For Monday,
Follow up on our discussion on bias by asking three people you know if they believe the news media have a liberal bias. For each individual, make sure you follow with questions on exactly why they believe the media are or are not biased. Describe the reasons given as well as the examples provided by the individuals you interviewed. Based on these interviews, evaluate evidence for perceptual bias as described in the readings and in class. Please review the in-class handout, which you can find here: Rhetorica. This should be about a page, single-spaced. ALSO, catch up to the readings and we will discuss interviewing and gathering quotes next time. We'll do an in-class exercise.
For your viewing pleasure, Jon Stewart's critique of some of the biases discussed in the handout (as seen in class):
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Blog Comparison: In the Pink Texas vs. Capitol Annex
From my adoring praise, it may seem like I'm obsessed with Eileen Smith. Well, I'm not. (Well, maybe I am.)
She's obviously very funny. We've taken a look at some of her humor in previous posts. For example, she's under the impression that after adopting babies, you can give them back if it "doesn't work out."
In the Pink Texas has received lavish praise in reviews from the mainstream media, and rightfully so, because it's a great blog. But it's not the only kind of great blog. Let's look at another end of the spectrum: the policy wonk blogger.
Vince Leibowitz, a former Texas journalist who know owns and operates a blog called Capitol Annex, focuses more on breaking news and in-depth analysis of the goings-on of the Texas Legislature and statewide politics than entertaining the reader. For this reason, he is very often cited in work by other bloggers that are providing a general overview of an issue. If it happened in Austin, you can expect that Leibowitz will have covered it. He is the Perez Hilton of Texas politics, but without the controversy (or the celebs, unless you count Gov. "Goodhair" Perry). Leibowitz has even beaten the MSM in late breaking news, much to their private dismay.
Here's an excerpt:
She's obviously very funny. We've taken a look at some of her humor in previous posts. For example, she's under the impression that after adopting babies, you can give them back if it "doesn't work out."
In the Pink Texas has received lavish praise in reviews from the mainstream media, and rightfully so, because it's a great blog. But it's not the only kind of great blog. Let's look at another end of the spectrum: the policy wonk blogger.
Vince Leibowitz, a former Texas journalist who know owns and operates a blog called Capitol Annex, focuses more on breaking news and in-depth analysis of the goings-on of the Texas Legislature and statewide politics than entertaining the reader. For this reason, he is very often cited in work by other bloggers that are providing a general overview of an issue. If it happened in Austin, you can expect that Leibowitz will have covered it. He is the Perez Hilton of Texas politics, but without the controversy (or the celebs, unless you count Gov. "Goodhair" Perry). Leibowitz has even beaten the MSM in late breaking news, much to their private dismay.
Here's an excerpt:
I feel like both of these blogs serve an important purpose, and one builds on the other in a way. One is newsy and one is funny, but you can't make fun of the news without it being first reported. One is CNN and the other the Daily Show. It makes sense. The Texas blogosphere has been impacted greatly by both, and many bloggers have tried to emulate one style or the other, or perhaps a find a medium in between the two.State Rep. Robert Puente (D-San Antonio) has announced he will resign from the Texas House effective February 1.
Puente, who was facing a tough challenge from San Antonio City Councilman Roland Gutierrez before announcing he wouldn’t seek another term late last year, has now set in motion the likelihood of a special election for his district.
While it is likely Gutierrez will win the special election, it does give pro-Craddick forces the opportunity to find another candidate to run in this district.
MEET the DePRESSed
Earlier I profiled Eileen Smith, blogger turned online editor of Texas Monthly. I included a few recent gems from her blog, but now let's examine an excerpt of a column written for her real job, rather than for her own amusement. This full article about new media, called "MEET the DePRESSed", appears online at TexasMonthly.com.
Even those who kept their jobs, like Karen Brooks, found their beats changing a bit. A Capitol bureau reporter, Brooks now covers online politics and new media as well. She has been a newspaper reporter for thirteen years, and has worked at the Morning News for three-and-a-half years.
When asked whether she thinks print is on its way out, Brooks responded, “Unfortunately, I do—eventually, anyway. I don’t like it, and I don’t like to admit it.
“I’ve been in the newspaper business for so long,” she continued. “I was refusing to admit it was changing. But, I don’t feel like [the Internet] is killing journalism.”
Brooks contributes to the Morning News’s political blog, “Trail Blazers,” where she’s free to be sarcastic and edgy, which is to say, free to be a blogger.
Initially, Smith is referencing the recent "option" given to Dallas Morning News reporters to receive pay to quit working. Seasoned journalist Karen Brooks survived the exodus, but is now also a blogger on the newspaper's website. As a part of the new media frontier while still clinging to the old guard, Brooks can finally concede to the ideas of the digital revolution as she realizes that dead-tree media is past its prime.
Smith uses the direct quotes from Brooks to really drive home her point about new media: even veteran reporters are waving the white flag at the blogosphere.But let’s be honest. It doesn’t really matter what Karen Brooks thinks. Or what I think. Or what anyone over thirty thinks. Like many of my colleagues, I’m a washed-up has-been. As so-called “digital immigrants” (those who grew up in a world where you filled out your college applications on a typewriter), there’s only so much we can do to help shape the future of media.
“Digital natives,” on the other hand, were born around 1985, when personal computers were already ten years old. They have never known a world without the Internet (lucky bastards). They are adept multimedia producers and certified gadgetophiles who create content as much as they consume it, if not more. Avid newspaper readers, they are not. In fact, younger readers view the corporate-owned mainstream media with disgust, if not outright contempt.
Smith brilliantly uses unique terminology to help further demonstrate the divide: "digital immigrants" and "digital natives." The immigrants, she humorously illustrates, filled out their college applications on a typewriter, while the "gadgetophile" natives never knew a world without the Internet.
But I can’t speak for them, mostly because I don’t understand their language, which is transferred through text messages and seems to consist entirely of acronyms. As for me, I like the autonomy and accessibility of online news. I like that I can get information from an array of different sources. I like watching video and downloading podcasts and perusing the self-absorbed rantings on blogs (mine included). I like posting comments and interacting with shadowy, anonymous figures. And I especially like the fact that you can do all this at your job and still look like you’re working.
Try doing that with a newspaper.
Poking fun at text messaging and the "language" it employs, Smith further defines the differences in the new media culture and the old. She then points out the obvious advantages to this tidal wave of the information age. Smith uses online media for all its worth, and best of all, since she's sitting in front of a computer screen it makes her look like she's doing something important. Like working.
The Race Tightens: Comparison of Political Blogs
The blogs I decided to compare come from The New York Times and The Washington Post, both covering the presidential race, noting those candidates who are making headway and others who are falling behind. The main focus is one both the Republican and Democrat candidates that are pulling ahead to become the most talked about “front runners.”
In The Washington Post, the blog entry is entitled, “A Matchup Starts to Take Shape.” Written by David S. Broder, a columnist for the Post, his blog focuses on the events leading up to Tuesday’s day of voting in two-dozen states and what it means for the leading candidates of each party. For the Republicans, Broder believes that McCain has gained momentum back by winning in South Carolina and Florida after having a rough start over the summer. Broder adds to this by saying that he believes that McCain should have no problem gaining the Republican nomination unless Romney makes some extraordinary comeback. And, with McCain now the front-runner for the Republicans, Broder believes that Obama will gain the advantage and win the Democratic nomination because voters believe he has a better shot at winning the election against McCain.
In The New York Times blog called “The Caucus,” the writers Kate Phillips and Ariel Alexovich take a similar approach to their blog, entitling the entry, “The Early Word: The Race Narrows.” It is similar in that these two writers also agree that both the Republican and Democratic races have slimmed down considerably to two dueling front-runners. But while Broder from the Post uses mainly his own opinion, without inserting the writing of other journalists and analysts, Phillips and Alexovich use clips from a variety of people to support their point. They quote people from The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and even The Washington Post.
For me at least, I liked Broder’s blog much more than Phillip and Alexovich’s because of the way it was written. Broder states his opinion and finishes, not feeling the need to fill the space with endless quotes that just break up the blog too much. In The New York Times, it is hard to really feel like Phillip and Alexovich wrote very much of their opinion because it was mostly all quotes from other people. Of course, some people may view this as better because they are using so many other opinions to back up their own; Broder is simply a much easier and faster read.
Links:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/the-early-word-the-race-narrows/#more-4067
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/30/AR2008013003213.html
In The Washington Post, the blog entry is entitled, “A Matchup Starts to Take Shape.” Written by David S. Broder, a columnist for the Post, his blog focuses on the events leading up to Tuesday’s day of voting in two-dozen states and what it means for the leading candidates of each party. For the Republicans, Broder believes that McCain has gained momentum back by winning in South Carolina and Florida after having a rough start over the summer. Broder adds to this by saying that he believes that McCain should have no problem gaining the Republican nomination unless Romney makes some extraordinary comeback. And, with McCain now the front-runner for the Republicans, Broder believes that Obama will gain the advantage and win the Democratic nomination because voters believe he has a better shot at winning the election against McCain.
In The New York Times blog called “The Caucus,” the writers Kate Phillips and Ariel Alexovich take a similar approach to their blog, entitling the entry, “The Early Word: The Race Narrows.” It is similar in that these two writers also agree that both the Republican and Democratic races have slimmed down considerably to two dueling front-runners. But while Broder from the Post uses mainly his own opinion, without inserting the writing of other journalists and analysts, Phillips and Alexovich use clips from a variety of people to support their point. They quote people from The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and even The Washington Post.
For me at least, I liked Broder’s blog much more than Phillip and Alexovich’s because of the way it was written. Broder states his opinion and finishes, not feeling the need to fill the space with endless quotes that just break up the blog too much. In The New York Times, it is hard to really feel like Phillip and Alexovich wrote very much of their opinion because it was mostly all quotes from other people. Of course, some people may view this as better because they are using so many other opinions to back up their own; Broder is simply a much easier and faster read.
Links:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/the-early-word-the-race-narrows/#more-4067
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/30/AR2008013003213.html
Soccer Blog Compare and Contrast
The two blogs that I am comparing are from The New York Times and The Washington Post. Both of these blogs are about soccer, both nationally and internationally. The New York Times blog is written by a host of journalists and is named Goal while The Washington Post blog is written by Steven Goff and is named Soccer Insider.
While both of the blogs concentrate on both United States Soccer and International Soccer, Goal written by a host of journalists is more focused on the events that are going around the world with regards to soccer, while Soccer Insider is more concerned about the American player and the American game.
The soccer insider is part of the Washington Post, so it has more involvement with events pertaining to DC United and the MLS. An article posted just yesterday talks about how Andrew Jacobson a rookie on DC United decided to sign with the French club
The New York Times is a major national newspaper so in it’s blog, it has more international flavor. Many of its articles from the past week have to do with the African Cup of Nations, the national tournament in
While the similarities can be seen between these two blogs because they are both about soccer and what is going on with it around the country. The differences are more glaring, Soccer Insider does not really delve into cultural or social issues that are brought up by soccer, but it goes more into the team side of things with great updated news about DC United. Goal on the other hand, goes into the cultural and social issues that are so often involved with soccer especially on a continent where soccer is as much part of the tradition as baseball and football are here. Both do a great job of reaching the audience that they are meant to reach, Soccer Insider fans of DC United and readers of The Washington Post and Goal, readers of the nationwide New York Times and international issues and sports.
Links:
Goal: http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/
Soccer Insider: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/
Highly Anticipated Syllabus Excerpt
Reading, research, required activities:
Your textbook is News Reporting and Writing, The Missouri Group, 9th edition and workbook
Also required: Journalism 2.0, Mark Briggs.
Recommended: AP Stylebook
This class is supported by Blackboard and you will be able to check your grades online. HOWEVER, course announcements and course readings will be posted on an informal class blog: www.nabobs.blogspot.com. You are asked to contribute to the blog on an informal basis by asking questions, making comments and/or introducing written or visual materials. Everyone, including me, should be constantly dumping story ideas here. I will read and respond on the blog at least once EACH DAY. I may have you post some assignments here as well; I will announce which ones.
More on blogs: You will work as individuals or with a partner to set up a blog for your own use. This will be the main vehicle for your final class presentation, which is a multimedia reporting project. Parameters, deadlines, etc., will be discussed in class.
As part of your ongoing reading in the class, you need to monitor blogs of interest to you and your project. You will set up RSS feeds to Google Reader or Netvibes.com that include feeds from mediabistro.com, the Howard Kurtz media column in The Washington Post, Romenesko from poynter.org, E-Media Tidbits from poynter.org, Capture the Conversation and other sites from your own searches. Try to find a writer in the media or among your blogs who inspires you. Follow his or her writings and be prepared to talk about the appeal. We will discuss developments within journalism from these sites.
Additional readings will be handed out in class and/or posted on the nabobs blog. You are responsible for obtaining copies of all handouts before readings are due. Not all readings may be available in electronic format.
It should go without saying that you will read The Washington Post daily and the Eagle twice weekly (Mondays and Thursdays).
You may be required to view videos in the Media Services area of the library. These must be viewed before the class in which they are being discussed.
Hoosier Blog Compare and Contrast
I am comparing Terry Hutchens’ “Hoosier Insider” blog from The Indianapolis Star to “The Hoosier Scoop” from Bloomington, Indiana’s local paper, The Herald Times. “The Hoosier Scoop” is written by sports editor, Doug Wilson, and sports writer, Chris Korman. The particular post that I am comparing and contrasting with Hutchens’ is written by Chris Korman.
Upon reading a post from January 26 from each paper, I discovered that they have many similarities. Both blogs concentrated on the Hoosiers’ loss against the University of Connecticut (UConn). They also contained one of the same themes: the lesson the Hoosiers learned from Saturday’s conference game. Hutchens writes, “It is often said in sports that you learn more about yourself in a loss than in a victory…here's some of the things I think Indiana learned today.” Korman writes, “…Indiana needs to learn something from today.” It is obvious that each writer has similar thoughts in terms of their writing and about the game on Saturday.
Another similarity is that the writers both picked up on many of the same flaws from specific players, such as Lance Stemler. Stemler is one of the best three-point shooters on the team and the bloggers were both concerned about his shot in the game. Korman writes, “Sampson inserted him to shoot 3-pointers. He took and hit one. Stemler had what appeared to be a good look for another 3 but pulled it down and tried a jump shot from just inside the line, which missed.” Hutchens noted Stemler’s inaccuracy during as the game as one of the Hoosiers’ top 10 mistakes. “Lance Stemler needs to shoot from beyond the arc -- and no where else… C'mon Lance, shoot the ball from long range and let some of these other guys stop and shoot from 17 and in,” writes Hutchens.
While there are similarities in the blogs, there are also many differences. Because Korman is a Bloomington local, he has a way with his words that connects with the Bloomington population. His introductory paragraph is a perfect indication.
“By now many of you are probably off drowning your sorrows at Nick’s
or either of the Kilroy’s or in some musty frat basement. Maybe
tomorrow as you shake it off you’ll begin to dissect what happened at
Assembly Hall. Consider this your dose of two aspirins as you struggle
down the path toward clearing your post-loss fog.”
Korman realizes how passionate IU fans are and that a game is not just upsetting to the team, but to everyone.
Another difference in “The Hoosier Scoop,” is the ongoing political metaphor. UConn’s surprise win is compared to Barack Obama’s surprise win in South Carolina. Korman wraps up the blog post with a continuation of the metaphor that is more hopeful than the previous references. He writes that Indiana can still become a team “just as Hillary Clinton’s staff could still find a way to win big on Super Tuesday.” I thought this metaphor was very clever and it is a method that can be used to engage more than just sports fans.
Hutchens begins his blog in a different manner than the prior. He provides a very understandable synopsis as to why the Hoosiers could not pull through on Saturday afternoon. The rest of his blog is very structured, listing 10 things that Indiana’s players, coaches and fans need to learn from this experience. He makes many good points, but does not stray from the sports angle, like Korman did when making political references.
The absence of direct quotes is another difference in Hutchens’ blog. Korman uses direct quotes from Head Coach Kelvin Sampson frequently, whereas Hutchens prefers to use his own words to explain the events. In addition, Hutchens engages his reader by asking thought-provoking questions and by asking for opinions from his reader at the end of his post.
All in all, I would say Hutchens’ blog is slightly more informational because it goes into more detail, but I really enjoyed hearing the viewpoints from both a big-city and a local writer.
http://blogs.heraldtimesonline.com/iusp/
http://blogs.indystar.com/hoosiersinsider/
Upon reading a post from January 26 from each paper, I discovered that they have many similarities. Both blogs concentrated on the Hoosiers’ loss against the University of Connecticut (UConn). They also contained one of the same themes: the lesson the Hoosiers learned from Saturday’s conference game. Hutchens writes, “It is often said in sports that you learn more about yourself in a loss than in a victory…here's some of the things I think Indiana learned today.” Korman writes, “…Indiana needs to learn something from today.” It is obvious that each writer has similar thoughts in terms of their writing and about the game on Saturday.
Another similarity is that the writers both picked up on many of the same flaws from specific players, such as Lance Stemler. Stemler is one of the best three-point shooters on the team and the bloggers were both concerned about his shot in the game. Korman writes, “Sampson inserted him to shoot 3-pointers. He took and hit one. Stemler had what appeared to be a good look for another 3 but pulled it down and tried a jump shot from just inside the line, which missed.” Hutchens noted Stemler’s inaccuracy during as the game as one of the Hoosiers’ top 10 mistakes. “Lance Stemler needs to shoot from beyond the arc -- and no where else… C'mon Lance, shoot the ball from long range and let some of these other guys stop and shoot from 17 and in,” writes Hutchens.
While there are similarities in the blogs, there are also many differences. Because Korman is a Bloomington local, he has a way with his words that connects with the Bloomington population. His introductory paragraph is a perfect indication.
“By now many of you are probably off drowning your sorrows at Nick’s
or either of the Kilroy’s or in some musty frat basement. Maybe
tomorrow as you shake it off you’ll begin to dissect what happened at
Assembly Hall. Consider this your dose of two aspirins as you struggle
down the path toward clearing your post-loss fog.”
Korman realizes how passionate IU fans are and that a game is not just upsetting to the team, but to everyone.
Another difference in “The Hoosier Scoop,” is the ongoing political metaphor. UConn’s surprise win is compared to Barack Obama’s surprise win in South Carolina. Korman wraps up the blog post with a continuation of the metaphor that is more hopeful than the previous references. He writes that Indiana can still become a team “just as Hillary Clinton’s staff could still find a way to win big on Super Tuesday.” I thought this metaphor was very clever and it is a method that can be used to engage more than just sports fans.
Hutchens begins his blog in a different manner than the prior. He provides a very understandable synopsis as to why the Hoosiers could not pull through on Saturday afternoon. The rest of his blog is very structured, listing 10 things that Indiana’s players, coaches and fans need to learn from this experience. He makes many good points, but does not stray from the sports angle, like Korman did when making political references.
The absence of direct quotes is another difference in Hutchens’ blog. Korman uses direct quotes from Head Coach Kelvin Sampson frequently, whereas Hutchens prefers to use his own words to explain the events. In addition, Hutchens engages his reader by asking thought-provoking questions and by asking for opinions from his reader at the end of his post.
All in all, I would say Hutchens’ blog is slightly more informational because it goes into more detail, but I really enjoyed hearing the viewpoints from both a big-city and a local writer.
http://blogs.heraldtimesonline.com/iusp/
http://blogs.indystar.com/hoosiersinsider/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
