AdrianneJ's Blog

Mainstream v. Nonmainstream: President Obama’s First 100 Days

adrianne13 — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:39:47 +0000

One of the main topics in the news today is President Obama’s first 100 days. Several different types of media cover and criticize this crucial mark in the presidency. TIME Magazine has published an article entitled “Joe Klein on the President’s Impressive Performance Thus Far,” which gives an in depth analysis of how Obama went about his 100th day as everything that has lead up to it. The article discusses what has been done in terms of the economy, foreign policy, and health care, and at the same time relates and compares him to previous presidents. Therefore, the story is more of an overview of the first 100 days as a whole. Contrarily, the Amnesty International website covers this mark in history in a quicker, perhaps more efficient way. Their website has provided a checklist of President Obama’s platform and what he has and has not accomplished at the end of these days, followed by his plans to go forth with them. This checklist is accompanied by a satirical video, “Obama’s First 100 Days: We Don’t Expect the Impossible” that briefly exaggerates his plans, making the world suddenly seem like a fairytale, but is followed up by a message explaining his plans for peace on issues such as Guantanamo Bay. As this is a message from Amnesty International, it is not necessarily biased, it has a clearer and more concise point than the TIME article. This does not make one source of information better than the other, but simply presents similar information in different ways. Though the website is based on an organization which focuses on a specific aspect of his plan (peace), it does not expand on their approval or disapproval of his first 100 days, unlike the TIME article which refers to an “Impressive Performance,” signifying approval. The website may be more appropriate for someone who either already has a tight grasp on politics, or conversely someone who wants just a brief overview, whereas the magazine article relies on some sense of background on the issue, as well as previous presidencies- both discussed. All in all, each article provides the same information, but is simply aimed toward different crowds as one takes a more “professional” look and the other offers a slighter overview. TIME Magazine is considered a prestigious publication, whereas this website with the checklist and video is not a mainstream, and thus is not necessarily as focused on the topic as a whole, but rather the individual points. Therefore, each source of information touches on the same topic, though one source requires the reader to form his or her own conclusions from straight fact. Each is affective, and each is informative, despite the differences which are catered toward the varying audiences.

American Creole: A New Orleans Tradition

adrianne13 — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:51:34 +0000

Free- lance filmmakers Glen Pitre and Michelle Benoit presented a film about American Creole at the Missouri State University Public Affairs Conference on Wednesday, April 22.
The filmmaking team presented their film, “American Creole: A New Orleans Tradition” and spoke on the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the Creole population. The film followed Creole musician Don Vappie, and according to Pitre, “put a big disaster on the scale of one person.” Such a huge disaster “affects the decisions you make and the things you do,” said Pitre. “Since Katrina, everything is a bit more precious.”
The film addressed Creole tradition, which, according to Pitre, “means mixture and homegrown.”
“They (Creoles) bring their own culture, most notably what is known as the Cajun culture,” said Tommy Gerace, 20, of New Orleans, La.
“Hurricane Katrina brought the struggle to the surface for their culture,” said Christina Battram, an MSU student. “In a sense the hurricane brought out the human in everyone and help the Creole embrace their roots.” Creole culture, history, and traditions were discussed within the movie, as well as the question/ answer question to follow.
Sustainability also took priority during the event as New Orleans is making a “slow decline like a genteel old age,” according to Pitre. “In Southeast Louisiana, a piece of land the size of a football field slides off into water every half hour.”
In regards to what to do about this “culture formed from landscape,” Pitre said that the opportunity in New Orleans is thriving and the unity is stronger than ever.
“When a New Orleanian wants to buy a cup coffee for instance, they, especially post-Katrina, will go out of their way and pay more for a cup of coffee brewed locally,” said Gerace. In regards to Creoles and New Orleanian tradition, Gerace said that “Katrina has brought New Orleans back its roots.”

Public Affairs: Social Networking and Sustainability Issues

adrianne13 — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:48:34 +0000

Sustainability enthusiasts formed a panel at Missouri State University’s Public Affairs Conference on Thursday, April 23 to discuss the topic of “Social Networking and Sustainability Issues.”
Students and faculty gathered in Plaster Student Union to listen to four speakers, including Michelle Benoit, Leith Sharp, Jude Wait, and Chris Maser discuss the topic in comparison to the crowd’s input.
“Networking gives the world a human face,” said Chris Maser, a research scientist in natural history and ecology. Maser focused on the language of communication and its effects on sustainability. Other panelists focused on geographical awareness, conflicting forces, and the gradual shift to productiveness within social networking.
“The definition of social networking has changed,” said Jude Wait, management graduate student at Southern Oregon University. Wait discussed the importance of direct human contact as opposed to “greenwashing,” or giving the impression of sustainable efforts through networking. Wait said that she has joined several social networking sites in order to access certain information. “There’s a pressure to be on these sites, but what do I put?” she said in regards to her own social networking.
According to Betty Evans, MSU librarian of ten years, social networking, including sites such as Facebook or Wiser Earth, of 200,000 members, gained popularity among students. “I’m on Facebook as a tool to keep up with students,” she said. Evans hopes to use social networking to “work with groups to form ideas” next fall.
“The Next Generation won’t know a world where social media and sustainability aren’t part of everyday life,” according to Max Gladwell’s blog, Social Media and Green Living. “The Internet did for communication what cheap oil did for consumer goods. It brought the world seemingly close together.”
As the conference drew to a close, many questions were redirected toward the audience, reiterating the flow of information among social networking. According to Wait, social networking “starts with the community and goes out” with issues such as sustainability.

Life of Jason: Journalism?

adrianne13 — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:13:25 +0000

Life of Jason is an increasingly popular blog about Springfield affairs, as well as some information about his private life. However, the question of whether or not this qualifies as journalism remains somewhat controversial. I personally believe that journalism is essentially reporting information and relaying it to the public. Credibility also comes into play, however, as he may appear to be biased or when the skepticism about him not actually practicing “traditional forms of journalism” comes into play. As society continues to develop and tradition almost seems to “take the back seat,” different methods are created to get information out, and thus these forms are becoming associated with journalism. Blogs are a common example. In Jason’s case, although not all part of the initial plan, he has developed relationships with many Springfield officials and gained insight by attending various Springfield events and meetings. This alone boosts his credibility a great deal as he has experienced these things and gives literally minute- by- minute play of everything happening. Whereas a broadcasted news story of article may have a brief synopsis (perhaps allowing more room for biases), Jason’s straightforward approach sprinkled with lighthearted interjections provides the simple point that many are seeking. In short, journalism is a craft that provides newsworthy information to the public, which is just what Jason does, regardless his nontraditional form and his combination that includes personal life. Jason’s blog has become a source of reliable information for the area of Springfield, as many turn to it for the most up- to- date information about press meetings, swearing, and city happenings. In other words, they are turning to the blog for news.

Freedom of Speech

adrianne13 — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:47:19 +0000

Freedom of speech has frequently been a hot topic in Supreme Court cases. One example of this is the court case Cuffley v. Mickes, which deals with freedom of speech in terms of discriminating against a particular group- the K.K.K. In this case, which took place in Missouri, the K.K.K applied for the state’s Adopt- A- Highway system. They were denied this right originally on the basis that the K.K.K was considered a discriminatory group who performed unlawful and violent crimes, which would not benefit the organization. Once this case was taken to Supreme Court, the decision was in favor of the K.K.K because “they had been treated differently from the beginning.” It was decided that this discrimination of the group was simply based on political and social beliefs. Their freedom of speech was threatened, and although this group is typically frowned upon, they too have the right to freedom of speech as granted to them by the first amendment to the constitution. The Supreme Court recognized this and let the law take priority even though it may be human nature to judge first. The K.K.K was eventually granted the right to participate in the program when the case was over.

Craft v. Ethics

adrianne13 — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:12:02 +0000

While journalism is known as a craft, this also allows for more room for controversy. Ethics remain a touchy subject for many because of different interpretations. In a News- Leader article, “Man kills two sisters before police fatally shoot him,” The Associated Press covers a story about one man’s violent outburst that carried with it much emotion. While the SPJ Code of Ethics implies that stories should minimize harm and show compassion for those involved, in order to portray an accurate story, a journalist may need to include some details that may bring up a great deal of emotion. In this case, writer Glen Johnson mentions the deaths of two sisters, one being stabbed to death and the other decapitated, obviously stirring feelings among the disturbing order of events that he describes. Johnson even includes a quote about “the raw human emotion” that he normally encounters, in comparison to this tragedy. This story is a prime example of the ways that the craft of journalism and ethic clash at times. While this story, for example, is well written, it could potentially bring up ethical issues- particularly in regards to those involved. This story includes a great deal of grief and tragedy that often times leads to the fine line between ethics and the craft of journalism, and so it is important that one weighs the importance of the craft in comparison to the ethics in order to achieve a balance that pleases the majority.

Speech Leads

adrianne13 — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:18:04 +0000

“A former state lawmaker from Springfield and an economics professor from Missouri State University are offering their solution to the Police and Firefighters Pension Fund crisis faced by the city.”

This lead is written in the Community Free Press in regards to a meeting held about the Pension Fund. While this lead describes the “who” and “what” question, it fails to address any further questions that may be expected to be answered in a lead, including when the meeting took place, and a brief explanation of this solution. The following paragraph introduces the lawmakers, and story goes on to describe the plan. However, it may be more helpful for the lead to include at least some information on in order to point out that this solution was, in fact, offered at a meeting and in what general direction this solution is going. Without such information, the reader may not be as drawn to read on and better understand the solution. Therefore, although the lead makes sense and the reader gains a general understanding, it could be improved upon to capture the attention of the reader and provide a brief and simple explanation of what took place, not just “who offered a solution to what.”

On a speech from President Obama on CSPAN.com
President Obama announced his plan to begin withdrawal of US troops in Iraq by August 31, 2010 in his address to Camp Lejeune, N.C .on Friday.

Effect of Numbers

adrianne13 — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:09:03 +0000

In The New York Times, a story is written about the shootings that recently took place in Samson and Geneva, Alabama. This article depends heavily on numbers as it uses them to describe the amount of people killed, backed up by the populations of the two towns involved and their distance from each other. The attributions from this story are directed toward a Samson police chief and dispatcher, thus they appear to be reliable sources. Therefore, the reader is given some sense of assurance in these convincing facts. According to this particular story, “at least 10 were killed,” however upon looking at other news stories on this event, some report “at least 11” or just “11” killed. Despite these slight variations, phrases such as “at least” leave a certain amount of leeway as the story is further investigated. Perhaps more concrete numbers will be given at a later date, however still the numbers increase the story’s credibility as it states the number of people killed in each city, and concludes by giving the population of each city so that the reader can draw his or her own comparisons. Therefore, because the story depends on numbers, it has the potential for greater impact by convincing the reader of the incident’s reliability.

New York Times v. USA Today on President Obama’s Plan for the Economy

adrianne13 — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:44:31 +0000

The New York Times and USA Today both presented a front page headline about President Obama’s speech on the economy. Both articles contained the quote “We will rebuild.” However, while the both covered the same information, the way that they each presented it is different on several levels. As far as format is concerned, each is placed as the story of highest importance, however the New York Times continues the story further into the paper, still taking up nearly another full page. On the other hand, USA Today presents the story in a very brief manner that takes up only the far right hand column and summarized through bullet points. While they both give the same information, the NYT just goes more into depth providing numerous direct quotes from both the president’s speech, as well as others. Also, the NYT fills the beginning with a quick summary, followed by the significant quotes (such as the one that both issues used as the headline) and then goes on replay the night. Conversely, USA Today does not waste time getting to the gist of the speech by cutting to the main points, which were finally bulleted.

Notes Questions:

adrianne13 — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:57:11 +0000

1. Was Johnson wearing his hearing aid?
- Ask doctors at St. Johns
- Ask because it is essential to know whether he just didn’t hear the bus or there was another reason that cause him to step into traffic.
2. Did Johnson have anything with him when he was hit or was there any indicator as to why he was headed toward the book exchange?
- Ask Bill Jones
- Ask because it could give clues toward his motive for even needing to cross the street.
3. Was Johnson responsive throughout his transport from the scene to the hospital?
- Ask the Springfield Police Department
- Ask because if Johnson was, he may have been able to provide some information to reporters.
4. How long was Johnson in the hospital before he was pronounced dead?
- Ask Springfield Police Department
- Ask because it may allow for expansion on number 3 if it is valid, thus allowing for first hand evidence.
5. Was the weather unfavorable? (Rainy, icy, foggy…)
- Ask any of the witnesses- Bill Jones, Sally Smith
- Ask because while this is somewhat basic, it is not included in the story and it could greatly contribute the cause of the accident, aside from Leadfoot’s reputation.