Kris Hoyt E-portfolio 2

I would like to talk about the search I had for the twitter accounts of the Edmonton City Council.

It starts out with me trying to find the various websites of the city councillors. To do this, I go onto the city's official website. After a small bit of navigation, I get to the list of city councillors. I click on eack name and I find a profile. Unfortunately, none of the profiles have any links to official websites. So I do a Google search of every single name. Just as an aside, that is not pleasant. It is even less pleasant when I can only find 9 out of 12 sites.

Only one of these sites, Don Iveson, includes a link to his Twitter, in the form of a twitter feed. I now had two options: find other twitter accounts through the 300 Don iveson follows, or ask the city's twitter account.

I chose the second one, and I found out that Don Iveson, Kim Krushell, Ben Henderson, and Jane Batty are the only ones with a twitter accounts, but Don is the only one to actually upgrade frequently.

Lady Antebellum Performs for Edmonton by: Aden Cruz

Lady Antebellum greets their fans and signs autographs after their performance at West Edmonton Mall's Ice Palace on Friday, March 26, 2010. Photo by Aden Cruz

The chart-topping country band Lady Antebellum gave a thrilling performance for their fans and spectators at West Edmonton Mall’s Ice Palace on March 26.

Lady Antebellum’s latest album, Need You Now, is topping the music charts not only in the U.S. but here in Canada as well. Fans came to show their enthusiasm for the group and their music.

Sandia Abraham, one of the fans in attendance that day said she really enjoyed the band’s interaction with the crowd.

“I thought it was awesome. They’re really good live,” she said. “I like all off their music, I’ve been listening to them for a while and yah they’re a really talented band."

Abraham also said that she likes the overall good quality of music of the band.

“I like how they have good vocals and good lyrics, and my favorite song right now is love don’t live here anymore.”

The Event

Presented by CISN Country, The Edmonton Sun, and Whiskey Jacks, the performance drew in thousands of fans and spectators. To accommodate the event, the Ice Palace’s surface was covered up and a stage was built for the band’s performance.

Tough the free show started at 5 p.m., according to the event staff, fans started arriving in the morning to ensure that they’ll get a chance to meet the band and get their autographs.

The Band

The trio, comprised of Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals), Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), and Dave Haywood (background vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin) received numerous awards and nominations:

• Top New Group award during the Academy of Country Music Awards (2009)
• Single of the Year award by Country Music Association for “Run to You” (2009)
• Vocal Group of the Year award by Country Music Association (2009)
• New Artist of the Year award by Country Music Association (2008)
• two nominations at the 51st Grammy Awards
• two nominations at the 52nd Grammy Awards
• Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by Duo or Group for their single “I Run to You”.

This American country music group first got together in Nashville, Tennessee back in 2006, and have found success ever since. The group made its debut in 2007 with the single “Never Alone”, then after releasing “Love Don’t Live Here” after joining Capitol Records. Their first album went on to be certified platinum in the US.

Their most recent album, “Need You Now”, was released in the middle of 2009, taking them to their second number one single.

Family Connections

The band’s family connections played a part in their journey to success as two of the three group members have family members that were already in the industry.

Hillary Scott is the daughter of country music singer Linda Davis and Charles Kelley is the brother of pop artist Josh Kelly.

An official after party was also held at Whiskey Jacks after the event where three pairs of tickets were won for the Tim McGraw and Lady Antebellum Concert happening the next day.


Related Links:
Lady Antebellum blog: ladyantebellum.blogspot.com
Official Website: ladyantebellum.com
West Edmonton Mall: wem.com

Note
Photo by: Aden Cruz

Word Count: 502

FINAL EXAM, "Fast food banned in B.C.," Ricki Cundliffe

Fast food banned in B.C.
Premier closes nearly 2,000 fast food restaurants in British Columbia
By: Ricki Cundliffe (PLEASE NOTE: Story is fictitious.)

The province of British Columbia watched with disbelief Tuesday as Premier John Smith made a national television announcement that fast food would be banned across the entirety of B.C.

The announcement first appeared on the C.B.C. news station around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13, followed by several other television station premiers shortly after.

“I am placing a ban on all fast food, as well as closing the fast food facilities, and the consumption of any and all fast food within the borders of this province will be prohibited from now on,” said Smith. “I believe this will save our health, our children’s health, and our wallets.”

Wendy's, McDonald's, and A & W restaurants across the province closed their doors just one day after the Premier's announcement. Additionally, an estimated 2,000 fast food chains had their licenses revoked on Wednesday, April 14.

PRIOR WARNING
Jane Doe, a member of Smith’s Liberal party, publicly made the statement several weeks before the ban was in place that Smith meant business.

“Our Premier has only our best interests at heart,” said Doe, “and if he feels that banning all fast food across this wonderful province will help us, then it’s bound to happen. It will happen.”

DISBELIEF
Conversely, many members of the province took Doe’s statement all but seriously.

“I was watching the news, and heard what [Doe] was saying about the ban, and just laughed and laughed,” said one British Columbian who wished to remain anonymous. “I thought it was a joke. I honestly thought they were trying to yank our chains!”

As humorous as the ban may have seemed to members of the province, Smith said he is taking this new fast food ban very seriously.

“There is nothing I would not do for this province, and members of this province. My only regret is that this ban was not in place sooner,” said Smith. "After all, it's not called 'Beautiful British Columbia' for nothing!"

NEWS CONFERENCE
A news conference will be held at Victoria’s Community Hall on Friday, April 16, at 2 p.m. to discuss all of the rules and regulations involved with British Columbia's fast food ban. Members of the public are strongly encouraged to attend, as well as voice any questions or concerns regarding the topic.

Photo Caption: This "Fast Food Kills" sign was seen plastered on the side of a number of buildings in Victoria on Tuesday, April 13, 2010, in support of Premier John Smith's recent fast food ban across the province.
WORD COUNT: 401
NOTE: IMAGE FROM: www.wordpress.com

Final Exam

Today (Tuesday the 20th of April) is the final exam for PROW 135.

We'll be meeting in our usual room, 212.

You will have three hours to complete the exam: 1:00 - 4:00


Good luck everyone!





Note: Image from Stanford EdTech on flickr.

E-Portfolio Editing Detective: Headlines, Megan Perras

Headlines are precarious things to write because they require instantaneous attention-grabbing to draw readers into the story. The line between appropriate and professional headline writing and wit as compared to inappropriate humour can be crossed occasionally, creating headlines that are hilariously distasteful.

An example of this kind of headline is seen here:

http://gblsharing.app.aol.com/pop-up/

I feel as if sometimes humour wins over taste in the battle to capture the attention of readers.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/700336/

As a copy editor, or an editor of your own work, you must be careful to respect the boundaries that the general public is willing to let you cross concerning humour and headlines. Or wit in your writing.

You must also give due attention to how something reads and is percieved.

Image from: http://thepirata.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/funny_newspaper_headlines02.jpg

E-portfolio: Final Blog Post, Max Rausch

I didn't have high expectations for this class. The moniker of Proofreading and Copyediting suggested a grammar-heavy structure, reading and re-reading pieces of work to bring them as close to perfection as possible. Not the kind of heart-pounding blood-pumping, vigor-inducing work comprises so much of the appeal of journalism. Still, I resolved that it was a necessary hardship that I would surmount on my way to becoming a journalist, knowing such skills would eventually prove invaluable. In future, it would be nice to have.

Now at the conclusion of the term, I have yet to surmount any such hardships. The incorporation of blogging into the class seemed like a fresh approach at first (albeit with no direct relation to proofreading or copyediting), but blogging ultimately took on an unduly pivotal role in the class, especially considering the presence of our more in-depth Online Reporting class. Indeed, most of the material we covered faintly echoed principles covered in full-fledged reporting classes. Bias, weasel words, ethics, and Internet skills were covered in superior detail elsewhere; even the fleeting instances of grammar in P & C were overshadowed by what I learned in the Foundations of Composition class last term. There was nothing on the outline that dictated more focus, but it would have been nice.

I'm curious as to why the exclusive content of the class was downplayed. Proofreading and Copyediting necessarily involves group work, which was admittedly integrated fairly frequently, but not in regards to editing. Discussing topics with classmates and posting shared ideas on a blog isn't necessarily a bad idea, but again, the topics seemed out of place. There's no law stating we should have edited each other's work more seriously with more frequency, but it would have been nice.

Fortunately, editing is something that comes largely with practice: besides a set of universal copyediting symbols that should be mastered for clarity, it can't be taught in any way but through experience. In fairness, no one promised that this class would facilitate that. But it would have been nice.

Comment 1

Comment 2

Comment 3

Comment 4

Comment 5

Image taken form here.

E-Portfolio Sexist Language, Megan Perras

As a budding female/lady journalist I have been thinking a lot about the question of male versus female word usages in writing. When I am speaking of a general person/per-daughter, what consequences are attached to using a his verses a her pronoun, or a she verses a he? As a wo-man/wo-person/wo-per-daughter of the present times, do I have a problem with the word wo-man, or the generalization that is “mankind?” Should the chairman of the company be referred to as the chairperson? Or better yet, the chair-per-daughter?

Personally, I don`t really find any of these words offensive, maybe just a little outdated, as we are in a time where either a man or a woman can lead a company to success.

Is this word nitpicking turning us into proverbial slaves to detail? Is it creating a gap between the his-tory/ her-story of our very language?

Maybe these sexist words provide us with a reminder to see just how far wo-men, girl-people, whatever, have come as far as equality rights go. That is not such a bad thing- just seeing how much of a stink people are making about “sexist words” gives you an idea of how equal women/wo-people are now, in comparison to when we had to fight to be heard in the job market, or had to fight to get paid the same as a male person/per-daughter doing the same job.

In closing, I think that no one should be too upset with those who choose to use predominantly male pronouns, or the word women or person, etc. It is part of the HIStory of our language, not a personal attack at woMEN.

Sexist words and some alternatives if you so choose: http://www.putlearningfirst.com/language/23sexism/sexist.html

Image From: http://www.sexistlanguage.com/images/sexistLanguageHeader.jpg

E-portfolio: Google's Relationship With Journalists. Max Rausch

A couple days ago, Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave a speech at a conference to the American Society of News Editors. Megan Garber from Nieman Journalism Lab posted the highlights on the NJL blog, and the speech seemed to encapsulate much of the complicated relationship journalists as individuals and as a collective of professionals have with the mega-corporation.

According to Garber, the crowd's reaction "was cordial...but -despite the many, many compliments paid to journalism and journalists over the course of the talk- not overly friendly."

Schmidt said that Google as a company shares the journalist's attitude towards information, that "ultimately the world is a better place with more information available to more and more people." The statement is worded to imply a need for cooperation, which in all fairness does exist. After all, with more people than ever accessing news stories online (most of them by extension through Google), journalists and Google are bound by mutual interest to stay on cordial terms. Even if Google refuses to pay news publications for their content.

He also pointed out the resources journalists have had at their disposal for only a relatively short period of time (not the least of which being Google itself). "...you have more ways to report. and new ways of making money will develop." He has something of a point, although it's hard not to be cynical about his optimism, since Google's as rich as ever even as journalists struggle to get by. Still, he was correct in his assessment that the business model was the problem, not necessarily the conduct of journalists per se.

From what I can gather, even without attending the conference, there was a definite amount of truth in much of Schmidt's words, obvious tension with the crowd of journalists notwithstanding. Schmidt had a strategy to smooth over that though: unabashed brown-nosing. He described the profession as a delicate art form, exalted in optimism of lucrative business models to come (without, it should be noted, describing any such hypothetical model, and not specifying whether the said model would more profitable for journalists or Google),and even tried, however feebly, to come down off his rhetorical mountain.

"You get criticized all the time. On the left, you get criticized for being too liberal. On the right, you get criticized fro being too conservative," he said. "In our case, we just get kicked out of China. Same thought."

As a journalist, it's difficult to sympathize with a billionaire seemingly struggling for a monopoly over information distribution. But even so, there was legitimacy woven into certain parts of his speech, and he nevertheless offered a somewhat extended glimpse into what the future of information would look like. Even if you practically saw it coming already.

Image taken from here.

E-portfolio: Editing Detective. Max Rausch

As in any industry, there are various stages of production involved with journalism. The legwork done by the reporter, including the tedious phone calls, frustrating investigation, and painstaking interviews, comprises but one phase in the production of a story.

Before a story is deemed worthy for publishing (at least in the professional sector, generally if not always excluding citizen journalism) it must be subjected to the discriminating eyes of a keen editor. The editor's role boils down to acting as a check against the human failings of the reporter(s) beneath him or her. Obviously, editors are subject to human failings as well, but the more eyes and brains that assess a piece, the fewer errors are likely to slip into the final product.

Errors in the content of a story, such as unfair bias, slanted language, and gaps in the facts presented by the reporter are crucial to isolate and correct immediately, as the first impression of a story is often the lasting impression apprehended by the reader or user. However, errors of form, such as grammar and spelling also exist form time to time, often reflecting the intense pressure of deadlines upon the reporter more than the abilities of him or her to comprehend and adhere to proper linguistic conventions.

Even seemingly innocuous errors can be damaging. The lead in this political story from the Edmonton Sun tries to be creative, but forms itself on a sentence fragment in the second sentence. Thereby, the lead that was meant to hook the reader in comes off as unprofessional rather than provocative. Fairly or unfairly, readers are less likely to take the story seriously as a result, assuming they are forgiving enough to read the story all the way through.

Without asking the editor, we can't ascertain an excuse for the mistake showing up at the forefront of the story. But journalism, more than most, is an industry based on results, not excuses.

E-portfolio: Should We Need Permission to Speak the Facts? Max Rausch

Alright, let's get the obvious stuff out of the way right now. First, print is going out of style, and most people are getting their news off the Internet these days. F***ing duh. Second, the industry is still (rather feverishly) trying to figure out a new business model to appropriate the change, just as the music and book publishing industries are. If you don't know this already, there is not enough space in this post, nor enough time in my day, to catch you up.

While anyone who uses the Internet semi-regularly would be basically aware of this awkward transitional phase, you would be forgiven if some the particulars escaped you amongst the deluge of arguing tech pundits and aimless paranoia to be found online. You should know that tonnes of news is accessed via search engines like Google and even social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook. You may not know how desperate professional journalists are to control access to those facts.

According to this article from Ars Technica, Laura Malone of the Associated Press appeared before the American Federal Trade Commission arguing for controlled access to professionally produced stories, including the necessity of licences to distribute news content form the Associated Press. The implication is crystallized in the article's headline: someday soon , you and I might need to buy a license just for the right to retweet news stories on Twitter or post them on Facebook.

Malone's statement was actually a reaction to comments made by Harvard professor Yochai Benkler. Ars Technica quotes him as saying: "You want to live in a permissions system that facts are permitted? Facts...should be as free as the air to common use. We do not have a permissions system for breathing."

That's the dilemma for all working journalists: the right to earn money and recognition for your work versus an allegiance to free speech and open conversation. Hopefully we won't be forced to choose, and the new model (when someone finally figures it out) will suit everyone's needs. That'll be one hell of a "Eureka!" moment.

Image taken from here.

Editors as a Brand, Jesse Snyder

The Expectation of Editors

Editors are expected to write within the parameters of the newspapers that employ them. Unlike Blogging, editors of newspapers and magazines write and edit their work within the boundaries of a company or corporation. This gives them a brand name of sorts. As Katrine Sorensen wrote in her blog post, "As journalists it is important to remember that you are a professional who represents the company at all times - they own your name so to speak." This is important to remember as a journalist, but even more so as an editor. When working as a buffer for any newspaper, it is imperative to edit in a way that suits its overall layout and style. It's the editors job to promote a newspaper's image and write in a way that meets its standards.


Magazines vs. Daily Newspapers

Every major newspaper or magazine has a slightly different way of portraying the news. Magazines are inherently more eye-catching than daily newspapers, and editors working for either are given a specific way to illuminate its inherent qualities. A magazine like MacLeans, for instance, writes the same story as a daily like The Globe And Mail, but makes it a little more eye-catching or controversial than the former. When the H1N1 virus broke out in October, there was a lot of heat on the B.C. government for supposedly not being prepared enough for the potential pandemic. An article by The Globe And Mail on the scandal was entitled, "B.C. not prepared for H1N1:Report." Meanwhile, at around the same time an article by MacLeans on the same topic was entitled, "The flu shot screw-up." Every newspaper is trying to target a different audience, uses different CP style specifics, and covers certain topics more than others. It is an editors job to recognize this and edit content in a way that fits the mold of the newspaper or magazine that employs them. When it comes down to it, editors are really just advertising a brand name. They are like rats.

Note: Image from librarian.net website.

E-Portfolio Televison Broadcast Errors Megan Perras

We have learnt to attempt to prevent errors in this class by reading and re-reading and editing our work, but the one area we have not covered where the errors can range from hilarious to disastrous is in television broadcast news.

Television reporters and anchors have had a more difficult time concerning new media and “bloopers”, simply because their mistakes are usually live. These mistakes are then broadcast on youtube, to be watched over and over again.

The situation is a lot more difficult to deal with when large mistakes are made on television, as it seems harder to correct them. Retractions are not usually used on news broadcasts, as time is generally sparse during broadcasts, and it must be used to portray stories instead of retractions.

When it comes to proofreading and copyediting in broadcast journalism, one must simply try their best to ensure that nothing is incorrect on the prompter, or in the recorded broadcasts, but human errors happen, and so do youtube videos that mock those human errors.

Here are some of the best:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA811Rj7Ihs

Image From: http://liveapartmentfire.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/kent_brockman2.jpg

E-Portfolio Final Blog Post, Megan Perras

A DOZEN THINGS I HAVE LEARNED IN PROOFREADING AND COPYEDITING:

(written in point form)

1. At first it is really difficult to put your work on a public forum when you are getting graded for it, but constructive criticism from your peers actually does make you a better writer.

2. How to create smaller links, and how to formulate a web story so that people will actually want to read it.

3. The importance of imagery and video as well as giving credit to internet sources on blog posts.

4. To read your work over and edit it more than once, because once something is published on the internet, everyone can see your mistakes. (And if they’re Proofreading and Copyediting students, they will correct it for you too.)

5. Future journalists create really interesting blogs.

6. That I write way too much volume for anyone to actually want to read the whole blog post.

7. That the internet isn’t infallible, so writing midterms on it generates extra stress.

8. The journalism debate on new media will most likely work itself out, regardless of my personal opinions on twitter, and whoever figures out a way to create tons of revenue off news on the internet will be very wealthy and may be hiring journalists sometime in the future.

9. Journalistic ethics are pivotal when writing for the internet, even though others may release more information, at least credibility will give you an edge to fight against that and retain readership.

10. I learnt that it is a really bad idea to put your full name on a blog entry in which you put a picture of a horse pooping as the main image because when someone google- image- searches your name, the first image they will see is that horse pooping.

11. I realise that although the internet is an extremely useful tool, I will most likely NOT want to write for it as a career, as at times I find myself slightly technologically challenged.

12. As a journalist, I love writing, but editing seems like too much of a "desk job" for me!

Here is a helpful and interesting read on editing:

http://www.copydesk.org/words/

Image From: http://www.softwaremag.com/archive/2002-02/images/E-Learning.jpeg

Here are the links to all of the 5 comments necessary for the e-portfolio project:

http://prow135journalists.blogspot.com/2010/04/devon-bowies-e-portfolio-marijuwhat.html?showComment=1271163771308#comment-c3530053541451150319

http://prow135journalists.blogspot.com/2010/04/journalists-are-not-robots-e-portfolio.html?showComment=1271161161445#comment-c2168533504201055956

http://prow135journalists.blogspot.com/2010/04/staying-connected-with-social-media.html?showComment=1271160618924#comment-c5582118984668479175

http://prow135journalists.blogspot.com/2010/04/no-more-hunter-s-thompsons-jayme-hagen.html?showComment=1271147183513#comment-c2633519669640951350

http://prow135journalists.blogspot.com/2010/04/bring-on-change-shannon-findlay.html

E-Portfolio: Why I Would Do My Journalism Internship with Hunter S. Thompson Through an Ouija Board Megan Perras

Why I Would Do My Journalism Internship with Hunter S. Thompson Through an Ouija Board:

Albeit a morbid thought, I wouldn’t mind doing my internship through an Ouija board, extracting journalistic wisdom from the great late Hunter S. Thompson.

Why you ask? Besides being ridiculously obvious, the reasons are fourfold:

1. Call me a rebel, but I long to feel as if I am a part of that journalistic gonzo movement where one didn’t have to follow the inverted pyramid, the nut graph or any of the other constraints and rules that apply to journalism today. The fact is that today, a Hunter S. Thompson style journalist just couldn’t exist. Your editor would can you so fast your head would spin. Can one imagine writing something like this (courtesy of The Great Shark Hunt pg 295 Gonzo Papers Volume 1) in a political story, or column... “ There is not much doubt, on the numbers question, that at least 20 of the 100 senators will not vote to convict Nixon under ANY circumstances... unless he violates that old law of Indiana politics about being “found in bed with either a live man or a dead woman.” Nixon is not one of your more vulnerable politicians in this area. It is difficult, in fact, to imagine him being in bed at all- and especially not with anything human.”

2. The sense of adventure that was alive when you actually had to search for a story “on foot” so to speak and not on your couch perusing the internet speaks to my journalistic soul. Being a part of the story, as Hunter usually was appeals greatly. How to better tell a story then by actually actively participating in it. Although, later in life after fame set in, because of his notoriety Hunter actually said it is easier to write a story if you can observe without being noticed (and he was noticed mostly because of his celebrity). I believe that in his writing because he was IN on the action, and observed at the same time, he brought a unique and very much “alive” perspective in any article that he wrote.

An interview where Thompson speaks about how being recognizable makes it difficult to write:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvcJc2RNTVE&feature=related

3. I am sure that any lesson he would teach me would involve an element of fear. The call to explore and observe and write and take photographs is one that involves stepping out of the realm of normalcy. It involves making contact with people that you don’t really feel comfortable speaking to, and sometimes even getting in someone’s face and snapping a photo. This element of being scared and doing it anyways is really important in journalism (so says John Ulan) and this stepping out of one’s comfort zone would be best taught by a gun wielding and alcohol-induced Hunter S. Thompson. It would be a crash course.

4. Hunter S. Thompson wrote with opinion, he wrote with passion, and I am sure he wrote with many opiates, but overall, he wrote with creativity. He was a journalist who was well informed, wasn’t afraid to ask questions or look stupid. And he wrote things that were funny, things that were honest, and I’m pretty sure a bunch of things that weren’t exactly completely true (which I don’t condone), but if print journalists wrote like that today, I don’t think that there is a journalism student who would not pick up the newspaper.

Image From:http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/31391997/Hunter+S+Thompson+hunter.jpg

Final Blog Post, Jesse Snyder

My Opinion on Blogging in January:

Blogging is a great way to stretch the muscles in your forearms and wrists. It allows your mind to breathe and stretch while working off those few extra calories you gained at that Chinese restaurant down the street. It is a release; there is no restriction on what the writer can write. No particular form really has to be followed. It can actually be quite therapeutic. You can blog drunk at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday, and it seen as totally applicable to the task at hand. There are no fire-breathing editors or impossible deadlines - only a scotch on ice and Brian Eno playing somewhere in the background of your broken-down basement suite. There is no need for verification or attribution. Credible journalists never blog. You can use a picture with four keys that spell "blog" instead of finding a photo that better portrays your ideas. You can do anything.



My Opinion on Blogging in April:

After four months, my perception of the role blogging plays in journalism has definitely changed. Although I still don't believe bloggers should be held to the same standard as working journalists, they are an integral part of the way the news is displayed in modern times. I see blogging as a way for journalists to practice writing short, concise pieces. It can also serve as verification on mainstream news stories, which ultimately keeps reporters in check and gives the public (theoretically) more accurate news. Its inevitability as a mainstay in journalism brings me to realize that I should start my own blog, and do what I can to get my name out there. In today's world of journalism, beginners must know how to sell themselves, so I hope to begin doing just that.

My Thoughts on the Class

As far as the class is concerned, I thought it was useful to have such an in-depth approach to the future of journalism, but it didn't meet my expectations as far as a proofreading course is concerned. Although there was a lot of accuracy exercises, I expected a different approach to the class. I agree with the statement made in Max's blog post , which went as follows: "The incorporation of blogging into the class seemed like a fresh approach at first (albeit with no direct relation to proofreading or copyediting), but blogging ultimately took on an unduly pivotal role in the class, especially considering the presence of our more in-depth Online Reporting class." Although blogging is definitely changing journalism and may be an asset to beginner journalists, in my opinion there wasn't enough emphasis on copyediting and proofreading itself. Indeed, we did have an entire class dedicated to online journalism this semester, so the implementation of another online-based class was superfluous.

Overall, though, it's always good to stretch your writing muscles, and I liked the interactivity of the class (commenting on posts.) I hope to use the blogging I completed this term to my advantage; having a series of blog posts about the future of journalism may be useful when I meet a potential employer in the future.

Here are some comments I made on classmates' blogs:

Comment 1
Comment 2
Comment 3
Comment 4
Comment 5

Note: Image created by Katie Bowell on wordpress website.

Devon Bowie's E- Portfolio - Final Blog Post

I approach the end of my first year of Journalism, and my Proofreading and Copy-Editing class. I have learned much about blogging, and have even somewhat kind of embraced Twitter. I'm probably not going to use it much, but I no longer hate it with such a vigorous passion that I once did. I'd agree with Kevin; however, that this class does need a name change.


Through my blogging, I have learned other things as well. Though I could have blogged before this class (Though I'd likely screw up formatting and tags), through the research for the blog posts I have done, I gained knowledge. The Vice Guide to Liberia, for instance, which I watched for one of my posts. In that video series, I learned much about something that I otherwise would have known little about, and gained +1 Wisdom. I also levelled up and evolved into Charizard.



Comment 1
Comment 2
Comment 3
Comment 4
Comment 5

Picture taken from Bulbapedia, a Pokemon wiki.
Yes, there is a Wikipedia dedicated to Pokemon.

Devon Bowie's E- Portfolio - The Problem with Movie Journalism, or: George Lucas is a monster who must be stopped.

After the Star Wars prequel trilogy, it became very apparent that George Lucas is a monster, a soulless man who will no stop until everything good ang right in the world is utterly destroyed and all that is left is a CGI robot doing wacky slapstick hijinx on the mass grave of creativity, art, and common sense. George Lucas, much like his character, Emperor Palpatine, is beyond redemption and must be thrown down a deep shaft into a reactor core for the good of the galaxy. As proven here in an excellently critical and comedic review, The Phantom Menace is one of the worst things ever created by a human.

But on Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregation site, TPM receives a score of 62%, or in their terms, "Fresh". Fresh? FRESH? The Phantom Menace is a travesty, a travesty that will never go away. A mass murderer can kill a million people, but eventually the population will replace itself. It's terrible, but it can be undone with time. The Phantom Menace will never go away. It will stay in existence, possibly, for as long as the human race. The Phantom Menace will outlive everyone you know. And it is a vile, plotless, dull, absurd movie with characters flatter than Saskatchewan. If it is possible for the majority of reviewers to give the Phantom Menace a good review, there must be something terribly, monstrously wrong with Movie Reviewing.
And it gets worse. Attack of the Clones got 66% fresh, and Revenge of the Sith got 80% fresh. EIGHTY. EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOOD HAS DIED.

Picture taken from Star Wars Episode III.

Devon Bowie's E- Portfolio - The Return of New Journalism?

For a time, I was distressed about the way journalism was heading. It seemed that it was devolving into 140 character or less infobits, or worse, into Fox News style talking points. But I've gained a glimmer of hope from a certain website, vbs.tv.

In the 1960s and 70s, a new form of Journalism emerged. In the stead of nut graphs or inverted pyramids, news stories would be structured as literary stories. Writers such as Thompson and Capote opted to write stories that would not only let readers know, but also help readers understand. To me, VBS takes this approach as well. In it's Vice Guide to Liberia (Warning:Graphic), VBS covers something which would be overlooked by most newspapers. It covers not a single event, but rather the horrible situation in Liberia, its past, and possible future. Personally, I found it not only more interesting than any traditional news-article, but also more informative. It gives back-story, it has human interest, and I finished watching the series not just feeling more informed, but feeling wiser than before I went into it. Television news has not once done that for me, nor has traditional print news.

Picture Screencapped from VBS.tv

Final Blog Post, Kevin Penny

So it has been four months, and the finalities of this course have led me to three main conclusions:

1. Make sure to read what you've written before you submit it. After you've read it, read it again.
2. Try to remain objective and unbiased in order to keep your journalistic merit.
3. Copyediting and Proofreading needs a name change.

In regards to the first point, proofreading your work is one of the most important things a writer can do. You should read your work so much you have it memorized. Another great tip for proofreading is getting other people to read your work as well. The greatest writer will always have mistakes in his writing, and it takes lots of practise to spot those small mistakes.

For the second point, being objective and unbiased in your writing is a great asset to any writer. Even if a blog is a place for your thoughts, your writings should not influence how your readers think. Readers need to be able to make their own decisions on what you write about, not because of what you wrote. With the coming age of the Internet, it is getting harder to remain objective every day with all the social networking sites.

Finally, the third point needs to be discussed to some length. The class is called Proofreading and Copyediting, yet we seem to do very little in regards to both. I did not expect this class to be about social networking and online media, and it was strange considering I was already taking a class devoted to online journalism. The course itself needs to be split into two separate categories: Online and Print. There was too much of a clash between trying to learn both that it was a little ineffective. I wish we could have sat down and done more hands-on copyediting, because I know it will be a valuable skill once we start to become reporters.

Comment 1

Comment 2 & 3

Comment 4

Comment 5

Image taken from Design, Print, and Pre-press service provider

Devon Bowie's E- Portfolio - Marijuwhat?

In any news report, online or in print, it is improper to refer to things with slang. You wouldn't hear "Mofo gets capped in the dome in north-end apartment". No, you would hear "Man shot in north-end apartment". The former would destroy credibility almost utterly. Slang is a no-no in most journalistic publications.

Why, then, does every newspaper refer to cannabis as 'marijuana'?

It seems obvious to most. Marijuana certainly sounds more official than "weed" or "chronic", after all. But it really isn't. "Marijuana" is a Mexican slang word adopted by the US government in the 1930s to demonize cannabis by associating it with Mexicans. Thus, it's also racist. Really, the use of this dated term should end, and the proper word, cannabis, should be used.

Picture found on my hard drive.

MMA Sports: Gladiators or Athletes? Kevin Penny

For those who aren't men, last Saturday supposedly marked a disappointing day in UFC history. MMA superstar Anderson "The Spider" Silva went five whole rounds with his Brazilian counterpart Demien Maia and won by unanimous decision. Sounds like just another match? Not for Dana White. White came out after the main event and apologized to the fans, saying that "[He's] never been more embarressed in the 10 years of being in this business."

Now my question is, for what? It was clear watching the whole fight that Silva did not want to knock out his fellow Brazilian. It was a one-sided match from the start, seeing as how there are few, if any, fighters that match Silva's abilities right now. If the head of UFC has to come out and apologize to the fans because the match didn't end quickly and bloody (well actually, it did end bloody...), then it begs me to ask what the public's view of MMA fighters are: gladiators, or athletes?

Now, lets take a quick look at MMA fighters. These people train daily to keep in peak physical condition in order to beat the living hell out of one another for our entertainment. Sounds like a gladiator, in my opinion. But this is not Rome, and Dana White is not Caesar. These people take their sport seriously, and when you put an amateur in a ring with a living weapon, you're asking for poor entertainment.

I'm thinking Dana White imagined Silva would end it quickly, then walk around shouting "Are you not entertained!?"

This fight was blown out of proportion by Dana White, and it saddens me to see the media eat it all up. After Silva has lost thousands of fans and his ability to fight George St. Pierre, let's try to remember that he still is the greatest fighter to grace the ring and entertain us since Bruce Lee kicked the crap out of Jim Kelly in 'Enter the Dragon'.

Kevin Penny

April 12, 2010

Image taken from UFC site

Devon Bowie's E- Portfolio - Editing Detective

In the futuristic world of 2010, there is a world-spanning cyber-space in which information is exchanged, and some people live their entire lives there, forgetting the outside world, the feeling of the sun or their face or the wind in their hair. This cyber-zone is called THE INTERNET.
In this futuristic dystopia, one man seeks out and hunts down errors in the internet, a man called the Blade Runner Editing Detective. These are his futuristic cyber-tales.


On About.com, an informative web-zone with many articles, one stands out as being riddled with errors. What error is this, one might ask? Octopi. In an article about mollusks, the mollusk in question is improperly pluralized. Although octopus is indeed a foreign word, it is not a Latin word. 'Octopi' is incorrect because it applies Latin pluralization conventions to a Greek word. Properly, it ought to be either octopodes, which applies Greek naming conventions, or more simply, octopuses. Ironically enough, 'octopodes' is unrecognized by the spell-checker, while "octopi" is recognized. Despite this, it must be fought. Fought by the EDITING DETECTIVE.

The editing detective lives in a world with many enemies. One such enemy, far greater than his other enemy, grammatical error, is the vile factual error. In his quest to hunt down and terminate factual errors, the Editing detective goes to Fox News, a wretched hive of scum and villainy in which many a factual error is to be found. He found something worse. The worst argumentative fallacy. A hulking monstrosity known as Argumentum ad Hitlerum. In a Fox News opinion piece, Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is compared to Hitler, and Obama (for this is Fox News) is called a "Holocaust enabler" if he does not take a tough stance on Iran's nuclear program. It is awful to use such hyperbole. In fact, in the futuristic cyber-world of the internet, bringing up Hitler in argumentation, if the argument is not explicitly about Hitler or Nazis, is viewed as an automatic argument-loser. It's ridiculous to compare Iran having a nuclear program to the Holocaust. Iran is no-where near as powerful as Germany was, and any nuclear attack on Israel by Iran would be tantamount to national suicide.

Picture made by me using Blade Runner promotional poster.

Final Blog Post, Aden Cruz

I can't believe the end of this school year is nearly here. What I can believe (and have realized), however, is that I started this semester not knowing how vast and important the world of blogging and online content production is. I first opened a blog account back in March 2008, and I have yet to make any blog posts in those accounts due to an underlying fear that I had of the unknown consequences of blogging. After the blogging experiences that I’ve had in this class, I will certainly be making the blog entries I’ve been longing to compose since March 2008, Wordles and all!

Speaking of Wordles, my favourite part of this course is having learned ways of utilizing online resources such as Wordles and ToonDoos to add to and compliment blog posts. Realizing the benefits of these resources is extremely valuable, as I believe these are tools that I can use in order to rise above the sea of online content that is out in the World Wide Web. Catching readers’ attention is difficult with text alone, learning to utilize images and graphics has been very beneficial.

Just as important, however, are the other content addressed in this class. Understanding the importance of editing and fact checking for example is crucial in order to produce content that is responsible and respectable. Honing the skills to detect “Crap” is essential in bringing the readers credible stories as we learn to recognize credible sources. Recognizing bias and preventing it from our own copy is also critical to producing good and balanced journalism. Knowing how to effectively edit for the Web is critical for content to be easily read online. Understanding the importance of participatory and social media, adapting to it, then utilizing it is key to attaining and keeping readers.

Claire Theobald made a brilliant comparison when she wrote in her final blog post, “Great writing, is like an orchestra. When played correctly, all of the elements come together and form a piece of music that lifts the soul and shares an experience with all who sit to listen.” I completely agree, and I believe that what I have learned in this class will aid in having “…all the elements come together…” in my future journalistic endeavours.

Comments I have made:
Comment 1
Comment 2 (scroll down to second comment)
Comment 3
Comment 4
Comment 5
Activity related comments:
Comment 6
Comment 7
Comment 8

Note
Image Source: Swarthmore Blog

External Links (also in copy)
Create a Wordle!

Internal Links (also in copy)
Claire Theobald's final blog post

Blog. Then, Blog Some More, Aden Cruz

Blogging is beneficial for many reasons. Firstly, it simply allows journalists to practice and master their writing. Secondly, it gets their written work online for readers to access. It also enables the writer to possibly start a following of readers. Another is that writers can utilize the advantages of online multi-media features such as adding audio and videos to their posts. Also a benefit is that there are many blogging websites that writers can access for free, a cost effective way of getting one's written work out to the reader.

Of course, there are negative aspects of blogging as well. Caution needs to be practiced when considering information posted on line. Megan Perras addressed this very issue in her Journalism 2.0 E-Portfolio blog post as she asserts, “There is a lack of accuracy and credibility when one is reading news on the [I]nternet. Research must be done to find out which sites provide news that is correct and trustworthy.” Journalists as well need to do their due diligence before trusting an online source for data as one cannot assume that documents released online (even those said to be “official”) are accurate.

When evaluating information on the Internet one needs to:

• Compare sources between websites and see if the conclusions are well supported.
• Check accuracy by making sure that sources have been appropriately documented and those references are correct.
• Determine the origin of the information being given and consider: Who is the author? What information does it give me about the author?
• Ensure that the information is current and up to date.
• Watch out for bias. Ask: What does this group or person have to gain by posting this information?
• Note if there is excessive advertising. Ensure that the content producers are not just trying to sell you an idea or product.
• Understanding domains help differentiate and weed out sources. For example .edu sites are reliable as they by academic institutions. Network sites on the other hand (.net) should be carefully evaluated, as there is no guarantee that the source is credible.

Despite the cautionary aspects of trusting online contents, blogs are still more beneficial than not. I spoke with Mack Male, a prominent blogger in Edmonton, after the Gaze into the Stars conference at MacEwan University on Saturday, February 6, 2010. He said that the most important advice he gives to people is to start, and write a blog. “I write things that I’m interested about, or that I’m passionate about, and I try and let that interest and passion show through in the writing,” said Male. “I think that’s why people find it interesting, and that’s why people read it.”

Notes

Image Source: blogs.worldbank.org

External Links (also in copy)
Evaluating information on the internet: virtualchase.com
Mack Male: mastermaq.ca

Internal Links (also in copy)
Megan Perras: Journalism 2.0 E-Portfolio blog post

Truth Be Told, Aden Cruz

Fact checking is crucial to good journalism, and though editors offer some support and guidance in ensuring accuracy, reporters are still responsible for guaranteeing the correctness of his or her story. Journalists need to have a very clear understanding of their sources, knowing the credibility and understanding where the information is coming from is important. Reliability of reference sources is also key, a reporter should never assume that a document, official or not, is accurate.

Steven Wagers conveys the importance of fact checking in his blog post as he asserts that,“[h]aving an article properly edited is essential to a story. If the article is filled with false facts, readers might lose trust in that particular news publication, and rightfully so. The publication isn't the only one at a loss either. The journalist also loses credibility, and if they ever need to find a new job, they could run into problems if they build a reputation of presenting false facts.” Journalist must at all times exercise good judgment before using any type of sources as the reputation of the story, reporter, and most of all the publication depends on it.

Fact checking is a necessity, not an option. No journalist or publication can afford to turn out copy with false information and suffer legal ramifications. Reporters need to be skeptical of the source’s intentions and goals, be aware of biases, and be cautious that there are no holes preventing the story from being balanced. When people give quotes, verify the story behind it.

Detecting inaccuracies, however, isn’t quite so easy when there’s very little time to confirm all the information. This is a problem that many bloggers face because bloggers often operate on their own without help from an editor or fact checker. But, despite the legitimate time constraints, readers want and need accuracy in what they read.

Notes

Image Source: z.about.com

External Links (also in copy)
How to fact check and article: ehow.com

Internal Links (also in copy)
Steven Wager's blog post