Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Journalists, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. We all want to make it to the Emerald City to see the Wizard, or to the job of our dreams, but first we have to remember three important rules to follow along the way.

Scarecrow: If he only had a brain. The first important rule to follow is accuracy. Readers look to journalists for news and if it is inaccurate then it has no value. Errors can be found in spoken words, charts, maps and other graphics. Inaccuracies can be inconveinent and can sometimes lead to serious consequences. An inaccurate conclusion can lead others to make wrong decisions based off of the the issue at hand. So don't just "have a head all full of stuffin'" Remember to check your facts!

Tin Man: If he only had a heart. The second important rule to follow is attention to libel. You should know the difference between defamation that is justified and critique with no defense. An example of defamation is accusing a person of a crime. To defend this statement you should be able to prove it to be true. Qualified privilege, fair comment and criticism, and public official/public figure rule can be other defenses for negative reporting. Remember to have heart and make sure you can backup your statement before ruining a person's reputation.

Cowardly Lion: If he only had the nerve. Journalists will take short cuts. The pressure of getting the scoop and avoiding the lions, tigers and bears can lead writers to make up or steal other's work... oh my! A strong sense of ethics is needed here. Attribution should be included and sources should be mentioned in the print story or linked in an online story. You have to have the courage to stand the storm and not cut corners to get your story out there.

You made it to the land of Oz! Watch out for wicked witches, flying monkeys and pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Stay true to journalistic principles, legalities, and ethics.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

How To Take Better Pictures

In class we learned helpful hints when taking pictures. The first tip is to find soft lighting. This will give your subject the best skin tone as opposed to one produced by harsh lighting. The second tip is to fill the frame with your image. The idea here is that the image will be focused in on and the viewer will be less distracted by a meaningless background. The last tip is to take your picture from alternative angles. This will make your picture more interesting. You can take a picture from a higher or lower point of view instead of from normal eye level. By keeping these tips in mind, a photographer can produce an appealing picture for his or her viewers.

Greg Romano, senior Mass Communications major, seesaws to benefit Delta Sigma Phi's fundraiser for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The members of the fraternity designated shifts to total 48 hours in support of testicular cancer research.

Benjamin Franklin's Ideas

On November 1, 2008 at 2 p.m., I will be covering an event listed on the Daily Digest as "Benjamin Franklin Speaks to Our Time." It is going to take place at the Towson Library, BCPL. Dr. Fruchtman, professor of Political Science at Towson University, will discuss the ideas of Benjamin Franklin on rights, liberty and elections and their relevance for our times. The event is free and open to the public.

1.) As one of the major figures in American history, a modern perspective on his ideas should be very interesting. After researching more about Franklin and his beliefs, his influence is evident in today's society. Not only were his inventions innovative but his enlightened thoughts paved the way for a world ahead of his time.

2.) Sources: Dr. Fruchtman and audience members

3.) Although I'm not sure what to expect, I plan to ask Dr. Fruchtman:

In your opinion what would Franklin have to say about this election?

What is the relevance of Franklin's idea of liberty in life today?

Why choose to highlight Benjamin Franklin opposed to other founding fathers?

4.)I plan to take pictures of Dr. Fruchtman speaking to his audience and I'm hoping there will be someone dressed up as Benjamin Franklin so I can photograph them as well.

Breast Cancer Cases Given New Hope

In the Baltimore Sun article, The trial of our lives, experimental treatment, researched by oncologist Dr. Leisha Emens of Johns Hopkins, is offered to terminal cancer patients in hopes to create a vaccine to prevent breast cancer.

Annie Siple, 43, is one of the women being treated by the vaccine. She lives in Orlando, Fla. and leaves her family to make several trips to Baltimore for the treatment. Her breast cancer spread to her liver and her opposition to chemotherapy has lead her to this small clinical trial. After three months of this treatment she wants to know if it's working.

"The news isn't perfect," Emens said, "but it's not terrible." There weren't any new tumors although there had been some growth. Siple would continue treatment. The vaccine was devised so that the body's immune system could attack cancer cells. "Sometimes with immune therapy," Emens said, "you can have a kind of delayed response."

This article is just one of six chapters in this special report. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is reassuring that some new ideas are surfacing. The article states, "Once the disease spreads, there's no cure." Too many people have been affected by breast cancer as "about 40,000 American women die of it every year." Restoring hope is worth the experimentation.

November is approaching...

It is that time again. The not so sweet smell of politics is in the air. With the very important election coming up, I am going to hear Dr. Toni Marzotto speak at the Towson Library at 2 pm on September 27th. She is a professor of Political Science at Towson University and she will be my main source of information at this event. She will be discussing why it is important to vote and what we should be thinking about when we vote. There are big changes coming and it is crucial to be well-informed before voting.

Questions might come to me as I listen, but some that I have in mind include:

• For many of us this is the first major election in which we can vote, is there anything specific we should keep in mind about the process?


• As a Journalism and New Media major, in your opinion, how has the media impacted this election so far?


• "What Your Vote Means." Many people think their vote doesn't matter. If you could tell one of these people one thing to convince them otherwise, what would it be?

While at the lecture, I will look for signs to see if Dr. Marzotto swings to either side of the political spectrum. I will also pay close attention to the audience's reactions. There are people, who I can contact with questions listed in the Daily Digest. This event should make for an appealing story.

Tweet Tweet

Check Out These Tweets

Nicole Bellman uses accurate newswritting in her tweets. The posts are clear and informational. I especially like the lasted short report on the Tigers' recent lost. It answers the 5 W's and still remains in active voice. I really like her choice of words.

Matthew Dockery makes this assignment look easy. His creative play on words and dead-on summaries of the stories grabs the readers attention. "Towson goes green with blue cans," is a simple lead and yet it is very original.

Melissa Hale wrote her tweets in active voice and did not make them too complicated. She was able to put the stories into her own words and condense them in such a way that we know just what they are about. I thought it was a good idea to include that Towson would be given its budget soon because that was overlooked by some of the tweets in the class.

Pictures from Towerlight http://www.thetowerlight.com/home/

Leads and Short Reports

A lead presents the story in such a way that it is intriguing to the reader. The example below is from the Baltimore Sun , and is a summary lead. It is written in past tense and includes time.

"GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas - Rescue crews fanned out across the flooded Gulf Coast yesterday, searching for tens of thousands of Texans who ignored mandatory evacuation orders just before Hurricane Ike crashed ashore in the night with howling winds and a powerful tidal surge."

Like leads, short reports summarize stories in a concise manner. The tense varies and there is no time element. The short report example below is from the Baltimore Sun.

"The statements of a Dundalk teenager accused of fatally shooting a 16-year-old whom he and his friends picked at random to beat up can be used at trial, a Baltimore County judge ruled Friday. William R. "Billy" Ferandes, 17, is charged with first-degree murder in the January death of Joshua Gibson."

What is news?

Phelps Phan

I have been a fan of Michael Phelps since his first Olympics, so I was attracted to the article, "Details announced for Oct. 4 Phelps homecoming," by Nick Madigan from the Baltimore Sun. I'm going to be sure not to miss the parade in Towson and fireworks at Fort McHenry, each held in his honor.

This article is newsworthy because it is reaching the right audience. This story fulfills the proximity value of news. The people of Baltimore are excited for their hometown Olympian to return. Newspaper is appropriate for this news because there is still some time before October 4th and audiences won't feel as if they are behind on this coverage. So timliness is key here. The impact is easy to measure and makes this article newsworthy. I bet the parade and fireworks are packed with fans of Michael Phelps come October 4th.


Politics

In an attempt to get more involved in politics I was drawn to the article, "Candidates lift rhetoric," by Peter Nicholas and Maeve Reston from the LA Times. Found in the Baltimore Sun, this article expresses the clash between Obama and McCain as they go at eachother as politicians tend to do.

Prominence is a news value in this case because these two men should be the most famous men in the country right now. All around me, everyone is talking about the election. Their names are what makes this news. Since this is history in the making, the news value of currency makes this article newsworthy.


Weather

Weather is a popular topic these days so I checked out the article, "As Hurricane Ike nears Texas bolsters emergency plan," by Christopher Sherman of the Baltimore Sun. Shelters are prepared and evacuations are taking place. The storm is predicted to hit the coast of Texas Sunday.

This article is newsworthy because it is a conflict, one that is very much out of our control. It is also unusual as more and more hurricanes have been reported and taking lives. Hurricane Gustav was just last week in this area. This must be what they call hurricane season.

Blog #2

Backpack Journalists

A backpack journalist is a reporter who goes out on his or her own to get the story using multimedia resources such as video/audio recorders, cameras, and interviews. Jared Silfies, a journalism student, carries a backpack with what he feels are reporting essentials. For instance, a student planner, standard notebook, Macbook Pro, wireless mouse, pouch holding pens, pencils, and highlighters, SD card reader, stylebook, Gerber multitool, flash drives, digital camera, cellphone, iPod, and power adapter. With these resources, if he is in a place with wireless he is able to publish anything. He would still like to add a Smartphone, a new camera, a voice recorder and a digital videocamera to his backpack. All of which will be important in multimedia storytelling. The stylebook he is carrying is The Elements of Style. I've never read it but I think it shows that Silfies is a serious journalist and wants to gain respect for not only what he has to say but also how he says it. His future looks bright.

Rachel Youens

When looking at well done portfolios in class one by Rachel Youens caught my eye. She is currently working as an assistant editor of Community Impact Newspaper in Austin, Texas. She is able to produce videos and audio, so in her backpack she must have a videocamera and laptop with the correct software to do so. Photos were taken by Youens so she also must use a camera of some sort. Design and art are both on display which might require a sketchbook and editing software as well. I was drawn to her portfolio for the design of the heading and after entering the site I was interesting in her content. Not only was some of her multimedia about fashion but she also blogged about pop-culture. This site is modern and impressive.

Blog #1

Hi Everyone! My name is Cait Fultz and this is a picture of me (in the light blue and gray striped shirt) and my friend Jael. I'm from Baltimore, MD and I am in my third year at Towson University. I'm new to blogging. I am a Pre-Mass Communication major with minors in Electronic Media and Film and Women's Studies. I just moved into an apartment for the first time and I absolutely love it! I'm on the job search right now so if anyone knows of a job for a busy college student let me know :) I like sports and I used to dance. I miss being involved so I'm trying harder this year and joining the organization, Society for Professional Journalists, and I'm going to check out Club Basketball. My favorite thing in the whole world is my dog, Brady. This year is very important in my college career and I'm ready to make it a good one! Thanks for reading!