Enough is enough for Barack Obama. He has suggested that any further scheduled debates with Hillary Clinton are unnessary, and he just doesn't see the point. The rivals have had 21 debates so far.
If Obama is concerned that the debates are addressing the same issues to the point of redundancy, he is probably right. In the most recent debate Wed. night on ABC, it took 45 minutes before a single relevant issue was brought up. Before that, was simply unnessary banter.
If presidential candidates are going to square off and debate about concerns of the American people, that's great. We need to hear debates of substance that will reveal another part of the candidate, and who and what they stand for. But the media has taken advantage of this election...pushing for more and more exposure of Clinton and Obama.
The two are good for ratings and people genuinely want to hear what they have to say it seems. But, as Obama has suggested, the candidates have covered what they wish to have covered by now in the 21 debates thus far. Until something new comes up, it is unwise to keep pushing Obama and Clinton onto the media's stage.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Do your research
This semester, I'm taking a class where we have to produce a weekly newscast. Two of the stories in the rundown are always same-day reports, where a reporter and photographer team must go out and shoot a quick standup and usually get a soundbite or two. I was assigned to be a photographer to cover a story on the e-memo controversary surrounding the recent UCSU elections.
Because we only have about an hour and a half to set up and conduct interviews (then lug the awful combination of a J-school camera and tripod across campus), we often have to go with the first person who will answer their phone at 9 in the morning. Today, the secretary at the UCSU office set up an interview for us with one of the newly appointed tri-execs of UCSU. Unfortunately for us, the student was a member of the Drive ticket, and the subject of debate in the elections.
Neither the reporter or I quite realized who we were interviewing, which was our biggest mistake in covering the story. When we figured out who our interviewee was after the fact, the reporter said she would have asked much different questions. We're lucky that we didn't get completely biased (or at least in favor of Drive) answers that would have skewed our entire story.
There's no excuse for a journalist to be unprepared going into an interview. A journalist must thoroughly know both sides of a debate...otherwise, they won't exactly be able to convey an accurate and unbiased story.
Because we only have about an hour and a half to set up and conduct interviews (then lug the awful combination of a J-school camera and tripod across campus), we often have to go with the first person who will answer their phone at 9 in the morning. Today, the secretary at the UCSU office set up an interview for us with one of the newly appointed tri-execs of UCSU. Unfortunately for us, the student was a member of the Drive ticket, and the subject of debate in the elections.
Neither the reporter or I quite realized who we were interviewing, which was our biggest mistake in covering the story. When we figured out who our interviewee was after the fact, the reporter said she would have asked much different questions. We're lucky that we didn't get completely biased (or at least in favor of Drive) answers that would have skewed our entire story.
There's no excuse for a journalist to be unprepared going into an interview. A journalist must thoroughly know both sides of a debate...otherwise, they won't exactly be able to convey an accurate and unbiased story.
"A Blank Slate"
A quote in a recent NY Times article: " ...[a blog] is a blank slate to unload all the frustrations and emotions of a personal crisis."
According to the article, one in ten American adults with Internet access keeps a blog, mostly about their personal lives. According to the same article, divorce is pretty up there as far a hot topics in blogs are concerned. A blogger named Tricia Walsh Smith put an absolutely ridiculous video on YouTube as part of her blog, to expose her soon-to-be-ex husband's shortcomings. Apparently, blogging can be therapeutic, especially if the blog is meant to embarass or disgrace someone else. If you really want to reach a large audience, a blog really has no boundaries or privacy and can make a person as anonymous or infamous as they want to be.
An interesting point brought up in the article was a blogger's First Amendment right. A recently divorced woman profiled linked podcasts to her blog that also made derogatory remarks about her ex husband. The man ended up suing her for "offensive remakrs", but the Supreme Court of New York said the podcasts were protected by the First Amendment and did not have to be blocked.
I think part of the reason people blog is that they simply want their stories to be heard and want to be acknowledged, if only by one other person. For highly personal matters like divorce, it seems that a private diary might be more in order if someone really needs to write down their feelings. But...in an age where everyone's dirty laundry is aired, I doubt a diary is going to replace a juicy blog posting about a nasty divorce.
According to the article, one in ten American adults with Internet access keeps a blog, mostly about their personal lives. According to the same article, divorce is pretty up there as far a hot topics in blogs are concerned. A blogger named Tricia Walsh Smith put an absolutely ridiculous video on YouTube as part of her blog, to expose her soon-to-be-ex husband's shortcomings. Apparently, blogging can be therapeutic, especially if the blog is meant to embarass or disgrace someone else. If you really want to reach a large audience, a blog really has no boundaries or privacy and can make a person as anonymous or infamous as they want to be.
An interesting point brought up in the article was a blogger's First Amendment right. A recently divorced woman profiled linked podcasts to her blog that also made derogatory remarks about her ex husband. The man ended up suing her for "offensive remakrs", but the Supreme Court of New York said the podcasts were protected by the First Amendment and did not have to be blocked.
I think part of the reason people blog is that they simply want their stories to be heard and want to be acknowledged, if only by one other person. For highly personal matters like divorce, it seems that a private diary might be more in order if someone really needs to write down their feelings. But...in an age where everyone's dirty laundry is aired, I doubt a diary is going to replace a juicy blog posting about a nasty divorce.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Boulder loves the outdoors
If you've lived in Boulder for even just a few days, you should be able to tell that it is a very,very active town. It's hard to go outside and not see someone biking, running, walking their dog...if it's some form of exercise, a Boulderite is doing it. I've been training all semester to run a marathon in June, and have found no shortage of people out doing the same thing I am.
Something I didn't know until recently is how many recreational magazines are published right here in Boulder. Among the many, Skiing,Inside Triathlon, and VeloNews are all nationally distributed publications. If I decide to pursue a career in journalism, it's nice to know that I can work in Boulder, and still do all my favorite outdoor activities at the same time. For someone who loves to write and enjoys staying active, Boulder may pretty much be the best of both worlds.
Something I didn't know until recently is how many recreational magazines are published right here in Boulder. Among the many, Skiing,Inside Triathlon, and VeloNews are all nationally distributed publications. If I decide to pursue a career in journalism, it's nice to know that I can work in Boulder, and still do all my favorite outdoor activities at the same time. For someone who loves to write and enjoys staying active, Boulder may pretty much be the best of both worlds.
When it becomes more than a blog
I just finished reading the book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, by Tucker Max. I wouldn't recommend this for anyone over the age of maybe 25.It's pretty...graphic...although hilarious at times.
Tucker Max is a Duke Law graduate who took a collection of stories, mostly having to do with his random sexual exploits with college girls, and turned them into a book. He claims that the stories are all 100% true, although reading even one might give you reason to doubt this. Before compiling his outrageous tales into a book, he started his own website and blog at tuckermax.com.
In a previous post, I discussed how a simple blog can immediately catapult someone into the public eye. "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell" was a New York Times bestseller, and once again is a perfect example of ordinary writing from someone who didn't necessarily aspire to be a writer. The book brings itself down to a level that many people in the target audience might relate to, even if they haven't experienced anything quite like in the stories. Blogs, and books like Tucker Max's, have made mass communication and large audiences accessible. Although there will certainly always be a need for professional journalists, citizen journalists and bloggers are also playing an important role in informing and entertaining people. To some, its the non-journalists who might be the better source for what's going in the world.
Tucker Max is a Duke Law graduate who took a collection of stories, mostly having to do with his random sexual exploits with college girls, and turned them into a book. He claims that the stories are all 100% true, although reading even one might give you reason to doubt this. Before compiling his outrageous tales into a book, he started his own website and blog at tuckermax.com.
In a previous post, I discussed how a simple blog can immediately catapult someone into the public eye. "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell" was a New York Times bestseller, and once again is a perfect example of ordinary writing from someone who didn't necessarily aspire to be a writer. The book brings itself down to a level that many people in the target audience might relate to, even if they haven't experienced anything quite like in the stories. Blogs, and books like Tucker Max's, have made mass communication and large audiences accessible. Although there will certainly always be a need for professional journalists, citizen journalists and bloggers are also playing an important role in informing and entertaining people. To some, its the non-journalists who might be the better source for what's going in the world.
Celebrity Blogs
You probably know Mario Lavandeira from the celebrity gossip blog he pens...Perezhilton.com sound familiar? Although it hasn't been verified, Lavandeira claims that more than 8 million people will access his celebrity gossip blog a day. In fact, Lavandeira has been so successful with his blog, that he has basically made a career out of posting juicy Hollywood rumors. He is ultimately an example of an ordinary citizen becoming enormously popular through blogging. I don't go to his website daily or anything...in fact, I've only been to it a few times. But I've seen countless people in my classes reading away on their laptops to pass the time in a lecture that is decidedly less interesting. I wouldn't say that Lavandeira is a particularly talented writer, but his blog can be witty, and it's filled with lots of pictures that will at least make you giggle.
I thought of the Perez Hilton blog because I was curious how many actual celebrities keep blogs. I found a list here, although I'm not sure how complete it is. It's interesting how blogs bring celebs down to a very normal, average level...you could be reading one and feel almost like that person has an ordinary day-to-day existence. Although there's no way of knowing for sure if any actual celeb is writing their blog, I found that the random sampling of ones I went to were written very well and seemd to be almost another creative outlet, or at least a way to make sense of the whole celebrity lifestyle. My favorite was John Mayer's (not just because I love his music!), who posts to his blog pretty regularly.
Blogs are exciting to keep because they have the potential to reach a limitless audience...and can even take someone ordinary, like Lavandeira, and make them celebrities in their own right.
I thought of the Perez Hilton blog because I was curious how many actual celebrities keep blogs. I found a list here, although I'm not sure how complete it is. It's interesting how blogs bring celebs down to a very normal, average level...you could be reading one and feel almost like that person has an ordinary day-to-day existence. Although there's no way of knowing for sure if any actual celeb is writing their blog, I found that the random sampling of ones I went to were written very well and seemd to be almost another creative outlet, or at least a way to make sense of the whole celebrity lifestyle. My favorite was John Mayer's (not just because I love his music!), who posts to his blog pretty regularly.
Blogs are exciting to keep because they have the potential to reach a limitless audience...and can even take someone ordinary, like Lavandeira, and make them celebrities in their own right.
On and on, the story goes...
Since the story of the YFZ Ranch raid broke on April 4, updated headlines have appeared daily, sometimes more than once a day, on various news websites. CNN is my homepage, and they have proceeded to cover this story to the point where I don't really care to read anymore. Yes, it is an ongoing story because the custody trials are going on right now. Personally, I think this is a very sensitive story, especially because it is dealing with children and abuse issues...and therefore, should not be nearly as sensationalized...and reported on... as it has been.
It's fine that people are curious about the story...I know that I was in the beginning. But now, with stories appearing on CNN like "I survived a cult through coke" ( not the actual headline, but close enough to what the site had up earlier today), it just seems like media outlets are milking the story for all that its worth to attract audiences.
Journalists have the important decision as to what makes it in the newspaper, 10 o'clock newscast, or homepage of a website. The polygamist ranch story is interesting, and I'm sure it has an audience hanging on to every word that is published about it. However, there are other worthwhile stories happening at the same time that deserve attention. Media shouldn't have to resort to continually outrageous, sensational stories just to keep people interested.
It's fine that people are curious about the story...I know that I was in the beginning. But now, with stories appearing on CNN like "I survived a cult through coke" ( not the actual headline, but close enough to what the site had up earlier today), it just seems like media outlets are milking the story for all that its worth to attract audiences.
Journalists have the important decision as to what makes it in the newspaper, 10 o'clock newscast, or homepage of a website. The polygamist ranch story is interesting, and I'm sure it has an audience hanging on to every word that is published about it. However, there are other worthwhile stories happening at the same time that deserve attention. Media shouldn't have to resort to continually outrageous, sensational stories just to keep people interested.
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