Bootcamp2007

12 million cows and 3 million people

2007-08-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

Looking at Sakina’s picture, I remembered how amazed I was the first days of class to getting to know people from so many different backgrounds and cultures, and I am sure that a lot of our learning during the year will come from our classmates as well as from our teachers. For me, it will certainly be a great opportunity, for in the country I come from, Uruguay, we are all so much alike we get used to it and lose perspective.

I was looking up some numbers in the Internet to illustrate my point: Uruguay’s main source of production is meat, with 12 million cows and 11 million sheep, whereas the total population of the country is of a mere 3.4 million habitants, and a million of them live in Montevideo, the capital city. There are towns in the rural area that are practically deserted, rural schools that only have two or three students that every morning go to class by horse (for every student there is a school, that is the government’s policy). The literacy rate is pretty high and because during the two world wars there was a massive immigration of Europeans, our cultural heritage comes mainly from Spaniards, Italians and at a smaller rate English and French. Until the 1950s Uruguay was regarded as the “Swiss of America”, which of course changed after successive economical crisis.

However, people still regard themselves as very cultured and open-minded. That isn’t always so. There is an essayist from Venezuela that writes for a Uruguayan paper, and she says the first thing she noticed when she moved to our country is that everyone kept asking her: “Why did you come here?” And no one was satisfied when she simply answered: “Because I felt like it.” She came to the conclusion that although Uruguayans are very proud of their country, they are also have an inferiority complex that makes them wonder why the hell would someone move there. It is a safe, nice place with beautiful beaches, but also pretty boring. The government has been discussing the same issues for the last 20 years and nothing ever changes. Everything is so bureaucratic that the country seems to be in a lethargic state.
Uruguayans are very concerned on how the foreigners see them, and if they like the country or find it slightly boring as well. And because of this inferiority complex, they suppose people from other countries usually don’t know where Uruguay is geographically located, or what it is like.

However, in school we learn very little about Africa, Asia or the Middle East. In our effort to be recognizable to the world, we make very little effort in knowing more about the rest of it, and become so narrow-minded that we end up learning very little about other cultures, even the North American one. I wanted to share this thought in this blog because I have met people in the class with a great deal of knowledge on foreign countries and a genuine interest in learning even more, and I hope I can achieve the same during the course of this year and the next.

Federica Narancio

A Wedding Arranged

2007-08-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, this is Sakina, the Indian student  this post is a taste of India… …It’s my personal experience, read on…

As one of our classmates plunged into wedlock this week, I think of my wedding to Salim last december. A marriage arranged in heaven, I still can't figure out why and how it happened, I am still finding the answers.

I was 25, and my parents were worried, I had a circle of friends (some of them boys) but nobody I wanted to say ‘I – do, do, do, to’. I am a Muslim by faith, and girls get married in my community at the age of 21- LATEST!
The pressure of my mother and her life raising four girls weighed heavily on me-
“You have two unmarried sisters after you Sakina, think about them, and get married.” There were many nice boyzzz to choose from in the community, my mom would tell me now and again, comparing me to my older sister Aiman, who has three kids at 30!

It was on the 2nd of May that Salim, his dad… his uncle and …his brother came to my house to see me. I was still trying to look presentable, with my short hair, clad in a traditional Indian outfit, I quite frankly looked silly. My mom managed to keep the guests busy with small conversation, sherbet and sweets.
It was not the first time; I was to handle such a situation. I was a pro at it, an expert. Having seen close to fifteen and up suitors, I was in a way tired of getting myself set up for a marriage. It just had not worked for me.

Salim had his own story which I got to know much later, a construction engineer working in DC, he had big brown eyes, I thought of them as X- ray quality eyes, which could look through a person and hid behind glasses. I walked into the room and I could feel them scanning me.

I sat down on a chair next to my mother, and the room dropped to pin drop silence.

I took my own time to look at him, his hands, his smile, his cleft on the chin, his feet (hahaha!)…that was all that was permissible. LOOK!

He was looking at me too, until our eyes met.

“Will you come to America with me?” He said breaking the silence.
He did not wait for a reply, Salim was nervous.

“May I take your daughter out tomorrow, aunty?” He asked my mother.
My mother looked at me, I looked at her, and I agreed.

Salim and I both are cosmopolitan youngsters from Mumbai, educated abroad and traveled extensively; both of us were put into this situation, that one would imagine happens only in rural India. Arranged marriages do exist and are a custom that will never die as traditions go through a revamp in now globalised, Mc Donalised India.

It was a Tuesday when we first met. The chronology of events that followed are still crystal clear to me;
On Wednesday I met Salim’s mother,
On Thursday he met my father,
On Friday he proposed to me,
On Sunday we were engaged
….and on Monday, Salim had to fly back to DC.
We got married after six months, in December.

Today after eight months of being married, it is very common for both of us to say to one another,
“I can’t believe, you’re the same guy/ girl I married.”

We argue everyday, we want to kill one another already, and then we remind ourselves…we are in love.
We have nothing in common! He’s not the sporty kind, I ‘m not the dancing kind. I like him with a beard; he likes me with long hair. He likes coffee, I love tea.

It seems we were mismatched from the start and when people ask me how I met Salim, I just tell them, “It was a miracle!”

Bootcamp

2007-08-18T04:57:00.000-07:00

Now that it's over, I wonder what I will do with myself for the next week. I remember being petrified the first day of boot camp, especially after the class introductions. I kept wondering if I could do this, and if it was worth it? I was so scared of the deadline reporting we had to do, and I felt my writing was elementary. I was so ready for failure that at times I wondered why I even bothered. Yet now, three weeks later, I am happy to say I survived boot camp, and learned a whole lot in the process. I got to interview random people off the street, that was hard for me, it still is, but I am coming out of my shell. I got to meet my congressman from North Carolina. I met people who are affected by the anti-illegal immigrant laws and got to see first hand how hard it is for them. I learned a lot about myself in the process, and I am looking forward to leaning so much more.
Good luck to everyone, have fun during your time off and get some rest. I am looking forward to seeing everyone next Friday and possibly everyday for the next year or so.

Uzo Nnabuihe

Utah Miners

2007-08-18T04:06:00.000-07:00

For almost two weeks we have followed the news on the six miners trapped in a Utah coal mine. It has been a hard story to follow, mostly because they are still trapped. On the news there are clips of the families hoping to hear some good news, volunteers standing by ready to do whatever they can, and news vans, hoping to capture the latest development. Most recently a cave-in killed three rescue workers and injured six of them. As a result, the search for the trapped miners was stopped. The mayor of the town was on GoodMorningAmerica on friday, and he talked about staying with the families of the trapped miners and trying to comfort them as best he could. The mayor also talked about losing his dad in a mining accident 50yrs ago, and how he knows what it is like to lose a loved one in such a horrible way; but that it does not make it any easier to say the right things to the grieving families.
A few of the miners said they didn't want to go back to work in that mine because it was unstable, this was right before the second cave-in that killed the three rescue workers.
In his article on the political affairs website, Joel wendland writes that the mine had 325 federal safety citations and that the mine was cited for not having a second escape passage in the same area where the miners got trapped in. http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/5734/1/278/
Wendland also writes that the fines have not been paid and the problems have not been rectified. Now there are three men dead, six trapped and we have no idea how much longer they can survive.
I wonder what will happen to the mine and mine owners, what kind of punishment will they recieve, besides worthless fines, for their failure to provide a safe working environment for their employees? What about the families? what kind of provision will be made for them if this doesn't end well? It is disheartening to see such hard working people go through difficult situations like these, makes it seem like they can hardly catch a break. My heart goes out to all the wives and children of the miners involved. It is not an easy time for them, and no words can soften the pain they feel, but our prayers go out to them, and we hope for the best.

My Helen Thomas experience

2007-08-18T03:18:00.000-07:00

When I was Ten years old Elizabeth Nze,a well known newscaster,refused, while on air, to read the news. It might not seem like a big deal now, but in Nigeria, in 1992, it was. At that time the country was ruled by Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, a dictator to say the least. During his reign all media outlets were monitored by the government. Newspaper, t.v. and radio stations reported news that had been given the OK by those in charge. On that fateful evening, Nze got a copy of the news and skimmed through it, we didn't have teleprompters at the time, then she put it down and said "I am not reading this. These people know what is going on, I will not read this." After saying those words, she got up and left.
To this day, I always think about her and how hard it must have been for her stand her ground, both as a journalist and a woman. Living in a country like Nigeria, women were hardly ever in the forefront of the fight for social justice; that is why Nze's actions will always be a turning point in my life. After watching her on t.v. that evening, I decided I wanted to be a journalist like her; one who reports the truth, and not some trumped up story, or one sided news.
Listening to Helen Thomas brought back all those warm and fuzzy feelings I had when I was ten. She is an inspiration to say the least. It is inspiring to see someone stick to what they believe in, regardless of what they might lose as a result. Helen Thomas has called on journalists to wake up, this includes those of us who are about to join this elite group of news gatherers; we need to wake up.
For me a country that protects the rights of its journalists and gives them the freedom to write truthfully, is an opportunity too good to waste. I hope to learn as much as I can, and use what I have learned for the good of others, no matter how small my contribution may be, as long as it helps someone, I will be satisfied.

Uzo Nnabuihe

Why (some of) the Military Hate (some of) the Press

2007-08-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtesy of Jarhead, the movie.

I interviewed a Marine the other day for my story. He was running a MySpace page in support of George Bush. It didn't relate to my story, but we got on the topic of the press and the military.

"I'm so sick of the news," he said. "All they say is all of the bad things that happen, why didn't they talk about the school I helped build? Or the sick kids I helped?"

This is one of many soldiers who I have heard complain about press coverage of the War in Iraq.

Contrary to soldiers' opinion, a lot of press regarding the war was fairly status quo. I did a thesis analyzing the first year of coverage of the War in Iraq, and found that most journalists (embedded or not) had a strong reliance on U.S. official sources. Now, I don't blame them--they were in a new country and didn't know the language and were being fired at--but that was the truth.

The one journalist who stuck out was Anthony Shadid, a Lebanese reporter for the Washington Post. He had a tremendous amount of civilian sources, as well as officials from both sides, and, surprisingly, some of the lowest ranking army and marine sources (i.e. the Privates, a.k.a. 'grunts', rather than the Lieutenants).

I read another article the other day that reminded me of the type of reporting I saw from Shadid. It was in the Raleigh News Observer by a man named Jay Price. He has performed three tours of Afghanistan and he wrote a three part series highlighting two pilots who nearly died in a helicopter crash. He covered how they got along with their brigade, what happened, and what is occurring in their lives now. It was not episodic or overly official-based. It painted a picture of what it was like for them--the good and bad.

Thinking back to my conversation with Christopher, the Marine, I wonder what he would have thought of it. I'm sure it would have been different than the stories he had read. It showed knowledge of military life, an understanding of the structure and struggles. This is lost on a lot of journalists, who I think often see themselves as smarter or better than folks in the military.

Being from a military family (three grandparents served for longer than one war, one was a life member), I have a respect for the military that runs deep, and yet I know I don't understand what folks are going through. I would like to be a reporter that military families could read and trust. Someone who understood the culture and told the story that needed to be told, without patronizing the soldiers or their sacrifice.

-Katharine Jarmul

Live on the web

2007-08-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

If you're like me, sometimes you feel like you're living online. Sometimes when I get home from school or work, all I want to do is zone out in front of the web. After a while, I need to close the computer and look at something that's not virtual.

Nonetheless, I can't help but tempt you all with some fun links I've discovered:

Here's a fun site that gives you a how-to on making interesting stencils
My lawyer says I am not advocating defacing public property!

An a great site on DIY silkscreening of T-shirts:
My lawyer says don't screen print anything on public property either!

An awesome site about ingenuity in Africa. Seriously, it's pretty rad:
My lawyer says Africans make kick-ass gadgets!
HINT: Check out William's Windmill, about 3/4 of the way down the page, and the wind-powered cell phone tower, right above it. Also, the knife-sharpening bicycle.

That's it for now.

Sarah

Fake trend stories

2007-08-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

Anyone else out there notice these dubious "trend" stories?

You know, when you read there's been an alarming rise in teen sex or, I don't know, pick your favorite worry of the week, but the writer doesn't have great stats to demonstrate the trend? I feel like Time and Newsweek are especially guilty of this.

An article I read about a Newsweek story on slate.com got me thinking about this.

It gave me pause, because I think journalists can do a good public service by taking the time to look at how our society is changing. That includes getting the word out when there ARE troubling trends out there. But how do we avoid raising alarm bells when they aren't needed?

When we do that too much, we lose credibility and contribute to a culture of fear that prevents people from being able to see their world clearly.

For instance, people hold a lot of irrational fears that news stories can help to encourage. The example that's on the top of my head is a pretty famous one: car travel vs. air travel. Many more people die in car travel than in air travel, but not a lot of people have an irrational fear of cars. (I think Malcolm Gladwell might talk about that one in one of his books, Lisa? :) )

I know there are better examples of irrational fears that reporters play up because they make sensational headlines, but you get the point.

I can't say I have the answers on this issue, but I do know I'll be thinking about this a good deal when I write. I think it's really important for us as reporters to learn how to use statistics carefully and accurately, and not to blow a story out of proportion just to suck readers in. Journalism, as a reporter that talked to one of my classes once said, is an intensely ethical profession. Reporters frequently weigh the ethical implications of what they do, much more so than those in many other professions. When you're writing a story, you gotta consider more than how splashy a story is!

Just a thought...

Sarah

This just in

2007-08-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

For all you Stewart & Colbert fans out there, I thought I'd post an interesting out-of-character interview Stephen Colbert did with Charlie Rose:


Stephen Colbert is really smart!

If I may say so, it only makes him cuter.

-Sarah

PS: After the clip ends, there'll be links to the next few minutes of the interview.

PPS: If you don't mind having this song stuck in your head for the next week, check out this funny song by an independent singer/songwriter from NYC:

Re: Your Brains

Final thoughts

2007-08-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

My final really-last-minute shameless post, by Lisa Chiu. Here are some bullet-pointed final thoughts about boot camp.

* Everyone should join facebook. It's very addictive. We can create a group called "Bootcamp 07' -- way better than Bootcamp 06'."

* I love things like Found magazine (foundmagazine.com) where people submit notes or found objects that they've discovered on the street or random places. I also love overheardinNewYork.com -- a great website that lets users submit the greatest conversations they overhear in New York City. They don't have one for D.C. yet, but I found one that is kinda simliar:

http://eavesdropdc.blogspot.com/

The best thing I overheard once while waiting to use a restroom in a Seattle bar: One guy says to another -- "If you wanted to ask her out, you shouldn't have called her sister a slut."

* Has anyone else noticed how the Tenlytown escalators play music? I'm not certain but I think it's the Gershwin brothers' "Summertime." I wish I had a recorder to record it. I swear it's saying "Suuuummmmmertime and theeee liiiving is eeaaasy...."

* Finally, whatever you do, don't mistake our website for http://bootcamp2007.blogspot.com/

I think it's an actual bootcamp.

Have a great week off!

Lisa

Malcolm Gladwell: The best metro reading

2007-08-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

Good morning,

I wanted to share two books I’ve devoured this summer. They’re both by New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell: “The Tipping Point” and “Blink.” I finished both in about a week each, and it made waiting for and riding the metro so much faster because he writes so well. He used to be a science writer for the Washington Post, so he’s able to explain complex things really easily.

In “The Tipping Point” Gladwell explores the idea that little things really do make a big difference. They can literally “tip” – creating dramatic change. He followed trends that exploded because of the smallest of things.

Crime on New York City’s subways was once horrendous. City officials tried to fight it by hiring more police to prevent the violent crime that was taking place, but it was changing the little things like fighting fare jumpers and painting over graffiti that really made a difference. The idea is that graffiti and a relaxed view of fare jumpers led people to think that no one is watching the subway and everyone who rides it gets a greater feeling of lawlessness -- which allowed violent crime to flourish.

Gladwell also followed how hush puppies made a major comeback from near-bankruptcy to the hottest fashion item, simply because some club kids in New York started wearing them, and suddenly fashion designer took notice.

In “Blink” he follows another great concept – how we as members of the animal kingdom are able to determine things about other people in a matter of seconds. He cited a study of hundreds of married couples who were filmed talking about something that was a bone of contention between the two of them. He set up cameras that tracked each person’s face, their blood pressure and tone of voice for ever millisecond of the conversation.

What he found was that based on each person’s millisecond reaction to the debate, he could determine with great accuracy, whether or not that marriage would survive. These miliseconds were indicative of their entire relationship. The couple may have looked like they were just chatting about something innocuous – like a smelly pet – but in fact there were clear signs that the issue revealed a greater decisivenesses in the relationship.

He studied how a huge percentage of CEOs are about six feet tall. While it might not be okay to have bias in the U.S. on gender and race, humans seem perfectly wiling to have biases against height. Gladwell argues that humans quickly look at someone and assume that they are “leaders” often based on how tall they are. (By the way Clinton was 6’2” and Bush Jr. is 6’. While Hillary Clinton, is 5’8”) It’s totally changed the way I think about height.

Warren Harding, was apparently so good looking and tall that political insiders made a push to make him president and he turned out to be what many historians characterize as one of the worst presidents in American history.

He also followed face-reading experts who mapped out the hundreds of human facial expressions that exist. The experts were so good that they could tell by looking whether someone was lying and wanted to be caught and loved for their indiscretions (Clinton, during the Lewinsky scandal) “Clinton’s got a way of rolling his eyes, along with a certain expression and what it conveys is: ‘I’m a bad boy.”

They also studied the O.J. Simpson trial and found that Kato Kaelin, though trying to look aloof, had a look of contempt for Marcia Cross that resembled “a snarling dog.”

These facial expressions are involuntary and universal, no matter what culture someone grew up in. I would love to learn this skill – imagine being able to spot a liar in seconds?

What I love about Gladwell and what I think we can learn from his writing is how he translates difficult concepts into something fascinating. I’m also so jealous of his job, he literally writes about human emotions and cognition. How cool is that?

Lisa Chiu

A Virginia Commuter Finds Hope and Optimism After Visiting the Hill

2007-08-17T06:32:00.000-07:00

"We can't take I-66 home today," my mom said. "The traffic is terrible. The weather is so nice and so many people are on the road."
As I open the vent to let the air conditioner breathe fresh air on me, I listen to my mother. I reminisce about my Capitol Hill experience today and my discussion with Dan Scandling, the chief of staff and press secretary in The Office of Congressman Frank R. Wolf (R-10th) of Virginia.
I feel a sense of release. I am so glad that funding was approved for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on I-66. I was elated to discover that Congressman Wolf is working for people in the Shenandoah Valley.
After reading a press release from Congressman Wolf’s office, I learned that BRT is a train car on wheels, uses dedicated lanes, enhances fare collection, platform loading and other elements of rail systems to provide faster transit service but at a lower cost.
"Wow, that is good," my mom says, referring to the bus transit. "You can ride that in the mornings."
"Mom, the money was just approved," I said. "It will not go into effect until the next couple of years."
I hear Scandling's voice in the back of my mind.
"Transportation is the number one priority in this office right now," Scandling said. "It's taking 10 years, and they still have not started construction. It's just getting going. It's expensive, [and] it is going to require money and creativity."
As we find another route home, I close my eyes. We are sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. I have a flashback.
"Over the past 25 years [Congressman Wolf] has been involved in transportation [issues]," Scandling said. "From 1995-2000, he served as the chairman of the Transportation Appropriations subcomitee. The people are coming [to Virginia], and you have to provide them with transportation."
In the end, I think about my long commute down I-66 in the mornings and evenings. Tiring, I think to myself. On the other hand, I feel a sense of relief. It's an honor to know that our Congressman cares about us Virginians just outside the beltway—in Middletown, Va.
"Well done Congressman Wolf," I whisper.

--Janelle L. Plummer

The Rise of Citizen Journalism

2007-08-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

As the world evolves, and we live in a technological society, the rise of citizen journalism is remarkable. From capturing pictures on camera phones to telling the story, everyday people are able to create the news.
According to the Missouri Group, "citizen journalism or participatory journalism is a form of media in which citizens actively participate in gathering and writing information, often in the form of news."
So, what will become of the world of journalism in years to come if we welcome everyday people into our world, our career and our profession? Can anyone really become a journalist? I’ve never heard of citizen doctors, citizen lawyers or even citizen nurses, right?
“Citizen journalism at its best extends the eyes and ears of the reporter. In effect, anyone can become a journalist, reporting on what he or she sees. […] As the Internet evolved, that began to change. One reason it changed is that citizen journalism, journalism produced by non-journalists, began to flourish, challenging the dominance of traditional media in the process of disseminating news. Anyone, it seemed, could become a journalist or even a publisher,” (Missouri Group, 289-290).
Rem Rieder, editor and senior vice president of American Journalism Review at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., in an interview said that citizen journalists are untrained substitutes.
"I think it is important to keep in mind what citizen journalism is and what it isn't," Rieder said. "It's a substitute for what journalists do. It's valuable for on the scene reporting. Citizen journalism is a nice addition to the mix as long as it is used properly."
On the other hand, Paul McLeary, staff writer at the Columbia Journalism Review at Columbia University in New York in an interview, said that in the future citizen journalists will need the resources if they want to venture into the world of journalism.
"It never really hurts to extend the field," said McLeary. "They can start blogs and Web sites, if the product is good. In the end, it's going to take someone who can do it full-time, someone who can move the story and break the story.”
To be sure, citizen journalists have been there for breaking news stories, for example, when the Minneapolis bridge collapsed and during other major events or tragedies when professional journalists had not arrived on the scene. OK, so we give them some credit where credit is due.
In the end, let’s watch and be on the look out for those non-journalists entering or field. I do agree, in the end it is going to take professional and trained journalists, someone who has the knowledge and skills to cover a major news story.
And leave non-journalists behind because they are amateurs, part-time and substitutes. Our profession.

--Janelle L. Plummer

MC Rove

2007-08-17T05:36:00.000-07:00

I've never been a real big fan of Karl Rove, so now that he's stepping down, it's really interesting to read all of the coverage and in-depth reporting that has appeared regarding his personality and working style since his announcement.

This month's Atlantic Monthly has a really good piece about him and his failed plan for Bush and the Republican party. The Washington Post also had a nice piece about the "Architect."

In some of the Post's coverage, they talked about many of Rove's failures: The War in Iraq, the Valerie Plame issue, immigration problems and the 2006 elections. They turned the corner on this and Post reporter Peter Baker asked Rove what he regretted most about his time as the president's advisor. Rove's response?

"I regret accepting that invitation from CNN and going to that stupid dinner and getting turned into MC Rove."

Seriously? Considering the mistakes he's made and the shape the Bush administration is in, I'd say Rove is a little too concerned about his image. I just thought it was interesting that the thing he regrets most isn't letting down his pal Bush, but rather his becoming an Internet celebrity with his ridiculous video.

If you haven't seen it, please take a look:

- Jodi Westrick

2007-08-16T23:24:00.000-07:00

I was quite impressed with John Watson's presentation on journalism ethics, particularly his heretic notion of licensing journalists. I have to admit I'd never considered the idea of a government body issuing journalism standards. But though it would be exciting to have the status of doctors and lawyers, I disagree with the idea of licensing of journalists.

The official recognition of the practice of journalism would likely bring higher standards and legitimacy to the journalism across the board. Under the government's wing, journalists might get greater protection as well, like a federal shield law. But this would all come at the expensive of a violation of church and state (i.e. government and media).

Even if a balance could be struck where the government enforces standards for journalism that don't impede its impartiality or depth, the media is really best at criticizing the media. If, after the media is done cannabalizing itself, some aspect we find distasteful persists, then it's because that form of expression is profitable. There's nothing we can do about that but take comfort in the idea that high-brow journalism will also remain profitable. To say that what so many people are clamoring for, even if it's Paris Hilton news, is unnecessary or low is to become elistist and lose touch with our own audience.

Besides, the idea of sanctioning who is and isn't a journalist runs completely contrary to the most exciting trends in journalism right now. For example, blogs utilize writing and reporting styles that simply wouldn't fly in a legitimate news room, but by adding perspective and interactivity to the news, the overall effect is an improvement in the quality of public discourse. And blogs finally answer the question of who will watch those who watch over democracy. Freelancing and self-publishing both should recieve a boost from new techologies as well, as falling production costs for quality content lower the price threshold for becoming a journalist.

-Casey

Are journalists avoiding the truth because it easier that way?

2007-08-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

I have been listening to what seems to be the same story on a loop on news channels for a few weeks. The story is about our plummeting stock market and how the sub-prime loan market has added to this downward spiral. Before I started this class i thought something was missing from the story. Now I'm sure. I have not heard an interview from a single person who signed someone up for a "sub-prime" loan, nor have I heard an interview from someone with a "sub-prime" loan. This whole mortgage industry crap is scummy and that is a given. Journalists covering the issue should work to expose all of the elements that went into this inevitable bursting bubble. They should not add to the idea that the people who got those awful loans are not worthy of loaning money too without exploring who those people are and asking them what they understood the loans to be when they signed up for them. There is a whole side of this story that embarks on a new age and a new language of discrimination that I have not heard anyone address. People should be aware of what they are up against; the government, crime, and the banks. Journalist can tell people what the dangers are in life and they should. This whole mortgage loan thing is a danger that is turned around on the people like they are the dangerous ones. Where is Chris Hansen when you need him???

Photo Essays

2007-08-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

Lately I’ve been thinking about journalists/citizens/everybody with a camera’s responsibility to take pictures. There are moments and frames that just have to be captured.

Maybe professor Olmsted’s slide show (the one with the cute fuzzy animals) had some impact on me, I don’t know, but it made me think about photo essays.

I consider the black-and-white photo essays very powerful. The pictures, carefully organized, just demand your attention. They are one of the few things that look better printed on paper than posted on a screen.

TIME magazine had one in its latest August issue. I think this one is interesting too:

http://www.efn.org/~hkrieger/mural1.htm

Radina

Eat the Rich

2007-08-16T20:26:00.001-07:00

I've only been living around Georgetown for a couple weeks and already I was invited to a wine tasting. This is the kind of person I have become: from grizzled, scarred son of a mechanic from the great northern parts to a guy who gets invites to wine tastings and watches passing Vespas enviously.

It's important to note that I live in Glover park and not Georgetown proper. As such, I find myself surrounded by rich kids while living in debt myself. For the moment, I fake it--although probably not as hard as some of these Georgetown kids do, come to think of it.

"A wine tasting," I reply slowly. "What a great way to educate my palate."

"I guess you could do that," says Erik, my host. "I'm really just trying to pick up chicks here."

The party is packed with Georgetown guys, flanked by their vacuous dates and their own upturned collars.

Erik greets me and immediately asks what I think of his new glasses. They are phase 2 in the plan to get chicks, says Erik, who has perfect vision.

"Yeah, I picked these up for 8 bucks," said Erik, offering the flat plastic lens for me to try. If they work, it's on to a nice pair of $500 Versaces, he says.

Coincidently, 8 bucks is about what I paid for the wine I brought. It is doled out chilled, without anyone knowing what the brand is. Everyone loves it.

Eventually, Erik is drawn into a prolonged pose-off with another thick-rimmed yuppie about bicycling through regions of France. At this point it must seem like I'm obviously making this all up, but no--bicycling through France, for real.

Later, I'm playing pool with one of Erik's roommates (they have their own pool table). He says he's in the market for a new sports car and asks if he should get a Corvette or a Lotus Elise.

"Well, the Lotus Elise is so small, it would be a great city car," I muse. "Besides, high horsepower is for chuckleheads, low weight is where it's at. Ain't no acceleration limit."

"Yeah, I was kinda thinking that. I thought maybe get it in silver."

"Well, I remember when I bought my first Lotus, and this was in the game Gran Turismo 3, I went for light green."

He nods. Later on, he would meet his girlfriend, a Redskins cheerleader, for more drinks.

Ugh. I'm still not making this stuff up.

-Casey

Do TV personalities have to share their personal lives?

2007-08-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Seven years have passed since Kathie Lee Gifford left her post at the famous morning show “Live With Regis & Kathie Lee,” and she just revealed her real reason for leaving yesterday in the New York Post.

She said that she left to spend time with her father Aaron Leon Epstein who was dying from a brain disease similar to Alzheimer’s called Lewy Body Dementia.

"My daddy was dying, and I was not comfortable making it public," Gifford reportedly said.

She said that she wanted to deal with the painful family experience without having cameras in her face.

I think this is really interesting because, first, I watch “Live” all the time, even though I should be on my way to work when it comes on. But I watch “Good Morning America” religiously, which comes on before “Live” in my neighborhood.

If you’ve been paying attention, GMA co-host Robin Roberts revealed that she had breast cancer about two weeks ago and announced that she’d be having surgery. in a week.

She said she struggled with the decision to share the news, but decided it could do more good to share. She said that she kept hearing the voice of Joel Siegal, GMA’s movie critic who recently died from cancer, urging people to go to the doctor if they felt anything strange.

Joel’s public battle with cancer inspired Robin to share her very personal battle with breast cancer and at a very scary time. I remember watching and when she announced it and feeling so sad. She had just found out and was unsure about what would happen next.

It was too soon to share in my opinion.

These days, Robin and her doctor do cancer-related segments all the time. (She came back to work a week after surgery.)

Here’s my point, it’s bothers me that TV talent now feel like they owe viewers their lives. I think it’s a sign that our obsession with celebrity in the United States may be going too far.

I don’t blame Kathie Lee for leaving, but it’s a shame that she felt that she had to leave or talk about her personal issues on air.

Robin Roberts is a real journalist, not an actress turned TV host. I’m sure that she never thought her career would force her to share her most personal and terrifying life experiences on the air.

By Sabrina M. Parker

Bouldering

2007-08-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry for all of you that might have to read this and don't care for climbing.
So here I am, bouldering in Colorado!
Man, I miss it so much. My lovely mountains, the Boulder Creek and the Farmer's Market...If you have never been to Hippie Town you should take a trip there. Just prepare to catch your breath every once in a while, B-town is actually over 5,000 feet high.

Anyhow, what I miss the most is having 1,500 bolted routes just outside in my back yard. There is something about gripping that rock that makes me feel at ease with nature.
I am suck a punk, I know, I get that a lot, but there is no better feeling that the one of finishing a boulder problem or a climbing route. It is just like when you finish your first triathlon or marathon...You feel satisfied and tired at the same time, yet almost emotional, because all your sufferings paid off...Little bit like I felt today, the end of Bootcamp is only one day away and I am fulfilled and exausted!
I came in with no background, shaking in my boots and now I feel more confident about my untraditional, italian jargon~ (THANKS prof. MORRISON)

Anyhow, enough SAID....I dont want to bore you all.
I just wanted to throw an invitation to all of you who might be iterested in going to check out Church Falls at some point this year?
Ms.Olson I know you have already express an interest in climbing and I will definatley like to take you along, but you can come only if accompanied by your husband-to-be.
Lagan and Sarah we will definately go, but it will be great to have some more people and maybe just hike around, if we have time, of course! Writing comes first.

Anyway, as boring as it might sounds, I wanted to say THANKS for the fun times, the great quotes and the challenging hours spent in the labs pulling through dead lines together.
See you tomorrow for some mexican extravaganza.

Last one from the Italian Fede~

2007-08-16T18:39:00.001-07:00

IS MUSHARRAF GOING TO LET DEMOCRACY REING IN PAKISTAN?

There was an article today on the Washington Post that captured my attention and maybe the one of the people who came with me to Tariq Fatemi’s speech on Pakistani’s Politics last Thursday.
A week from the event where the former Pakistani ambassador talked of Pakistan as a troubled and confused county in search of democracy a quote from Benazir Bhutto, exiled Former Pakistani prime minister, on her intentions to bring an end to Gen. Musharraf’s military regime, just jumped off the page.
“I seek to lead a democratic Pakistan that is free from the yoke of military dictatorship,” said Bhutto. “We have problems with Gen. Musharraf because he is a coup leader.”
Then why I say don’t they let her come back in the country so that the turmoil caused by Pakistanis’ hater for Musharraf’s military regime could end for once and for all?
The Pakistan People Party has been dealing with Musharaff for a long time so that she could come back in the county, but he has been taking his sweet time!
What would it happen then? Who knows? We should ask the Pakistanis who took over Lal Masjid to show Musharraf their disagreement of his non-represented regime??

p.s. If you didn’t know who Benazir Bhutto is…here you go: She was the first woman to lead a post-colonial country and later nominated Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988. She has been charged with flagrant corruption during this term. She was then re-elected in 1993, but dismissed for corruption 3 years later. In 2006 she was arrested and she has been in self-exile in London ever since.

Cheers,
Fede~(the Italian, once again)

Red Line, DuPont Circle

2007-08-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

The D.C. metro is not as “charming” as the New York City metro, but it can still surprise you.

I don’t mean surprises like trains stuck in tunnels for 15 min, delays, or bomb threats. I mean real, shocking surprises, the kind that makes you stare in the void for a while.

Well, it happened to me as I was traveling in the famous Red Line.

While I was reading the Washington Post, somewhere around DuPont Circle, I heard a conversation between two men who were sitting behind me. One of them was amazed how unusual was the church they visited the other day. He said the main building was a real old barn. They were renovating it so that it doesn’t collapse. The other one agreed that everything in the church seemed unusual and “cool”—the wooden door in the middle of the stage, [which I suppose is a symbol of entering the spiritual world], the mysterious British accent of the preacher, and especially the sermon. The first man said the preacher included in the sermon verses of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.”

By the time I turned back to see their faces they were gone.

But when I got home, I looked for the poem. This is what I found:

Song of Myself,
Walt Whitman

4

Trippers and askers surround me,
People I meet, the effect upon me of my early life or the ward and
city I live in, or the nation,
The latest dates, discoveries, inventions, societies, authors old and new,
My dinner, dress, associates, looks, compliments, dues,
The real or fancied indifference of some man or woman I love,
The sickness of one of my folks or of myself, or ill-doing or loss
or lack of money, or depressions or exaltations,
Battles, the horrors of fratricidal war, the fever of doubtful news,
the fitful events;
These come to me days and nights and go from me again,
But they are not the Me myself.

Apart from the pulling and hauling stands what I am,
Stands amused, complacent, compassionating, idle, unitary,
Looks down, is erect, or bends an arm on an impalpable certain rest,
Looking with side-curved head curious what will come next,
Both in and out of the game and watching and wondering at it.

Backward I see in my own days where I sweated through fog with
linguists and contenders,
I have no mockings or arguments, I witness and wait.

Amazing, isn’t it?

Radina Gigova

Going to places

2007-08-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's assignment reminded me of Professor Benedetto's words about what it is to be a journalist: "you get to go to places people don't go, and you tell them what you saw."
Usually, when I go to places, I tell everyone what I saw.
Yesterday, I had to write what I saw. And I found people that had been there like me, to see what was happening. And there were people that were there as a tourist, and like me when I'm a toursit, they were curious and wanted to know what was going on.
I felt half journalist half tourist. I took pictures I will take home. and I felt sad I could put them on my story, so I'm posting them here.
I went to cover the release of the new Jefferson $1 coin and it was like a party with barbershop singers, kids wearing whigs all over the place waiting for their coin and Jefferson re-enactors (including one of his great grand grand -several times grand- son.

If you have a chance next week, take a walk to the Jefferson memorial, the re-enactors won't be there (well, you never know) but it's worth it.
I hope you like it.
Cristina

its the final countdown

2007-08-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

So here we are on the eve of our last day of bootcamp!

We dont have any re-writes to work on or research to do for our features. No homework at all - yay!

Except that I dont know what to do with myself. I dont know the area around my apt well enough to know if there is anything going on and Im tired from the three weeks of bootcamp so I dont feel like exploring D.C. by myself...

Which leaves me, a "sophisticated" budding journalist, at home flipping channels between High School Musical and re-runs of Greys Anatomy.

Heres hoping you all are having a much more exciting Last Day of Bootcamp Eve =)

Caitlin

NBA Ref Scandal

2007-08-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

Being that I am obsessed with basketball this ref scandal is fascinating to me. For those of you who don't know...

Tim Donaghy, a referee in the NBA, plead guilty to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud, and transmitting betting through interstate commerce. Donaghy got up to $5000 in cash for his help and for betting (at least from what i understand of the situation.)He faces up to 25 years in prison.

Basically, he bet on games and made picks and told 3rd parties of this. He also told 3rd parties the types of relationships the refs and players had on the court so that bets could be made.

Analysts are saying that this will hurt the NBA. Now, they say, when a referee makes a call that the fans don't like could cause problems. And even though Donaghy is the only one, this makes everyone wonder if other refs are gambling.

As a fan of the NBA, i think the league will be able to get over this "scandal" but it will take time. Personally, I always think the refs make bad calls especially with my favorite team.

Gurpreet Nandra

Peruvian Earthquake

2007-08-16T16:03:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to thank all of my classmates who came up to me today and asked about my husband's family in Peru. We were able to get in touch with everybody -- they are in good shape and unlike a lot of people there, they actually have water and electricity. Of course, they are very scared because there are still aftershocks.
On a lighter note, another picture from last Friday's trip to Ben's Chili Bowl.

- Kathy

Website

2007-08-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

By Liz Anderson

If you forget your recorder, but have your cell phone...
Or if you are conducting a phone interview you want to record, this website might be handy.
I conducted a phone interview the other day which I recorded through this website.
Check it out!
www.evoca.com

Baltimore

2007-08-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

Can someone please tell me why Baltimore is do violent? I noticed within two weeks of being here that Baltimore was in the news every day... usually because someone was shot.

Then again, I can't just wonder about Baltimore. I act like I'm not from a violent city. With 201 murders according to this L.A. Times article... In an idealistic mind, that's 201 murders too many.

But I still ask why? Is it drugs, poverty, folks just ain't got enough to do?

Maybe I shouldn't ask why.
But I can't help but ask.

Dang, this ride!

2007-08-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

I've been on a ride.

And I know I am not the only one.

Knotted stomachs, sleepless nights, furrowed brows...

These reactions and more experienced during the past three weeks.

I started this ride in July... Crying in LAX wondering why I would pack my life and move across the country?

(I now think about it, I called my friend in Ohio... in tears because I was actually very nervous because I hate planes... but I wasn't about to ride a bike from Cali... and also because my stomach was really queasy... See, I gulped a whole bottle of pomegranate juice before the security checkpoint... shoot, I didn't wanna throw it out, I paid almost four bucks for that stuff *smile*)

But I got on the plane anyway (I had to use the ticket, I got that mug during a fare sale), and spent a few days visiting my comforting friend in Ohio.

From there, I boarded a train to D.C.

Now, can someone tell me what I was thinking when I decided to do that? My thought was "Oh, I've never taken a train longer than two hours... lemee take a train from Ohio to D.C."
That was a long ride. 15 hours. But I enjoyed it.

Gotta love this life ride. Normally, I'm not this busy in the summer.

I've been traipsing all around town to find a bed, (which is actually
a futon), lodging, waiting for my car that was shipped from cali, hearing bad news from home that friend of the family died... (He was older, but it's still sad... Grief had to wait on this ride. Now I'll have time to reflect and remember the great times.)

Finding a Whole Foods (love that store!)

Visiting churches, renewing my COSTCO membership and buying a bunch of stuff for my place (love that warehouse!), best of all, hanging with a friend who lives in the area. We had a falling out a few years back, but it's great to be back on the friendship track!

I wonder what the rest of this ride has in store?

Go Blue!

2007-08-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

Since I'm having trouble coming up with something thoughtful to write about, I thought I'd take this opportunity to write about something I really like instead: College football. And more specifically, U of Michigan football.

I grew up in Michigan, right on the Mich/Ohio border - it's definitely a heated place to grow up, considering the storied Michigan-Ohio State rivalry. Trust me, it is as intense as you may read or hear about on ESPN.

My parents have had season tickets since before my brother or I were born, and the story goes that they moved the seats back the season my mom was pregnant with me so she didn't have to walk down as many stairs to get to her seat.

Perhaps my favorite part about fall is going to the Big House for a football game on a lovely Michigan autumn afternoon. To see the stadium is simply awe-inspiring - it's HUGE. And always packed.

Now that I'm here in D.C., I'm really going to miss going to at least a game or two every season. And since American doesn't have a football team, I'm going to have to figure out away to feed my college football "addiction" on Saturdays.

If anyone else is as equally interested in football, let me know! Perhaps we can have some tailgating fun on Saturdays - as long as you're not an Ohio State fan!

- Jodi Westrick

Familiar Places and Faces

2007-08-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

View of Marineland of the Pacific

Familiar Places and Faces
by Liz

I’ve been in the D.C. area for about a month. Though my days are full and my nights late, and I haven’t been lonely…
It’s still great to see familiar places and faces.
The places I don’t actually visit… They’re just photos of those spots I’ve loved so much I had to take them with me.

The Point Vicente lighthouse is one of those places. It’s located on the constantly shifting Palos Verdes Peninsula which is south of Los Angeles.
http://www.palosverdes.com/pvlight/

The fact that the PV Peninsula shifts (and I can tell with each visit where the road has been re-patched) doesn’t really bother me. I always recall when I drive the coast in PV a story announcing the 18th hole at a PV golf course just fell into the ocean one day.

It doesn't bother me very much maybe because La-La Land is known for her occasional tectonic shivers.

Anyway, I loved to break away from the noise of La-La land and take a drive to PV every now and again, especially on sunny days… Just to feel the wind, see the ocean sparkle, see the outline of Catalina Island…

On a couple of trips, I would drive by to view the remains of Marineland, which used to be the Southern California alternative to Sea World, until it closed down roughly 20 years ago…

Now, they’re putting up some ritzy hotel/condo hybrid thingamuhjiggey. I actually went there once and got a brochure, as if they’d let my broke tail up in there.

I don't have so many favorite familiar places in this area… yet. I’m taking applications, though. *smile*

I got to visit a local joint on Friday with some SOC ladies. Ben’s Chilli Bowl. Now I am always on the late freight, and had never heard of the place, and realized that it’s one of those Aunt Kizzy’s Back Porch or Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles or Pink’s kind of places. Ben's is not all ritzy by any means, but it has some good food, great customer service, constant traffic, and hey it has those autographed photos of famous folks on the walls. Who can resist James Brown, Bill Cosby and Bono as wall paper?

CIA editing Wikipedia? And what could they possibly have to say about Oprah?

2007-08-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, Lisa Chiu here, this is one of my shameless last-minute blog postings.

There was a great story Wednesday by the BBC about this new tool called WikiScanner, which lets users of Wikipedia search the database to find out who is editing what on the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which lets anyone post and edit entries.

Among the things the BBC foud were:

* Someone at the CIA edited entries on the page on the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They reportedly added "Wahhhhhhh!" in part of the entry.

* Someone at the CIA edited made small changes to the entry for Oprah Winfrey.

* Someone at the Vatican edited entires on Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.
Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia that can be created and edited by anyone.

* Someone using a computer at the U.S. Democratic Party made changes to right-wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh calling him "idiotic," a "racist", and a "bigot". An entry about his audience now reads: "Most of them are legally retarded."

* Someone at Diebold, the company that supplied electronic voting machines for the controversial US election in 2000, removed paragraphs about Walden O'Dell, chief executive of the company, which revealed that he had been "a top fund-raiser" for George Bush.

The story clearly says that the program allegedly found out where these edits were coming from. And that could mean anyone with access to a computer at any of these organizations.

Still I think it's pretty cool that the Internet is being both used as a educational sharing platform (Wikipedia) and that is such an open source that anyone can write a program to find out who is writing what. I have to admit, I've edited stuff on Wikipedia, I wonder if they can find me on WikiScan.

Look up people on WikiScan yourself at:

http://wikiscanner.virgil.gr/

Check out the BBC article at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6947532.stm

Beckham; A New American Sports Star?

2007-08-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

We call it soccer while the rest of the world calls it football, but most Americans would call boring until the last few weeks, that is. I was very skeptical that any sports star could be worth 200 million dollars, let alone one who plays in the MLS.

MLS stands for Major League Soccer, the name of the professional soccer league in the United States. Weird, huh?

According to my high school baseball coach (in Tennessee) "soccer is a commie sport like figure skating". No one ever tried to argue with him mostly because we didn't care. When I lived in Central America I was exposed to soccer/futbol fanaticism that I had no idea existed. At a game in Tegucigalpa, Honduras all of the men lined up above the tunnel as the opposing team took the field. When they passed below the men urinated on the players passing below them. I've been in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium and Wriggly Field, but even people at the rowdiest U.S. sporting events there seems to be a tacit agreement that using ones bodily fluids as a weapon is across the proverbial line.

Not in soccer.

Last week I was invited to a LA Galaxy, DC United game. It was rumored to be the first game that David Beckham would take the field in. DC United is known for having the best soccer fans in the U.S.; they normally sell about ten thousand seats and are considered the Yankees of the league. This game was the third time in their history that they sold out RFK stadium. They have won the championship four times in the last ten years.

When Beckham emerged from the tunnel dressed in full uniform for the first time, the crowd erupted into boos. There was no urination but there was a huge sign probably 100 feet long saying "We Sing Better Than Your Wife," held up by the DC fanatics.

The funny thing is that when he looked up to the booing crowd, smiled and waved, 45 thousand fans collectively blushed and instantly started cheering. I have never seen anything like it, there were more man crushes than a gay right parade. He won over 45 thousand people with a grin and a wave.

A heard of photographers tripped over themselves to get shots of him as he limped around the field. When he got up just before the second half to stretch, the crowd erupted again. And then it started raining, hard. The ten people that left during the downpour missed Beckham's U.S. debut in the second half which was somehow both lackluster and completely satisfying.

Last night Beckham took his first free kick in the United States. That of course is where the opposing players line up and cover their crotches while the other guy blasts it at them at which time it normally bounces off someone's face and the game resumes.

Remember this is the first time that he has taken one of these in the U.S. and the guy still has torn muscles in his ankle.

He blasts a kick and the term "bend it like Beckham" suddenly makes sense. He curves it over the players and into the side of the net like a Pedro Martinez slider. And he does it with his feet. The goalie just stood there. He raised his hands in exasperation. What was he going to do? STOP IT?

This guy is not just filling seats he is making Americans discover soccer. And with every other major sport riddled in scandle and controversy, why not soccer? I, for one, plan on checking out a few more DC United games. And even if I decided to piss on the oposing team, all I would have to worry about are skinny quick dudes that probably dance well, not roided-out dog murderers.

-lagan

2007-08-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

From Joan -
I just loved the article above from Newsweek - I have copied the text to make it legible below:

Let's Think Outside The Box of Bad Clichés
Sloppy writing leads to sloppy thinking, which is why I have a 'bone of contention' with trite phrases.

By Gregory Pence
Newsweek
Aug. 6, 2007 issue - As a professor of bioethics, I strive to teach my students that clear writing fosters clear thinking. But as I was grading a stack of blue books today, I discovered so many clichés that I couldn't help writing them down. Before I knew it, I had spent the afternoon not grading essays but cataloging the many trite or inaccurate phrases my students rely on to express themselves.

When I grade written work by students, one of the phrases I hate most is "It goes without saying," in response to which I scribble on their essays, "Then why write it?" Another favorite of undergraduates is "It's not for me to say," to which I jot in their blue books, "Then why continue writing?"

I also despise the phrase "Who can say?" to which I reply, "You! That's who! That's the point of writing an essay!"

In teaching bioethics, I constantly hear about "playing God," as in "To allow couples to choose X is to play God." Undergraduates use the phrase constantly as a rhetorical hammer, as if saying it ends all discussion. And I don't even want to get into "opening Pandora's box" or "sliding down the slippery slope."

Sometimes the clichés are simply redundant, as when my students write of a "mass exodus." Can there be a "small" exodus? "Exodus" implies a mass of people.

Other times the expressions defy the rules of logic. A student in a philosophy class writes that philosophy "bores me to tears." But if something brings him to tears, it's certainly not boring.

I also fear that most students don't know what they are saying when they write that a question "boggles the mind." Does every problem in bioethics really boggle the mind? What does this mean?

My students aren't the only ones guilty of cliché abuse. The language of medicine confuses patients' families when physicians write, "On Tuesday the patient was declared brain dead, and on Wednesday life support was removed." So when did the patient really die? Can people die in two ways, once when they are declared brain dead and second when their respirators are removed? Better to write, "Physicians declared the patient dead by neurological criteria and the next day removed his respirator."

All of us repeat trite expressions without thinking. My TV weatherman sometimes says, "It's raining cats and dogs." Should I call the Humane Society? Where did this silly expression come from?

Another common mistake involves "literally." I often hear people on election night say, "He literally won by a landslide." If so, should geologists help us understand how?

Then, of course, there's the criminal who was caught in "broad daylight." I guess he could not have been caught in "narrow" daylight. And are we sure that the sun shone on the day he was caught? I sometimes read about a "bone of contention." I imagine two animals fighting over a bone from a carcass (and not, as students write, from "a dead carcass"). But do writers want to convey that image?

And how can we forget about the "foreseeable future" (versus the "unforeseeable future"?) and the "foregone conclusion" (versus the "non-foregone conclusion"?).

Spare me jargon from sports, such as being "on the bubble" for something. I'd also rather do without other jargon, such as "pushing the [edge of the] envelope." And has writing that we should "think outside the box" become such a cliché that it's now in-side the box?

Some of the worst phrases come from the business world. Because of my profession, I read a lot of essays on medicine, ethics and money. So I must endure endless strings of nouns acting as adjectival phrases, such as "health care finance administration official business." Even authors of textbooks on business and hospital ad-ministration use such phrases; no wonder that students use them, too.

And in these fields and others, can we do away with "take a leadership role"? These days, can't anyone just lead?

Can we also hear more about the short arm of the law (versus its "long" one), about things that sell well besides "hotcakes" and about a quick tour other than a "whirlwind" one?

Beyond the shadow of a doubt, I'd like to leave no stone unturned in grinding such writing to a halt, saving each and every student's essay in the nick of time. But I have a sneaking suspicion that, from time immemorial, that has been an errand of mercy and easier said than done.

Pence lives in Birmingham, Ala.

© 2007 Newsweek, Inc.

Funny Story on the Today Show

2007-08-16T07:21:00.001-07:00

So, I was watching the Today Show, a couple of days ago and saw one of the most interesting...and funny stories this week. A guy is suing 1-800-FLOWERS because he ordered flowers to be sent to his girlfriend. The flowers were delivered as promised to his girlfriend, but the card was sent to his wife!!! Pathetic!!!
Now, he claims that he and his wife are in the process of a divorce, so he didn't do anything wrong. But, he says that 1-800-FLOWERS has given his wife reason to fight him in court when they go through their divorce, claiming he was cheating on her. Hmmm...I wonder how this one is going to turn out. This is pure comedy! What do you all think?

Janine Cooper

Learning to ride the bus..

2007-08-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

I’ve lived in DC for nearly two years and I love the Metro. But I didn’t discover the wonderful world of bus transfers until I started shuttling to American everyday in high temperatures. I decided that I could save 10 minutes by taking a bus to and from the Metro, for a small fee. Of course, that small fee of $1.25 adds up quickly.

So I decided to use a transfer. I punch the transfer button on the machine in the train station, flash the transfer card it gives me when I board the bus and take a seat. It’s a lovely system and it’s totally fair. Why should I have to pay for a trip that’s less than a mile long?

Yesterday, I hopped on the bus with my transfer and the driver took it from me. That’s weird, I thought. Then I realized I was on the wrong bus. When I go to get off, I hear a lady ask for a transfer. So I asked for one too. I mean, why should I pay full price for this mistake?

“Why didn’t you give me 35 cents?” the bus driver asked. I was confused. “I had a transfer,” I said. (Hello? Free ride.) He replied, “You still owe 35 cents.”

Wow. I was deflated. I patted around my bag and pockets looking for change and couldn’t find any. It never dawned on me to use my SmarTrip card. So I just apologized, lowered my head and got off the bus.

This explains why a female bus driver was mumbling about people who don’t have valid transfers when I got on her bus the other day. I just knew she was talking about scam artists, not valid free riders like me. I’ve been hitching free rides for two weeks!

Later I caught the correct bus. I got on, flashed my transfer and tapped my SmarTrip card on the reader, only to get strange looks.

According to the Metro Website, I didn’t need money or paper transfers! You only need paper transfers if you pay cash for your bus or train ride. Transfers are built in when you use

http://www.wmata.com/riding/smartrip.cfm" target="_blank">SmarTrip cards. The card knows you just got off of a train and how much transfers cost for each bus.

 I tell this story to say, riding the bus is a hard trick to learn. It requires research and vigilance.


By Sabrina Parker



10 Things I Learned in Bootcamp
2007-08-16T06:58:00.000-07:00
Hello All! So, finally...it is here. We only have today and tomorrow to finally finish bootcamp. I have to admit...it wasn't all that bad. Those three weeks really flew by. But, I have to admit...I am pretty excited that it's almost over. I really have learned a lot here in bootcamp. I came into bootcamp, trained to write for broadcast news. I think it really helped me to go back and learn how to write for print. 
Well, here are some other things I learned in bootcamp. Let's start the countdown!!!
TOP TEN THINGS I LEARNED IN BOOTCAMP
1. When riding the METRO, it's okay to sit down to those "weird looking" people, because they are usually the ones willing to talk and share some random story (Hey, you are a journalist).
2. It's okay to wear heels to interviews, just be sure to take an extra set of flip flops because the "cute" factor usually wears off about 12:00 p.m.
3. After that grammar lesson, I am sure we all learned that our speaking and writing are a little off. (But, hey...we are here to learn) :-)
4. A podium is called a lectern (I honestly still can't get over that one).
5. Getting interviews can be easy, but some people are still afraid to talk to journalists. (I mean, if you have nothing to hide, why is it so hard to give an interview, huh?)
6. It does get pretty hot here in D.C. I am sure over the past three weeks, we all discovered that we sweat profusely. :-) (Yeah, that really makes for a great interview)
7. You probably started 75% of your sentences off this week with "My name is [blank] and I am an American University Journalism Graduate Student." (When I go home next week, I probably will still start off each sentence like that and my family will look at me as if I were crazy)
8. 5:00 p.m. comes quickly, if you just stop paying attention to the clocks on the computer screen in the lecture hall.
9. Walking is really great exercise!!!
10. That we all actually made it through, kept our eyes on the prize, and successfully completed bootcamp!!! :-)

It's truly been a pleasure!

Janine Cooper


The Six From Libya
2007-08-16T06:55:00.000-07:00
The media was and still is covering the so called case of “the six from Libya”— five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor, who has Bulgarian citizenship. They were accused of infecting hundreds of children with HIV. They stayed in a Libyan prison for 8 years. Recently their death sentences were lifted and they were freed wit the help of the EU. Many experts backed the medics and said that the children were already sick when the Bulgarians arrived.
  The medics are in Bulgaria now, free, and talking to the press about their horrifying tortures and their life from now on. 
 They, actually are not talking only to the press, but also sold the copyrights of their story to a Hollywood production company. So, there will be movie about their tortures, the Libyan prisons, the sick children, and human rights in general.
 I talked to some of my Bulgarian friends and most of them agree that the idea of a movie about the stories of the medics is great, and that the world has to know about it. (You can imagine what they can do to you in such a prison for 8 years…)
 Many feel that the medics have been used as pawns by Libya. A special fund has been set up by the European Union (EU), the United States, Libya and Bulgaria. The “compensation” is for about $400 million, $1 million for each infected child. Libya is also seeking normal political and trade relations with the EU. 
 But what about the infected children, how and where they will be treated? How future infections are going to be prevented?
 
 I am not 100 percent sure how I feel about all this, what do you think? 

Radina Gigova


IT'S YOGA TIME :)
2007-08-15T19:18:00.000-07:00
So here we go… first of many from the Italian chica. 

 I have been reading the blog religiously trying to come up with something interesting to say, but I have been too busy doing re-writes I forgot until now, 3 days ‘till the end. 
 I don’t know if you remember, but the first couple of days of Bootcamp I was one of the two (Sarah D. being the second) riding to school everyday…. Trying to fit a short morning adrenaline booster before class! 
 The Boulder Girl in me just did not last long….
One week into the Camp I started taking the subway and now days I am actually driving 
 I know wasting gas is bad, and composting and recycling just doesn’t make up to contributing to Global Warming, but I have been a lazy-ass, city girl lately. (No offence to all of you beautiful ladies, the suite it is just not my favorite attire…I prefer the saggy yoga pants or the chocked-up capris!)
 Anyhow, despite my consumer-like, couch potato behavior of the past week or so, I still do claim to be a Yogi and for that reason I shall not drive to work or eat meat, but I do it anyways and that does not make me any better or worse!

Anyhow, let me get to the point (do I have one?)

 So why do you care if Fede (Italian Fede) is a Yoga instructor or not? Well, if I would have had my act together I could have given all of us a great, FREE, relaxing yoga class, but I didn’t and now I feel bad.  
 So here you have it, a long, excruciatingly painful explanation of what I could have said in two words, but just couldn’t stand be the short, dry journalist I have been all along:
SORRY I WASN’T THERE FOR YOU ALL WITH MY ‘WISE’ ADVICES TO TEACH YOU HOW TO RELAX.
 But if you give me a chance I will redeem myself with a Yoga routine that will heal your post-news-feature stress!
 
  So here it is:  

 Sit crossed legged in a dark room, possibly in your own environment, and start inhaling and exhaling through your nostrils, while gently straitening up you backs.  Reach the top of your head to the sealing, release the four corners of your mouth and maybe smile. 
 Ground through your buttocks and try letting go of the heaviness of the thoughts that may come up in your mind. 
 Stay still for a couple of minutes and just observe where your mind wanders. 

             After 5 min:

 Bring your hands together, palms to palms at heart level and then bow forward.
Again, take a minute to let feelings catch on and then stretch your arms forward, palms down. BREATH!
 Now bring your big toes to touch and knees wide to the edges of the mat, keep your arms stretched forward, palms facing down and also keep forehead on the mat. 
BREATH! (NO REALLY, BREATH DEEPLY ☺) 
 Stay in this position for 5 breath cycles, trying forcing the breath to flow from the tip of your hands to your toes, embracing the spine and the hips. 

Let go of your thoughts! YOU ARE NOT ON DEAD-LINE!

 Adjust the pose by reaching forward with your palms and flip them up to the sealing in offering mudra (as if you where to make an offering to yourself or others that might need it more than you) and keep sitting back onto your hills. You ultimately want to kiss your math while stretching your backs.

 


 After 5 min:

 Now, sit on to your knees keeping the palms on the mat, in a table tot position. Inhale and push your tummy in and round your back up to the sealing, like if you were a feisty cat. Exhale and release the tummy out and round your back the other way, lift your neck up and long. Repeat these two poses for 5 breath cycles tying releasing your spine from the crown of your head to the sacrum. 

  After 5 min:

 Push up into downward facing dog, or, more simply called, Inverted V shape pose.  Lift your knees off the matt, push onto your hands and let your head fall in the middle of your arms, neck relaxed, look up into your tummy and breath. 
 Adjust the pose by pushing your hills down into the mat and reaching your sit bone to the sealing. Stay for 5 cycles of breaths. 

 After 5 min:

 Now, from the V shape pose, walk your feet in between your hands, keeping them together, keep legs straight as much as your flexibility allows.  Stay bent forward, low with your back, neck and head. Let your arms rest your side and trying reaching your nose to your knees. (IF THIS IS TOO HARD FOR SOMEBODY, JUST KEEP YOUR LEGS BENT!)
Grab opposite biceps with your hands and still hang low, releasing your neck, letting it hang loose. 

Take 10 breaths here. 

 P.S. Inversions are a great stress reliever. Fresh blood leaves your extremities and reaches your brain giving you a “high”. Yet you should not stay there for too long, otherwise it might make you dizzy!

 After 10 breaths:

 Release your arms, and easily and gently unroll up like a warm bread roll, HEAD COMES UP LAST, AND EYES ARE CLOSED!
 Let your arms fall by your side, release your shoulders down and reach your head up. Ground through your feet as if you were growing roots underneath. Now lift your arms up to the sky, and inhale fully and gracefully. Look up and take a slight back bend. Meaning: throw your neck and head back past your hands, push your hips forward, and round your backs, but don’t collapse in yor lower back.  Move gracefully, softly.
  YOGA IS ALL ABOUT BALANCE AND MINIMAL CHANGES OF BODY ANGLES. Take few breaths here, then fold you hands to your heart, thumbs facing in and fold forward. 
Grab your ankles and pull your knees to your nose. Exhale and let go of them. 

 To END:
Sit back down, crossed legged and repeat the initial meditation. 

HINT: You may want someone to read this sequence to you while you do it, before you learn it yourself, it would be a shame to ruing the rhythm if you have to go check out what pose comes next the whole time. 

P.S. I will be teaching a class on WED nights from 8-8:55 at the AU Jacobs Center all winter. 

Enjoy
Namaste, 
Fede~


Pluralism and Multiculturalism can solve all the world's problems
2007-08-15T18:51:00.000-07:00
Multiculturalism and pluralism are both concepts that have been very important to me as a military brat who has been all over the place and as a member of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. So what are they? Everyone defines them differently but I say multiculturalim the embracing of all types of people no matter what their culture is. It's not just about tolerance, its about acceptance. Culture can be anything from your ethnicity, attitudes, the environment in which you grew up, whatever. That's what's so great about it.

Pluralism is when all of these different cultures can coexist in say, one city, or one country. 

Both of these are concepts that the United States tries to live up to. For the most part it does...but there are some instances and some people who don't. For instance, when we go overseas, we expect to be able to find people who can speak English, instead of learning the language. In fact, I take that back, we even get mad when people in the United States don't speak English!! Embrace it! In comparison, when foreigners come to the United States, they come prepared to speak English or read English, whatever it takes!! Anyone else notice this?!

Then there is the war. I am not going to argue whether we should be there or not but I sincerely hope that "when/if" we do win this war, we can learn their cultures, embrace them and not change too much of what they have going on there (because I am also a realist I understand that it is unrealistic for us to go in there and not change something when that is obviously the point of us going there). 

Regardless of what anyone says, pluralism and multiculturalism can be successful when it is applied accurately. Americans should embrace all cultures whether they are in American or overseas!!!! It's a beautiful thing!!


Adina


Top 9 Things I Miss About Oregon
2007-08-15T16:56:00.000-07:00
9) Knowing where I am. Yes, I'm afraid my east coast geography is a bit rusty, and the fact that I can walk from my apartment to Maryland in less than 20 minutes is also somewhat disconcerting.
8) My car...though it's certainly not a D.C. necessity (I love walking and using the metro) it would sure making moving furniture into my apartment a whole lot easier. Then again, who wants to worry about parking.
7) Recycling...my apartment complex has it, but only for glass, newspaper, copy paper and bottles/cans. What about my plastics, my milk cartons and other things? I'm afraid parts of Oregon are still way ahead of the curve on this one.
6) The water...Oregon has some of the cleanest, yummiest drinking water I've ever tasted. In most towns you can survive just fine without a filter/purifier on your faucet. I've been advised by many not to drink the tap water here in D.C.
5) The Bijou...It's an off-beat movie theater in Eugene that shows lots of docs, independent and foreign films. I love the selection of films and popcorn toppings, which range from the traditional butter to garlic salt, spice mixes and nutritional yeast. It's an adventure! Plus, the fattest house cat known to man resides there. As I recall, he was somewhere around 20 pounds.
4) Tide-pooling on the Oregon Coast...Yes, it's rocky. Yes it's cold and windy. But if you're an Oregonian you love it because of, not in spite of, those qualities. I remember the first time I ever set foot in "balmy" water off the coast of Panama, and I absolutely hated it. It felt like a bathtub! Not for me... I also love all the sea creatures you can observe if you wade into the tide pools at low tide. It's really fun to see what animals you can find!
3) Congressional representation...probably enough said. I plan to keep my residency in Oregon as long as I'm a student!
2) No sales tax!...Talk about taking things for granted. I will definitely be going shopping when I go home this weekend! Oh yeah, and we don't have to pump our own gas either, which is nice until, of course, you go on a road trip and humiliate yourself at the pump.
And the #1 thing I miss about Oregon???
1) My fiance...obviously! 
-ariel olson


Why I Ride the Bus
2007-08-15T15:24:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.visitingdc.com

"Why do you ride the bus?"

I've heard numerous folks ask me this since I started taking the bus (on occasion) to campus. 

Other than the obvious Steelers tribute, Jerome "The Bus" Bettis, I like to ride the bus because it cures my homesickness.  I was thinking about it the other day as I was riding.  The bus honks.  The bus driver yells.  Various passengers argue about how hot it will actually be and what stop the new bus-rider should get off at.

"Here ya are lady," the bus driver says, looking at the Iranian woman who is trying to reach the embassy.

"Nuh-uh," the woman sitting beside me says.  "That embassy is closer to the next stop.  You keep goin'.  I'll tell her when to get off."

The bus driver shoots the woman a look that could kill, but closes the door and continues, stopping abrubtly about 1/2 a block down the street.

The Iranian woman looks confused, but thankful.

"There ya go, honey.  It's right across the street." the lady beside me says, glaring at the driver the whole time.

There's nothing more heartwarming to me than folks talking, yelling, screaming and honking.  I miss New York, so that's why I ride the bus.

-Katharine Jarmul


Does anybody care:  News judgement?
2007-08-14T20:19:00.000-07:00
It is almost 11:30 p.m., and I am wondering if there has been any progress in the trapped Utah miners story. I check my usual sites: cleveland.com, washingtonpost.com and newyorktimes.com. None of these Sites have a headline on the homepage about the miners. I know it is somewhat of an old story since the collapse occurred about eight days ago, but is it not a big deal that these miners are still trapped and might or might not be alive?

As a former Web producer and editor, I am confused as to why there is no link for this story on any of homepages. I know at cleveland.com I manually updated the homepage to include all of the important stories that users would want to read, and if I was still working there today I am sure that I would have made a link to it somewhere.

Obviously I could have googled "Utah miners" and a list of recent stories would show up, but I try to give my page views to the Web Sites I like the most.

I ended up visiting The Salt Lake Tribune and I realized nothing new has developed since this morning. I assume this is why it is not featured on any of the Web Sites I checked out previously, but I'm still shocked nonetheless.

I still feel like it is an important story and I have no connection to Utah or the miners, so I feel like other people have to feel as I do too.

Do you guys think that this is something worthy of some exposure until there is closure, or do you agree with the decisions of the producers/editors to skip over it? Does it not matter where it appears on the Web as long as it is in section A of the paper?

Perhaps my news judgement escaped me since I haven't been to work in over a month...


--Jessica Kadylak


what is news?
2007-08-14T15:15:00.001-07:00
Since starting bootcamp I have been much more conscious of the news and making sure that I read the paper every morning. I have been surprised by some of the stories that make the cut as "news" and/or are considered newsworthy enough to be put on the front page.

For example, I think it was two weeks ago that the story about the extravagant birthday party in India ran on the front page of the Washington Post. That was the same day that Ingmar Bergman's death was being reported. The story about some random two-year-old's party was placed above the small blurb about Bergman on the front page. I'm not sure I understand the reasoning here. I dont think that the birthday party story was even newsworthy enough to be in the A section, let alone on A1. 

Today I noticed a huge feature, starting on, and taking up most of, page B1 and continuing, and taking up all of, page B2 about abandoned race tracks. While this may be an interesting feature and may even be newsworthy, especially since the professor looking for such tracks is at a school in Virginia, I dont believe that it should take up most of the first two pages of the Metro section. I am sure that there were other happenings in and around Washington D.C. that deserve that newspaper space. 

Caitlin


Are you ready to go to jail?
2007-08-14T09:51:00.000-07:00
In today's Washington Post, there is a story headlined "Source Disclosure Ordered in Anthrax Suit" (page A2). While reading it, I was reminded of something my very first journalism professor told me during my sophomore year in college: When you use anonymous sources, you have to be prepared to protect the identities of those sources, even if it means YOU will get in trouble. Journalists have gone to jail to protect sources. Are you willing to do that?

According to this professor, if a reporter is called on to reveal sources in courtroom, and refuses to do so, they can be held accountable by law. Today's Post says: "Five reporters must reveal their government sources for stories they wrote about Steven J. Hatfill and investigators' suspicions that the former Army scientist was behind the deadly anthrax attacks od 2001, a federal judge ruled yesterday."

Sometimes anonymous sources are critical to journalism, especially, as this story pointed out, when reporters are trying to uncover secretive government actions. But, what price must be paid to do that, and are you, as a journalist, willing to sacrifice yourself for the greater good?

A reporter who reveals the identity of an anonymous source will lose credibility and will be untrusthworthy in the eyes of other possible sources. But, a reporter who stands their ground and refuses to break that promise of anonymity could face serious penalties, even jail time.

So...how dedicated are you to the fundamental purpose of journalism? Are YOU willing to go to jail for the greater good? Something to think about.

- Knowles


Who's the journalist?
2007-08-13T19:58:00.000-07:00
Preschoolers in Ms. Janelle's class on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 at the "Independence Day Parade." (Virginia)





It’s a hot summer’s day.  As I enter my classroom, I feel a sense of relief at 8:30 a.m.  I’m surrounded with hugs from three-year-olds.  “Good morning, friends,” I say, cheerfully.  While some of them return to various centers, I check our parent board.  I inform one of my students that she is the leader for the day.  
“What is your news today?”  I ask her, as we sit at the art table.  
She gives me a piece of paper and a marker from the art center.  
“What would you like to share with your friends today?”  I ask her.  
She stares at me, as I begin to write her news. 
“I love my mommy and daddy,” she says.  “I go to nana’s house.  I play with my baby.”
“Thank you,” I respond.  “After free play, we will share this with your friends during circle time this morning.”
She’s excited to be the leader.  She returns to the dramatic play center to play with her friends.
During circle time, 13 students sit on the carpet.  After reviewing the calendar, weather, finger plays and nursery rhymes, they are joyful to hear their friend’s news.
Later that afternoon around 4:45 p.m., many of my students are gone home.  Five of them stand around the art table, after they clean up the dramatic play center and put puzzles away.  They bring paper, crayons and makers to the table.  They await their parents’ arrival.
“Ms. Janelle, what is your news today?” a student asks me.
I politely share my news with him. 
 “I’m glad to be at school with my friends,” I say.  “I had fun in the sand.”  
“What else, Ms. Janelle?” he asks.  
“I shared with my friends today,” I say.
With a marker in his hand, he scribbles my news for the day.  The leader of the day has gone home.  I’m the leader.  I amazed.   I’m thrilled. He’s a great imitator, a great impressionist—a great reporter.  “Who’s the journalist?” I ask myself.  

--Janelle L. Plummer


20/20 memories...
2007-08-13T19:55:00.000-07:00
Hey, so I'm sitting here, thinking about the 20/20 investigative pieces. I remember when I was in high school, they were doing a couple of pieces on shady hotels and mattress stores. 20/20 sent forensic scientists to test the surfaces of hotel appliances and mattresses (you know, when they do the cotton swab swipe and shine the blue light on the bed sheets). Later on, 20/20 reported they found a number of bacteria and bodily fluids on the bed sheets, along with telephones and remote controllers. Also, they took samples of mattresses in a few mattress stores, and found out that some were in fact old, used mattresses with new covers! They were covered with all sorts of stains underneath. Man, I remember when I wanted to do investigative reporting and bust such people. But then I realized that those people may retaliate against me (like find out where I live and try to get me), and that wouldn't be good. Maybe if I wore a disguise, I could do the job. That would be interesting, though. 

--Eun :)


Dateline
2007-08-13T19:08:00.000-07:00
So yesterday, I was watching Dateline to catch a con man( or something to that effect.) Chris Hansen went undercover to try to catch Internet scammers who promise you millions of dollars in emails. You've all probably seen them.

He set up a fake name of Jim E. Dimoni (funny right?) tried to get the con men to believe he was interested in getting the millions of dollars that the email promised. Hansen went to Amsterdam and the con man met them there. They got to talking and...

Finally he got them alone and told them he was a reporter from America. One guy ran away, one guy got flustered and one gave back the money he took...

I can understand why Chris Hansen did this. those emails about getting money can get annoying. Also so many people get taken. 

The problem is that often time these people aren't prosecuted because they can't be found or are a go between for some top agent. Can he even try to get international officials involved. It's good work but if you can't arrest the guy then what? People will continue to be taken by these emails. 

Anyway it was a fun little show to watch yesterday. 


Gurpreet Nandra


Last Minute Blogger
2007-08-13T19:03:00.000-07:00
Yes, this is the first of my three requisite bootcamp blogs. And since so many of you are asking, I'll make it about my wedding on Sunday. Holy smokes! I'm getting married on Sunday!!! :)
 To be honest, I couldn't be more relaxed about it. Granted our wedding is small (about 70 people) and my mom and fiance are taking care of all the last minute details (how's that for rule-breaking?), but I still think I've learned an important lesson here. One that I will gladly share with all future brides. 
 ...TAKE A VACATION BEFORE THE WEDDING!
 I'm not talking about having a wild bachelorette party the night before, and I don't really think bootcamp counts either, but it's true that being out of town, far away from the chaos that is certainly encircling my family/family-to-be, has greatly alleviate my wedding stress.
  A week before leaving Eugene, Ore., I felt totally unprepared for bootcamp. I was so nervous that I opened my textbook, which I had purchased online, and read the entire thing. I even did some of the exercises. Not all in one sitting, mind you, but still a rather nerdy thing to do. I had been stressing about the wedding for so long though, I felt like I needed to do something drastic to change my focus. I guess it worked. Being here, exploring D.C. and meeting new people has helped a ton too. 
  I talk to my mom and my fiance, both, at least once a day. I get all the wedding updates, but I'm never worried! As the days count down, I actually feel myself getting more calm. All will go smoothly this weekend.
 As long as I don't miss my flight...
-ariel olson

p.s. My fiance's name is Arya, relevant info. because you may bump into him at the SOC sometime. He's coming in the fall to do the Film and Electronic Media M.F.A. :)


2007-08-13T16:14:00.000-07:00
Do you know how cool I am because I listen to Josef K?  You don't even want to know, it would make you naseous.  You would get vertigo just thinking about how much cooler I am than you.

I don't think you guys know the first thing about music fandom.  Me, I just sat through an entire episode of Veronica Mars just to see a cameo from Britt Daniel, the lead singer of Spoon.  It was horrendous.

Oh, I'm sorry, did you like Spoon?  Too many uncool people like Spoon now for them to be cool anymore.  Everybody knows its way cooler to hate Spoon than to listen to them now.  You lose again.

Basically I only listen to bands that only I have heard of.  Catch the Mae-Shi's last album, Terrorbird?  I didn't think so.  Rumor has it that they recorded on all borrowed equipment in one of their kitchens.  My god, it's exquisite.

-Casey


2007-08-13T15:53:00.001-07:00
A few thoughts on class today. . .

1. If you have the ability to pronounce something correct you should. I am always unsure if I should correct people when they mispronounce my name. I know, you're thinking how do they mispronounce Ryan? But many do. They don't think Ryan can really be my name so they change it to Ryann or Reanne, or anything like that. I usually do correct people because I think if I were mispronouncing someone's name I would want to know. I would want to do my best to respect what is thier's. Also,  by showing respect you command respect. There is a learning curve of course, but once you learn it what excuse do you have to keep making the same mistake?

2. I really appreciated the guest speakers we have had. They are journalists who are doing the same thing I want to do. They have insight and alot of useful information. The more views and experiences I hear about the better I am prepared to make decisions for my future. I don't know about the rest of the class, but I don't have anyone in my life who has any experience as a journalist. It's nice to hear about what I may be getting myself into. 

3. I was much more awake today because I got to sleep in later! I have moved to an apartment that is a 20 minute walk from class and it is wonderful, just empty and lonely. I do have a bed at least. Maybe I'll have a table soon. Usually at 7pm (the time it is right now) I would have been home for about an half an hour and worn out from the bus. But when I got home today I was refreshed from my walk and ready to work on Boot Camp stuff. Too bad there are only four days left!

Ryan Sibley


Everyone's Time is Precious
2007-08-13T15:24:00.000-07:00
While trying to complete five interviews for our feature article assignment I have run into many people who claim they do not have time to talk to me. Today I called a young lady at the DNC named Patrice who was actually supposed to call me last week after she "looked into" what I was asking about. When I reminded her today that we had spoken last week she jumped into an apology and told me all about the meetings that were taking up everyone's time. I said I understood, but all I needed was five minutes, maybe ten at the most. She asked again what I wanted to know about and she put me on hold. She came back with no information and asked again if she could call me back. By this time I figured she didn't want to say she had no idea what it was I was talking about and most likely was going to do nothing to find out about it. That is fine, but she could just tell me that. If she did have information about what I was asking, she could have given it to me in much less time than our two "exploratory" conversations had taken already. None the less, she said she'd call back.  I told her I was on deadline and then she realized I was writing an article. I did tell her this during our first conversation but I assume she didn't hear me. Actually I assume she wasn't listening. Then "the phone girl" (that it was call people when they are rude) said she couldn't talk to me at all and I would have to call the press line. That was fine, but she also wouldn't give me her last name or her title. She got very short and very rude. Her answer to everything became "call the press line." Well long story short, I called the press line, no one talked to me there either, but they gave me her full name and her title. Can you believe it was "Phone Girl?"


The World Ain't Flat
2007-08-13T14:23:00.000-07:00
As the worlds of commerce and media move increasingly towards the Web, we should consider the technology gap that exists within this country and across the globe.

The Internet has no doubt done wonders for the economies of many countries. But the Internet boom poses problems for countries that are, by U.S standards, barely into the 20th century. How can they be expected to even remotely keep up with global trends? And, here in the U.S., where does this leave those with little education and limited Internet access?

A 2007 study by the Pew Internet and American Life project said 85 percent of U.S citizens have internet access or cell phones (or both). Those numbers sound great, but they don't tell the whole story.

Last year, the New York Times reported on a study conducted by three Ivy League schools which shows that a “huge pool of poorly educated black men are becoming ever more disconnected from the mainstream society, and to a far greater degree than comparable white or Hispanic men.”

Though the study did not specifically mention the technology gap as a reason for the trend, it did attribute much of the problem to lack of education. And most would agree that, today, computer literacy is essential to anyone's education.

So what is the media's responsibility in bridging the technological gap? Should we only seek to provide certain demographics with information because the ratings justify it? Or should we make an effort to be more inclusive?

--Caine O'Rear


More fair photos
2007-08-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

Legendary Pig Racing



"Country fun in the city sun"


A little lemonade to wash down the deep-fried Oreos


Montgomery County Fair
2007-08-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

Behind the Curtain at the Fair Queen Coronation Ceremony


Swinging Around


Reporting on War for Broadcast
2007-08-12T14:41:00.000-07:00
Last week we heard a number of though provoking speakers and between that and reading some of the last few bloggs a question is raised in my mind.  What about the broadcast coverage of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan?  

In studying history I have read that one of the biggest differences between the Vietnam War and previous wars was that the horrors of war were broadcast.  Moving images of people being killed, screaming children and burning monks reached Americans in their living room chairs for the first time in history.  

Many people attribute this visualization of the war as a factor in the “cultural revolution” that followed and the strong anti-war sentiment that permeated especially the younger citizens.    

Helen Thomas said that the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have not been given a human face by the press.  She said that the press has reported on numbers and failed to tell the story of the consequences of war to individual human beings.  I don’t know if this is true or not?  But it makes me question, should we be seeing cars actually being blown up, or a child in a burning building or the crowded Fallujah hospital after it was bombed by US missiles?  

With all of the violence already on TV would putting all of these real life horrors up for everyone to see do anything positive for this country.  No one wants to see such human brutality, unless you are watching an early Schwarzenegger movie, and he makes ironic quips after each kill.  But then again don’t the American people have a right to know and see everything?  

Congressman Cooper (D-Tenn.) told me that President Bush has not sufficiently called on the American people to contribute to the Iraq War, other than funding it through public dept that most citizens hardly know about.  He told us to go shopping.  In previous wars everyone was asked to chip in.  Think about your grandparents if they lived in the US during World War II.  The war wasn’t an abstract idea; even for those that didn’t serve it was often a determining factor in what it was that you did every day.   

If we assume that every citizen has a right to contribute to American policy through their votes, don’t they have a right to know and see everything?  We do pay for it.   

Pictures evoke emotions, and often emotions make people react irresponsibly.  US solders being dragged through Fallujah was a sickening sight, as was the Guantanamo prisoners lying in a pile, as was two massive towers falling.  These images changed things more than anything that anyone wrote or said about them.  Should we see everything?  All of it, from the burning hospitals to US solders bleeding to kids running around with machine guns?  I honestly don’t know.  Would the clarity that Americans would gain be worth the intrusive sadness and emotion provoking reactions that might come from seeing everything?  

War is not pretty.  I haven’t been to war, but I feel pretty confident saying that.  Should Americans be forced to watch it as it happens?   

Of course most people would probably just change the channel.  

-lagan


Crossing the line
2007-08-12T08:08:00.000-07:00
Professor Watson brought up last week a concern that's worrying journalists, the government and the society in Spain: the line between publishing the news and advertising what happened.
How do we know if we are crossing that line and start advertising a problem instead of just saying that something happened?
In 2006, 7o women were murdered by their husbands or ex-husbands in Spain. 
Most of these women had been beaten up by their husbands for years. And most of them were too scared to go to the police. Too scared that the day their husband knew about it, he would kill them. Like most of them did. 
Recent studies have proved that after an assassination is reported (almost everyday on the news you can see and read information related to these cases,) the next murderer usually repeats the way it was done, so you can see that 3 women in just one month had been set up in fire by their husbands. And then three more men used a knife. And so on. 
The media are giving so many details about these cases because it's becoming the only way to denounce that this is a problem we must solve in Spain. 
But the government thinks that all those details are not helping.
In an informal meeting with the media, the vice-president asked editors and directors to avoid some of the details about these murders. One of the suggestions was to stop talking about "woman killed by her husband" and just say that a woman had been killed.
Maybe giving all that information about how she was killed and why is only making the problem worse. People have the feeling that the media coverage of this issue is only giving more ideas to the next murderer. 
But the media want to give those details as a way of denouncing a problem, so the society is conscious about it. 
How do we know when we are crossing the line?

--Cristina


Did the Press Really Fail?
2007-08-11T16:27:00.000-07:00
Helen Thomas claims in her 2006 book Watchdogs of Democracy? that White House press corps failed to do its job in the run-up to the Iraq invasion.

But not everyone completely agrees. Dana Milbank, a former White House correspondent for the Washington Post who is now a columnist for the paper, wrote a review of the book which questions Thomas's claim that the press corps laid down.

Included in the review were questions taken from the transcript of a White House press conference prior to the March 2003 invasion. 

Here are some examples: 

 "If all these nations . . . have access to the same intelligence information, why is it that  they are reluctant to think that the threat is so real, so imminent that we need to move to  the brink of war now?"

 "I wonder why you think so many people around the world take a different view of the  threat that Saddam Hussein poses than you and your allies?"

 "How would you answer your critics who say that they think this is somehow  personal? As Senator Kennedy put it . . . your fixation with Saddam Hussein is making  the world a more dangerous place."

This list goes on. Which proves that the press corps did ask some tough questions. Could they have pushed harder? Maybe. But I wasn't there, so I don't know.

In 2004, Jim Lehrer of PBS told Chris Matthews on Hardball that the American press failed because journalists believed the invasion was only designed to be a “liberation” and not an “invasion.” Thus, they didn't feel the need to be as critical, Lehrer suggests. But an article in the Washington Post which ran on Feb. 21, 2003, refutes Lehrer's claim about the press's ignorance of a planned occupation.

An excerpt from the article follows:

   "The Bush administration plans to take complete, unilateral control of a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, with an interim administration headed by a yet-to-be named American civilian who would direct the reconstruction of the country and the creation of a "representative" Iraqi government, according to a now-finalized blueprint described by U.S. officials and other sources. 

   Gen. Tommy Franks, the head of the U.S. Central Command, is to maintain military control as long as U.S. troops are there. Once security was established and weapons of mass destruction were located and disabled, a U.S. administrator would run the civilian government…."

So the plan to occupy Iraq was reported on in detail in a major American newspaper.

So is the press really to blame? And was Congress hoodwinked, or were some its members afraid to vote against authorizing the invasion lest they be viewed as un-patriotic? And were Americans who opposed the war afraid to speak out?
 
Who's to say a more critical press and outspoken public would have changed things anyway?

--Caine O'Rear


Elections in Sierra Leone...will they be conflict-free?
2007-08-11T11:03:00.000-07:00
BBC Article
I thought the BBC did the best job on covering the news about the elections in Sierra Leone today. So here is the article.


The current president, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah won the first elections to take place after the 5 year civil war in Sierra Leone which led to the killing and mutilation of over 50,000 people.

"British intervention in 2002 led to the official end of the war. It made way for the disarming of tens of thousands of rebels and militia fighters by UN peacekeepers, who withdrew in December 2005, according to the BBC."

So my question is, why can the Bush administration pull something like this off soon so we can end the freaking war!?

Anyway, I hope their elections go smoothly today...


Helen Thomas - Photos of AU Students
2007-08-10T09:58:00.000-07:00
I've posted a few photos online from this morning.  They are not exactly professional quality, but at least they're something.  

For those of you who are not familiar with Picasa, it allows you to click on a specific photo and download it to your own computer.  Enjoy!

Helen Thomas Photos

If anyone else has any pictures, please let me know.  Thank you!

LT


Blogging Conference, Anyone?
2007-08-09T13:37:00.000-07:00
According to an Associated Press article on MSNBC's Web site, there has recently been talk of creating a blogger's labor union, complete with health benefits (see link below).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20136904/

This controversial idea has resulted in a hot debate about blogging, and whether there should be professional standards for bloggers, etc.

Of course, like all new things (including Facebook for all those people who hated it at first but can't seem to get off it, even when in class writing on deadline, hehehe) on the Web, there's been a love-hate reaction to blogs being taken so seriously.

My opinon? I'm shocked. I would'nt be surprised if 10 years from now a blogger's association was created, but now? Blogs are still quite new, and I don't consider many of them to be deserving of any "professional standards." 

Hmmmm, but then again, come to think of it...could I qualify for health insurance since I'm writing in this blog? ;)

P.S. Is it me, or is the related AP article about this a little too opinionated?

Keosha J.


Missing: An arsenal of weapons, if seen please contact the U.S. Army...
2007-08-09T08:32:00.000-07:00
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6932710.stm

Just a quick question; how does an army 'misplace' 110,000 AK-47 rifles, 80,000 Pistols, 135,000 Body armour pieces and 115,000 Helmets?!

Let me give you another tidbit that floors me; "The Pentagon said only 14.5m of the nearly 40m items of equipment ordered by the Iraqi army had been provided" according to the BBC. 

I would like to give a comparison that has no place in 'real' news reporting, but it crossed my mind (and amused me) so I'll share...

Let's say, at age 8, I had gone to a birthday party for a troublesome little classmate of mine. I took all my favorite Barbies with me - Malibu, Rockstar, you name it. I took my Barbies things too, the Playhouse, car, shoes, clothes...the whole nine yards. 

I was also supposed to take my classmate a birthday gift; I brought her the newest four Barbies available, 'Soccer Mom' Barbie, 'Baywatch' Barbie, 'Anne Coulter' Barbie - whatever.

After the party, when my mum picks me up, I report that I don't know where half of my Barbie things have gone. I couldn't find all the shoes, clothes, etc. that I took with me.  Oh, and some of my Barbie dolls aren't coming home either.

My mum calls the mother of the classmate, and finds out that instead of the four dolls as gifts, I only gave one.

I promise you that I wouldn't have been given anymore Barbies or accessories for quite some time, probably would have had the remainder taken away from me 'until I knew how to take care of my things', and been grounded from playing at other friends houses because I had been deceitful in the giving of promised items to that classmate. 

The lesson learned? It's a good thing my mother doesn't know President Bush - he'd be grounded.

Joan


Telling Stories...This Is What I Do
2007-08-08T20:59:00.000-07:00
Well, I can say that the journalism world is filled with some interesting people.  That's actually why I love being a journalist.  The people that you meet can tell the most interesting stories.  I can sit there all day, talking to a new person.  I went to the Home Resource Center today to sit in on a workshop with first time home buyers in the D.C. area.  In the workshop sat an 81 year-old man who looked like he had seen it all throughout his years.  I could have sat there all day, interviewing him.  The stories that he was willing to share were very interesting.  I have to always remind myself that I have a deadline for my news story.  If it weren't for the old, dreaded deadlines in news, I probably would interview people for hours.  However, I take much joy in being able to tell stories for the people.  If that's the way I have to get their story out, then I know this job is definitely for me.  

Janine K. Cooper


Barry Bonds
2007-08-08T19:03:00.000-07:00
Being a sports fan, I think it's great that Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's Home run record by hitting 756 home runs during his career. I missed it because the game was blacked out here. 
   My problem is with the fact that this record could be tainted. With the Grand Jury and the BALCO issues. He won't say if he did use steroids. It makes baseball fans everywhere question the legitimacy of the record. Many say it should be with an asterisk. Also, where is the commissioner of baseball? 
   It could be argued that today's MLB is a different time than when Aaron played. Today it's more of a business whereas during Aaron's time he had to worry about death threats among other things. 
  Bonds is innocent until proven guilty however, that is what has divided many baseball fans across the country. He broke the record but ARod has 500 home runs and could break Bonds record soon. I guess that I just needed to vent!!!

Gurpreet Nandra


3-year-old shoots 6-year-old
2007-08-08T19:02:00.000-07:00
Go to this Web site for the story: http://www.wisn.com/news/13846111/detail.html

I can't believe it. First of all, why was there a loaded gun in a house? Where the heck were the adults? One claimed to be outside when it occurred. This got me thinking about the Michael Moore documentary, "Bowling For Columbine," in which he discusses gun control (or rather, the lack of it) in the U.S., along with the mortality rate caused by violence of guns. The shooting of the 6-year-old is yet another example of why there should be tougher gun control laws and adults who own guns and have children should be required to take a course on gun safety. Maybe that could have prevented such an atrocity from occuring.

--Eun


The air is gross!
2007-08-07T20:09:00.000-07:00
This may be of interest to those of you who live in Maryland (and perhaps the surrounding areas): 

I learned today that Maryland has a coding system for levels of air quality, kind of like the National Threat Advisory. More importantly I learned that we are currently at a code red, which means the air quality is extremely unhealthy!

According to the Montgomery County Web Site, a code red occurs when temperatures reach the 90's - 100's, there's a lack of wind and a little chance of rain. When this happens, people are suggested to limit outdoor activities, driving and refeuling cars.

With that said, be careful out there!


--Kadylak


check out this doc
2007-08-07T16:37:00.000-07:00
I thought I'd try out what I learned in class today, and while I'm at it, pass on info on a film.

 Wings of Defeat is a documentary film featuring Japanese WWII kamikaze pilots and survivors of a U.S. destroyer that was sunk by two kamikaze planes. I get associate producer credit. Woohoo. (did the link work, did the link work? did you get a new window??)

Since I'm really into military and WWII issues, it was extremely exciting working on the film. It opened successfully in Japan on July 21, and hopefully it'll come to the U.S. soon. Thankfully, the media have been paying close attention to the film and related events (luv dem journalists), and I've heard the theaters are packed (how am i doing with the links??).

So, if you have any friends in Japan, please tell them to go see it; it's subtitled in both English and Japanese. And when it comes to the U.S., please go see it!

fumiko hattori


Toy lets dogs take a bite out of Vick
2007-08-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-now-doubletake07aug07,0,2227048.story

Red Rooom Ent. are selling a chew toy that looks like Michael Vick. The proceeds will go towards the Humane Society.

...This is ridiculous. I am glad that this did not get much coverage. I just saw it was the top story in my hometown newspaper (The Vicks are from Newport News). This is not news. To be honest, I don't care to see a chew toy that looks like Vick on the front page. I laughed outloud when I saw this. However, I am sure tons of people from my city found it interesting otherwise it would not be the top story. 

Also read:http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/falcons/2007-07-30-vick-naacp_N.htm?csp=34 about the NAACP urging restraint in judging Vick. I completely agree. I think its horrible what happened what "they" were doing with those dogs (whoever it was). Whoever did it, should be punished but we live in a democracy and he should be innocent until proven guilty. It happened on his property in va while he was in georgia. True, he should have known what was going on on his own property, however, we should not prejudge or jump to conclusions.

Hey, I'm not saying don't present the evidence in a news story (because people obviously want to hear about Vick), I just don't think the thing about the chew toy should have been front page news. It's funny though, I will give the Daily Press that.


ADINA


Evildoers in Our Midst
2007-08-07T15:14:00.001-07:00

It was two weeks ago that I first came upon the evil black squirrels that infest the grounds of American  University. I had never seen a black squirrel before. I was terrified.

I have nothing against squirrels, in general. I grew up with the Eastern Gray Squirrel in southern Alabama, and spent many wonderful evenings with them. And of course there's nothing better than squirrel and dumplings on a cold winter's night.

I have spent my evenings these last two weeks conducting research on these strange rodents. I was surprised to learn that zoologists believe the critters are in fact gray squirrels which contain a black pigment called melanin.

I do not believe they are related to the gray squirrel, however.
Two years ago, BBC News reported that a malicious gang of black squirrels attacked and killed an innocent stray dog in a remote area of Russia.

The article suggested the grisly crime was motivated by hunger resulting from a lack of available pine cones. But I believe -- to borrow a recent phrase from President Bush --that they are just “cold-blooded killers,” and not related to the good, gray squirrels I have come to know and love.

As journalists, we should not let our prejudices cloud our judgment. But this is different.

The black squirrel first arrived in D.C. in 1902, living at the National Zoo, according to Wikipedia. American University is one of the few areas in the country where they can be found today, Wikipedia says.

In the early '60s, ten black squirrels were introduced to Kent State University. Originally mistaken for skunks, the rodents now apparently run the campus. In 1981, an annual festival was created in their name that continues today.

Is this what we want at American University?

--Caine O'Rear


Yao Ming and girlfirend swap vows in Shanghai, China
2007-08-07T12:05:00.000-07:00


NBA star Yao Ming got married to longtime girlfriend Ye li at Shanghai Shangri-la hotel yesterday in front of about 70 relatives, with a much greater number of reporters waiting outside in hope of snatching a peep at the event.

After a simple ceremony and dinner reception,the newlyweds went up straight to their luxury suite on the 32th floor withouting showing up in front of the media." The whole wedding was quiet or even boring, they didn't kiss." one of the guests said after the banquet.

Apart from traditional Shanghai dishes, there was also western steak in the manu.The couple have been living in Houston,USA for the last few year, they are used to and enjoy western food very much.

A hotel attendant told reporters " Yao and Ye shared an 8-inch ice cream cake in the suite, they were famished after the wedding." The couple seemed to like to keep the romance private to themselves.

"My girlfriend Ye is the only woman I have dated in my life", Yao confessed in his biography YAO, A LIFE IN TWO WORLDS.

Ye, 26, who is 6-foot-2, plays on China's national women's basketball team.

What Yao-Ye's children will look like, people may start wondering about this since now.

Jing Lin


morality and ethics
2007-08-07T09:55:00.000-07:00
In light of Mr. Watson’s lecture, I thought of one journalist whose conduct during a pivotal Civil Rights story in 1957 raises the question, if you must choose between ethical and moral, which do you choose?

Elizabeth Eckford didn’t get the message that the students would gather at a meeting point and face the hordes together. So on the first day of school at Central High in Little Rock, the 15-year-old Black student took the bus and walked alone to the school entrance.

The National Guard turned her away while crowds of white people shouted “Nigger go home,” and “Go back where you came from.” She twice sought entrance and was refused. So she walked over to the bus stop and sat down – alone. People shouted racial slurs and waved their arms as they gathered around her. A CBS cameraman shoved a microphone in her face and asked persistent questions that came across as a “cruel inquisition of an innocent victim,” authors wrote in The Race Beat.

Eckford kept her head down, her eyes hidden behind dark glasses. New York Times reporter Benjamin Fine saw tears streaming down the girl’s cheeks, and thought of his own 15-year-old daughter. He sat down beside her, put an arm around her, lifted her chin, and said, “Don’t let them see you cry.”

Authors Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff, who won a Pulitzer for The Race Beat, followed the ethical discussion fueled by Fine’s action. “Fine’s act in giving Eckford comfort that day was seen by many around him as humane but completely inappropriate and probably provocative,” they wrote. “Fine … had inserted himself into a live story – only to remove himself from it when he wrote about the day’s events a few hours later for the Times.”
-willson-


Sharks 3D
2007-08-06T20:25:00.000-07:00
This past weekend I wanted to hang out at the zoo. Unfortunately, the weather was far too gross to bare it outside, so I opted to hang out in the air conditioned National Museum of Natural History. I wasn't too impressed with the museum, but perhaps that is because it wasn't my first trip. However, I did enjoy my first 3D movie at the museum's IMAX theater. All last week I was far too involved in the Discovery channels "Shark Week." To stay with that theme I saw "Sharks 3D."  I was expecting to see some shark attacks up close on the big screen, but the show consisted of sharks, fish and sea turtles swimming around and not much else. "Shark Week" has me spoiled. I did enjoy seeing the show in 3D, and everyone looking so cool sporting the sweet glasses. There is another 3D show about lions, and if anyone is interested in checking it out let me know.

--Jessica Kadylak


perhaps Prof. Watson *should* rule the world
2007-08-06T14:58:00.000-07:00
Note to Self #3 – Perhaps Prof. Watson *should* rule the world.  

Did I mention how good it is to be back in school?  It would be sad to admit exactly how long it has been since I have heard a lecture as thought provoking as the one we all heard today.  

On that note, here are a few of the nuggets I collected from Professor Watson’s lecture today (*please note, the bullet points are almost exact quotes of Prof. Watson):
1. The prime directive of journalism is to provide the public with information it can rely on to make decisions on issues that are important.
2. Fairness and balance.  If you have deceived someone, reveal the deception to both that person and the public.  Allow that person to respond to your criticism.
3. The profession of journalism would be enhanced by licensing.  Right now, economic interests do overrun journalistic ethics, and licensing could remedy that situation.

I am also left to struggle with some of the more provocative points Professor Watson made:
1. The press has the ethical obligation to attack the person the general public has just declared they love [in an election].
2. Journalists must be independent of the government, even IF the end result of cooperation would be morally desirable.
3. Tell the truth whenever and wherever you can.  However, if that absolutely cannot get you the information the public needs, deception “might be” ethically acceptable.

It’s a bit too soon for me to make commentary on the tough points; I need to mull them over a bit in my mind.  I just thought it might be helpful to put them “out there” for you all to consider, and let me know what conclusions you come to.  I can’t possibly be the only person in our class who was a bit disturbed by these comments, can I?

LT


Objective Journalism?
2007-08-06T08:43:00.000-07:00
Does Objectivity Exist?

It seems to me that the three biggest rules in journalism are honesty, objectivity or fairness, and that thou shalt never ever under any circumstance use the word “that”.  But I question if there really are any objective journalists.  We all have agendas, and anyone who chooses a profession that amplifies their voice to massive scales probably has a lot bigger agenda than your average citizen.  

Does this mean that there is no such thing as objective journalism?  I don’t think so.  I think there is simply no such thing as an objective person.  It seems to me that the key to objective journalism is recognizing your own agenda and then adjusting your writing and research so that the end product comes out objective.  

I have strong opinions as to how I think our government should act, as does probably every person in this class.  I have a natural distrust of most politicians and a skeptical view of the health of democracy in the United States.  I do want my work as a journalist to result in what I personally deem to be positive changes in government and society, but I also realize that imputing my own personal biases into my work would only keep all of these illusions of grandeur from becoming a reality. 

The economic principle of “game theory” seems applicable in how best to approach this idea of objectivity.  I have to base my decision on what to write with a conscious understanding of my own biases and those of people who think differently than I do.  I have to write to my strongest critics.  

It seems to me the hardest part of my whole theory of objectivity is recognizing ones own biases.  No one wants to admit that they have preconceived views of people and things, but we do.  

I am convinced that all redheaded women are evil.  I know that this is a completely ludicrous belief, but I also recognize that it is my first instinct to think this way.  When I meet a redhead I have to remind myself that they are not necessarily trying to steal my life-force, but by doing so I can have an unbiased conversation with them and get to know them as an individual.  It is only by recognizing my own bias that I can do this.  

In the 12 step programs the first step is admitting that you are an addict.  I feel like my fist step in becoming an objective journalist is admitting that I am skeptical, self-righteous smartass that is out to get corrupt politicians and big business.  I have to recognize who I am in order to keep it from affecting my work.   

After this morning my whole crisis over objectivity seems mute, since Professor Watson said that it was fairness rather than objectivity that governs journalism ethics.  

-lagan


the email interview II
2007-08-06T08:42:00.000-07:00
In response to Jodi's post, i think that the positives of an email interview can only be seen in certain situations. When working on longer pieces or when you have an extended amount of time to work on a story about an issue or an organization, sending questions via email can be effective, i think. I like the idea that sources have time to think about their responses to in-depth questions so that they can provide me with the most amount of information and their most poignant thoughts. 

However, i agree with Jodi that in situations such as the bridge collapse, reporters should not use email interviews. It just doesnt make sense to pass up the opportunity to speak with people immediately and in-person. That way, the reporter can see their interviewees reactions to questions and can add compassion and a human touch to a story by describing the way the person talked or held themselves during the interview. 

Overall i think email interviews can be effective; they just have to be used properly and in the right situations.

-Caitlin


How far should we go to sell a paper?
2007-08-06T08:38:00.001-07:00
Working for a small paper in a highly-conservative pocket of NW Pennsylvania, I often found myself at odds with the decisions of my editors regarding which news stories were chosen for front-page coverage, which stories were buried in B and C sections, and which ones were ignored completely. Important stories about advances in gay rights were often left off the front page, or out of the paper entirely, because stories like that "would upset the readership." On several occasions, stories about global warming were replaced with stories about Anna Nicole Smith because "that's what the readers want." Many of the news decisions were made not only to sell papers, but to try and out-do the larger Erie, Pa. paper printed 30 minutes north that put out a special edition aimed at our area.

All these things I took in stride, realizing that for this small-town paper, keeping the readers happy and keeping the papers flying off the racks (and outdoing the competition) were the most important things. But, during my last week at this job, I had to comply with a decision that I was just plain embarassed about.

If any of you have heard of the Brian Wells Pizza Bomber case out of Erie, PA, you'll know that this has been a huge story for the past few years, with every new tip and investigative advance being front page, above the fold news. In early July, the case broke in the courts, with new evidence pointing toward the idea that the victim was actually involved in the planning of the high-profile bank robbery/murder. Top news story of the day, right? Wrong.

The editor, deciding that there was no way for us to beat Erie in coverage of the event, said that this story would be the top story on the news rail...and top story of the day, above the fold? OOPS! PENNDOT PAINTS OVER ROADKILL with a nice picture of a dead woodchuck with a yellow stripe across his flattened face. And I had to design the page (and listen to my friends from the Erie paper make several jokes at my expense the next day.)

The Brian Wells case was important, breaking news that a lot of people in our area would want to read. Our editor thought that by putting roadkill on top of the page, people might see something different and pick up the paper. 

But, by doing this, and cutting down on our coverage in order to try to sell more papers...are we doing the public a disservice?

(And don't even get me started on giving in to advertising profits by placing FULL PAGE ADS on sections fronts.)

- Knowles


No End In Sight: Documentary Review
2007-08-06T05:52:00.000-07:00


No End In Sight is a documentary that takes a long look at the Bush Administration's handling of the war and continued military occupation in Iraq.  Director Charles Ferguson won the Special Jury Prize for documentary film at the Sundance Film Festival for this well-researched and contextualized film.

The movie covers the lead up, combat and aftermath of the War in Iraq by interviewing key administration officials who were in various roles in each stage.  There were many officials who declined to be interviewed, but I was surprised with the large amount of persons who decided to answer some very difficult questions.  The film does have a strong viewpoint-as indicated by the name-but it is not particularly partisan.  I would argue that it is not balanced in the sense that none of the speakers say that the administration handled the war and growing insurgency in the best way.

The documentary uses interview and news archive footage in a chronological order.  The interview clips include the names, titles and dates of each official and participant.  All participants speak on the record, with the exception of one Iraqi journalist who chose to not have his face displayed, most likely for personal security reasons.  With the variety of sources, from military and security personnel to journalist interviews, Ferguson is able to give a clear picture of many major players in the decision making process.

I would recommend this film to people who may not have followed the war closely  because Ferguson does an excellent job of recreating the events.  I would also recommend the film to people who are interested in documentary reporting. I went to go see the film at the Landmark E Street Theater at 11th and E Street yesterday, and the film will be playing there all week.  If you go see it, comment and let me know what you thought.

You can view the trailer at the film's website.

Katharine Jarmul


The e-mail Interview
2007-08-05T22:04:00.000-07:00
For the 10 seconds my congressman's press secretary could spare on Friday morning, little of our conversation actually revolved around my assignment - but rather focused on his belief that the e-mail interview is supreme.

He contended that a question-and-answer session held via e-mail communication warranted more "accurate" answers to the questions we asked, rather than the answers one could sputter off in the heat of the moment. For example, he said that a congressman on his way to a committee meeting has probably been briefed extensively beforehand on the committee subject matter, and that asking a question on something completely opposite (say, immigration) could result in the congressman giving the first answer that comes to mind.

But wait a minute. Isn't that what we want?

When a crisis breaks, such as the Minnesota bridge tragedy, you don't send an e-mail to those impacted by it - you interview them, face-to-face, moments after it happens to get real, true to life answers. Why should it be any different for someone in political office?

That's the joy in journalism - catching your subject in the heat of the moment and capturing what they really feel. Relying on e-mail seems like an easy fix, and while it may be one of the ways the press continues to "converge," it certainly takes the human element out of the story.

What's your opinion of the e-mail interview?


- Jodi Westrick


never ask permission
2007-08-05T20:21:00.000-07:00
Note to Self #1 - Do not panic (refer to Minneapolis Bridge Collapse).

Note to Self #2 - Never ask permission.  Just ask the question!  Friday was baptism by fire in how *not* to conduct a walk-and-talk interview.  

After learning of a closed door briefing on Iraq by General David Petraeus to the House Armed Services Committee, I stood outside the Committee room with a few classmates.  Think... think... think.  After more than 16 years of education, I should definitely be able to conjure up one reasonably respectable question, right?  O contraire, my friend.  The Committee room doors opened, and someone stepped out into the hall.  We could not determine exactly who this person was, but we knew he was important.  Many people in Washington think they are important, but we could tell this man really was important by the quiet way he wore the stacks of ribbons on his chest.  He was the type of person that commands respect without ever having to say a word.

As this highly decorated military official briskly walked our way, flanked by security, I lurched forward (holding out my audio recorder, of course) and said, “Pardon me, sir, do you have time to speak with an American University reporter?”  Ughh!  I choked on the words the moment they escaped my mouth.  My interviewee kept marching past me, but, to his credit, did turn his body and give me the courtesy of a response.  The response was, “Actually, no, I don’t (have time).”  And away he went.  The sound-bite on my recorder is almost too humiliating to share with even my husband!

So, back to Note to Self #2… when you find yourself with an unexpected opportunity to ask a source a question, just go for it.  Don’t ask permission.  What’s the worst that can happen to you?  You might get tackled by Secret Service??

LT


Murdoch? The Wall Street Journal?
2007-08-04T19:31:00.000-07:00
So after three months of dealing with the unharmonious Bancroft family,  media mogul Rupert Murdoch finally got his way and sealed the deal with a $5.6 billion check to buy Dow Jones and Company to add to his already large media conglomerate.

Of course, there was much controversy over this deal. Murdoch hs said he wants the Wall Street Journal to compete with the New York Times, and plans to expand the Journal's political and international coverage.

Okay, so enough of that. You guys know about this already, right? So what do you think about it? Do you think the Bancroft family, the owners of the Wall Street Journal since its inception, should have given up this historic financial paper?

I'm interested in seeing how all of this turns out. Murdoch is as right wing as they come (heck, he owns the Fox News channel for Pete's sake), so let's see if any of that conservative residue shows up in the Wall Street Journal.

On media conglomerates competing against one another: how does this effect the news? In this age of instantaneous news and media convergence, how do you one-up another media outlet in news coverage without risking your credibility? 

For instance, the Today Show and washingtonpost.com had the death toll from the Minnesota bridge collapse at four and seven, respectively...and now it's at five. How can the average American know where to get credible news?

It seems to me like fact-checking will be more important now more than ever.


Studying Journalism Here and There
2007-08-04T16:53:00.000-07:00
I studied Journalism for five years in Spain. That's what it takes to get your B.A. 
Five years of Theories of Communication, History, Literature... Did I practise Journalism? No. Did anyone teach me how to write a lede? No. 
The way public Colleges work in Spain makes it really difficult to sit all your students in front of a computer. I had more than 100 classmates. Every day. For 5 years. 
We had to learn the Practices of Jouralism when we started working. That was the goal of having some experience: working would teach you what you weren't taugth in School. And there was something else no one told us: the media have changed. 
In my fourth year I was told I should chose one track and "specialize". Apparently, the market still required journalists that only knew how to work for broadcast or print Journalism, but not for both. On-line Journalism wasn't even mentioned. 
Spanish media also require Journalists that can cover news for any outlet. It's just that no one is going to tell you until you actually start working. 
And, when Prof. Olmsted mentioned that we have to be ready and prepared to work in any media outlet, I wanted to go back to my School and tell my teachers: "Hey, we are working behind the time." 
Cristina


Who's worn down already?
2007-08-04T16:11:00.000-07:00
Hey all, it's Eun. If you haven't met me yet, sorry about that. I hope to meet everyone soon and remember their names, too. 

Well, the first week of "bootcamp" is over, and thank God for that. I'm exhausted already. Anyone else feel the same way? Only two more weeks, guys, and we'll be free! I know I'm counting down the days. When this is all over, I'm seriously going to sleep all day and maybe have a drink. Ooooo, lime margharita sounds so tempting. :) Anyone is welcome to join me.

Eun


business cards
2007-08-04T15:12:00.000-07:00
The UPS store in The Tunnel (the McDonald's area) said that it will halve the price of business cards for a limited period starting some time in August. The UPS guy did say exactly when but I went there after class Friday and my brain had already shut down.

Right now, the price is about $80 for 500 cards, which is the minimum lot. The computer in the store has a few templates, and all you have to do is type in your contact info. Note, however, they do have computer problems.

fumiko


journalist guy?
2007-08-03T13:24:00.000-07:00
"Are you that journalist guy?"

"Yes I am," I responded to Congressman Cooper (D-Tenn.) after lounging with the Washington Post and a cup of coffee in a deep leather armchair surrounded by music and sports memorabilia from my hometown Nashville Tennessee.  I would like to attribute my waiting for two hours to get a chance to talk to the U.S. Representative to my commitment to the field of journalism.  The fact is that commitment to journalism or my current assignment was the last thing on my mind.  

I mean come on, this is awesome!  The capitol building was right through the window and there were a bunch of young suit-clad Tennesseans running about, many of whom were overly concerned with my comfort.  Granted this concern probably had more to do with southern hospitality than any illusions they had as to my "importance", but the bottom line is that I could have sat in that room all day and been completely fine.

This all probably makes me sound green.  Which I am.  But when I did finally sit down in Congressman Cooper's office, I set my recorder on the desk and I asked him questions that I truly wanted to know about.  To my surprise he sat there and answered my questions and engaged in a discussion for almost a half hour.  We talked about issues ranging from trading emissions credits to making it mandatory for all citizens to participate in civil service to a shift from subsidation to taxation as a more efficient way to create economic incentives in the markets.  

Granted my current outlets for all of this great information is limited, and the actual "news" content was probably small, but for me it was an empowering and rewarding experience.  The issues that we talked about were important and he spoke to me with respect.  

I returned to grad school to have the time and opportunities to things like this and I am glad that we are being thrown into situations where we are challenged to learn.  

I plan on fully milking every such opportunity for all it is worth over the next year, because over the last few years of working in fast paced work environments under constant financial strain I have had too little time to dedicate to things that are truly important to me.  I feel lucky to be in a situation where working on something that I genuinely care about is now my job.    

-lagan


a shallow blog
2007-08-03T12:55:00.000-07:00
Drinks Monday, 8/6, after class at Guapos!  
For those of you not blessed with an apartment two blocks from this AU hangout, it's located on Wisconsin Avenue, at the Tenleytown metro stop. We'll plan on meeting around 6 p.m. Teachers welcome, of course.
-willson-


A Thumping Heart In A Novice Journalist
2007-08-02T18:50:00.000-07:00
This is my first blog entry, EVER, so I will probably keep it short.  It has been an awfully long week already, and it is only Thursday night.  No telling what tomorrow has in store for us.

I am reflecting back on today's events and keep coming back to the image of the Minneapolis bridge collapse in my mind.  Seeing the pictures of the disaster made my heart race; it felt like it would thump out of my chest.  My very own fight or flight reaction, and I was not even at the scene.  There was a moment when I almost teared up thinking of how horrible those few minutes must have been when innocent people lost their lives.  So, what does this mean for me as a journalist?  Will this happen to me when I'm on the scene of a disaster, or will my "reporter instinct" kick in and I won't notice the chaos around me?  Can I have too much empathy?  Should I try to suppress the rise of empathy when it starts to surface?

LT


Source or too Close?
2007-08-02T14:53:00.000-07:00
How close is too close? At some point for those of us to pursue a career in journalism, we’ll have to ask that question about our sources.
Reporters working beats in big cities might not struggle so much: we ring up someone for an interview, write 10-12 inches and send the copy away. Some situations don’t call for much deliberation.

Telemundo’s L.A. political reporter Mirthala Salinas had an affair with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. During that affair she reported on politics and even announced on air when he separated from his wife of 20-years.
Telemundo placed her on leave last month pending an investigation into whether she violated journalism ethics.
Nelson Poynter Scholar for Journalism Values, Bob Steele weighed in.
“The principle of independence is essential to the credibility of reporting on government officials,” Steele wrote in a Poynter column. “That independence is jeopardized when a journalist has a personal relationship with someone she or he covers. Competing loyalties, if not properly and ethically handled, can erode the integrity of the journalist and of the journalist’s news organization.”
But most reporter-source predicaments aren’t so easily judged.

Covering news in a small Oregon town, I’ve often asked, “how close is too close?”
And it’s not always an easy answer. Consider the story of a 5-year-old Chinese orphan who thought life would be grand when she was adopted by two prominent symphony musicians. Instead she lived out her pre-teen years in squalor, in a locked house without a phone, amid molding feces, overflowing toilets, floors stained with animal urine, mouse carcasses, broken refrigerators stuffed with rotting food that swarmed with bugs and dripped onto the floor.
I trespassed to visit the girl when her mother was gone. But my editor and the publisher agreed to print the story in spite of almost-certain litigation. Before running the story, the girls’ adopted older brother secreted her over to our newspaper, where she told my boss the same thing she told me – she had been physically and emotionally abused and neglected by her adopted mother.
My boss called child protective services (an agency that knew about the girl’s condition for years and failed to take action). He told her the girl was being abused, that we were running the story the following day and should take her out of the house. He also called the local sheriff.
We were furious with the state, with her mother, with the sheriff’s department for not taking action to protect the girl. But should my boss have called child services? Was that getting “too close” to the story?

Before being journalists, we must be human. We must connect with our sources on a deeper level, do more than make a phone call, more than rewrite a press release.
If we want to incite emotion from our readers, we must open ourselves to feel.
We can do all of that and still remain ethical, still maintain professional boundaries. Sometimes we forget that. And it’s just too bad.

-willson-


I Remember Why I Want to be a Journalist
2007-08-01T21:57:00.000-07:00
I started Journalism boot camp at the beginning of this week. I remember not being able to sleep the night before as I waited anxiously for the next morning. The alarm clock went off and I thought to myself, "Here we go." Having been out of college for two years, I got that nervous feeling. The feeling that comes attached to the unknown. What were my classmates like and what would my professors be like? I walked into the Welcome Breakfast, meeting so many new people from so many different places. When class began, I felt that sudden spark within myself. The one that I have not felt in a long time, since graduating from UCF in 2005. It was the love of journalism coming back to me. 
     Many people say that they knew what they wanted to be when they were children. Well, I can say that I am one of those people. Like many are born to be doctors or teachers, I was born to be a journalist. Television reporting is something that I love to do. It's a passion of mine that I can't seem to explain to some. Though it can be stressful, the rewards that come from doing it cannot be replaced. I remember the feeling that I get when a story is complete and I am truly happy about what I did with it. Being able to tell a person's story is one of the best things about this business, I think. 
     During my college years, I remember a lady that I was interviewing for the evening newscast. Her home had just burned to the ground and I was sent to ask her some questions. Instead, she asked me questions. She applauded me for doing what I do. She told me that she could tell that I loved sharing people's stories. 
     When finally deciding to attend graduate school, my family was very supportive. I can hear my parents and older sister saying, "If this is truly what you want to do, go for it. We got your back." No joke...this is what they always tell me.  I can always rely on them for the support that I do get. I approach each day hearing "We love you. We support you and we got your back." :-)

Janine Cooper


The Specter of Murdoch
2007-08-01T15:58:00.000-07:00
Earlier this summer, on my way to a charity dinner for my husband's company, I ran into Martin Sheen. We actually found a great deal to talk about, seeing as I am passionately addicted to old episodes of "The West Wing" and he starred in it as President Josiah Bartlett. When I mentioned that I had recently interned as a research assistant for the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal, Sheen slipped into "President Bartlett mode," knitting together his eyebrows and growling, "Oh, I hope that Rupert Murdoch doesn't get control of all of you, hmmmmm?"
Sheen pretty much summed up the theme which has been running through countless editorials and discussions this summer. In fact, up until just about half an hour ago, when I read a Salon.com opinion piece, I have rather carelessly held the same viewpoint as my favorite presidential actor. 
The salon.com piece criticizes the nostalgia and teeth-gnashing brought on by the sale of the Journal's parent company, DowJones to Murdoch's NewsCorp. While arguing that the overwhelming mass of financial information spawned by the digital age has resulted in a decline in the much-vaunted quality of the Journal's reporting, the piece also recognizes that this very fact will keep Murdoch from the "dastardly deeds" predicted in the MSM. 
The sale of The Wall Street Journal is a true test for the benefits of media convergence, according to the salon piece:

"As consumers of information, those of us who care about economic affairs live in a golden age unprecedented in the history of journalism. And I don't just mean we have more access to news per se. We also benefit from a near-infinite number of online outlets devoting themselves to analyzing and explaining and critiquing every act of financial journalism committed in practical real-time all over the world. If the Journal starts to slide, we will know."

This all sounds very familiar, doesn't it? 
From a personal viewpoint, I recall the earnest speech I received on my first day as a research assistant -- To keep out of the newsroom side, and the newsroom side would keep out of our editorial areas. I was told to keep this literal and figurative separation in mind at all times. I even recall getting strange looks from reporters when I ventured into their side for copier paper. Whether or not, this was a speech for the benefit of an intern, I hope that the Journal can continue this separation and that the added challenge of Murdoch-ownership will indeed result in greater quality financial journalism. 

(To see a great one sentence lede check out the Washington Post's story on the sale today -- "Rupert Murdoch has won the Wall Street Journal." Kind of says it all.)


Ethical Truths?
2007-07-31T17:30:00.000-07:00
We are faced with a fundamental question: are there "absolute truths" in journalism? Let us consider professor Richard Benedetto's comment Tuesday concerning undercover journalism.  He used as an example the story by Ken Silverstein in the June edition of Harper's Magazine.
Absolutely, unequivocally unethical, he said.
But is it?

Silverstein posed as the representative of a London investment firm interested in improving the image of Turkmenistan to ease exports of oil and gas to the West. Here is his response to accusations of unethical behavior:
 "I did trick the firms–in order to demonstrate just how easy it is for lobbyists to manipulate political and public opinion," Silverstein said. "The lobbyists, on the other hand, offered to go to work on behalf of one of the world’s most horrific regimes in exchange for the lavish fees they proposed to charge the Maldon Group. The bottom line is that Cassidy and APCO were blinded by greed, thereby exposing their own low ethics as well as the crying need for lobbying reform."

Consider late 19th century muckraker Nellie Bly, who feigned mental illness so as to be admitted to Blackwell’s Island Asylum. In her stories, “Ten Days in a Madhouse,” she detailed the neglect and abuse patients suffered at the hands of nurses and administration. Her stories led to a grand jury investigation of the facility, increased oversight, ongoing inspections and spiked funding for treatment.

It is our job, as journalists, to serve the public diligently and honestly. Undercover journalism shouldn’t be used as an easy out for lazy journalists unwilling to beat the pavement looking for sources.  But should it be discounted?

“Undercover journalism should be used sparingly, but it has often yielded rich benefits,” Silverstein said in defense of his undercover Harper’s article. “Unfortunately, few news outlets are willing to use undercover journalism to get a story, or to practice investigative journalism in general. It’s just too expensive and risky; media organizations would rather spend their money on tables at the White House Correspondents dinner and watch Karl Rove rap.”

Did the information Silverstein provided outweigh the questionable practice of undercover journalism? How about Bly’s accomplishments? Weighing the one against the other should be the task, not discounting undercover journalism all together.
-Willson-


Whistle-blowing Sources and Friends
2007-07-31T16:28:00.000-07:00
The discussion today about sources who could be too close to comfort was intriguing.
A good friend of mine recently found himself in a very awkward position. He has information that could not only bring down the department of the respected institution he works at, but could also rock similar institutions nationwide (in Japan, that is). To tell or not to tell.
I think the culture of whistle-blowing in Japan is still very young. When Watergate was bringing fame to "Woodstein" here, Japanese courts were condemning a reporter and his source who exposed secret deals on the U.S.' return of Okinawa to Japan. Laws to protect whistle-blowers went into effect only last year.
Although part of me wants my friend to talk to the Japanese media (he did spill the beans to me), I don't want to see him lose his job or ruin his career, either. 
Professor Benedetto was right: It's better to keep your distance from your sources.
This is my first-ever blog entry. Woohoo.
Fumiko Hattori


My First Day...of Grad School
2007-07-31T15:00:00.000-07:00
I walked into the breakfast for bootcamp students feeling like I was back in elementary school on the first day of classes. Ironic, since just three months ago I was standing in that same hallway making happy hour plans with my friends as we planned our last few hurrahs before graduation. Now I stood in the same space, thinking to myself, "It's finally here. I'm officially a  grad student."

You probably think I know it all, since I went to AU for undergrad for print journalism and already know the lay of the land (or at least how to read a metro map). And to some extent, you are right. I know what an inverted pyramid is, I've learned AP style, and I know the difference between an anecdotal lede and a news lede. But being in class from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. is never easy.

On a more positive note, I am happy to have decided on grad school at AU. Not to be corny, but sitting in bootcamp and going over journalism basics made me grateful for my educational experience here. I really learned a lot in undergrad and I'm excited to see how much I learn in grad school here.

I'm not used to this blogging thing, but I figure I might as well get used to it, seeing as how I'm an aspiring journalist and all. I should know how to do it all, right?

It's only the second day and I'm already exhausted. But I've also learned A LOT. I'm excited for the days ahead, minus the long class sessions. If I can get through these three weeks successfully (rather, WHEN I get through it successfully) I'll know that I'm one step closer to knowing how to do it all (or most of it, anyway), and reading my name on a masthead.

-Keosha Johnson-


I am the busiest person alive!
2007-07-30T19:32:00.000-07:00
Someone had once told me, give the most amount of work to the busiest person and you'll surely get that work done, give it to the person with the least on his plate and it will never never get done. Somehow I am still coming to terms with that piece of advice, especially after this long first day at the bootcamp! I make a mental note of all the things I must do and if I might for a wee bit of a while use this space as my to do list, I realise I have some mammoth research sites to visit. I have to get my VAIO working on the wireless front as some of the comp lab computers are  slow too slow! I have approximately 40 pages of reading due tomorrow....and am I still nibbling on my dinner or am I already half asleep??I think I'll dream of Walter Reed and Dick Cheney tonight...

But the meanest thing of all is that Barnes and Nobles doesn't deliver on time, leaving me to Xerox all the time. I have no clue what is the difference between 2007 elections and 2008 elections or are they the same. And why during class do we keep moving all the time between two rooms divided by a corridor in a line?

I am tired ...good night.


First Day Jitters
2007-07-30T15:19:00.000-07:00
I have just arrived at home in Gaithersburg, Maryland at the end of the first day of Bootcamp. Right off the bat, I have had some of my expectations reversed: the number of women in our class, the number of people who have come from so far away to attend AU (you all make me feel lazy for complaining about my commute!) and the number of people who did not get their undergrad degrees in journalism.  On the other hand, some of my expectations were confirmed, Professor Benedetto and Morrison's welcome emphasis on media convergence, my already-constant desire for prodigious amounts of coffee throughout the class and the fact that I was way too dressed up for the first day of class.
   So right now, I am putting together a To-Buy list of needed items: definitely, a folder for the already- massive amounts of paper in my book bag, a zip drive and a SMALL reporting notebook that will actually fit in my purse next to my stash of Diet Coke.
   Given the variety of experiences and backgrounds in our class, I would like to ask everyone to drop a line in their first post and tell me what they are taking for their elective class in the fall and why. First, I have a selfish reason -- I was talking to a classmate today who will be taking photography and I realized what a great option that would be for me in the spring, seeing as I am interested in print journalism and need to branch out a little. That said, this fall I will be taking a history course "America Through Immigrant Eyes."
   As I said in class, I am married to a Peruvian immigrant and I wrote my undergrad thesis based on fieldwork with Afghan refugees in the U.S.  I can't wait to take a look at the sweep of issues grouped under immigration and I welcome the chance to do a little bit of "fun" reading among all the HTML and journalism seminars this fall.


Welcome Bootcampers!
2007-07-25T10:44:00.001-07:00
During the next few weeks you will be asked to submit at least three blog entries to this site. There are no rules about what you must write, however we suggest that at least one of your postings relate to the field of journalism and/or the changing media landscape.

Both Prof. Benedetto and Prof. Morrison and Cara will be checking the blog regularly to make sure that everyone is contributing. Your participation on this site will count towards your final participation grade in this course.

You are not limited to just three postings, feel free to write as often as you like. This is your chance to get to know the people that you will be spending the next year with, so take advantage.

Have Fun!!