What is Journalism?
I would like to preface this entry with the notion that I am speaking from a background of very little writing experience. I enjoy reading and have consumed a large amount of content over the years, but I am by no means a veteran of the trade. Journalism to me is the amplification of stories and events to reach large audiences. The content of the entry usually has some initial bias from the narrator’s perspective and facts are allowed to be omitted for the sake of the greatest story. Journalism is different from reporting in the sense that it is shaped by the writer, and it does not necessarily need to be completely open with the reader. The facts cannot be changed, however if some details are left out it is not in violation of the genre. A report is something that provides unaltered facts about the event. This discerning difference between the two allows for journalism to carry emotion and deliver messages through its publications. Journalism is therefore extremely important to the public, as it can reveal the similarities between peoples of different cultures and unite us against various issues. Journalism isn’t always used for the right purposes though and can result in the opposite, a division of people over a polarizing publication.
Elements of Journalism
One of the most interesting concepts suggested by James W. Carey about journalism in “A Short History of Journalism” is the existence and necessity of journalism/ reporting across all forms of life. This was made in reference to the debate between Schudson and Stephens in 1997 in which the two argued for need for journalism and its existence. Schudson claimed that it is merely a “temporal” development to further the mass production of news as a product. Stephens noted the opposite stating, that the existence of journalism was required for all living things or even society to persist. I prefer Stephens’ optimism as to the negative connotation that surrounds Schudson’s view but as Carey points out, they both have strong claims and can coexist as true. Cells must communicate with one another to identify foreign particles or potentially cancerous cells for the safety of the organism. Without this reporting of information constantly flowing between the cells, life wouldn’t be possible. It’s important to remember where journalism started in order to know the actual purpose of the information, we are consistently fed every day. The other most interesting idea I discovered within the article was the requirements noted for maintaining a newspaper over an individual habitually filling a journal. The press must concern themselves with the popularity and earnings that their publications are receiving. This causes the product presented to the public to have biases. This can show itself in the backing of organizations the people may not have initially without incentive, or the altering of information to gain approval.
WaRN Chapter 1
The most interesting portion of the first chapter was the section dedicated to the digitization of news and all types of media. The shift from hard copy paper and ink allowed for far more accessibility but with it came the challenge of marketing. No longer was the news able to be held behind a paywall each day or week as easily. Information can always be found on the internet if you search hard enough. For example, I have managed to find all the textbooks and other resources for each of my classes this semester for under $40. With a little bit of searching anything can be found. For that reason, it is pertinent for newsrooms to have additional incentives for users to pay for their presentation instead. Another important issue addressed under the “changing values” heading was that the accuracy of reporting and journalism has significantly dropped in recent years. This has largely attributed to the speed of production and the need to create marketable content as fast as possible to keep up with competing news sources. This is quite troubling as one of the original purposes for news was to ensure that everyone could be fully informed. If the accuracy of reports is dropping as this chapter suggests, journalism is becoming more of a business of entertainment than providing information.
WaRN Chapter 2
One of the most interesting and important ideas brought up in chapter two of WaRN was about the need to paint a picture for the reader. Specifically mentioned in the story was a former editor at the New York Times, Eugene Roberts, who noted that he was heavily influenced in his reporting style by Henry Belk, his editor before he left Goldsboro News-Argus. Due to Henry Belk’s blindness, he encouraged his writers to include great detail into their reports so that he could experience whatever event that had transpired. This is extremely important because most of the audience reading news reports are coming to them for new information as they did not experience the event themselves. Without effective description and clear communication, the reader cannot feel full sympathy for those who were affected. A common recurrence within this chapter was the emphasis placed on writing techniques needing to be compatible with mobile media. Within the section dedicated to the delivery of hard news leads, it was explicitly detailed that a lead should not exceed 35 words, and if possible, to keep the word count under that mark. This goes to show just how much the industry is influenced by emerging technologies.
- Quotation: “Its first loyalty is to citizens” wrote Kovach and Rosenstiel on page one of The Elements of Journalism.
Comment: If the first obligation of the journalist is to provide the truth and the first loyalty is to the people then there is going to be the occasional contradiction between the two. The truth could be detrimental for the public to receive.
Question: If the truth would do harm to the general public, is it more important for the journalist to always share information or are there times in which they should withhold information? - Quotation: “Technology may change but trust- when earned and nurtured- will always endure” wrote Kovach and Rosenstiel on page two of The Elements of Journalism.
Comment: It takes a much longer time to build trust than it does to break it.
Question: How many times can a news source get the facts wrong before the public refuses to respect them anymore? - Quotation: “While journalism should reach beyond such topics as government and public safety, journalism overwhelmed by trivia and false significance trivializes civic dialogue and ultimately public policy” wrote Kovach and Rosenstiel on page five of The Elements of Journalism.
Comment: The media has become oversaturated with fluff pieces and soft news. However, this is a direct response to consumer demand.
Question: Do the majority of people care less about hard news? Have we become too desensitized to care?
Gift That Keeps Giving to University, Planet
By Tracy Seipel
· Lede: The lede of this article is in a larger font size and placed directly below an image to draw the reader’s eyes directly to it. It provides the what, how, and why. The reader is then prompted to ask about the who, when and where concerning the large sum of money mentioned in the first sentence.
· Angle: The article is used to educate readers about the application and uses of clean energy on a university campus. It is extremely optimistic and paints SCU’s sustainable endeavors in a hopeful manner.
· People interviewed: The first pair of interviewees are a generous couple who donated 5 million dollars to help fund the project. It is essential for the reader to understand just where the money came from as well as know the motives behind the presentation of such a large sum. The SCU’s director of the Center for Sustainability was also interviewed about the project. This person is important to record comments from as she played a major role in the development and implementation of the solar project.
· Use of quotes: The majority of the quotes lack any objective information but together are used to show just how “Everyone involved with this project has been so incredibly enthusiastic about it” (Tina). The article feels oversaturated with quotations however, even if the intention was to prove just how much everyone loves the project.
· Context/backstory: The reader is explained the couple who donated the large sum of money’s background within the first few paragraphs and outlines why they may have provided the funding for it relatively early in the article. The only thing I am left wondering is what the couple’s careers are specifically in order to justify their large investment.
· Storytelling techniques: Moving further into the article the author Tracy Seipel shift from providing hard facts about the project to almost entirely opinion-based views of the project. The longer it continues the less important the information becomes for the average person. This is important because it shows the people who care less about the issue/ event any pertinent information at the beginning effectively and keeps the fluff for after which would be useful for anyone that is directly affected or involved with the project.
Journal#7
I find it interesting to hear that the publications of narrative series about real murders are allowed for public consumption in the daily news. It would seem too traumatic for anyone involved or related to the victim. I admire the serious time investment in the name of preserving the truth within the narratives, but at what point is making a profit off of using the likeness of a dead person wrong? Additionally, what happens to the narrative when someone involved in the story refuses to comment? The truth cannot fully be revealed without infringing upon the person’s desire for privacy. The descriptive techniques section in the chapter makes a few interesting suggestions. The first of them is to avoid going into too much detail when not necessary. Journalism isn’t meant to be beautiful, at its heart is the need to educate the audience on the matter at hand. The reader can understand what happened perfectly well without knowing what type of shoes the subject was wearing when they aced the SAT. The authors also suggest that journalists should avoid using adjectives and instead replace broad nouns that require them to hyper specific nouns. Not only is this a good way to avoid letting the author’s opinions bleed into the article but it also will keep the word count down.
Journal #9
From author to author the classroom held a wide variety of writing styles expressed through each person’s feature. Some of the stories had serious themes which required the use of formal techniques, while others covered lighthearted events around campus that were best conveyed using informal dialogue. The most impactful writing recommendations made throughout our editorial sessions each class were not concerning specific errors that individual writers had made, but instead overarching writing conventions that were not properly addressed in multiple articles. Many of us did not properly introduce or incorporate quotes throughout our stories. My personal error was not disguising the questions which prompted the answers used in my final piece. The most important comment I have made to multiple people is the issue of misrepresenting sources. In one student’s feature, the author attempted to offer their own opinions on how the quoted individual was feeling. It is dangerous to speak for other people, and if you need the information you are trying to make inferences off of then as the interviewer you should simply ask them a question which will produce the answer you are looking for. If someone is misrepresented in an actual publication with a representation it could bring a lawsuit forward which could be extremely costly, and all because someone didn’t get the quote they were looking for.
Journal #8
My own feature was received relatively well by the class today, despite my own misgivings about the drafted version. As I was reading through the story in class, I discovered that the sentence structures, when vocalized, were choppy. The lengthy sentences resulted in a jarring article that was difficult to read. If the words do not cleanly roll off of the page, the reader will likely drop the article and move on to the next. Going into the final version of my feature story I will make sure to trim some of the longer sentences to promote readability. Additionally, the class brought my introduction of quotes to my attention. I was unsure of how to properly lead into the use of a statement from my sources which meant that I left my word for word, raw interview questions in the final product. Before submitting the final draft, I need to rework the cited information so that it appears naturally throughout the page. In order to properly do this, I will need to explain why this quote is important and why the individuals interviewed have valuable opinions to supplement the passage. Due to the short window of time before submitting the first draft and my review session I only had one source to voice their opinions on the topic at hand. In order to provide the reader with the full story I need to include the ideas of more people. The most important people to gather information from are my head coach, a senior player on the team and potentially a player from another team with a different experience.
Journal #10
Chapter 5
This chapter begins with a testimonial from Pulitzer Prize winning writer, Barbara Walsh. She dives deep into the essentials of finding the information you need to bolster an article. The main point which was driven throughout her story was to always make the person that is being interviewed feel comfortable. The more that they are allowed to explain themselves, the more honest answers the reporter will receive, and they will be more open to answering the hardest ones after softening up. Without showing compassion for the interviewed party, they can become offended and call off an interview at any point, killing your piece. Even though news articles are under the strictest of timeframes, if you press to hard too soon the information will never surface. Another thing mentioned within the chapter that I found intriguing was the call for more observational inclusions to a breaking news story. When I think of hard news, I typically assume that the report will only include facts and not inferences, but the book tells readers that in certain situations even the expressed emotions of others should be included in emergency related reports. Observational writing is a great way to place readers at the scene, but the author should always make sure not to include too many descriptive adjectives in it to shed bias.
Journal #11
The first story and the one I hope to get a hold of the most is Professor Thomas Klak Ph.D. He is not only a passionate instructor for ENV 309 Sustainability and Ecological Restoration but the Vice President & Gene Conservation Chair of the Maine Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation, and the Science & Technology Committee member of the American Chestnut Foundation. I hope to speak to him at length about his work to restore the American Chestnut and the path he has taken to get to where he is now.
A secondary choice to create a profile piece on would be Susan Farady J.D. She is currently my discipline mentor in Marine Affairs and has a long history in the justice system. I am genuinely curious to hear more about how her life spent in the court room has led her to UNE and a life in the marine world. For others it could be useful or interesting to them to understand that no line of work is linear by learning about Farady’s life.
Editorial Reflection
As a relatively inexperienced author, especially in the field of journalism, each editorial session she new light on slight improvements that I could make to bolster my writing techniques. The very first improvements I realized I had to make required no one but myself to discover. When an author is forced to read their piece in front of a live audience, every grammatical error comes with a grimace. As I reached the third paragraph within my feature during the presentation of my feature to the class, I felt beads of sweat start to prickle at my scalp. Anxiety and the fear of embarrassment are extremely helpful emotions when reworking or editing one’s own work. More specific tips that the class echoed for almost every story presented consisted of how to properly incorporate quotes. Different styles of features required alternative introductions for people of similar status. In the more informational or hard news pieces it was very important to provide the reader with a reason to respect the quoted interviewee’s opinions on the issue. Additionally, many of us struggled with repetition of sentence structure and a general lack of variety throughout the publications. Instead of writing “so and so said” every single time a sentence needed to be credited, there are other manners in which the same message can be conveyed. Through a proper introduction and the indication from the author that the same person is still speaking, it is unnecessary for the same attribution to be used after the statement. The last thing, and likely the most important of all is the need to eliminate bias within journalism. Journalists are always going to have a hidden bias but to remove it to give the audience the least skewed perspective of an event, the author should provide every side to the story. The omission of a comment can completely changes the meaning of what the interviewee was intending. Once the writer gains approval from a source to publish a statement, the only thing that can be done to remove further bias is to limit the use of adjectives throughout the story which can reveal one’s perspective.
Journal #12
One of the most essential points detailed within chapter 17 of WARN was the need to do preliminary research on a subject before the interview. The soft toss simple questions can typically be found online with minimal effort. Why would you even bother to sit down with someone if all of the answers are already out there? It is important to use the presented opportunity to let the interviewee speak for themselves and put ideas on the table that they may not have shared before. I found it particularly interesting that Richman told the readers not to fear insulting/ coming off as rude to their targets by asking intrusive or obnoxious questions, after saying that interviews can be lost by asking the wrong questions. It reminds me of the lunch scene in Wolf of Wallstreet between Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio) and Mark Hanna (McConaughey) where the two are discussing how to make money. Hanna tells Belfort that as long as he is making money it does not matter what is happening with the client. Belfort counters with something along the lines of, wouldn’t it be for the best if he could find stocks that are mutually beneficial for himself and his advisee. Hanna denies this and states that the clients don’t matter, and as long as he can profit off of them, he is doing his job. I interpret this passage from the chapter in a similar way. As long as you are able to find an answer to the questions to create a profile, it doesn’t matter the methods in which they were obtained, uncomfortable/ rude or not.
Journal #13
So far, I have only created a rough outline for the profile piece. I have the structure of the article is laid out, and all I need to do is speak with my interviewee, Peter Ostergaard to fill it in. due to the nature of our relationship, I already have a feel for the types of answers I will be receiving from him. I feel comfortable and confident that the article I have written will follow the same narrative that he provides me with after speaking. If I had not been as familiar with my coach prior to writing the outline it would have been much more difficult to frame the article before speaking with him. It would have been dangerous to have written an article about him with the chance of whatever is said during the interview changing the perspective of the piece. Our interview was set to take place following a practice on Monday, March 28, but due to inclement weather he is no longer able to come to campus to run practice. Our interview is currently being rescheduled. The next possible interview period should be near the end of this week, and with any luck I can push on with my article.
Journal #14
The most important information given to me about my piece that was shared today was all about how to extend my profile piece. Some recommended to interview more people. They suggested to speak with players and assistant coaches. Unfortunately, Coach Ostergaard does not have any extra help currently within the coaching department. When I revealed this, we decided as a class that if I was not going to be able to include quotes from co-workers, that I could use this as an explanation for the tough season this past year. This led us to the next point of issue within my project. I had failed to include much detail about the fall 2021 season for the UNE Men’s Soccer Team and if the readers had not become acquainted with the team until recently, they may have missed the troubled season and would need an explanation. It is important to provide context for outsiders in order to expand the target audience. More readers mean more money. Additionally, as was expected, when I read through my article aloud, I was able to discover awkward phrasings that will be removed or reworked before the final product is ready to be published.
Journal #15
The most important revisionary details shared within the group editorial were comments regarding the inclusion of quotes from the interviewee. A lot of people who shared had minor problems with over introducing or re-explaining the quotes. As multiple peers pointed out, when the speaker is cited without inclusion of a preceding statement it can actually have a larger impact on the audience. The raw words of the subject when unfiltered are more respected and it is important not to change what they have said. A recommendation that concerned the final product indirectly was to revisit the interviewee a second or third time in order to clarify points or fully flesh out the profile. The truth is key, and if you as an author misquote or put words in the mouth of your subject, and the truth comes out, it could mean the end of your career. Personally, I have easy access to the person focused on in my profile, and there are definitely holes that I need to fill in. I will likely be discussing the missing fragments of my article with the interviewee once more. One other recommendation that came with the note that the interviewer may need to revisit the topic again with the same person is to not burn bridges for that very reason.
Journal #16
The most quintessential advice I was able to provide today was for authors to consider their angle and tone before introducing more quotes. There were multiple cases in which profile pieces meandered from one idea to another. Obviously, the people we are interviewing are not one dimensional, having only ever accomplished the focus of the paper, but it is important not to include unnecessary side information. We do not need to know the interviewee’s favorite type of food if they are a professor of physics, but we would love to know this about a cook. Always consider what purpose the quote or paraphrased information serves within the article. Each word printed coasts money, so don’t waste them. A basic recommendation everyone has received when presenting their rough draft of the profile piece is to go out and gather new sources’ opinions on the subject. If multiple people can back up the information provided and described within the article by the person, then the readers will be more likely to believe that the subject focus is a real person and grow an actual respect or admiration for them. Everyone should also read their own work out loud before submitting anything. Too often do we discover within seconds of starting to read our piece out to the class that the phrasing is clunky.
Journal#17
Today held a similar discussion to the past three group editorial sessions. We are finding the same minor errors within each other’s papers every class. There are two ways to look at this however, and I chose the more positive outlook. I believe that we are able to point out the small nit-picky things within each other’s profile pieces because of our own unique writing experiences that yielded similar errors. When we are told not to do the same thing again, it sticks, and we relay that information to the next person who befalls the same fate. The common errors are typically too lengthy of paragraphs, not enough supporting voices to ground the article and the occasional reminder to each other to pick one specific focus for their profile. A specific example of the latter was in Maddie’s paper when she was describing Jeanette Roux. The editorial team brought into question the need for extra detail surrounding previous jobs the cook had served. It was noted within the article that Roux had worked at two other restaurants within the Biddeford area but the names of said establishments were not included by the author. We as a class agreed to only include the names of the locations if they provided some sort of character depth due to the reputation of the restaurant.
Journal #18
The group editorial session today was shorter than most. This was due to two reasons, there were only two papers for us to provide feedback for, and one of the two profile pieces barely reached 300 words. The biggest takeaways from the peer review regarded how authors can explore the interviewee’s life to expand the essay. As a class we chorused that for a well-rounded and believable article, one must find multiple outside sources who have spent significant time with the subject in order to provide trustworthy evidence to support your argument of character. This could mean students who have taken classes with a professor or potentially fellow colleagues if they are able to be reached within a reasonable timeframe. It is very important though that the reporter does not pursue an elusive source for a minor quote they could fill using a similar source. A lot of times there are multiple people with the same views on your subject if they are really what you are framing them to be. This leads me to the next topic of discussion. Although the class did not dive deep into the issue of meeting deadlines, I would like to highlight how important it is when writing any journalistic article. Hard news loses almost all of its value after it exceeds the deadline. People will no longer have need for the pressing information if it is a few days old. Word of mouth will have already completed the job for most people.
Journal #19
The final editorial session of our semester unfortunately only graced the class with two articles for learning material. The idea I chose to dive into with praise and critique today concerned title choice. The first thing one notices when skimming through articles to decide if they are going to read an article is the title/ heading. It is very important to give the reader some information about what they may find within the piece but not to give away the whole idea before they even click. At the end of the day, all that matters is getting people to click on your link because that is what earns money. Obviously, having quality content and building a reputation will help more long-term, but as emerging authors, selecting a clever title is essential. One of the profiles reviewed in class today grabbed my attention when it suggested that psychology courses can not only benefit the students in the class but also the professor lecturing about it. I was genuinely curious to discover the secrets hinted at within the title. Unfortunately, the article went in a different direction, and I was left unsatisfied, but I read the whole thing waiting for the payoff. The lesson I took away from this experience was that if the author promises something it is likely that the reader will stick around until they find it (don’t make empty promises though).
