MCOM 63: Weekly Blog Post 02/28

This week we were assigned to look at blogger Ryan Sholin’s post, in which he provides links to some news sites which deviate from the traditional news forms and give a glimpse into the future of Journalism, utilizing the constantly evolving technology. There were two sites in particular that stood out to me and they also tied in with the reading for this week, the first two chapters of Dan Gilmor’s We the Media.

The Politifact site, from the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quaterly, provides, what I think is a crucial tool. It takes statements from eminent politicians and investigates and publishes the truthfulness of them. The feature that I already love is “The Truth O-Meter”, which evaluates statements, with ratings ranging from “True” to “Pants on Fire”.

I think that this is such a valuable site because of what Dan Gilmor says, that I very much concur with, “Most of us don’t stop long enough to consider what we’ve been told... (thereby allowing ourselves) to be led by people who take advantage of it.” People generally believe what they hear in the media and either don’t have the will or the time to investigate whether what they are being told is accurate or not. A site like Politifact does the work for the people. It investigates the validity of political statements and provides readers with the results in an easily accessible and entertaining format.

The other site that I thought was of special note was Election Headlines, published by Knox News and Publish2. This site very simply gives readers all the news, facts and opinions relating to the upcoming U.S. presidential election from across the web. They include everything from blog posts to New York Times articles. This is a great way of accessing all the latest election information, without having to trawl through every news and blog site. It is what Gilmor meant when he talked about making, “the internet work the way it should. Instead of you searching for everything, the Internet comes to you on your terms.” I believe sites like this are certainly the future. The user is catered for, making it easier to access the information that the individual specifically desires.

JOUR 61: Feature 1

Don’t those squirrels look cute running around, gathering their nuts and expertly climbing up and down trees as you make your way through Central Park this fall? Well there may be about 47,000 New Yorkers who may not look upon those rodents with such fondness anymore
One of the afore mentioned fluffy tailed creatures strayed a little far from the tree on Monday Afternoon, and found him/herself (the sex of the rodent has yet to be determined) running amok in the power lines of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad.
The little guy’s misadventure led to an electrical power surge. An overhead bracket was weakened as a result and a wire soon became loose, dangling perilously in the line of the onrushing trains below. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before said wire entangled itself onto a train and down came the entire fleet of power lines.
Oh, what trouble a fluffy little creature can cause. The loss of power meant that no trains could run out of Manhattan. Commuters were left waiting for their trains for hours, only to be disappointed. All in all 47,000 commuters were left stranded by the tie-up.
The Perpetrator did not escape without punishment for his misdemeanor. While enjoying his moment of high-jinx on the power lines, the squirrel was electrocuted and met an untimely demise, according to Metro-North spokeswoman Donna Evans.
Perhaps this should be heeded as a warning. Donate more food to their hibernation fund, or more such suicide attacks will occur.

JOUR 61: Copy Edit the World

From Menu for Pho Hoa Restaurants

Both are comma errors:

Wrong:

5. Phở Tái, Nạm
Noodle soup with eye round steak, well-done flank.

Correct:

5. Phở Tái, Nạm
Noodle soup with eye round steak and well-done flank.

Wrong:

10. Phở Tái, Nạm, Gân
Noodle soup with tendon, flank, and eye round steak.

Correct:

10. Phở Tái, Nạm, Gân
Noodle soup with tendon, flank and eye round steak.

From Fox News Online

This is a dateline error, Baghdad stands alone in datelines:

Wrong:

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The flakes melted quickly.

Correct:

BAGHDAD — The flakes melted quickly.

JOUR 61: Top News Story 4

My Top News Story this week is entitled “Jail for Facebook spoof Moroccan” and comes from BBC News online. The article reports the news that a Moroccan man, Fouad Mourtada, has been sentenced to three years in prison for setting up a profile in the name of Moroccan Prince Moulay Rachid. I think that this is a very important story because of the fact that it is dealing with a new form of media and there is almost no precedent for this offense. The Moroccan authorities declared that the crime was that of identity theft, hence why the sentence was so severe. There have been cases of fake celebrity profiles in the United States but no perpetrators have been charged with the offense of identity theft. What will be interesting is whether this will now set a precedent for similar offences in this country and generally across the globe.
This story is also newsworthy because it contains an element of bizarreness. The idea of somebody being sentenced to any jail time at all simply for posting a fake profile on a social networking site will seem extraordinary to Americans. Furthermore, although the story may not be in close proximity with regards geographical location, the story involves a website, Facebook, which is used all internationally and by a large percentage of people in this country. There will also be users of this, and other social networking sites who have created fake profiles or are considering doing so and reading this story will make them think twice about doing so.

JOUR 61: News Story 4

An attempted carjacking took place in a Taco Bell parking lot Saturday night, with a newly married woman still in the passenger seat.
The Woman, along with her new husband, had stopped off at the Taco Bell on East Fourth Ave. in San Mateo on their way to their hotel. The groom got out of the car, leaving the engine running and his wife inside while he went into the restaurant, according to San Mateo County deputy district attorney Sheryl Wolcott.
Before the groom had even made it into the restaurant, the assailant, Alan Ticas-Soto, a 21-year-old man, who was apparently high on methamphetamines at the time, ran through the parking lot and leaped into the vehicle. Ticas-Soto struggled to maneuver the gear stick into reverse, however, according to police.
By this point the 22-year-old bride was frantic, trying to pry free her belt buckle and escape. Perhaps hearing her screams, the groom ran back to the car and managed to pull out his wife whom fell to the ground. She did not sustain any injuries, although she was shaken up.
The suspect then put the car, a 2003 Nissan Altima, into forward gear, but careered straight into a Taco Bell sign, declared police. At this point he left the automobile and fled the scene.
Police officer Brendan Boyle, who was patrolling nearby, saw a man matching Ticas-Soto’s description running southbound on South Delaware street and Ninth Avenue. Back-up was called for and patrol cars soon converged on the scene. The suspect was apprehended and arrested without incident. It was at this point that he told police he had been taking methamphetamines for three straight days.
Ticas-Soto is being held in San Mateo County jail, in lieu of $100,000 bail, facing felony carjacking charges and misdemeanor drug charges. The accused, who does not have a criminal record, pleaded not guilty in San Mateo Superior Court on Monday.
Walcott stated that no attorney has yet been assigned to Ticas-Soto by the county private defender program. If found guilty of the carjacking he faces up to nine years in prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 10.
The bride and groom, who were planning to spend their wedding night at a nearby Embassy Suites and were still in their tuxedo and dress respectively, were uninjured in the incident, but according to Walcott, “This took them a little off-track.”

JOUR 61: News Story 3

A high pressure gas pipe ruptured in the South of Market area yesterday forcing police to shut down a four block area, ousting 100 people from the area and bringing traffic to a standstill.
The incident happened on the busy Folsom and 11^th street intersection a little before 12:30 p.m. A private construction crew was attempting to repair sewer lines and in doing so severed a two-inch underground gas pipe with a backhoe.
Police soon drew a perimeter around the scene with residents, dozens of business owners and customers forced onto the streets. Those running businesses in the area were especially aggravated by the disruption caused.
“Ask my customers. They were pretty irate.” said Carlann Lauria, manager of Crocker’s Lockers, a self-storage company on Folsom near 10^th street. Another manager, Samantha Feldman of Wa-Ha-Ka restaurant, located on the corner where the construction was taking place, said that they lost $500 worth of business due to the shutdown of the area.
The gas was not turned back on in the area until 5:09 p.m.

JOUR 61: AP Style Exercise I-L

1. The last time she played soccer, she suffered a serious injury to her knee. Sometimes it’s hard to understand why she wants to keep playing.
2. He was indicted on an assault charge, but his lawyer said the case against him is circumstantial and she is sure the inquiry will exonerate him.
3. He knows it isn’t kosher, but green Jell-O is his favorite dessert. This admission has prompted his friends to question both his taste and his judgment.
4. Now that he has DSL, he finds it much easier to go online to check his e-mail and download files.
5. He stood behind the lectern, addressing his long time colleagues at the Knights of Columbus.

JOUR 61: AP Style E-H Exercise

1. His new book, on elections and the Electoral College, is titled “Does Your Vote Count?”
2. Brianna looked so sad that he wanted to envelop her in his arms and give her a big hug, but he was afraid the attention might faze her.
3. They were so impressed by her flair for decorating that they offered lavish praise and agreed to distribute her promotional flier.
4. He suspected his neighbor was selling drugs, so he called the FBI. His neighbor, however, cried foul at the investigation.
5. The boys’ stories didn’t jibe, so their father threw down the gauntlet and demanded the truth.
6. My great-grandfather is a real gourmet, so I always let him pick the wine whenever we have dinner.

JOU 61: AP Style A-D Exercise

1. Mayor Richard Wrigley expressed confidence that the gubernatorial debate, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will have a positive effect on his candidacy. Wrigley added, “Gov. Red Davidson is a master of dirty politics, but I won’t take any of his baloney.”
2. For her birthday, the 9-year-old girl invited five good friends over for ice cream and cake. The chocolate cake was so tasty that any one of the children could have eaten it all, but they carefully divided it among themselves.
3. Persuaded of the bill’s importance, members of the Democratic and Republican Parties came together on Capitol Hill to support anti-terrorism legislation -- despite their differences on other issues.
4. ROME – All around the world, Roman Catholics today listened as the pope delivered his homily.

JOU 61: Top News Story 3

The Top news story I have chosen for this week is from the San Jose Mercury News, entitled, “Vote urged on Little Saigon”. The story was published on 2/12/2008. The article explains that San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and Councilwoman Madison Nguyen are calling for the decision on whether the one mile strip of retail land on Story Road should be named “Little Saigon” to be put to a city-wide vote.
This story is deemed to be top news because it rates very highly in three areas: currency, conflict and proximity. The decision of the naming of this piece of land has become an ongoing saga that has featured prominently in the news for a considerable period of time now. As a result it has a strong place in the public consciousness currently. The report also contains a large degree of conflict, which is always attractive to readers. The conflict here is between a large proportion of the Vietnamese population of San Jose who have campaigned vehemently for the area to be named “Little Saigon” and the members of the city council, in particular Madison Nguyen, who they feel has let them down. Furthermore, this story is very much local and affects the readership of this newspaper. It involves a piece of land in the reader’s community and their city’s council.
The article also has some impact to it for the local reader’s of the paper. If Mayor Reed and Nguyen get their wish, then of course the residents of San Jose, the principal readers of the newspaper, would be able to voice their opinions on the matter. Moreover, taking the item to a city-wide vote would cost $214,000 of tax-payer’s money, which will be of interest to readers.

JOU 61: News Story 2

Two Taiwanese tourists were robbed at gunpoint yesterday in the parking lot of St. Mary’s Cathedral, according to a report from Police Sgt. Lawrence Price.
The two victims , WeiMing Chen, 28, and wife, Li Lu, 30, had parted from their tour group at around 10 a.m. when they went down to the lower parking lot of the cathedral. They were taking pictures when a man approached them waiving a pistol and demanded their money.
After Chen handed over $100, the thief demanded more, so he handed him their passports, airline tickets and camera. The thief then ran off.
The couple claims that the assailant was wearing a black jacket and cap and according to Chen he was about 18 years old. Police are searching for him.
The tour group of 30 employees of a Taiwanese airline was scheduled to fly back at 1 p.m. yesterday. It is not known if Chen and Liu made the flight.

Jason Le Miere

JOU 61: News Story 1

A man was pulled from the flames of his burning house on Annapolis Way yesterday, by local firefighters.
Robert Kent, described by San Jose fire Captain Rob Piper as retired and in his 50’s, was found on the kitchen floor of his single-story home unconscious and has suffered second and third-degree burns to 50 percent of his body, said Piper.
Kent is said to be in grave condition at Valley Medical Center in San Jose, according to a nursing supervisor there.
The fire began in the kitchen before spreading up to the attic, at which point smoke engulfed the whole house. Captain Piper claimed the fire was reported at 3 p.m. and the home did not contain a smoke detector. The cause of the fire is under investigation, said Piper.

Jason Le Miere

MCOM 63: The Cluetrain Manifesto and Campaign Videos

The Cluetrain manifesto essentially provides a blueprint for how it is perceived companies need to communicate with consumers in the age of the Internet. It states that as people, both in the general marketplace and within companies themselves are now able to communicate are able to communicate with each other far more greatly, companies must communicate with their consumer base on a more personal level.
I think the manifesto makes some very good points that I would certainly concur with. In particular, that we are tired of the huge marketing machines of companies that simply treat consumers as facts and figures rather than individual minds. Certainly, I do believe that the Internet has led to people becoming more informed in a lot of cases and furthermore, that the Internet has also greatly increased the potential for consumers to form groups and organize their ideas. However, I think the manifesto overstates the impact of the Internet. While it has made Information more accessible and communication easier, I still don't believe that the general population is as informed and mobilized and the manifesto pertains. According to the manifesto, "We are immune to advertising. Just forget it." Unfortunately, from what I have seen, there is still a large portion of the population that are very much susceptible to advertising.
While the Cluetrain manifesto provides an idealized picture of what we would like to get from large companies, unfortunately the Internet has yet to make the impact, that necessitates companies providing this level of service.
One area though, where the Internet has had a large impact is in the political arena. Blogs and online forums have increased the political awareness amongst the population. The age group that has been most affected by this is the youth. The Democratic candidates for President, Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama have certainly realized this, hence the videos found on the class website. The video in support of Hilary Clinton, to me embodies more of what the Cluetrain manifesto states that companies need to stop doing, using large marketing machines to tell us what they think we want to hear, rather than communicating on a more personal level. The commercial appears very gimmicky and would certainly not encourage me to vote for her. The video in support of Obama, however contains far more emotion and passion, and includes actual reasons to vote for the candidate.

MCOM 63: Photoshop Assignment 3

Below is the latest photoshop assignment, which was to create a header. My header was a preview to the big soccer match in England this past weekend, featuring my team Manchester United against city neighbors Manchester City. In the assignment I learned to install pictures into a header and also how to blur the pictures into the background of the header to eradicate the large edges. Finally I inserted some text into the header.

JOUR 61: Top News Story 2

My top news story for this week comes from the New York Times Online entitled, “Tentative Deal Is Reached in Writers’ Strike”. The story explains how a resolution to the writers’ strike in Hollywood looks to be on the horizon. The strike between the Writers Guild of America and the production companies, which has been active since Nov. 5th, has severely disrupted television programs and the production of movies. This story will be of great interest and I’m sure of great relief to many readers who rely heavily on television and the movies for their entertainment.
The article’s importance is demonstrated by the news values it possesses. As mentioned, the story has a large impact due to the large number of people who watch television and feature films. The story also scores highly due to its immediacy. It is one of the advantages of the Internet over hard print newspapers that people logging onto the New York Times website can get this story as it is breaking. The report is very prminent in the public eye currently as it links many of the most famous people in the world, actors and actresses, whose work is affected by the strike. Furthermore, their participation in the OSCAR’s ceremony, one of the biggest television events of the year is also in jeopardized by the strike. This article has a lot of currency, as the writers’ strike has been in the public eye for a long time due to its visible affects on the nation’s television screens every night. The story also includes an element of conflict with people eager to discover who will back-down first in this bitter dispute between writers’ and production companies.
Although this story may not be as “important” as what is happening in the U.S. Presidential race, or what is happening in Iraq, the story is still featured prominently by editors because of the news values that it possesses.

JOUR 61: Leads 4

1.

Delayed identification lead:

A Springfield pipe fitter suffered third-degree burns and was listed in serious condition Wednesday night after touching a power line carrying 15,000 volts.

Immediate identification lead:

Pipe fitter Duane La Chance was listed in serious condition Wednesday night at Springfield hospital suffering from third-degree burns after coming into contact with a power line carrying 15,000 volts.

2. Delayed information lead:

A man lies in Springfield hospital today after his car was struck by a fellow vehicle on U.S. 63 on Wednesday.

Immediate identification lead:

James Cunning is in a satisfactory condition in Springfield hospital after his car was apparently struck by fellow Springfield resident Wayne Clay’s vehicle on U.S. 63 on Wednesday.

JOUR 61: Leads 3

1. Forty passengers were evacuated from an Northwset Airlines jet at LaCrosse, Wis., Municipal Airport on Wednesday after smoke was spotted near the aircraft.
A landing tower employee observed smoke near the wheels of Northwest Airlines Flight 428 following its arrival from Minneapolis.

2.

A 7-year-old boy missing for three years was found in Brick Township, N.J. Monday night after being discovered by a neighbor.
The boy was recognized by the neighbor after his picture was shown after the movie Adam: The Song Continues. The police were called and the boy’s mother, Ellen Conner, 27 was arrested and faces charges of kidnapping and interference with a custody warrant.

Blogs to watch

I have selected two blogs which I feel will be interesting to monitor throughout this semester. As the biggest news story of the next few months is going to be the run up to the U.S. Presidential election later this year I have decided to choose two political news blogs. First there is the National Review Online, which addresses news from a rightist perspective, and the politics section of the Huffington Post, which takes a more left-wing view point on politics. The National Review online originates from the hugely popular National Review magazine and contains several news blogs on their site. The Huffington Post is also recognized as one of the top political blogs. With blogs becoming an increasingly important vehicle from which people get their news and voice their opinions on matters relating to politics, it will be very revealing to see how these blogs, contrasting in political view point, assess the events of the next few months as the battle hots up for the White House.

Accreditation

This past Monday our MCOM 63 class were given the opportunity to sit in on an accreditation of the Mass Communications department at San Jose State University. This was the first accreditation I have taken part in and in was an interesting and worthwhile experience.
The discussion forum was led by two professors from other leading universities in the United States, and thus were assessing the department from an impartial point of view. They were very eager to listen to any and all views from the students present, whether the opinions were positive or negative.
As a newcomer to the Mass Communications department at San Jose State, I was very keen to hear the opinions from fellow students on the success of the department. Overall, I think the comments provided were largely positive. The faculty in the department seemed to be held in high regard by the students as was the material taught in the classes and the technological resources available to students. The only negatives were how the department prepares students for internships and also the availability of counseling within the department. Certainly I was surprised by the lack of time affordable to students to sit down with a counselor and I believe this is something that needs to be addressed.
All in all I was happy to be given the chance to participate in the accreditation and feel that it is a valuable tool in improving all aspects of departments across the university.

Photoshop Assignment 2

Below is the resulting image from Photoshop Assignment 2. In this assignment we learned to work with layers, clear-up dust spots, crop an image, convert an image to black and white and to sharpen a photo.