Friday, April 19, 2013

#Manhunt: A Live Blog

7:09 p.m.

I just got an update in the manhunt. Apparently there were reported shootings in Watertown, Massachusetts. I am unable to watch the Live footage on CNN because of "server restrictions."

Few things make me mad.

This is one.

Storify

I am currently enrolled in a Journalism Ethics course with professor Mead Loop. We are in the midst of working on group projects all based around different media outlets. My group is covering Storify.

I had never before heard of Storify. I had no idea that it existed or what it was capable of. It seems I wasn't the only one either because each time I mention the site to one of my friends they say, "do you mean Spotify?"

Storify is actually a really neat website. It almost combines all pre-existing social medias into one. It allows for viewers to sort through information based on a word or phrase. It enables them to see photos, videos and stories shared by real journalists at prominent publications or even citizens who happen to catch something on their phone.

It seems that a majority of the world is unaware of Storify. Right now, it is mostly a journalistic tool. Once it catches on, however, it has the potential to be a very powerful site. 

Had To Laugh. Had To Share.

I came across this video today on Wimp.com. Wimp is a video compilation website that contains all kinds of content and information. Today I came across a video that was posted on April 16th, 2013. The video is titled "Fred Rogers Talks About Tragic Events In The News."

The video is a minute long clip of a man discussing what we as adult can do for children in times of tragedy. He admits that if kids come to us with fear or information, we should be willing to talk openly with them and reassure them that we will do what we can to keep them safe.

Although what he is talking about is serious, I had to laugh. I found it comical the way he delivered his information. The way he tried to be serious about it somehow made it even less serious.

Honestly, watching this video is probably a waste of time and a minute of your life that you will never get back.

#Manhunt: A Live Blog

6:41 p.m.

I just realized that in one of my recent blogs, I forgot to mention something. I was discussing the series of tragedies that have taken place over the past five days. I failed to mention one.

Although this may not be cast as a "tragedy," it is a notable scandal.

The Ricin contained in letters sent to the president took place earlier this week on Wednesday the 17th. Although the president remains unharmed, this is still very noteworthy news. Unfortunately, the same thing that happened with many other stories also happened with this one. I have not been hearing much about it and while there are updates, you have to search to find them. None of it is front page news.


StartupBus

When Adam P. came to talk to our class, he shared with us this idea known as the "StartupBus." The StartupBus is a trip in which inventors, entrepreneurs and nerds of all background and skill can come together, team up and create something phenomenal. Adam suggested that we all take a trip on the StartupBus sometime throughout the course of our journalistic career. He guaranteed that it is a wonderful experience that will help us grow and learn a lot.

I found the trip quite intriguing. I am interested into looking more into the trip and finding out more about it. I would love to go someday, preferably when I'm older and out of school and more established and what have you.

The Bloggers Who Write Journals Are Just As Much Journalists As The Journalists Who Write Blogs

One of the most pressing questions on the minds of journalists today is "are bloggers really journalists?" It is no secret that citizen journalism is on the rise. With it comes a multitude of individuals who, with no real training or experience, are putting their thoughts out there for the general public to read. Which opens for the argument, are bloggers really journalists?

Some would argue no because they have no background in journalism.

Some would argue yes because they don't need a background in journalism.

Here's the thing. The earliest forms of "blogging" and "citizen journalism" date back to the days of the founding fathers. Much like this article suggests, the earliest forms of citizen journalism took place in 1760 when news of rights and restrictions were being circulated. These individuals were fulfilling their obligation to the public to share with them the information that they had a right to know.

They had no journalistic training, yet they were researching information, sharing it with the public and doing what was best for the masses.

Journalism is more than just a degree and some experience. It is an occupation that helps individuals develop and tell a good story. It is an idea that helps relate and connect people. It is a term that connects individuals from all over the globe.

I would argue that bloggers are journalists. All alike, we share one common goal: give the public what they need to know.

#Manhunt: A Live Blog

One of the officials just suggested that the city could continue to function, but under extreme caution.

Um...right.

I would think the city would be cautious, considering there is a highly unstable and extremely dangerous individual on the loose.

But thanks for the advice, sir.

#Manhunt: A Live Blog

6:15 p.m.

I am currently listening to a live question and answer between police officials and a concerned public.

A lot of the public's questions are being left unanswered.

While I do (somewhat) believe that authorities don't know everything there is to know about the situation, I also think there is information they are withholding. I think there is more they could be telling us.

And It Just Goes To Show, You Can't Trust Anything

Since the bombs first went off on April 15th, 2013, Boston has been a constant topic of discussion. Updates on the city are being spread and shared instantly. Stories of victims, families and friends who were involved in the run that day are being uncovered and told.

Tuesday morning, I heard a heart breaking story of a man who was at the Boston Marathon. He was at the finish line, cheering on his girl friend who he hoped would cross the finish line soon so that he could propose. As she neared the end, however, the bombs went off.

And that was it. He rushed to her side and held her in his arms, but nothing could be done. She was one of the three that died.

I heard that story, and I believed that story. That was, until, Wednesday afternoon. I was talking to a friend who suddenly mentioned, "by the way....did you hear that engagement story was false?"

"What," I said, "who would make up such a thing?" I soon found out that many of the stories that had been circulating about the marathon were, in fact, made up. I came across this article that shed light on a number of situations. It made me sick to think that some of the things I so easily believed were completely false.

It just goes to show you can't trust anything.  

Exposed: Nothing Is Safe

We live in the digital age.

Nothing is private. Nothing is kept secret. Nothing is safe.

Images, videos and stories that were never before seen or heard are now, in an instant, shared nationwide.

An article that prompted this thought is one from April 15th, 2008. The article is titled "New Technology, New Voices." Police corruption and brutality was exposed through videos and images circulating quickly on the web. When taken by the right people and put into the right hands, this information can reach millions instantaneously.

Information has become so easy to share. It has gotten to the point where exchanging stories so rapidly is no longer a good thing. Not only can true stories be shared, but also false stories and those that have been entirely made up.


7 Steps To Pitch Success

When Adam Peruta visited our class, he gave us seven essential tips for a good, 5 minute pitch.

They go as follows:

1. What problem does it solve?

When introducing your idea, you should start with a story or short narrative. Make the story show a little bit about who you are and why you came up with this idea.

2. How does your product solve that problem?

Explain to the audience why people would respond to your product.

3. Who is your target?

Explain to your audience what group you are hoping to connect with. Base your response not only on the demographics of the population, but also on the psychographics. Talk about who you are trying to reach out to and why you think they will respond to this product.

4. How are you going to acquire users?

Explain how you plan to get people on board and in support of this product.

5. Total Addressable Market

This part of the pitch has to do with doing some market research and providing your audience with some numbers in terms of cost, etc.

6. How is this going to make money?

Just as the step says, explain how you product will help you, your team and the investors make some CASH MONEY!

7. Your team

Finally, and in closing, prove that the team you have assembled is the right one to get the job done.

#Manhunt: A Live Blog

5:44 p.m.

I just checked CNN for the first time in about an hour and a half. Nothing new to update, the suspect is still on the run.

It's incredible to me how much has happened in the past few days. There has been a bombing, a plant explosion, a shooting and now a city (maybe even nation) wide manhunt.

All of these events, in their own way, are tragic. Each is specific and deserve to be heard, understood and appreciated. The unfortunate truth is that with so many bad things happening, it is hard to focus on and pay a substantial amount of attention to just one.

The Boston Bombings happened on Monday. Today is Friday and with one suspect on the loose, we are still paying heavy attention to this story. It is the front page of almost all of the news sources I check.

The Texas plant explosion happened on Wednesday. I was briefly informed on what happened before news coverage shifted back to the bombings. Even though we are still being updated on the explosion, the Boston manhunt has taken over much of the news.

And maybe that is rightfully so. Maybe the Boston story is one that deserves more attention and concern. But it is sad to think that we can't provide an equal amount of coverage for all of these tragedies, simply because they are all happening so soon and within a day of each other.

There is no time to stop and comprehend what is going on before the next horrible thing is happening.

Exposed: Lack of Diversity

In a 2006 article titled "Study Finds Lack Of Balance, Diversity, Public at PBS Newshour," journalists at FAIR worked to expose corrupted and skewed information. They accuse reporters and writers behind the PBS news station of providing the public with biased information. Their research and statistics prove that there was an evident lack in diversity.

Filtering through information is an unfair gesture to the public. The public trusts its news source to provide them with all of the information they have a right to know. If it is proven that PBS is skewing their information, they may loose a lot of followers.

Exposing corruption like this is helpful to the public as well as the news source making the corrupt decisions. Although it may cause them to suffer for a while, they can, in time, learn that there is no positive result of corruption. If they make mistakes or choose to do the wrong thing, karma will catch up with them.

After that, the hope is that they will never want to go through with all of that ever again.

Adam Peruta: Real Life Success

Adam Peruta is a faculty member here at Ithaca College.

Adam has been extremely successful throughout his career. He has been a partner in multiple start-up companies and projects.

Adam was kind enough to come talk to our Independent Media Class.

Adam talked about his experience as a business man and independent creator. One of the most interesting topics he discussed (in my opinion) was the idea for an app he and his team created. The app or "platform" as Adam calls it is named YAANKS. This is a sensory app. An individual who may be in danger is able to yank their headphones out of their phone. This motion then sends a signal to specific emergency contacts who can send help.

Adam went on to explain the potential flaws and concerns that many people have with this platform. Once he finished his speech, however, I was convinced that his idea was well thought out and would be completely successful.

#Manhunt: A Live Blog

3:03 p.m.

I have pulled myself away from the screen. I can not watch anymore. I feel numb and lost just thinking about it.

I am keeping myself updated through Twitter and frequently checking in to the CNN website.

I am trying to understand this situation from so many perspectives. I am trying to understand what is going through the head of this so called "man on the run." I am trying to feel the numbness these Bostonians must be feeling. I am trying to feel the loss the family and friends of the victims are feeling.

It is hopeless.

Yet, we must remain hopeful.

#Manhunt: A Live Blog

10:56 a.m.

Lily decided to go to class.

I was too numb to move.

I stayed at that table, my friend Andrew seated to my right. We watched as the story on the screen continued to unfold.

Every once in a while, I tuned into what was happening in the dining hall around me. People seemed to have fallen silent. Everyone was paying attention to Boston, whether it was by watching the screen or quietly discussing with their friends what was happening.

"This world has gone to shit," I heard, one too many times.

"Everything is fu**ed."

#Manhunt: A Live Blog

10:52 a.m.

I sat motionless at the table. An empty bowl of cereal and tortured apple core lay mockingly in front of me.

My friend Lily and I debated skipping class. We had spent almost an hour with our eyes on a story that made us feel both hopeless and numb.

"I can't move," I told Lily.

"I think we should skip class," she replied.

We sat staring, trying to wrap our brains around the reality of the situation. We talked about the day to come when our kids ask us about the Boston Bombings and we will be transported back to this moment.

#Manhunt: A Live Blog

10:08 a.m. 

I arrived at the Campus Center dining hall to find my friends Andrew and Blaize already seated underneath the CNN table.

The news on the television was breaking. Headlines such as "Manhunt: One Man Dead. One On The Run" flashed across the screen.

I grabbed a bowl of cereal and proceeded to sit down, immersing myself in an unfathomable world of terror and suspense. 

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Errors After Errors

Recently, I was re-reading an article about Arianna Huffington. The article was entitled "Obsessiveness is the Greatest Strength of Online News." I was enjoying the read until I came across something that made me stop cold.

In the fourth paragraph down, about half way through the paragraph, was a quite obvious typo. The line read as follows"

"The vested interests fighting reform and the past which they represented are very well organised, and the future that they resist is very poorly organised," she said.

As you can see, the word "organized" is spelled with a "s" instead of a "z." I noticed this immediately. Then I noticed that not only did it happen once, it happened twice.

So now I am confused and questioning this. Were the writers intentionally writing this way? Or did they just happen to make the same mistake twice? I am not sure, and don't want to wrongly critique someone who doesn't deserve critiquing. But I am confused as to why that is the way it is. 




My Site: A Checklist

Adam Westbrook's article was extremely helpful in creating an idea for my own website. He asks multiple questions of the inventor to help guide them through their "creative site making" process.

Using his guidelines, I was able to answer a lot of unresolved questions about my idea. It helped me produce a well-flushed out proposal. The more detailed one's proposals is, the more it can be argued that it truly is a unique idea.

More Than A Test Score

I came across the following article posted by a friend:

Student Perspective: I Am More That A Test Score

I found this article extremely interesting. It is written from the perspective of a sixth-grade girl, Anna Dumas. Anna discusses the stress and toll standardized tests have on her friends and her. She talks about the difficulties students have in not only completing tests successfully, but also in having the ability to bounce back from a bad test score.

It is sad to think that students of such a young age are already stressed about and discouraged from school. It seems that standardized tests are not an accurate indication of a student's school knowledge, rather it is a test on how well they can take an exam.

Students of a young age should feel excited about school. They should have a chance to learn, grow and enjoy before the realities of high school and college set in.

Anna Dumas is an intelligent young lady who should be heard.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

News Sources: We Want More

I just read an article called "Journalism as Service: Lessons from Sandy."

The author of the article, Jeff Jarvis, makes an interesting observation and critique. He takes us back to when Hurricane Sandy was in her prime. There was a constant flow of Sandy stories, updates and information. The news was consumed with images of buildings, homes and people. 

But then we took a step back.

All of this information was negative. Everything we were hearing was prefaced by "this is ruined...," "this is destroyed..," and "this is shut down.." No one was sharing what was opened, what was still running and what was still alive. "Which streets were closed and which streets weren't? Which gas stations were opened and which ones were shut down?"asks a very disgusted Jarvis.

Jarvis argues for networks to be created that will actually inform and assist individuals. He wants information that will be helpful instead of information that is rinsed and repeated a dozen times.

After considering his article, I realized Jarvis was right. We need news that will not only affect us, but aid us. We need news that will provide us with knowledge, not twenty outlets telling us the same thing.

My Independent Media

For my Independent Media class, we were asked the following:

Pitch an idea for an Independent Media Outlet that would be both successful and unique.

So I got to thinking. Based off of my knowledge of independent sources, what have I noticed is lacking? What kind of site would individuals be both interested in and drawn to because it is new and different and NEVER BEFORE SEEN?

I came to one conclusion.

Throughout my time spent as a high school junior trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I always wished for some magical website to give me some answers. I wanted a place to look to for ideas, options and people with similar interests. I wanted to learn about the "below the surface" and "underground" jobs that most people don't even think of or know about. I wanted to look beyond the lawyers and the teachers to individuals who were making a living by telling others which wine goes best with their meal or re-creating flavors.

Then, I had an idea.

My independent site would be dedicated to directing people to these "odd jobs." An individual would be able to enter the site and immediately choose from a list of interests. Each new choice would lead them to individuals who share their interest and have jobs pertaining to that interest. If the navigator really liked someone in particular, they would be able to contact that individual and find out more about their job.

I think it would be really cool to have a site such as this. There are clearly a few kinks to work out, but overall I believe it could be successful.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Bill Clinton: Just Call Him "Daddy!"

Back in the late 1990's/ early 2000's, a life-changing claim was made. A Ms. Bobbie Ann Williams of Arkansas made the bold statement that Bill Clinton was, in fact, the father of her son.

In other words, the nation's most powerful man (at the time) was being accused of sleeping around, fathering a child and leaving a small family behind.

Truth? Or a totally convincing lie?

I have to admit that when I read the article, I laughed. I thought the source claims and quotes were silly. I thought the story as a whole, was in fact, silly. Drudge Report was the publication that printed this particle article. They seemed to cover the story truthfully, basing their facts off of what was being offered to them. They offered an honest portrayal of Ms. Williams.

Who was right and who was wrong? I will never know. And quite honestly, that is ok with me. Because, like I said, I thought this whole thing seemed.....you guessed it......

Silly.

Kate Sheppard: Living Proof

Kate Sheppard is a wonderful example of someone who started from nothing and worked her way to the top. As a 2006 graduate from Ithaca College, Sheppard had her fair share of exposure to media, journalism and writing. Rooting interest in both politics and the economy, Sheppard decided to take a less "mainstream" route when choosing a career. She began her journey at Gist magazine, eventually making her way to one of the most well-known independent publications to date.

Kate Sheppard is now an active staff writer at Mother Jones, Washington bureau.

It was a pleasure to meet and discuss journalism with Kate Sheppard. She has an outgoing and excited personality. She loves to meet new people and hear their stories.

Considering I am a sophomore here at Ithaca, it is always reassuring to meet people like Kate. She is proof that anything is possible and as long as you make the most of the time you have, good things will come.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

That's Bucking Awesome

When we are young, we dream of being famous. Our parents tell us to hold our dreams close and that anything is possible. Well, it seems to me, that our parents were right. Anything is possible.

Anything.

And who do we have to thank for that? The internet.

That's right. With the continuous rise of the technological age, more and more "every day" people are learning how to make something of themselves. By simply posting a photo, a comment or a silly video, individuals have the power to catch attention and attract a following. All they need is one person to pick it up and share it, then the whole thing goes viral.

Mr. Michael Buckley is one of those "every day" people.

Buckley began a series of satirical video postings that turned him into a YouTube sensation. "What The Buck?" was a series of segments in which Buckley went on humorous rants. His segments gained attention and soon, he was getting enough followers and making enough money to quit his day job.

QUIT HIS DAY JOB.

Enough money to put his previous life on hold and support himself by posting silly videos on YouTube. Madness, if you ask me.

Buckley is just one among the many who are discovering the internet is a powerful, powerful tool. A tool that not only spreads, creates and shares information in an instant, but also one that turns ordinary folk into celebrities.