"...although I got annoyed with the stupidity it was a much appreciated emotion."
Ahhhh my sentiments about Farhad Manjoo's book "True Enough" from a previous semester. They still hold true too because I have had a semester to witness the world around me fall prey to the many topics covered in Manjoo's book.
Last semester I lambasted my fiancé for his choice of selective perception/exposure. His enthusiasm for Glenn Beck is not a trait we had in common, but I have grown to tolerate Beck in small portions. My fiancé, however, still remains blissfully ignorant that there are other news sources out their besides Fox News.
You don't have to be a mass communication student to realize that objectivity in news appears to be a lost art.
"It's this system- the multichannel, watch-what-you-want-to-believe world...that is now working against the sort of "objective" news..."
Ask anyone you know and they have certain news outlets that are their regular sources. It is generally the outlets that agree with their personal beliefs. It's not a malicious act that they are taking part in; it's human nature. Our brain seems to be programmed to accept the things we agree with and be content with only that information. It takes a particular mind to research beyond what they believe to see what else is out there. The lack of objectivity in news helps to propel the instinct of "biased assimilation" that is already ingrained in people.
“…people accepted at face value the data that aligned with their position.”
It is not shocking because of obvious bias in news that people have become skeptical of the news. But it has gone past just basic skepticism of what people write. It is now what they see as well in photos. Photoshop and a few bad photojournalists have changed the outlook that “a picture is worth a thousand words” to “is that real.” It is a sad realization for those in the industry that are still true to the art of written word and photos, but a battle that has become common.
This semester I had the pleasure of working as an intern with Creative Loafing in the News and Politics department. On orientation day with my “boss” Mitch Perry (the only paid person in the News/Politics department) I was given a run-down of CL’s daily activities.
A day begins by reading the newspapers. I tried not to spit venom when he told me that because I am just old-fashioned enough to love reading newspapers. So you get the information from the newspapers to either help begin a story or to do a follow-up story. From there you do the reporterly duties etc etc. When the writing process begins, let creativity flow.
“We are a news source so we must have our stories BASED in truth but because we are TECHNICALLY a blog, we can add in some OPINION.”
That statement irked me to the core because I had already read Manjoo. A news outlet that I thought was new but reputable just sank to my “skepticism” list. How the mighty have fallen.
So I was sent on assignments to write about important events. Events I wanted to look at objectively because that is what I have been taught. I hoped my stories came out without bias and with as much concrete evidence as possible. But as I wrote my final article for CL, I could see that my agenda had shown through. I had broken a critical rule for journalists. My objectivity and bias, like my naivety, had ended with this internship.
How could reader’s who are not aware of CL’s opinion based reporting completely believe what they write? It’s a question asked about any blog someone reads. As one of my professor’s for beginning reporting Dan Ruth once said, “Blogs are like assholes. Everyone has one.”
There is actually a new superhero show coming out sometime on some channel I can’t remember, but the superhero’s object of affection is an investigative blogger!! I guess the producers were going for a high-tech Lois Lane.
Blogs along with technology in general have changed the way news is received. Everyone is trying to get their opinion out there and pass it off as real news. This makes it harder for those that still believe in the institution of researching and un-bias delivery. One begins to constantly question the expertise of the journalists and anchors. Who are they to say that this is correct or even news worthy?
It’s a part of life. Journalist will just have to work twice as hard to help re-create the expertise that has been lost through technology.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Traffic Court
Between classes, work and an internship my schedule is very hectic. So when looking for a court experience, my options were very limited. I was actually talking to a friend about my difficulties finding a time when I could get my court experience when the mentioned traffic court. It may not be the most glamorous experience but it is definitely a common experience among many people.
I have known people who have gone to traffic court as well as almost going to court myself, but the need to drive an hour for the court session made fighting the ticket less important.
Getting into Tampa Traffic Court was slightly difficult so I used my connections back home with police officers to get into the Brooksville Traffic Court. The appearance of our courthouse is less than awe-inspiring. It’s an old brick building that has all the appearances of an old-time courthouse with the white columns and statues. An annex of the courthouse that is the newest building in downtown Brooksville is where the Traffic Court was held. It is a moderate size 3-floor building that was built about 18 years ago. However, the inside has all the modern updates of 2010.
Like I said before, traffic court is not glamorous. You sit and wait for your name to be called. If your last name is towards the end of the alphabet you are going to be sitting there for awhile. Many times, cases get dropped because the officer who wrote the ticket does not show.
The area that encompasses Brooksville, Ridge Manor, Hill N Dale and Spring Lake is notorious for traffic stops. I went two months in Tampa without a headlight and never got pulled over. I was in Brooksville for 10 minutes and got pulled over. Luckily my car is a 1993, and water was in the headlight so bulbs blew out when turned on, so I only got a warning.
Traffic tickets can be issued for violations of traffic laws and other non-traffic offenses. Some people were at court not because they were speeding, head-lights weren’t turned on or broken etc, but were there for infractions they made on bicycles.
When I heard the case about the bicycle, I wanted to laugh. Apparently the bicyclist failed to follow protocol when crossing the street. This led to an officer pulling them over and giving them a $100 ticket. I couldn’t believe that they got a ticket and that it was $100!! I felt like the officer was just trying to get their quota. Ironically, the officer was not in attendance once the person’s name was called and the ticket was dropped.
There were more interesting cases for speeding where people chose to bring a lawyer. Speeding in excess of 120 mph is obviously frowned upon, but this motorcyclist thought he was king of the road. I should mention that this was on a 50 mph back road. His lawyer put up a fair fight about the motorcyclist needing to be somewhere important, but the judge wasn’t buying it. The motorcyclist had to pay his $700 ticket along with taking safety courses.
I was shocked to see so many people in attendance at traffic court, but growing up in the area I knew why. Some officers in the area make a name for themselves by pulling over so many people. A few people at court that day had indeed been pulled over by those officers. Unfortunately, for the offenders those officers are strict about their tickets. They were in attendance and the tickets did not get dropped.
Traffic Court may not be as glamorous as a murder case, but the hilarity of some people made it worth it. I am glad that I was able to do it in my hometown too because it made it all the more amusing.
I have known people who have gone to traffic court as well as almost going to court myself, but the need to drive an hour for the court session made fighting the ticket less important.
Getting into Tampa Traffic Court was slightly difficult so I used my connections back home with police officers to get into the Brooksville Traffic Court. The appearance of our courthouse is less than awe-inspiring. It’s an old brick building that has all the appearances of an old-time courthouse with the white columns and statues. An annex of the courthouse that is the newest building in downtown Brooksville is where the Traffic Court was held. It is a moderate size 3-floor building that was built about 18 years ago. However, the inside has all the modern updates of 2010.
Like I said before, traffic court is not glamorous. You sit and wait for your name to be called. If your last name is towards the end of the alphabet you are going to be sitting there for awhile. Many times, cases get dropped because the officer who wrote the ticket does not show.
The area that encompasses Brooksville, Ridge Manor, Hill N Dale and Spring Lake is notorious for traffic stops. I went two months in Tampa without a headlight and never got pulled over. I was in Brooksville for 10 minutes and got pulled over. Luckily my car is a 1993, and water was in the headlight so bulbs blew out when turned on, so I only got a warning.
Traffic tickets can be issued for violations of traffic laws and other non-traffic offenses. Some people were at court not because they were speeding, head-lights weren’t turned on or broken etc, but were there for infractions they made on bicycles.
When I heard the case about the bicycle, I wanted to laugh. Apparently the bicyclist failed to follow protocol when crossing the street. This led to an officer pulling them over and giving them a $100 ticket. I couldn’t believe that they got a ticket and that it was $100!! I felt like the officer was just trying to get their quota. Ironically, the officer was not in attendance once the person’s name was called and the ticket was dropped.
There were more interesting cases for speeding where people chose to bring a lawyer. Speeding in excess of 120 mph is obviously frowned upon, but this motorcyclist thought he was king of the road. I should mention that this was on a 50 mph back road. His lawyer put up a fair fight about the motorcyclist needing to be somewhere important, but the judge wasn’t buying it. The motorcyclist had to pay his $700 ticket along with taking safety courses.
I was shocked to see so many people in attendance at traffic court, but growing up in the area I knew why. Some officers in the area make a name for themselves by pulling over so many people. A few people at court that day had indeed been pulled over by those officers. Unfortunately, for the offenders those officers are strict about their tickets. They were in attendance and the tickets did not get dropped.
Traffic Court may not be as glamorous as a murder case, but the hilarity of some people made it worth it. I am glad that I was able to do it in my hometown too because it made it all the more amusing.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Hunt for Political Information
You hear it time and time again. It seems to be the mantra of every reporter. "Follow the money." When you are a political reporter like Windy March, money can lead to a variety of stories.
In the instance of Mark Jimenez, the money he contributed to the Clinton campaign led to a story of money laundering.
It was very interesting to see the many different sites used in order to comprise a story. While the FEC website seemed to be a given, I was surprised to hear that March uses the IRS website too. It makes sense though once you consider the work the IRS does.
When writing a story about a political candidate, those who give money to a campaign etc the steps are very similar to those of any other sotry.
Pick the subject of interest and research them.
Look for any anomolies in transactions or those surrounding them.
Follow the money. See if people donating money have donated before, if they are registered to vote, if they are donating money to the party they are registered. Also, check to see when/if they have voted.
Use your sources (many of which can be found online for a political reporter). Sites like: http://www.opensecrets.org/, http://moneyline.cq.com/pml/home.do , and http://thomas.loc.gov/ can prove to be very useful.
Opensecrets allows the public to track federal campaign finance records. Moneyline also allows the public to check federal records but can sometimes prove to be easier to use. Thomas.loc.gov can be used to research federal legislation by topic. With loc.gov, you are able to see who voted for what bill and which side of the line they fell on.
There are many sites available not only to reporters but also the public so that people can be aware of what is happening in politics. It helps though as a reporter to have the vast amount of information available regularly so that a story can be written well and useful to the public.
I still marvel at how much information you can find online.
In the instance of Mark Jimenez, the money he contributed to the Clinton campaign led to a story of money laundering.
It was very interesting to see the many different sites used in order to comprise a story. While the FEC website seemed to be a given, I was surprised to hear that March uses the IRS website too. It makes sense though once you consider the work the IRS does.
When writing a story about a political candidate, those who give money to a campaign etc the steps are very similar to those of any other sotry.
Pick the subject of interest and research them.
Look for any anomolies in transactions or those surrounding them.
Follow the money. See if people donating money have donated before, if they are registered to vote, if they are donating money to the party they are registered. Also, check to see when/if they have voted.
Use your sources (many of which can be found online for a political reporter). Sites like: http://www.opensecrets.org/, http://moneyline.cq.com/pml/home.do , and http://thomas.loc.gov/ can prove to be very useful.
Opensecrets allows the public to track federal campaign finance records. Moneyline also allows the public to check federal records but can sometimes prove to be easier to use. Thomas.loc.gov can be used to research federal legislation by topic. With loc.gov, you are able to see who voted for what bill and which side of the line they fell on.
There are many sites available not only to reporters but also the public so that people can be aware of what is happening in politics. It helps though as a reporter to have the vast amount of information available regularly so that a story can be written well and useful to the public.
I still marvel at how much information you can find online.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Wonderful World of Budgets
Budgets- something the federal government has forgotten about...
Is it bad that that is the first thing I thought of when I heard Preston Trigg say the word budgets? Oh well...lets try again.
Budgets- a surprising wealth of information for journalists when researching government's revenue and expenses
Budgets may be a wealth of information, but knowing how to read and fully understand a budget can be complicated. Like many other students, I am part of an organization on campus. Like businesses and state government, my organization has a budget. Each semester we adopt the budget after thorough deliberation. There's the typical arguments of why funds are being transferred, why more money is allocated to one area over another etc. It is the same situations every semester, and after 2 1/2 years of it I'm used to budgets.
But there is a key difference between the budget of a school organization and a government office. Government affects more than the 50 or so people involved in it!
As Trigg so aptly put it "Budgets are the heart of a government entity." One of the best ways to get a story out of a budget is to follow the money. Almost all budgets are balanced. Although the federal government is not required to balance the budget.
Budgets may include information like growth projection, population, number of employees or an organizational chart. Budgets also cover all aspects of revenues and expenses including debt which is usually in the form of bonds.
When looking through a budget check for noticeable decreases and increases. Those changes can lead to stories much larger than the projected number. Under the expenses section there are 3 sub-sections: personnel, capital and operating.
Capital means a one time purchase over $1000. If you see that there was an increase in capital, check out why the government is paying over $1000 for the specific item. The item may be necessary or it may be a frivolous expense. In relation to that item see if there was supposed to be budget cuts for the fiscal year. How does that capital expense effect the budget?
If you don't understand the budget ask someone. There are a million clues to look for in a budget that can lead to a bigger story.
Is it bad that that is the first thing I thought of when I heard Preston Trigg say the word budgets? Oh well...lets try again.
Budgets- a surprising wealth of information for journalists when researching government's revenue and expenses
Budgets may be a wealth of information, but knowing how to read and fully understand a budget can be complicated. Like many other students, I am part of an organization on campus. Like businesses and state government, my organization has a budget. Each semester we adopt the budget after thorough deliberation. There's the typical arguments of why funds are being transferred, why more money is allocated to one area over another etc. It is the same situations every semester, and after 2 1/2 years of it I'm used to budgets.
But there is a key difference between the budget of a school organization and a government office. Government affects more than the 50 or so people involved in it!
As Trigg so aptly put it "Budgets are the heart of a government entity." One of the best ways to get a story out of a budget is to follow the money. Almost all budgets are balanced. Although the federal government is not required to balance the budget.
Budgets may include information like growth projection, population, number of employees or an organizational chart. Budgets also cover all aspects of revenues and expenses including debt which is usually in the form of bonds.
When looking through a budget check for noticeable decreases and increases. Those changes can lead to stories much larger than the projected number. Under the expenses section there are 3 sub-sections: personnel, capital and operating.
Capital means a one time purchase over $1000. If you see that there was an increase in capital, check out why the government is paying over $1000 for the specific item. The item may be necessary or it may be a frivolous expense. In relation to that item see if there was supposed to be budget cuts for the fiscal year. How does that capital expense effect the budget?
If you don't understand the budget ask someone. There are a million clues to look for in a budget that can lead to a bigger story.
The Thrills of Voting
I have been registered to vote since I graduated from high school, but I will admit in the last four years; yesterday was the first time I voted. I drove an hour to my hometown to vote because I wanted to make sure that my opinion was counted. I even wrote an article for my internship "Younger voters still excited in 2010" that was posted yesterday morning about voting.
I voted with my mom. It was a moment of nostalgia because as a child she would bring me with her while she voted in hopes to instill patriotism in her young daughter. My story of accomplishment in my vote is minimal to what I saw yesterday at my local voting station.
The lines were not long but the people coming in and out was in a steady flow. The people weren't angry. Even the police officer watching the polling station was in plain clothes. On a cloudy day in a small church in Brooksville, Republicans, Democrats and Independants alike said hello and held doors for each other. I saw a grandmother, mother and son (no older than 19)walk in to the church together to vote. Three generations came together to vote. What and who they voted for I don't know. But it was the fact they were there together that made an impression.
Happy volunteers greeted people and directed them to their voting stations. Thank you and have a great day was heard throughout the small room. A man brought his young daughter with him to vote. It made me smile thinking of all the times I went with my mom. I thought maybe she'll come here when she's my age with her dad again.
Many of my friends told me how they were excited about voting and making themselves heard. I know though that not all college students have the same mentality, but to know that there are some people out there my age that care enough to try is uplifting. I've been told before by strangers at political events old enough to be my grandparent that "it brings them joy to see so many young people invested in their country. Because when they are gone, they have hope that things will carry on."
The results of voting obviously made a huge statement, but it was people watching that gave me the most satisfaction. Maybe it was the small town atmosphere and the cordial people, but I felt proud to be apart of something bigger than myself in an place that makes you feel small.
I voted with my mom. It was a moment of nostalgia because as a child she would bring me with her while she voted in hopes to instill patriotism in her young daughter. My story of accomplishment in my vote is minimal to what I saw yesterday at my local voting station.
The lines were not long but the people coming in and out was in a steady flow. The people weren't angry. Even the police officer watching the polling station was in plain clothes. On a cloudy day in a small church in Brooksville, Republicans, Democrats and Independants alike said hello and held doors for each other. I saw a grandmother, mother and son (no older than 19)walk in to the church together to vote. Three generations came together to vote. What and who they voted for I don't know. But it was the fact they were there together that made an impression.
Happy volunteers greeted people and directed them to their voting stations. Thank you and have a great day was heard throughout the small room. A man brought his young daughter with him to vote. It made me smile thinking of all the times I went with my mom. I thought maybe she'll come here when she's my age with her dad again.
Many of my friends told me how they were excited about voting and making themselves heard. I know though that not all college students have the same mentality, but to know that there are some people out there my age that care enough to try is uplifting. I've been told before by strangers at political events old enough to be my grandparent that "it brings them joy to see so many young people invested in their country. Because when they are gone, they have hope that things will carry on."
The results of voting obviously made a huge statement, but it was people watching that gave me the most satisfaction. Maybe it was the small town atmosphere and the cordial people, but I felt proud to be apart of something bigger than myself in an place that makes you feel small.
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