Frank Sesno Has a Point

Something very interesting occurred to me while listening to Frank Sesno speak last week. He brought up the Duke lacross case and broke down what happened in a journalistic manner.

The journalist covering the case where getting all of their information from officials, officials that one would have thought had correct evidence reguarding the case. The journalists took what information they were given and writing about them as though they were fact, not just suspision.

Sesno made a good point, if I were a journalist covering that case, and a police officer told me about some details that I believed were fact, then I would probably take that information and go with it. I would continue writing. However, that is what screwed up those kids lives. THe fact that the information journalists were taking was not fact. It was like one big rumor and everyone wanted to write their piece on it.

As sad as the case was it led to some good tips for journalists to take. Although the story sounded juicy the way it was portrayed, it was not true, therefore ruining people's lives. Sesno said we live in a "live" time. We must understand that journalists dont have time to check facts because of the time factor. So we need to "get over it" ( in Sesnos words) and just realize the time we live in.

The journalists should have made some changes to their stories, and some did send apologies. But this was a great lesson for journalists to take to understand the importance of what they write, where they get there facts from and if it is worth ruining people's innocent lives to get the story out first.

Mmmm against Clinton?

In an article I was reading on Foxnews.com, "Latest Iowa Poll Puts Clinton at Top of Voter Preferences" I was reading purely for bias since this is something FOX is known for. What I came across was exactly what was expected. Although the headline stated good news about Clinton, there was a slight slant in the story against her.

These little jabs aren't much, but they are noticeable to me now due to our studies in class. When Hilary got in a heated debate with Randal Rolph.

Their exchanged grew heated as he insisted the bill would authorize combat. Clinton snapped back, her voice rising, "I'm sorry, sir, it does not."

I am sure her voice was not the only voice that was rising in this debate. There were a number of other small instances that poked at Hilary somewhat. I understand that this is a right sided news organizations, but it really makes me think how unfair these stations are for being slightly to the left or slightly to the right

They are founded by conglomorates, this I understand, but it just can really make someone think. I am so thankful to be a journalism student so I know these tricks and understand these organizations and what their goals are.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,299977,00.html

What isn't Bias?

Okay, it is evident that one can really not attempt to watch anything without some sort of bias...I do not feel that there is anything wrong with that. We are humans and it is in our nature to have our own opinions. I came across a website called dirtyd.com. It is a website about the Dallas social scene, sort of a spin of perezhilton.com. As I was going through the site, it was obvious purely bias.

The site had pictures of people i knew and people I have seen out before. Some captions were kind of funny, not too mean...others were pretty vicious. "What a hippo" "Attention Dallas plastic surgeons, help these people!" etc.

The point I am trying to get across is this. There is bias in every medium we look at. In the news it is pretty much in the viewers discretion to decide whether or not to take everything word for word. In mediums such as this DirtyD.com, it is obvious it is the creaters bias. The audience can laugh and probably will, until they see their face on it with some horrible caption.

Bias can make or break opinions about people or events. It is crazy how some one speaking about an event or person with a slight opinion of their own, can sway another. I thought that this dirtyD.com website fit into our bias discussions because it was one, with all bias opinions and its good to see and realize that.

Is this the news or the downer of the day?

Cars are sliding off the roads, hit and runs, murder, power outages, whats causing cancer now? All this before 10 AM?

I am trying to have my morning cup of coffee and now have seemed to have lost my appetite for my oatmeal. Maybe the morning news was a bad choice. It seems as though Dallas/Ft Worth is the most dangerous place to live in the country. I kept watching to see if the news would hit a brighter topic...but no. It went from horrible weather, to a hit and run, to a mistakenly killed musician, and so on. The worst part of all this, is that every news program runs like this.

I know we spoke about the fact that violence sells...but have we ever tried otherwise? Would it be so wrong to stick a few good stories out there? Something that may give the viewer some hope that the world is not that scarey?

I think we need to know that there is violence amoung our community, but I also think that showing some good news wouldn't hurt anyone. I am more conscience about the local news now. I am now on a search to see who puts atleast one good news story in their program. I will get back to you once I find my answer.

What a tragedy

What A Tragedy

A week ago the most horrific university shooting of U.S history occurred at Virginia Tech University.
Seung Hui Cho, a student, shot and killed 32 people (students and faculty). This was a devastating day.
The crazy part about all this is that we as viewers were able to watch the whole story unravel before our very eyes. Student journalists took out cell phones and recorded parts of the event. Others stood in their dorm rooms and took pictures with digital cameras. All of these things allowed the news to travel faster than ever.
It is crazy to see how journalism is evolving. Anyone and everyone is a journalist these days. With the use of technology (cell phone cameras and video tapes), it is easy to spread word of breaking news.
If this event had happened five years ago, the news would definitely not have gotten around as quickly as it did.
I was sitting at my television watching the event, and with each minute a new death was announced or a new video clip was played. The news was almost instant. Does this mean that journalists will soon not be needed? I mean CNN received FREE pictures from students. No one had to send out a photographer because they were getting all the photos for free.
With such a travesty as this, its pretty selfish to even talk about money, but these news stations are loving all this new technology because I am sure it is saving them a bundle.
Even Cho used media to get his point across. He made a horrific tape and sent it to NBC to that the media could relay his message to the world. Cho got exactly what he wanted. He used media to tell his side of the story and the world watched. I am not going to say I wouldn’t have wanted to see it if NBC refused to play it, but I am pissed Cho got what he wanted. And he is such a wimp for shooting himself, he couldn’t even be man enough to keep himself alive to explain his anger? So he used the media against us. What a coward.
The sad part about all this, is that this will happen again. From a journalist perspective it’s interesting to see how each incident like this is dealt with by the media.
I saw a news piece of a young woman who was in the Columbine shooting along with the Virginia Tech shooting. She said that she really didn’t want to talk to the media because of the way they behaved with Columbine. She said they didn’t give the community any space. Although it is so true that after something like this people should want their space, but again with a story such as Columbine or VT, it is hard (as a journalist) to give people space. The news does need to be told and from as many different perspectives possible. But I do understand how that would be annoying at such a time.
With the Virginia Tech incident, so much media was put out. Here are just a few of the websites that made photo stories, and multi media packages etc.
Multimedia “CRY FOR HELP”
http://abcnews.go.com/US/VATech/?CMP=google&partner=google&gclid=CISJiejh24sCFSgNIgodVWNnXw

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/virginiatech.shootings/

Kristof Discusses Darfur at SMU

Nicholas Kristof, a New York times columnist, came to SMU Tuesday to discuss genocide in Darfur. Although I wasn't able to make the speech, I hope I will be able to learn more from what he talked about.

Kristof has won 2 Pulizter Prizes on his columns. One on the trafficking in Cambodia, and the other for his coverage of Tiananmen square, a historical event in the world.

Apparently, Kristof uses tons of multimedia (http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?query=Nicholas+Kristof&date_select=
full&srchst=m) in his search to fight for the rights for people that are being ignored. I feel that using multimedia tactics is a brilliant way to do so.

Yes, one may read a story on how some family was murdered right before one's eyes, but in this day and age, we humans are so immuned to "stories" of war and violence. We need to have a visual, we need to actually see that what is going on is not some bad dream, but a reality. With technology on such a rise, we should be utitilzing it in a way as to help people. Get messages across to people etc..

Kristof has traveled with a number of people to gain more knowledge of people less fortunate, such as with Jimmy Carter. They traveled to Etheopia to search for a cure for River Blindness and to gain a higher understanding of that the disease was and who was being effected.

We can talk about how we want to save the world all day long, until we are blue in the face. However, thats what we AMerican's are good at. We talk about making a difference, not so much get off our couch or stop watching reality t.v shows to actually make a difference.

I am not going to be a hypocrit, I talk about wanting to save the world all the time. But I am just "too busy" to actually do it. Its very sad to see such an amazing place fade away as it is.

I like how Kristof is trying to make a difference and I am thrilled to learn more about him and what he will do next.

CNBC's Ron Insana comes to inform us Journalists...

It is crazy to think that a music/film major whom after college worked at a vitamin shop is now one of the most brilliant business journalists in Journalism.

Ron Insana went to Loyola Marymount University to study music (which is where I went to school before SMU), and then transferred to Cal State Northridge to study film. He had taken NO business classes prior to his first job. He worked at the Financial News Network and really got his start after he covered the 1987 stock crash.
Although Insana does not anchor, his plate is still very full. He was written three books, and still appears once a month on "Squawk Box" and other NBC shows.

I, personally, was extremely happy to hear from Insana, although I pretty much know I need to work a lot harder if journalism is what I want to do. What a brilliant man. He not only reaked of intelligence, but he was very funny. Although a lot of what was said went over my head somewhat...I still learned some things that I really would never had thought of before. I learned that as a journalist, we need to know both current events and buisness oriented events...he said they effect eachother.

I never even really thought of a category in journalism called business journalism, but now, as I read the "business" part of the news, I feel pretty dumb that I have no clue about stock market type news. Its pretty good to know that business journalist find out about political news before even political journalist because money is so interconnected to everything, if that makes sense. "Markets move first, news comes second," he said. How true that is now that I think about it.

Insana pushed us to realize we need to "use the maket " instead of just watch it...which I do neither...yikes. Maybe business news is not my "thing," but regardless of that, Insana has made a little red light come on, inspiring me to become more informed. So what if I want to write for a health or travel magazine? I don't want to be the dumb blonde journalist at some cocktail party that can't discuess stocks with other journalists or associates. I want to become a more well rounded journalist that can hold my own and atleast be able to keep up with the business "jargon."

Insana says the stock changes are what we need to be paying attention to, man I wish I were taking some sort of business class so I could actually understand the stock. I am definately going to buy a book for dumbies to figure out the "jist" of the stocks...because as Insana said, the stocks effect the markets which effect major political events. That idea now, makes total sense to me.

Insana said he just "got lucky" with his first job, ya, I would say that is a little bit more than luck. From working at a vitamin shop, to tearing down sets, to producer, anchor, busines journalist...amazing. It really excited to me see that not everyone knows exactly what they are going to do in college, but somethings will just fall into place.

Also, its good to see a speaker with a sense of humor. Although I was lost with some of the concepts, he definately kept me on my toes by throwing out his bald jokes. Love this guy!