Headlines

I don't mind writing headlines, in fact, I really like writing headlines. But I'm not sure how good I am at critiquing them. I was really surprised on how bad I did on the headline critique quiz. I'm not sure if my mind just wasn't there cause of how sleep deprived I have been lately or if I am just not good at finding mistakes. When we went over them today I thought, "How could I miss that?". Well I will put myself to the challenge and I will study really hard for our upcoming final.

Overall, this class has really surprised me. I didn't think I could learn so much about editing. There's so many rules that I wouldn't have even thought existed. Although I don't feel that I would want to ever work as an editor, this class has really made me admire and respect their work. Journalism would not be what it is without them.

In loving memory of Andrew and Fausto

I wanted to dedicate this blog to the two young men that lost their lives in an accident caused by a drunk driver on April 10th this year. While their car broke down on the express way in Chicago, an off-duty Chicago Police Officer was speeding and hit this car at full speed. The hit caused the victims' car to blow up and burst into flames while they were still inside.

I was amazed by the amount of news that was dedicated to this tragedy. It was mainly because it was a Chicago Police Officer that caused the accident while he was drunk. The media exposed how this police officer had a past in reckless driving.

But there were also news articles that stated false accusations about the two victims. That really bothered me. I believe that as journalists we need to expose the truth and expose facts, not rumors.

They stated that the two victims were gang members. I personally knew this victims. One worked as a full time construction worker and the other one was a student at DePaul University in Chicago. They were also both very talented artists. They have never been members of gangs, they were two very bright and intelligent men. I thought that these articles were very biased and they definitely stereotyped these victims.

What I also found to be very unfair was that the drunk driver that caused this accident was only given a $500,000 bail (since they only have to pay 10% he only had to pay $50,000). Yet there was another drunk driving case that same weekend and the victim also passed away. The victim in this accident was a professional baseball player. The drunk driver's bond was 2 million dollars. I just think this shows the flaws in our justice system.

But I am pleased that this case has moved so many people to take action. There have been a number of protests against drinking and driving. My mom was also lost her life because of a drunk driver. I personally think that our justice system needs to step up and do something about this.

This case was so devastating and I believe that our news coverage was good, but there were those few articles that really bothered me because the two victims of these accidents were amazing individuals that definitely did not deserve such a tragic death.

Cutlines/Photo's

Writing cutlines is actually one of my favorite things to do as a journalism student. It might sound boring but there's something about photo's and whatever else comes with them that intrigues me. I have really enjoyed the last few lab in news-editing. I love looking at pictures and reading cutlines. I appreciate how much they contribute to our everyday news stories. I wrote my research paper on photo depictions through presidential campaigns and I enjoyed speaking to photo editors about the subject and I enjoyed researching their importance.

Word usage

It's actually very surprising how someone can learn so much in a 2 hr class period. Today we got into groups and came up with headlines individually and then went over them as a group and picked the best ones. 

Stimulate and stimulus, is there a difference? There is  a drastic difference if we use stimulus as a verb (stimulate). 

We were trying to come up with a a headline regarding a 890 million Illinois stimulus plan for food stamps. 

The way we use our words can have a big effect on the way people take things. How does "Illinois stimulates" sound in comparison to "an Illinois stimulus?" We discussed it in our group and came up with the conclusion that stimulate can bring a different connotation to the actual meaning of the headline and it can actually confuse people. 

There are many words that can be take in a different context if used in another tense. I'm really glad we had a discussion about it today because it taught me a lesson regarding word usage in headine and in stories over all. As journalist we have to try to be as clear as possible without confusing our readers.

Diversity

This week in lecture we discussed diversity in reporting, more specifically how it becomes part of everyday, regular reporting. One specific thing that sparked my interest was when we were talking about the hiring process. I personally would not want to be chosen for a position simply because the company is trying to diversify their employees. In fact, it would be offensive. I believe diversity is important but I also believe that one's qualifications goes way beyond being a person of color. We all work really hard to add what we can to our resume and I believe those that work harder should be given the opportunity to fill a position they would do great in. 

By the way, I didn't notice the 3rd page to the story on our exam until 5 minutes before we had to turn it in. What a bummer! =(

Numbers

1+1=2, but is it correct to say that the tempereature doubled from 1 degree to 2 degrees? No, especially not in a news story. 

It seems that numbers have been following me everywhere for that last few weeks. I'm currently working on a graphics chart for one of my Journalism class. I have been shown so many examples of graphs and numbers that have used in published news stories that are not accurate and in some instances, it being ridiculously apparent. 

I am actually really liking this week in News Editing. I have never really paid close attention to numbers in stories, and now I know to look and double check stories with numbers. 

I was trying to look for an article which used numbers in foul ways. Unfortunately I could not come across any. 

Well that's it for today. 

Thoughts

I read the Daily Illini everyday. I feel as if some pictures that are chosen from their front pages are not good at all. I'm not trying to bash on their photographers, I just feel that more work needs to get done in that area. Not only am I taking News Editing this semester but I am also taking Graphics and Design. I think that the combination of both have made me notice every single detail when I read papers. I look at the overall layout and headlines a lot more critically now. Both of these classes have taught me that small details can make such a drastic difference for newspapers.  

The main picture that was chosen today is not applealing at all. I feel thatthe "Causing the scene on Green" picture was a whole lot better of a picture then people walking down green street. But I do like the map that they placed. It brought more variety to the front page. 

I must add that I do not like the headline "University age requirements may be reduced, cut entirely." Was the "cut entirely part of the headline even necessary? 

I just feel that it's these little details that make a newspaper less appealing.

Well that's it for today =)