Newsvine account address: cjagger.newsvine.com
Story I wrote:
"Housing a Major Concern For Cal Poly Students"
All students look forward to having a great time at Cal Poly, yet they often are unaware of the enormous hindrance it is to try to find legitimate housing in San Luis Obispo. With regard to housing, it is almost as if San Luis Obispo is in denial about its student population. The problem begins with incoming freshmen expecting to get a spot in the highly impacted dorms. It is downright unacceptable for Cal Poly to accept so many students, knowing full well that there is not nearly enough room in the on campus dormitories to house all them. If incoming freshmen send in their check to Cal Poly slightly too late, they are turned away from the dorm rooms and forced to find off campus housing in a short period of time. Finding off campus housing late in the season is a very large problem. Most apartment complexes are very close to capacity, and it is extremely inconvenient for students to be put on the spot and have to make a search for off campus housing when they originally assumed they would be living in the dorms. Once a suitable apartment is found, leases can be a huge concern. Apartment complexes blatantly know when the school year starts and ends, yet still force their residents to sign year long leases. Students are then stuck with an apartment that they have no use for over summer, when they are most likely back home.
Housing rentals can also be a royal pain. It seems like landlords do not realize that Cal Poly starts in September, because they would make a lot more money if they listed properties starting in August or September in March or April, when students need to find a place before being tied down by a lease. It shouldn’t be a problem to do this if the current residents are living there until September anyways. No student wants to be looking around for housing over the summer before fall term, but it seems like students have to resort to doing this in order to find a house that will start rent at the beginning of fall quarter.
There is also not enough open housing close to Cal Poly. Every year an enormous amount of Cal Poly students need to live in far away locations and commute to Cal Poly, because they only open housing they can find are in places like Grover Beach. Students need commute very far just to go to class.
The Poly Canyon housing project is a very good long term for Cal Poly’s housing dilemma, but the students attending college right now don’t get to reap any benefits besides seeing a bunch of construction going on year round. Overall, if Cal Poly and off campus residents would work together to help cater to the needs of students, everybody would be better off and these residences would be just as rich, if not better off.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Pictures for Blog #10
Here are the pictures for the corporations I studied in Blog #10. I wasn't able to seamlessly integrate them in my story, so I decided to post them in a new blog.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Blog Assignment #11
Go to a busy public place with a notebook in hand. Develop your ear for dialogue by writing down snatches of overheard conversations; imagine how they could be used in a story. Post at least five overheard quotes along with accompanying story ideas in a new blog entry.
1. Avila Beach: "Let me use some of that sun screen."
Story Idea: The effectiveness of sunscreen and what the minum SPF should be.
2. Boomers Mini Golf: "You're not allowed to smoke here."
Story idea: Whether or not its okay to ban smoking in outdoor areas.
3. My neighbor's house: "I play way too much World of Warcraft."
Story Idea: Video Game Addiction.
4. Campus in Library: "Most of the classes I'm trying to take are filled up."
Story Idea: Whether the Cal Poly registration process should be modified and if more classes should be added.
5. Campus: "The Avenue makes so much money that we are basically employed for free because the government pays our checks."
Story Idea: Increasing payment for student workers on campus.
1. Avila Beach: "Let me use some of that sun screen."
Story Idea: The effectiveness of sunscreen and what the minum SPF should be.
2. Boomers Mini Golf: "You're not allowed to smoke here."
Story idea: Whether or not its okay to ban smoking in outdoor areas.
3. My neighbor's house: "I play way too much World of Warcraft."
Story Idea: Video Game Addiction.
4. Campus in Library: "Most of the classes I'm trying to take are filled up."
Story Idea: Whether the Cal Poly registration process should be modified and if more classes should be added.
5. Campus: "The Avenue makes so much money that we are basically employed for free because the government pays our checks."
Story Idea: Increasing payment for student workers on campus.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Blog Assignment #10
Noting the top five reasons journalists visit a company Web site (see below), conduct your own usability study of five companies that interest you. On each site, search for basic PR information and note your findings in a new blog entry.
1. Find a PR contact (name and phone number)
2. Check basic facts about the company (name a top executive, and state the address of the company’s headquarters)
3. Check the company’s ‘spin’ on events (what kind of news would most affect/concern the company?)
4. Check financial information (any of the following: the company's yearly earnings/projections/budget etc.)
5. Download images to supplement a story (each company’s description on your blog must be accompanied by a representational image from the Web site)
6. The Web site address
McDonalds Website: http://www.mcdonalds.com/corp/about.html
1. Name: McDonalds Corporation
Phone Number: 1-800-244-6227
2. Address:
McDonald’s Corporation
2111 McDonald's Dr
Oak Brook, IL 60523
-Ralph Alvarez: President and Chief officer
3. News:
-Their Global Comparable sales rose 4.9% in January.
-Top management announced.
-Record results for 2006.
4. Stock value:
Current price: $44.46
.
Pepsico Website: http://www.pepsico.com/
1. PR:
Name: Wahid Hamid
Phone: (914) 253-2000
2. Address:
700 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase , NY 10577
-Steven S Reinemund: Chairman of the board
3. News:
-Pepsico reports strong sales for the forth quarter of 2006.
-Pepsico to webcast conference call.
4. Stock
Price: $62.76
Volume: 8,339,900
Time Warner Website : http://www.timewarner.com/corp/
1. PR:
Name: Keith Cocozza- Corporate Communications
Phone: 212.484.8000
2. Address:
One Time Warner Center
New York, NY10019-8016
-Richard D. Parsons: Chairman and Chief Executive officer
3. News:
-February 21, 2007 HBO and American Girl Enter Into Overall Deal That Includes Development of Theatrical Films, Series, Specials and Documentaries
-February 20, 2007 Top Warner Bros Shows to Join Virgin TV Library
-February 14, 2007 CNNMoney.com #1 Business Website of 2006
4. Earnings results for 2006:
-Revenues rose 4% with earnings of $44.2 billion.
Microsoft Website: http://www.microsoft.com/en/us/default.aspx
1.PR:
Name: Waggener Edstrom Worldwide
Phone: (503) 443-7000
2. Address:
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond , WA 98052-6399
Bill Gates: Owner/ richest man in the world.
3. News:
-They are heavily promoting Windows Vista.
4. Earnings:
REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 25, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced record revenue of $12.54 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2006, a 6% increase over the same period of the prior year. Operating income, net income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $3.47 billion, $2.63 billion and $0.26, respectively.
Walmart website: http://www.walmart.com/
1. PR:
Phone: 479-273-8446
-No PR people listed.
2. Address:
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Bentonville , Arkansas 72716 -8611.
-Lee Scott: CEO
3. News:
-Wal-Mart Gives $50,000 To Repair Fire-Damaged Ochoa Park
-Wal-Mart Hosts Blue Skyways Collaborative Biannual MeetingThe Blue Skyways Collaborative, a voluntary program to reduce air pollution, visits the home of Wal-Mart for a biannual meeting and a look at successful sustainability from the world’s largest retailer.
4. Financial:
-In the fourth quarter of this year, net sales were $98.090 billion
-Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reported yesterday its fourth-quarter profit grew 9.8 per cent, beating analyst estimates, and issued a bullish forecast for the world’s largest retailer.
1. Find a PR contact (name and phone number)
2. Check basic facts about the company (name a top executive, and state the address of the company’s headquarters)
3. Check the company’s ‘spin’ on events (what kind of news would most affect/concern the company?)
4. Check financial information (any of the following: the company's yearly earnings/projections/budget etc.)
5. Download images to supplement a story (each company’s description on your blog must be accompanied by a representational image from the Web site)
6. The Web site address
McDonalds Website: http://www.mcdonalds.com/corp/about.html
1. Name: McDonalds Corporation
Phone Number: 1-800-244-6227
2. Address:
McDonald’s Corporation
2111 McDonald's Dr
Oak Brook, IL 60523
-Ralph Alvarez: President and Chief officer
3. News:
-Their Global Comparable sales rose 4.9% in January.
-Top management announced.
-Record results for 2006.
4. Stock value:
Current price: $44.46
.
Pepsico Website: http://www.pepsico.com/
1. PR:
Name: Wahid Hamid
Phone: (914) 253-2000
2. Address:
700 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase , NY 10577
-Steven S Reinemund: Chairman of the board
3. News:
-Pepsico reports strong sales for the forth quarter of 2006.
-Pepsico to webcast conference call.
4. Stock
Price: $62.76
Volume: 8,339,900
Time Warner Website : http://www.timewarner.com/corp/
1. PR:
Name: Keith Cocozza- Corporate Communications
Phone: 212.484.8000
2. Address:
One Time Warner Center
New York, NY10019-8016
-Richard D. Parsons: Chairman and Chief Executive officer
3. News:
-February 21, 2007 HBO and American Girl Enter Into Overall Deal That Includes Development of Theatrical Films, Series, Specials and Documentaries
-February 20, 2007 Top Warner Bros Shows to Join Virgin TV Library
-February 14, 2007 CNNMoney.com #1 Business Website of 2006
4. Earnings results for 2006:
-Revenues rose 4% with earnings of $44.2 billion.
Microsoft Website: http://www.microsoft.com/en/us/default.aspx
1.PR:
Name: Waggener Edstrom Worldwide
Phone: (503) 443-7000
2. Address:
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond , WA 98052-6399
Bill Gates: Owner/ richest man in the world.
3. News:
-They are heavily promoting Windows Vista.
4. Earnings:
REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 25, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced record revenue of $12.54 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2006, a 6% increase over the same period of the prior year. Operating income, net income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $3.47 billion, $2.63 billion and $0.26, respectively.
Walmart website: http://www.walmart.com/
1. PR:
Phone: 479-273-8446
-No PR people listed.
2. Address:
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Bentonville , Arkansas 72716 -8611.
-Lee Scott: CEO
3. News:
-Wal-Mart Gives $50,000 To Repair Fire-Damaged Ochoa Park
-Wal-Mart Hosts Blue Skyways Collaborative Biannual MeetingThe Blue Skyways Collaborative, a voluntary program to reduce air pollution, visits the home of Wal-Mart for a biannual meeting and a look at successful sustainability from the world’s largest retailer.
4. Financial:
-In the fourth quarter of this year, net sales were $98.090 billion
-Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reported yesterday its fourth-quarter profit grew 9.8 per cent, beating analyst estimates, and issued a bullish forecast for the world’s largest retailer.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Assignment #9
The Rwandan Genocide among the worst in history
The Rwandan Genocide was an attempt by Hutu Militia groups to annihilate the entire Tutsi population, as well as moderate Hutu’s living in Rwanda, Africa from April 6th 1994 to July 1994.
“The whole country was eerily quiet and smelled of death. There were bodies everywhere, and I knew any of them could have been someone close to me. But I couldn't cry. I was just numb,” stated survivor Mary Kayitesi Blewitt about the condition of Rwanda at the end of the genocide.
The genocide was an end result of Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana’s desire to gain Hutu support after the rebel Tutsis of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) attacked his country from Uganda on October 1st, 1990. While the attack was insignificant, Habyarimana over-exaggerated the threat as a way of regaining the trust of the distant Hutu population. In an attempt to divide the Rwandan population, he marked the local Tutsis as traitors loyal to the RPF. The Hutu’s quickly aligned with President Habyarimana, but it took three years of heavy propaganda and violence to fully separate the Hutu and Tutsi populations, which were very similar before the divide.
On August 4th, 1993, The Hutu-extremist Committee for the Defense of the Republic (CDR) refused to sign the Arusha Accords, which were documents that ended the civil war between Rwanda and the RPF. The Arusha Accords aimed to take lots of power away from Habyarimana, and create a system called the TBBG, which split power between five political parties. At this time, Hutu radio stations began a campaign of fear that portrayed Tutsis as inferior citizens. Many Hutu militias were created in the hopes of exterminating the Tutsi people.
April 6th, 1994 launched the official start of the genocide. Habyarimana’s plane was shot down, and Paul Kagame, the leader of the RPF, was immediately blamed. This incident gave the Hutu’s, who were led by Colonel Bagosora, the chance to begin the Tutsi extermination they had been planning for so long. With the backing of most military leaders, Bagosora began mass slaughtering every Tutsi he could find, claiming the killing was “self defense.” He slowly recruited more and more people to aid in the butchering of all Tutsis and moderate Hutu’s. Most of the Tutsis were hacked up by machetes, and many women were violently raped repeatedly. Bulldozers were used to knock down churches that Tutsis were hiding in. Between April 6th and mid July of 1994, approximately 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutu’s were estimated to be dead.
The UN has been criticized for its lack of effort during the genocide. UN troops were present, but seemed very detached from the mass murder that was occurring. While there was not much international help in stopping the killing, the Hutu’s eventually self destructed. They were unwilling to guard borders, and began fighting amongst each other while accusing former allies of being Tutsi. The RPF army was eventually able to take control of the country and establish an interim government.
In March of 1999, a 900 page report, titled "Leave None to Tell the Story” was released that criticized the UN, United States, France and Belgium for not taking action to prevent the killings.
Sources:
Jacobs, Sarah. “The more need there is for help, The more I know I have to be involved.” Associated Newspapers Ltd. 29 October, 2006.
“Rwandan Genocide.” Wikipedia. 20 February. 2007.
“The Triumph of Evil.” Frontline. 1995.
< http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/evil/etc/slaughter.html>
The Rwandan Genocide was an attempt by Hutu Militia groups to annihilate the entire Tutsi population, as well as moderate Hutu’s living in Rwanda, Africa from April 6th 1994 to July 1994.
“The whole country was eerily quiet and smelled of death. There were bodies everywhere, and I knew any of them could have been someone close to me. But I couldn't cry. I was just numb,” stated survivor Mary Kayitesi Blewitt about the condition of Rwanda at the end of the genocide.
The genocide was an end result of Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana’s desire to gain Hutu support after the rebel Tutsis of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) attacked his country from Uganda on October 1st, 1990. While the attack was insignificant, Habyarimana over-exaggerated the threat as a way of regaining the trust of the distant Hutu population. In an attempt to divide the Rwandan population, he marked the local Tutsis as traitors loyal to the RPF. The Hutu’s quickly aligned with President Habyarimana, but it took three years of heavy propaganda and violence to fully separate the Hutu and Tutsi populations, which were very similar before the divide.
On August 4th, 1993, The Hutu-extremist Committee for the Defense of the Republic (CDR) refused to sign the Arusha Accords, which were documents that ended the civil war between Rwanda and the RPF. The Arusha Accords aimed to take lots of power away from Habyarimana, and create a system called the TBBG, which split power between five political parties. At this time, Hutu radio stations began a campaign of fear that portrayed Tutsis as inferior citizens. Many Hutu militias were created in the hopes of exterminating the Tutsi people.
April 6th, 1994 launched the official start of the genocide. Habyarimana’s plane was shot down, and Paul Kagame, the leader of the RPF, was immediately blamed. This incident gave the Hutu’s, who were led by Colonel Bagosora, the chance to begin the Tutsi extermination they had been planning for so long. With the backing of most military leaders, Bagosora began mass slaughtering every Tutsi he could find, claiming the killing was “self defense.” He slowly recruited more and more people to aid in the butchering of all Tutsis and moderate Hutu’s. Most of the Tutsis were hacked up by machetes, and many women were violently raped repeatedly. Bulldozers were used to knock down churches that Tutsis were hiding in. Between April 6th and mid July of 1994, approximately 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutu’s were estimated to be dead.
The UN has been criticized for its lack of effort during the genocide. UN troops were present, but seemed very detached from the mass murder that was occurring. While there was not much international help in stopping the killing, the Hutu’s eventually self destructed. They were unwilling to guard borders, and began fighting amongst each other while accusing former allies of being Tutsi. The RPF army was eventually able to take control of the country and establish an interim government.
In March of 1999, a 900 page report, titled "Leave None to Tell the Story” was released that criticized the UN, United States, France and Belgium for not taking action to prevent the killings.
Sources:
Jacobs, Sarah. “The more need there is for help, The more I know I have to be involved.” Associated Newspapers Ltd. 29 October, 2006.
“Rwandan Genocide.” Wikipedia. 20 February. 2007.
“The Triumph of Evil.” Frontline. 1995.
< http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/evil/etc/slaughter.html>
Monday, February 19, 2007
Blog Assignment #8
Find six news articles -- three with summary ledes and three with feauture leads. Copy/paste these leads into your blog and identify each (summary or soft). After identifying them, change each lead to its opposite (summary to soft and vice-versa).
1. Summary Lead:
CLEVELAND, Ohio (CNN) -- A passenger jet skidded off a runway and smashed through a fence while landing Sunday in windy and icy conditions at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
Revised:
It was a cold and icy day at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. For many passengers aboard aircraft, it would be a day to remember. A plane was coming in to land in typical fashion, when all of the sudden, it lost traction on the ground, and was forced off the runway into a fence.
2. Feature Lead:
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (Ticker) -- Kevin Harvick knew he was going to be the bad guy. But that didn't stop him from dealing Mark Martin a crushing blow.
Revised: Kevin Harvick edged out Mark Martin at the finish line to win the Daytona 500,
3. Summary Lead:
BHOPAL, India (CNN) -- Police announced they uncovered a plastic bag stuffed with the skeletal remains of at least six newborns Sunday after searching the grounds of a Christian missionary hospital in the central Indian town of Ratlam.
Revised: There have been some very disturbing discoveries in the quiet Indian town of Ratlam. A once credible Christian Missionary hospital is now under fire for some recent discoveries that are shocking and repulsive. The decrepit remains of six helpless infants were discovered deep within the confines of the hospital by police officers.
4. Feature Lead: (Mustang Daily)
The definition of objectify is to "make impersonal or present as an object." The content of "The Vagina Monologues" consists of personal stories of sexuality, sexual assault, and violence; some are individual accounts, others use literary devices to illustrate the issues.
Revised:
“The Vagina Monologues,” which the Cal Poly Theatre Department is currently showing, uses literary devices to objectify women.
5. Summary Lead:
GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. - Three climbers who fell from a ledge on snowy Mount Hood got into their sleeping bags for warmth and awaited rescue as bad weather raged around them, officials said.
Revised: It was a really long night for three climbers on Mount Hood. They were hiking along a cliff, when all of the sudden they lost their footing and fell all the way down the mountain. They were in bad condition, and resorted to using their sleeping bags to keep warm while they awaited the rescuers that they contacted while in distress.
6. Feature Lead: (Contra Costa Times)
Give it six more months, and Meredith Nunn says she will have to shut down her Brentwood fruit farm after more than 20 years in operation.
Revised: Many farmers are shutting down their businesses due to agricultural restrictions in Contra Costa County.
1. Summary Lead:
CLEVELAND, Ohio (CNN) -- A passenger jet skidded off a runway and smashed through a fence while landing Sunday in windy and icy conditions at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
Revised:
It was a cold and icy day at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. For many passengers aboard aircraft, it would be a day to remember. A plane was coming in to land in typical fashion, when all of the sudden, it lost traction on the ground, and was forced off the runway into a fence.
2. Feature Lead:
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (Ticker) -- Kevin Harvick knew he was going to be the bad guy. But that didn't stop him from dealing Mark Martin a crushing blow.
Revised: Kevin Harvick edged out Mark Martin at the finish line to win the Daytona 500,
3. Summary Lead:
BHOPAL, India (CNN) -- Police announced they uncovered a plastic bag stuffed with the skeletal remains of at least six newborns Sunday after searching the grounds of a Christian missionary hospital in the central Indian town of Ratlam.
Revised: There have been some very disturbing discoveries in the quiet Indian town of Ratlam. A once credible Christian Missionary hospital is now under fire for some recent discoveries that are shocking and repulsive. The decrepit remains of six helpless infants were discovered deep within the confines of the hospital by police officers.
4. Feature Lead: (Mustang Daily)
The definition of objectify is to "make impersonal or present as an object." The content of "The Vagina Monologues" consists of personal stories of sexuality, sexual assault, and violence; some are individual accounts, others use literary devices to illustrate the issues.
Revised:
“The Vagina Monologues,” which the Cal Poly Theatre Department is currently showing, uses literary devices to objectify women.
5. Summary Lead:
GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. - Three climbers who fell from a ledge on snowy Mount Hood got into their sleeping bags for warmth and awaited rescue as bad weather raged around them, officials said.
Revised: It was a really long night for three climbers on Mount Hood. They were hiking along a cliff, when all of the sudden they lost their footing and fell all the way down the mountain. They were in bad condition, and resorted to using their sleeping bags to keep warm while they awaited the rescuers that they contacted while in distress.
6. Feature Lead: (Contra Costa Times)
Give it six more months, and Meredith Nunn says she will have to shut down her Brentwood fruit farm after more than 20 years in operation.
Revised: Many farmers are shutting down their businesses due to agricultural restrictions in Contra Costa County.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Blog Assignment #7
Finding space for eighteen thousand students to live is no easy task for a University in a relatively small town. There is only a small amount of living space on Campus at Cal Poly, and the majority of students have to find somewhere to live off campus. Jim Keefe is one of the people responsible for making sure that these students get quality, affordable housing that is close to campus. He is the owner of the Murray Station apartments that run parallel to California Boulevard, and resides on the other side of the train tracks.
Jim has led a very successful life in the Real Estate industry, and owns many properties throughout California. His success is defined by his great work ethic. He was able to pay his way through Harvard Business School on his own. “I wanted to get through college without the help of loans, so I worked many full time jobs,” Jim said about his financial situation. Another way Jim made money was by buying cars that weren’t worth much in Massachusetts, and selling them for a lot of money in California, his home state. He would make over one thousand dollars on every car sold, which was a very hefty profit margin when he was attending school. These types of business strategies helped him make a name for himself in the real estate world. His son, Cameron, who is currently studying International Business at the University of San Francisco, clearly caught on to Jim’s Businessman mentality. He regularly makes trips to Hong Kong to buy high end basketball shoes, and then sell them in America for huge profits.
Jim revealed that there is a lot of stress involved when it comes to running an apartment complex smoothly. He has to deal with a lot of kids, many of whom he believes aren’t ready to live on their own. “Some of these students don’t even know how to do their own laundry.” Murray Station used to only house Cal Poly students, but within the last few years they have been leasing units to Cuesta Community College Students as well; a decision that Jim is still shaky on. “Many of the Cuesta students are there to party, and have no respect for their neighbors who are studying,” Jim said about the behavior of Murray’s residents. At Murray Station, security officers patrol the premises, and ironically act as a “independent living program,” according to Jim. He believes that residents are forced to learn how to live responsibly on their own, because they can lose their leases if they receive too many citations from the security guards.
Overall, Jim truly enjoys owning and helping manage Murray Station. He recently moved from the Bay Area to a nice estate in Ragged Point so that he could live closer to Murray Station and other properties he owns. He also truly loves living along the central coast, in a beautiful location. Jim Keefe works hard to make Murray Station a safe and enjoyable place to live, and his efforts are rewarded every year when hundreds of eager students enjoy their stay.
Jim has led a very successful life in the Real Estate industry, and owns many properties throughout California. His success is defined by his great work ethic. He was able to pay his way through Harvard Business School on his own. “I wanted to get through college without the help of loans, so I worked many full time jobs,” Jim said about his financial situation. Another way Jim made money was by buying cars that weren’t worth much in Massachusetts, and selling them for a lot of money in California, his home state. He would make over one thousand dollars on every car sold, which was a very hefty profit margin when he was attending school. These types of business strategies helped him make a name for himself in the real estate world. His son, Cameron, who is currently studying International Business at the University of San Francisco, clearly caught on to Jim’s Businessman mentality. He regularly makes trips to Hong Kong to buy high end basketball shoes, and then sell them in America for huge profits.
Jim revealed that there is a lot of stress involved when it comes to running an apartment complex smoothly. He has to deal with a lot of kids, many of whom he believes aren’t ready to live on their own. “Some of these students don’t even know how to do their own laundry.” Murray Station used to only house Cal Poly students, but within the last few years they have been leasing units to Cuesta Community College Students as well; a decision that Jim is still shaky on. “Many of the Cuesta students are there to party, and have no respect for their neighbors who are studying,” Jim said about the behavior of Murray’s residents. At Murray Station, security officers patrol the premises, and ironically act as a “independent living program,” according to Jim. He believes that residents are forced to learn how to live responsibly on their own, because they can lose their leases if they receive too many citations from the security guards.
Overall, Jim truly enjoys owning and helping manage Murray Station. He recently moved from the Bay Area to a nice estate in Ragged Point so that he could live closer to Murray Station and other properties he owns. He also truly loves living along the central coast, in a beautiful location. Jim Keefe works hard to make Murray Station a safe and enjoyable place to live, and his efforts are rewarded every year when hundreds of eager students enjoy their stay.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Blog Assignment #6
Part I -- Identify the shamed journalists in the mugshots above, and describe why each was fired. Hint: they worked for (from left to right) The New Republic, The New York Times, USA Today and The Washington Post.
Part II -- The Mustang Daily even found itself embroiled in a plagiarism scandal last year. What were the details of the incident? (BONUS QUESTION: What ethical dilemma did local media (Mustang Daily, New Times and SLO Tribune) face when reporting this story)?
Part III -- Identify the 'character' of each organization or individual listed below. Some questions to answer: What do they do? Who pays them? What is their agenda, if any? Who’s interest are they serving?
1. Corpwatch
2. Globalwitness
3. Laborstart
4. Associated Press
5. Reuters
6. Electronic Authorization Partnership
7. David Romero
8. Jack T. O'Conell
9. Julie Rodewald
10. Deborah Linden
Part 1:
1. This is Stephen Glass, a journalist for The New Republic.. He committed several cases of journalism fraud. In 1998 he wrote an article called “Hack Heaven.” The article was very vivid, as if he was actually there. Forbes magazine presented evidence that the story had been fabricated. Soon somebody from The New Republic confirmed that the article was fabricated, along with 26 other stories he wrote. He was fired.
2. This is Jason Blair, a writer for the New York Times. He resigned from his job because he blatantly plagiarized an article written by Macarena Hernandez of the San Antonio Express-News. It was later discovered that 36 of 73 news stories he had written since October of 2003 were potentially plagiarized.
3. This is Jack Kelley, a former correspondent and Pulitzer Prize nominee for USA Today. Kelley, along with many other staff members for USA Today resigned in March of 2004, after it was discovered that Kelley had been fabricating stories. He went as far as to write scripts for people he knew, so they could pretend to be sources.
4. This is Janet Cooke, a staff writer for The Washington Post who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1980 for a fabricated story. The story, titled “Jimmy’s World” depicted the tragic tale of an eight year old heroin addict. When city officials were unsuccessful in finding the boy, people began to accuse the story of being fraudulent. Cooke confessed to fabricating the story after the editors from the Washington Post began pressuring her. Cooke resigned, and now lives in shame.
Part 2:
Rebecca Laman, a writer for the Mustang Daily, plagiarized three articles in 2005. Paragraphs taken from other web site articles were found in the stories: Men So-Forte, Fourth of July Do’s and Don’ts, and a review for “The Fantastic Four.” It seems like reporting the story may have been unethical because it tarnishes the credibility of Cal Poly’s newspaper and the Journalism department as a whole, and nobody wants to see their beloved college, which means so much to the community, take a blow to its great reputation.
Part 3:
1. CorpWatch: A research group in Oakland, California that tries to bring global justice, Independent media activism and democratic control over corporations. They are serving the interest of anybody who wants corporations to act in an ethical manner.
2. Global Witness: A Non-governmental Organization that links natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses. They get 40% of their income from private trusts and foundations, 40% from grants from governments internationally, and 20% from development NGO’s.
3. Labourstart: An online news service that distributes news from over 400 correspondents, and appears in 20 languages. Labourstart is also on the radio at all times. They are serving the interest of people looking for employment in the Trade Union movement.
4. Associated Press: An American News agency owned by many news organizations, which write and distribute the news stories. It is the only Nationally oriented news service in America.
5. Reuters: A news service that provides international stories to newspapers and broadcasters. It gets most of its money from hooking the financial markets up with trading products.
6. Electronic Authorization Partnership: A financial software company that transfers money. It deals with electric filing of checks and conversions.
7. David Romero has popped up on google and other search engines as many different people. There is a painter named David Romero, a percussionist, and a congressman in jail among other things. This name has not popped up on different sites, but I was unable to find any relevant news for “David Romero.” I apologize for not knowing who this is.
8. Jack T. O’Connell: A California politician who serves as the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. His main contribution to state legislation has been making the High School Exit Exam mandatory for graduation.
9. Julie Rodewald: The SLO county clerk recorder. Her job is to make sure the counties voters are well informed.
10. Deborah Linden: The CEO of Island One Resorts. She was appointed to the Board of Directors at Colonial BancGroup, which is located in Alabama.
Part II -- The Mustang Daily even found itself embroiled in a plagiarism scandal last year. What were the details of the incident? (BONUS QUESTION: What ethical dilemma did local media (Mustang Daily, New Times and SLO Tribune) face when reporting this story)?
Part III -- Identify the 'character' of each organization or individual listed below. Some questions to answer: What do they do? Who pays them? What is their agenda, if any? Who’s interest are they serving?
1. Corpwatch
2. Globalwitness
3. Laborstart
4. Associated Press
5. Reuters
6. Electronic Authorization Partnership
7. David Romero
8. Jack T. O'Conell
9. Julie Rodewald
10. Deborah Linden
Part 1:
1. This is Stephen Glass, a journalist for The New Republic.. He committed several cases of journalism fraud. In 1998 he wrote an article called “Hack Heaven.” The article was very vivid, as if he was actually there. Forbes magazine presented evidence that the story had been fabricated. Soon somebody from The New Republic confirmed that the article was fabricated, along with 26 other stories he wrote. He was fired.
2. This is Jason Blair, a writer for the New York Times. He resigned from his job because he blatantly plagiarized an article written by Macarena Hernandez of the San Antonio Express-News. It was later discovered that 36 of 73 news stories he had written since October of 2003 were potentially plagiarized.
3. This is Jack Kelley, a former correspondent and Pulitzer Prize nominee for USA Today. Kelley, along with many other staff members for USA Today resigned in March of 2004, after it was discovered that Kelley had been fabricating stories. He went as far as to write scripts for people he knew, so they could pretend to be sources.
4. This is Janet Cooke, a staff writer for The Washington Post who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1980 for a fabricated story. The story, titled “Jimmy’s World” depicted the tragic tale of an eight year old heroin addict. When city officials were unsuccessful in finding the boy, people began to accuse the story of being fraudulent. Cooke confessed to fabricating the story after the editors from the Washington Post began pressuring her. Cooke resigned, and now lives in shame.
Part 2:
Rebecca Laman, a writer for the Mustang Daily, plagiarized three articles in 2005. Paragraphs taken from other web site articles were found in the stories: Men So-Forte, Fourth of July Do’s and Don’ts, and a review for “The Fantastic Four.” It seems like reporting the story may have been unethical because it tarnishes the credibility of Cal Poly’s newspaper and the Journalism department as a whole, and nobody wants to see their beloved college, which means so much to the community, take a blow to its great reputation.
Part 3:
1. CorpWatch: A research group in Oakland, California that tries to bring global justice, Independent media activism and democratic control over corporations. They are serving the interest of anybody who wants corporations to act in an ethical manner.
2. Global Witness: A Non-governmental Organization that links natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses. They get 40% of their income from private trusts and foundations, 40% from grants from governments internationally, and 20% from development NGO’s.
3. Labourstart: An online news service that distributes news from over 400 correspondents, and appears in 20 languages. Labourstart is also on the radio at all times. They are serving the interest of people looking for employment in the Trade Union movement.
4. Associated Press: An American News agency owned by many news organizations, which write and distribute the news stories. It is the only Nationally oriented news service in America.
5. Reuters: A news service that provides international stories to newspapers and broadcasters. It gets most of its money from hooking the financial markets up with trading products.
6. Electronic Authorization Partnership: A financial software company that transfers money. It deals with electric filing of checks and conversions.
7. David Romero has popped up on google and other search engines as many different people. There is a painter named David Romero, a percussionist, and a congressman in jail among other things. This name has not popped up on different sites, but I was unable to find any relevant news for “David Romero.” I apologize for not knowing who this is.
8. Jack T. O’Connell: A California politician who serves as the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. His main contribution to state legislation has been making the High School Exit Exam mandatory for graduation.
9. Julie Rodewald: The SLO county clerk recorder. Her job is to make sure the counties voters are well informed.
10. Deborah Linden: The CEO of Island One Resorts. She was appointed to the Board of Directors at Colonial BancGroup, which is located in Alabama.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Blog Assignment #5
Story ideas surround you. All you have to do is observe your surroundings and you will find news stories to write about. A walk through your campus is a start. Answer the following questions about a couple buildings on campus (in a new blog entry). 1A. For whom were the buildings named? 1B. Are there plaques on benches, walls, doorways named for people who meant something to your university? 1C. Who were they? 1D. What did they do? 1E. When did they live, die or contribute something to your school? 2A. Are there signs around campus about construction? 2B. What is being built or renovated?
The Orfalea College of Business:
1a. The building was named after Paul Orfalea, even though the plaque is dedicated to Al and Virginia Orfalea, which are most likely his parents.
1b. In terms of his research and commitment to the business, Orfalea did not mean anything to Cal Poly because he graduated from USC. However, Orfalea was a huge fan of Cal Poly's "Learn by doing" philosophy. He donated a lot of money to the business department because of his support for Cal Poly's educational system. This money was put into their very nice business building.
1c and 1D. Paul Orfalea is the founder of Kinkos, which is a very successful copying and printing company. A large reason for his companies success was due to his unique philosophy about running a business that allowed creative imput from everybody involved. Orfalea is a guest lecturer at UCSB.
1e. Orfalea is still alive today, and relatively young. He contributed money to the school around April 20th, 2001, because that is the date on the plaque.
Graphic Communication Department:
1a. The department named an endowment in honor of Terry Bell.
1b. The plaque is named after somebody who meant a lot to Cal Poly. the plaque states its dedication to Terry Bell because of his dedicated service to the GRC program, support assisting in the development of laboratories, and his support for Cal Poly's "learn by doing" philosophy.
1C and 1D. Terry Bell was an important professor at Cal Poly who helped develop the department significantly. He also founded a company called ColorGraphics inc. This company is very important to Cal Poly, and some of the endowment goes to support ColorGraphics inc.
1E. Terry Bell contributed greatly to Cal Poly during his time as a teacher, and a founder of ColorGraphics inc. He died before the endowment was created, but the plaque doesn't state when that was. The Cal Poly website doesn't offer much information about when he was a part of the faculty.
Engineering and Architecture buildings:
2a and b: There is a sign very near the business about some construction that is in progress right now. Cal Poly is renovating and replacing some Engineering and architecture buildings. According to the sign, the school is in phase two of the project. The General contractor is Straub Construction inc, and the architect for the project is Austin Veum Robbins Partners.
Poly Canyon Village Housing:
2a and 2b: The Poly Canyon Village housing project is massive in scale. Cal Poly is using thirty acres of land to build three neighborhoods of apartments. It will be done within the next few years, and will house students who are second year and above.
The Orfalea College of Business:
1a. The building was named after Paul Orfalea, even though the plaque is dedicated to Al and Virginia Orfalea, which are most likely his parents.
1b. In terms of his research and commitment to the business, Orfalea did not mean anything to Cal Poly because he graduated from USC. However, Orfalea was a huge fan of Cal Poly's "Learn by doing" philosophy. He donated a lot of money to the business department because of his support for Cal Poly's educational system. This money was put into their very nice business building.
1c and 1D. Paul Orfalea is the founder of Kinkos, which is a very successful copying and printing company. A large reason for his companies success was due to his unique philosophy about running a business that allowed creative imput from everybody involved. Orfalea is a guest lecturer at UCSB.
1e. Orfalea is still alive today, and relatively young. He contributed money to the school around April 20th, 2001, because that is the date on the plaque.
Graphic Communication Department:
1a. The department named an endowment in honor of Terry Bell.
1b. The plaque is named after somebody who meant a lot to Cal Poly. the plaque states its dedication to Terry Bell because of his dedicated service to the GRC program, support assisting in the development of laboratories, and his support for Cal Poly's "learn by doing" philosophy.
1C and 1D. Terry Bell was an important professor at Cal Poly who helped develop the department significantly. He also founded a company called ColorGraphics inc. This company is very important to Cal Poly, and some of the endowment goes to support ColorGraphics inc.
1E. Terry Bell contributed greatly to Cal Poly during his time as a teacher, and a founder of ColorGraphics inc. He died before the endowment was created, but the plaque doesn't state when that was. The Cal Poly website doesn't offer much information about when he was a part of the faculty.
Engineering and Architecture buildings:
2a and b: There is a sign very near the business about some construction that is in progress right now. Cal Poly is renovating and replacing some Engineering and architecture buildings. According to the sign, the school is in phase two of the project. The General contractor is Straub Construction inc, and the architect for the project is Austin Veum Robbins Partners.
Poly Canyon Village Housing:
2a and 2b: The Poly Canyon Village housing project is massive in scale. Cal Poly is using thirty acres of land to build three neighborhoods of apartments. It will be done within the next few years, and will house students who are second year and above.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Blog #3
My Story Ideas:
1.Cal Poly's interest in switching to the UC system.
2.Analyzing the successes and failures of the next wave of video game consoles.
3.A guide to drinking games/ why beer pong is so popular in colleges across the nation.
1.Cal Poly's interest in switching to the UC system.
2.Analyzing the successes and failures of the next wave of video game consoles.
3.A guide to drinking games/ why beer pong is so popular in colleges across the nation.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Assignment #3
A Good Lead: Browse through a variety of print media (online or otherwise) and copy/paste three leads (must be in the first two sentences of story) that stand out to you as especially curious, engaging, humorous, off-the-wall, etc. Write a short paragraph under each lead describing why you chose it. Post as a new Blog entry.
1. “WASHINGTON, DC—President Bush announced in a hastily arranged press conference Monday that he wanted to make the entire country "as presentable as possible" for visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao, who was scheduled to arrive for a five-day state visit in a matter of hours.”
-The Onion
I thought that this lead was very witty, and introduces the article very well. First of all, I personally think that The Onion is one of the funniest sites online. Their humor is very unique in that they will present fake stories that are too ridiculous or uninteresting to take seriously. The stories, such as this one, are usually ironic in nature. When reading this lead, it is assumed that Bush is trying to clean up America’s policies and governmental structure. The next paragraph, however, reveals that Bush is literally trying to clean up America by picking up trash and clean dirty dishes in homes throughout America. There is a picture of Bush mopping the sidewalk. The Onion is being very ironic with this story. They are basically saying that if Bush were told to make the country presentable for a foreign leader, he would take the advice literally.
2. “By now, everyone knows about the “surge” into Iraq. However, I will spare you from having to read another editorial about this decision. Instead, I want to focus on a growing trend in Iraq, which no one is talking about: the increase in drug use by U.S. soldiers to cope with stress.”
-Mustang Daily
I think this is a very engaging lead for an editorial about the war in Iraq. The writer knows that when people look at this liberally biased article in the paper, they are most likely expecting to read something about how horrible of a decision it was to send more troops into the horrible Iraq war. He pokes fun at this tendency by announcing that his article’s focus will not be what everyone expects it to be. By making this proclamation, the reader becomes curious as to what the article will now be about, and then he reveals that he will be discussing the increase in drug use by US soldiers. Since this issue hasn’t been covered much in the news, it is likely to interest many readers.
3. “BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- A man accused of kidnapping two Idaho children, killing one of them, after slaughtering their family has confessed to the killings of three other children a decade ago in Washington state and California, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
The prosecutors cited the confessions to the old killings in court papers saying they intended to seek the death penalty against Joseph Edward Duncan III, who was indicted last week on charges involving the two northern Idaho children.”
I chose this article because it stuck out as one of the most violent, disturbing leads I have read. It is a classic hard lead that tries to get out a lot of information to the reader right away. Just by reading this lead, the reader is already aware of how nasty this story is. The words that stand out to me in this article are: killing, slaughtering, death, indicted, children. If news about violence is popular, then this story hit the jackpot. It is interesting that when talking about the murders this man committed, the writer uses the word “killing” when describing one of the children, then uses the word “slaughtering” to describe the family, and then goes back to “killing” when introducing the final three dead children. Using “killing” three times in a row would have probably ruined the flow of the lead. Oh, wait, I think the subject matter already accomplished that task.
1. “WASHINGTON, DC—President Bush announced in a hastily arranged press conference Monday that he wanted to make the entire country "as presentable as possible" for visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao, who was scheduled to arrive for a five-day state visit in a matter of hours.”
-The Onion
I thought that this lead was very witty, and introduces the article very well. First of all, I personally think that The Onion is one of the funniest sites online. Their humor is very unique in that they will present fake stories that are too ridiculous or uninteresting to take seriously. The stories, such as this one, are usually ironic in nature. When reading this lead, it is assumed that Bush is trying to clean up America’s policies and governmental structure. The next paragraph, however, reveals that Bush is literally trying to clean up America by picking up trash and clean dirty dishes in homes throughout America. There is a picture of Bush mopping the sidewalk. The Onion is being very ironic with this story. They are basically saying that if Bush were told to make the country presentable for a foreign leader, he would take the advice literally.
2. “By now, everyone knows about the “surge” into Iraq. However, I will spare you from having to read another editorial about this decision. Instead, I want to focus on a growing trend in Iraq, which no one is talking about: the increase in drug use by U.S. soldiers to cope with stress.”
-Mustang Daily
I think this is a very engaging lead for an editorial about the war in Iraq. The writer knows that when people look at this liberally biased article in the paper, they are most likely expecting to read something about how horrible of a decision it was to send more troops into the horrible Iraq war. He pokes fun at this tendency by announcing that his article’s focus will not be what everyone expects it to be. By making this proclamation, the reader becomes curious as to what the article will now be about, and then he reveals that he will be discussing the increase in drug use by US soldiers. Since this issue hasn’t been covered much in the news, it is likely to interest many readers.
3. “BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- A man accused of kidnapping two Idaho children, killing one of them, after slaughtering their family has confessed to the killings of three other children a decade ago in Washington state and California, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
The prosecutors cited the confessions to the old killings in court papers saying they intended to seek the death penalty against Joseph Edward Duncan III, who was indicted last week on charges involving the two northern Idaho children.”
I chose this article because it stuck out as one of the most violent, disturbing leads I have read. It is a classic hard lead that tries to get out a lot of information to the reader right away. Just by reading this lead, the reader is already aware of how nasty this story is. The words that stand out to me in this article are: killing, slaughtering, death, indicted, children. If news about violence is popular, then this story hit the jackpot. It is interesting that when talking about the murders this man committed, the writer uses the word “killing” when describing one of the children, then uses the word “slaughtering” to describe the family, and then goes back to “killing” when introducing the final three dead children. Using “killing” three times in a row would have probably ruined the flow of the lead. Oh, wait, I think the subject matter already accomplished that task.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Assignment #2
1. Lead
2. Backup to the lead
3.Elaboration
4.Background
5.Impact
6.Elaboration
7.Reaction
8.Kicker
2. Backup to the lead
3.Elaboration
4.Background
5.Impact
6.Elaboration
7.Reaction
8.Kicker
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Blog Assignment #1
J203 Assignment #1:
Pick a popular news story and find at least three forms of media (i.e. Website (print), Podcast (audio), and MPEG (video)) that are disseminating the story. Write a one-page analysis of the pros and cons of each medium.
For this assignment I chose a story that is making headlines nationwide, and will undoubtedly affect the lives of millions of consumers. The below freezing temperatures in California are destroying a huge amount of citrus fruits that include oranges and lemons. The damages are going to cost the fruit industry hundreds of millions of dollars, and prices on these fruits are already flaring up at supermarkets across the country. I analyzed this story from three different perspectives: The NBC Nightly News, a New York Times Podcast over itunes, and an article from cnn.com. Each medium had its own set of advantages and disadvantages when it came to channeling this particular nationwide story.
The NBC Nightly News gave this story decent coverage. NBC only has about twenty minutes to discuss the nations top stories, so every sentence of script needs to be clear, concise and to the point. The story about the loss of citrus fruits was intertwined with another weather related story about the horrible ice accumulation in areas such as Oklahoma, where there is no electricity. Obviously the largest advantage of television news is the ability to show visuals for the story. NBC showed clips of orange trees that are completely frozen over. Visuals such as these enhanced my understanding for what was going on. NBC also showed a segment of an interview with one of the men who is in charge of the citrus fruit industry. NBC’s credibility is boosted when they allow the experts to comment on the story at hand. This story is fairly important for consumers, but it isn’t the type of news that people need to be immediately warned about. If people haven’t heard about the crisis, they will know something is wrong when they realize how expensive fruit is at supermarkets in the upcoming months. One downside to running this story on television is that the visuals are not all that interesting, and most people would probably prefer more in depth coverage of the story instead of a lot of visuals. NBC was simply unable cover the story thoroughly with the allotted time frame.
The article on CNN covered the story very well. The article, titled “Freeze kills $480 million Worth of Citrus” was fairly long, and included concrete facts that NBC, along with the Podcast were unable to mention. The article confidently stated that 480 million dollars worth of fruit had been destroyed. The other mediums provided vague numbers such as “hundreds of millions.” The article was also able to raise their credibility by quoting experts on the subject. While they didn’t physically show the man who was speaking on behalf of the citrus industry, they did introduce him and briefly list his credentials in the field. One aspect of the print article that clearly separated it from the rest was the use of citrus industry statistics from previous years. The current crisis was compared to a similar fruit crisis that took place in 1998. This inclusion allows the reader to effectively gauge how bad the fruit crisis really is. The way that America handled the crisis in 1998 is a good indicator of what is going to need to happen in order for the current situation to be resolved. For this story, the print medium is far superior to the others.
The Podcast from the New York Times was a good medium for helping make people aware of the story at hand, but the coverage was lacking in depth. This particular Podcast basically summarized the news from the front page of the New York Times. Overall, the Podcast sounded like a script from television news, but did not include any visuals. The brevity of the story, along with the lack of any visualization made the Podcast medium the weakest of the three. One redeeming value of the Podcast is that the listener is forced to listen to the story at hand, because that is all there is to do. There are no visuals to distract the viewer. Overall, Podcasts and radio news are most likely best suited for breaking news that needs to get out to people by any means necessary.
Pick a popular news story and find at least three forms of media (i.e. Website (print), Podcast (audio), and MPEG (video)) that are disseminating the story. Write a one-page analysis of the pros and cons of each medium.
For this assignment I chose a story that is making headlines nationwide, and will undoubtedly affect the lives of millions of consumers. The below freezing temperatures in California are destroying a huge amount of citrus fruits that include oranges and lemons. The damages are going to cost the fruit industry hundreds of millions of dollars, and prices on these fruits are already flaring up at supermarkets across the country. I analyzed this story from three different perspectives: The NBC Nightly News, a New York Times Podcast over itunes, and an article from cnn.com. Each medium had its own set of advantages and disadvantages when it came to channeling this particular nationwide story.
The NBC Nightly News gave this story decent coverage. NBC only has about twenty minutes to discuss the nations top stories, so every sentence of script needs to be clear, concise and to the point. The story about the loss of citrus fruits was intertwined with another weather related story about the horrible ice accumulation in areas such as Oklahoma, where there is no electricity. Obviously the largest advantage of television news is the ability to show visuals for the story. NBC showed clips of orange trees that are completely frozen over. Visuals such as these enhanced my understanding for what was going on. NBC also showed a segment of an interview with one of the men who is in charge of the citrus fruit industry. NBC’s credibility is boosted when they allow the experts to comment on the story at hand. This story is fairly important for consumers, but it isn’t the type of news that people need to be immediately warned about. If people haven’t heard about the crisis, they will know something is wrong when they realize how expensive fruit is at supermarkets in the upcoming months. One downside to running this story on television is that the visuals are not all that interesting, and most people would probably prefer more in depth coverage of the story instead of a lot of visuals. NBC was simply unable cover the story thoroughly with the allotted time frame.
The article on CNN covered the story very well. The article, titled “Freeze kills $480 million Worth of Citrus” was fairly long, and included concrete facts that NBC, along with the Podcast were unable to mention. The article confidently stated that 480 million dollars worth of fruit had been destroyed. The other mediums provided vague numbers such as “hundreds of millions.” The article was also able to raise their credibility by quoting experts on the subject. While they didn’t physically show the man who was speaking on behalf of the citrus industry, they did introduce him and briefly list his credentials in the field. One aspect of the print article that clearly separated it from the rest was the use of citrus industry statistics from previous years. The current crisis was compared to a similar fruit crisis that took place in 1998. This inclusion allows the reader to effectively gauge how bad the fruit crisis really is. The way that America handled the crisis in 1998 is a good indicator of what is going to need to happen in order for the current situation to be resolved. For this story, the print medium is far superior to the others.
The Podcast from the New York Times was a good medium for helping make people aware of the story at hand, but the coverage was lacking in depth. This particular Podcast basically summarized the news from the front page of the New York Times. Overall, the Podcast sounded like a script from television news, but did not include any visuals. The brevity of the story, along with the lack of any visualization made the Podcast medium the weakest of the three. One redeeming value of the Podcast is that the listener is forced to listen to the story at hand, because that is all there is to do. There are no visuals to distract the viewer. Overall, Podcasts and radio news are most likely best suited for breaking news that needs to get out to people by any means necessary.
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