LRadtke

Newswriting Textbook Review

2008-05-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

"All the News" is a great book for beginning newswriters. In explains each topic of newswriting in a specific way and gives great examples. Some chapters could be cut down. You really only need one or two examples to get the point across. The strengths I found when reading, was the titles were precise, so that you could navigate the book easily. Also the book was easy to understand. Weaknesses include the lack of color and pictures. I like pictures even though there would not be many that would apply to the topic, I still believe it will present the topic more effectively. Overall, the book was thorough and it was easy to read.

me

2008-04-25T08:56:00.001-07:00

Listen to Lindsey - intro

Barack Campaigns in Pennsylvania

2008-04-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., pauses momentarily during a speech at a town hall meeting in Reading, Pa. Both Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., have been campaigning in preparation for Tuesday's presidential primary. (Photo by Bradley Bower / April 20, 2008)

Chapter 14 Warmup

2008-04-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

Objectivity: fairness, and factuality
Thoroughness: Completion, full detail
Accuracy: No mistake or error
Fairness: Honesty and free from prejudice
Transparency: no deceit, readily understood

Objectivity and accuracy is the most important because as a journalist, you must be able to be non bias so that the reader can come to their own conclusion about the aritcle. The aritcle itself must be completely accurate factually.

Pictures!

2008-04-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

Story:

No Story:

Doesn't fill the frame:

Fills the frame:

Action:

No Action:

Candid:

Not candid:

Brave and Educated!

2008-04-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

Sergeant First Class Jessica L. LaPointe has both mastered education and courage. She managed to double major while serving for her country. She is the definition of Army Strong!

This is the most I have for my feature story. I am having a hard time getting in contact with others whom used the army loan repayment program. Since it is the army, some individuals will be very busy. Two weeks isn't enough time to contact these individuals. I am going to need at least another week.

Brain Billick Rewarded!

2008-04-06T20:38:00.001-07:00

Famous--and recently fired--football coach Brian Billick will speak to students on campus before receiving a lifetime achievement award from the university at a gala dinner. The Towerlight editor has asked you to cover the speech.

The basic information that I would need would be the time and date of the speech. Who will be speeking at the speech and what about. What kind of award he will be recieving and where the speech will be held. I would also mention who would be attending the gala dinner. I would get this information by contacting Towson Union about all of the specifics. I would also do a breif history search on Brian in order to get background.

It would be a challange to be able to talk to Brian Billick personally because everyone else would want to talk to him. I would have to push myself to the front and ask as many questions as possible as quickly as possible.

In the towerlight I would put at variety of pictures of the event into the article. On the online version I might even attach an audio message from Brian Billick himself.

Army Strong!

2008-04-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

I interviewed Jessica LaPointe, sergeant first class. She was extremely informative after she got past the fact that I didn't want to join the army. The questions I asked were simple and easy for her to answer. She was very knowledgeable about the program. I am not a very good interviewer. I have trouble beginning and ending the interview. I also have trouble coming up with questions to ask the person.

Student loan repayment program!

2008-03-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

The program that I will be writing about for my feature story is on the Army Loan Repayment Program (LRP). This program will repay up to $65,000 of a student loan to a soldier. This program will cover any of the following educational loans: Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS), Stafford Loans, Perkins Loans, William D. Ford Loans, Consolidated Loans. According the the U.S. Army Educational Division in order to be eligible for the program you must be a non-prior service accession, Enlist with a high school diploma, have an Armed Forces Qualification Test score of 50, or higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), etc. I was unfortuatly unable to contact the media rep. I never got an answer. I must have the wrong number so therefore I have not set up any interviews yet.

LEMONADE!

2008-03-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

A feature story is one which is more interesting than important. It can be fun and exciting. There are a variety of different feature ledes. In the article titled Shake, rattle, and sell, the lede present is "Top of the third on a hot, humid Saturday night, and the boy sitting between home plate and the Orioles dugout wants -- what? Lemonade?" This is a Descriptive lede because it has sight, sound, and smell. It describes a specific place. This story is a feature story because its exciting and describes something out of the ordinary and its also close to home. This lede is different from other ledes we have done because its more creative and fun. There are not as many facts.

Lede Updated

2008-03-02T19:32:00.001-08:00

Students are constantly bombarded by credit card debt!=original lede

College students struggle to free themselves from piling credit card debt.=updated lede

credit card debt seems to continue to pile on to current credit card debt. It is a vicious cycle. Every college student struggles to find the key to eliminate credit card debt. Its important to understand how important it is to focus on paying bills ontime because as soon as you miss one payment the fees and other payments continue to add up.

The new lede defines the importance of college credit card debt.

Proofreading

2008-03-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

Quiet, Calm, Still

This is the atmophere for proofreading. Proofreading is often a tedious job but if you provide the right ingredients it will come easy.

While proofreading time will go by really fast and before you know it you will be out of time, so make sure you schedule enough time. Having an appointment or something scheduled later will disrupt the proofreading process.

Your mind must be clear and pure.

2008-03-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

LEDE: Towson physicians fight to keep helmet laws.

Motorcycle helmet laws may be changing. The Maryland State Legislature is taking into consideration a bill that will change the state law which requires motorcyclists to wear helmets. Towson physicians are opposed to the bill.

Monday morning, a press conference was held in front of Memorial hospital. Present were doctors from Johns Hopkins University hospital, Mercy hospital and Greater Baltimore Medical Center.
During the conference doctors exposed a petition to not pass the bill. There were over 400 signatures so far. Doctors hope to obtain around 500 signatures before sending it to State Legislature. The petition will be sent to State Legislature on Monday and considered next Wednesday, said Dr. Sodergreen.

According to Dr. Sodergreen, the number of serious head injuries caused by motorcycle accidents in Maryland is over 70 percent less now then when the helmet law was adopted 25 years ago.

Dr. Rivera also reported a study from last year about health-care costs related to motorcycle riding by the state medical society showed that emergency room costs alone could go up be more than 45 percent if the helmet law is repealed.

During the conference, two ambulances came charging towards Memorial hospital carrying two victims of an auto accident, one of which was riding a motorcycle. Grady Smith of 8213 Peach St. was the victim from the motorcycle crash. He suffered a broken arm and several broken ribs. If he was not wearing a helmet his injuries would have been more critical, reported his doctor.

My fabulous lede!

2008-02-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

The lede I chose for my news story is :

Students are constantly bombarded by credit card debt!

Helmet Laws Changing?

2008-02-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

LEDE: Towson physicians fight to keep helmet laws.

Motorcycle helmet laws may be changing. The Maryland state legislature is taking into consideration a bill that will change the state law that requires motorcyclists to wear helmets. Towson physicians are opposed to the bill.

Monday morning there was a press conference held in front of Memorial hospital, present were doctors from Johns Hopkins University hospital, Mercy hospital and Greater Baltimore Medical Center. During the conference doctors exposed a petition to not pass the bill. There were over 400 signatures so far and doctors hope to obtain around 500 signatures before sending it to legislature.

The petition will be sent to legislature on Monday and considered next Wednesday, said Dr. Sodergreen.

According to Dr. Sodergreen, “the number of serious head injuries caused by motorcycle accidents in Maryland is over 70 percent less now then when the helmet law was adopted 25 years ago.”

Dr. Rivera also reported that “a study from last year about health-care costs related to motorcycle riding by the state medical society showed that emergency room costs alone could go up be more than 45 percent if the helmet law is repealed.”

During the conference, two ambulances came charging towards Memorial hospital carrying two victims of an auto accident, one of which was riding a motorcycle. Grady Smith of 8213 Peach St. was the victim from the motorcycle crash. He suffered a broken arm and several broken ribs. If he was not wearing a helmet his injuries would have been more critical, reported his doctor.

Credit card ledes!

2008-02-25T11:04:00.000-08:00

One blog that I thought was written well was Matt Grant's. His lede was to the point, but it also had facts. I think it is a very effective leded because it will grab the attention but it will also express the widespread phenomenon. Another blog that i found interesting was Dustin Dorries. It has great describing words that identify the problem of debt for college students. Even though his lede was still rough, it incorporated strong meaning. My lede was not yet written. After seeing these ledes, I am able to see the importance of choosing your lede wisly. The lede potentially determines if the reader actually reads it.

Finding Sources

2008-02-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

Credit card debt is a very widespread phenomenon. Its important to know how students today are affected by it.

How did they learn to control? Who taught them the value of a dollar? Where students warned about the dangers of credit card debt? Where does the problem of credit card debt begin? In high school? At home?

The news story I chose to write is about the origins of credit card debt for the individual student? There are many sources that may be used in this news story. For instance I will interview my parents and my brother to get their insight and ask questions that relate to my topic. I will also ask a bank employee to see what their standing is on the issue. I will also ask an accountant or a financial advisor. A final source i will use is a individual who fell victim to credit card debt second hand.

After talking to Travis, a 17-year-old high school student, he had a very good reason for students being victimized to credit card debt. He explained "kids today care more about material things then they do about how much it will cost. They don't care about the cost and uses the credit card as a way to get it."

College Debt!

2008-02-05T12:20:00.000-08:00

After reading an article written by Sandra Block of USAToday, I found many interesting facts having to due with debt for a college student. Did you know that the average undergraduate student has a debt of $10,000? Debt among college students is obviously a huge issue today. Block explained that it is harder for middle-income families to afford going to college because they make too much to be approved for direct aid, and too less to afford to pay the full tuition. This leaves those families in a rut. Unfortunately this then leads to borrowing.

Years ago when tuition wasn't so astronomically high, students were able to use their summer job income or a part-time income to pay for the fees needed to attend college. Then tuition skyrocketed and students had difficulty coming up with the money. Block also went on to give her own advice as to what to do if you are a struggling college student. One idea I found very interesting was that credit cards shouldn't be used for any school materials or fees because the interest rate is way to high and if you were to miss a payment it would go even higher. Credit cards are both a luxury and a burden. Student debt is such a widespread phenomenon that $85 billion is the amount in which students owe.

New Technologies!

2008-02-03T20:52:00.000-08:00

One blog I found helpful and interesting was this one. It helps new motorcycle riders with common questions they may have, because honestly buying your first bike is a harder decision than you think. This blog is a good example because is caught my eye with a title such as "First Stree Bike Blog." Also when the author posts stories of other riders whom had difficulties, it allows others to be able to learn from their mistake or problem. Blogging differs from other types of newswriting in many ways. Journalists whom write for a print newspaper would write more formally than those whom only write for blogs. Magazines are also geared more towards detail and endorsments while a blog gets right down to business and the facts are straight forward and concrete. I do not read or write a blog regularly. I am mostly too busy to stop what I am doing to sign online. I do not like to read online usually, I would rather read print that way I can take it with me and if I am waiting somewhere I will have something to do. I think a blog that might be popular among college students would be gossip blogs or blogs that pertain to upcoming events. But for me I perfer forums, which are a common webpage that all members are allowed to post on. For instance, I belong to Mitsubishi forum. It is geared to individuals whom own a 3000Gt or Stealth. I am own a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4. It is very helpful to be able to have someone to go to if you are having problems with your car, instead of going to a dealership which are pricey and not helpful at all. PR professionals would use blogs in order to help advertise something or organize an event. They would also use a blog to interact with other people who share a common job interest.

Google Maps being used to show wilfire damage

2008-01-29T17:29:00.000-08:00

After reading the article I found that convergent journalism was used to get the wildfire story out to the public in the most efficient way possible. Convergent journalism is the "blending" of different forms of media. The LA Times used written information, recorded information, and televised information to construct the wildfire map. By doing this the LA Times were able to attract more viewers. The viewers in turn were given desciptive information that allowed them to check up on family and friends in the area or to even just become informed on the event occuring. The google map which I created is definiately a form of convergent journalism. I used information gathered from my peers and instructions written on a webpage to construct it. Google maps provided templates and icons to use when constructing it.

MCOM 255 Student Residences

2008-01-29T17:20:00.000-08:00

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