the state Senator, Nicholas Asselta, while also campaigning in a town that quite friendly towards the republican party. It was a I will scratch your back if you scratch mine type of deal.
He also spoke on the lawn of the Congress Hall which a historic building in Cape May where other presidents have stayed, however he is the first presidential candidate to visit the hotel during a campaign. His speech mainly consisted of bashing Clinton which must have become mundane for the democrats out there. But the real excitement was at the end of speech where he said "We need a Democratic candidate who, the day after the convention, is going to double and triple the size of his offices in New Jersey," the Republican said. "And that candidate is me. And you know who's going to elect me president of the United States? The state of New Jersey." Maybe he is getting confused with which party he is running for because of all the talk in the media that he is too liberal to be a conservative.
Giuliani stopped by the seaside town to help raise money for the state Senator, Nicholas Asselta, while also campaigning in a town that quite friendly towards the republican party. It was a I will scratch your back if you scratch mine type of deal.
He also spoke on the lawn of the Congress Hall which a historic building in Cape May where other presidents have stayed, however he is the first presidential candidate to visit the hotel during a campaign. His speech mainly consisted of bashing Clinton which must have become mundane for the democrats out there. But the real excitement was at the end of speech where he said "We need a Democratic candidate who, the day after the convention, is going to double and triple the size of his offices in New Jersey," the Republican said. "And that candidate is me. And you know who's going to elect me president of the United States? The state of New Jersey." Maybe he is getting confused with which party he is running for because of all the talk in the media that he is too liberal to be a conservative.
Covering a Nuclear Leak and Bullshit Writing
The readings for this week were the Assessment of Media Performance of the Three Mile Island event, Politics and English Language and Five Characteristics of Academic or Scholarly Prose.
The assessment of media performance of the three mile island was very interesting, specially since in class we had a fake news conference on the same emergency and then had to write about it. It really gave me the perspective that the reporters had when they had to report about the nuclear leak. The chapter hit on a few major topics: the importance of numerous sources, sensationalism, and understanding the technical scientific part of the emergency. I really liked how the journalists that were interviewed stressed that it was very important to interview more than one person or company for a story as big as the Three Mile Island. The journalists were not about to believe everything the company told them and that is very smart. Of course the nuclear plant does not want the public to know that the nuclear leak was a bigger deal than they were trying to make it seem. It was the journalists' duty to give the public all the information they could find on the topic and display it in a non-basis way. However, some journalists went too far and made the story much bigger than it should have. This usually happens with a story that is so competitive, there is alot of pressure to have the best story. The one aspect that I liked that the chapter mentioned was that the journalist had to deal with all the scientific information about nuclear plants. That is where I was lost when I had to write the story for class on Three Mile Island. As a journalist major I never even took chemistry so I was very confused about the whole workings of nuclear elements (or whatever its called, see I really do not understand science). I imagine that the real reporters of the Three Mile Island felt similar. In a situation like that I would have called up any nuclear experts I could find to have them figure it out and have them be my sources.
The other two readings talked about scholarly writing and the excess of words that many people use to convey a message. The whole time I was thinking about my friends and how when they have to write an essay for a class and they do not have any idea what to write they say "Well, I can just bullshit it." Pretty much meaning, they will just talk around the topic with lots of huge scholarly sounding words. This however just does not work in journalism because the purpose of journalism is to report facts to the public on news. Being concise is very much stressed in this field of writing and you just cannot publish "bullshit." I really liked George Orwell's quote "If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought."
The assessment of media performance of the three mile island was very interesting, specially since in class we had a fake news conference on the same emergency and then had to write about it. It really gave me the perspective that the reporters had when they had to report about the nuclear leak. The chapter hit on a few major topics: the importance of numerous sources, sensationalism, and understanding the technical scientific part of the emergency. I really liked how the journalists that were interviewed stressed that it was very important to interview more than one person or company for a story as big as the Three Mile Island. The journalists were not about to believe everything the company told them and that is very smart. Of course the nuclear plant does not want the public to know that the nuclear leak was a bigger deal than they were trying to make it seem. It was the journalists' duty to give the public all the information they could find on the topic and display it in a non-basis way. However, some journalists went too far and made the story much bigger than it should have. This usually happens with a story that is so competitive, there is alot of pressure to have the best story. The one aspect that I liked that the chapter mentioned was that the journalist had to deal with all the scientific information about nuclear plants. That is where I was lost when I had to write the story for class on Three Mile Island. As a journalist major I never even took chemistry so I was very confused about the whole workings of nuclear elements (or whatever its called, see I really do not understand science). I imagine that the real reporters of the Three Mile Island felt similar. In a situation like that I would have called up any nuclear experts I could find to have them figure it out and have them be my sources.
The other two readings talked about scholarly writing and the excess of words that many people use to convey a message. The whole time I was thinking about my friends and how when they have to write an essay for a class and they do not have any idea what to write they say "Well, I can just bullshit it." Pretty much meaning, they will just talk around the topic with lots of huge scholarly sounding words. This however just does not work in journalism because the purpose of journalism is to report facts to the public on news. Being concise is very much stressed in this field of writing and you just cannot publish "bullshit." I really liked George Orwell's quote "If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought."
Monday, October 1, 2007
The Curiosity of a Journalist
The readings for this week dealt with news releases and speeches. From both chapters I got the jest that in order to be successful at both news releases and speeches you have to research and question everything. When you are handed a news release you have to think from all different angles, incorporating experts and the people's opinion and check to make sure that the facts are correct. For speeches, a reporter should come to the speech with knowledge of the speaker and the topic. A reporter must be a curious person.
I also think that both chapters stressed that in no matter what situation a reporter should only write what they know. Recently this has been very emphasized in class. Truthfully, I think it is one of the most important things to remember in journalism, if not THE most important thing to remember. Reporting false information is horrible reporting.
I also think that both chapters stressed that in no matter what situation a reporter should only write what they know. Recently this has been very emphasized in class. Truthfully, I think it is one of the most important things to remember in journalism, if not THE most important thing to remember. Reporting false information is horrible reporting.
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