A bit of a disclaimer

This is only the beginning, i'll get a more comprehensive Profile as time allows. what is more important is the content of the posts, not the ego fulfilling profile---at least for now


I have been stumbling over this part of my profile a while. The question is what will this blog to present to me and all of my readers? The simple answer is politics and opinions o the idiocy that surounds it.

I follow the news in general and politics in particular and have some strong feelings that I want to put out there for every one to read and comment on. I have an out look in life that is rather simple, but I think kind of sophisticated too. My language will not be as multi syllabic as some, nor will my insights be as complicated as others. I am a simple person and have simple thoughts, yet I think sometimes simplicity is a more elegant, and perhaps better, way to to accomplish things.

With this blog I want talk about matters with you and other readers. Perhaps we can see issues in ways that the Know-It-Alls will not. Or maybe we can just entertain ourselves with animated discussion.

I will write about something that has caught my attention---spouting my thoughts and hope others will feel motivated to reply. Sometimes I’ll merely state my take on a subject and throw it out there without trying to prove my point with some one else's words. Other times, if I can find a quote that fits my way of thinking, I’ll use some one else’s opinion.



Sunday, May 8, 2011

What is News Part 2

We continue our discussion of What is News. Have a look at my earlier post.
The next definers (?) of What is News is Prominence, and Currency. A common event can be elevated to the level of news if a person or place of importance are involved. Take for example, the plane that crashed into a building in Florida, right after September 11th. There were two reasons that crash made national news. The first is obvious, but the second may not be so apparent. The building was the local headquarters for the IRS. 
The next reason why news is news can be attributed to is Oddity. As the saying goes, “If a dog bites a man, that is not news. But if a man bites a dog…” What this means is the extraordinary and unexpected are fun to follow. Of course what one consumer of news may find interesting and news worthy may not be interesting to another. So as reporters and journalists we need to find what is being watched by our audience. There may be an interesting event in a community that is of little actual value to the main audience, but they find it interesting. This can still be news. News does not have to be earth shattering, but it does need to have some value to the audience consuming it.
There are two main types of news.
The first is the hard news; the stuff at the beginning of a broadcast. Hard news includes the news of the day. It is controversial and has an impact on a wade swath of the audience. Slam!
On the other hand, softer news is more for entertainment, or background. It still has value, but the immediacy is not there. A tornado swarm that destroys whole neighborhoods is hard news, but a wedding in England. Aw, but is the wedding is of a royal family...this could be a feature story. Well, the royal wedding could be seen as hard news because of the prominence of the people involved. But it could also be seen as gossip---is the dress she wears really important to people not involved?

What would happen if a tragedy happened during the wedding in England, say there was a major fire at Buckminster Palace during the reception, now we have a story that is considered hard news? On the other hand what if the same tragedy happened at a wedding of a friend---nope not so much, at least on a national scale. Now we find ourselves in the gray area of each kind of news.
One of the most important goals a journalist must strive to accomplish is to provide the complete story, not just one side, or a slanted version that is weighted toward one side or the other. While public relations professionals have the interests of their companies or organizations and try to put a positive light on their information, a journalist has the responsibility to show all sides of the story, even if some are not positive. Bill Keller, of the New York Times said a primary responsibility of a journalist is, “Applying judgement to the information.” To me this means that though a reporter may report on a rumor or opinion he or she, cannot report it as fact. 
Objectivity and Fairness
“The term ‘objectivity’ was originally used to describe journalistic approach or “method”(from What is News, by Deborah Potter). As we discussed earlier, a journalist is human and has her own bias and outlook. As a journalist he needs to overcome these and report only the facts and not personal or corporate opinion. This is objectivity.
The story should be the giver of facts to a journalist and must she must be aware of her own biased thinking and find a way to over come it. Or better yet, she should report on subjects that do not affect her personally. The journalist needs to use a scientific and well balanced method of reporting that does not reflect on their of point of view. As journalists, we should be impartial and fair.
There are those in the media who say they are journalists, but in reality they are propagandists. They use only the facts that support their point of view and discount dissenting opinions. Balance to some means there are only 2 points of view. If only the world were that black and white. We also may think that all aspects of an issue are of equal importance. While all issues have important weight in an issue, we sometimes get bogged down with mute facts, ones that have been proven insignificant, or totally bogus to the issue at hand. The challenge to journalists is to find and report on viewpoints that have merit to an issue. The climate change issue comes to mind. There are those that say there is no climate change going on and not to worry about it anymore. But most reputable scientists agree there is indeed a shift in the climate of the world. There are two or more, ways this story can be reported on; (1) it is because of the affect of man, and the other, (2) these are cyclical changes that are not the fault of man. These are side issues, and another one may be what can we do about it.
So what do you think of how I have interpreted this part of the course. As I stated in the intro to the site, I want to have an open conversation concerning journalism. So speak up and let’s start talking!
OLC 

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