It's all about design this week. Thanks to Amanda for mentioning the awesome NYTimes magazine ideas edition as it's chock full of awesome stuff.
1. This was on the back page. Kind of a neat idea for expressing patents in America. The drawings are renderings of what the artist thinks the items may look like. What do you think of the small drawings? This covered the inside back cover. Is this effect storytelling? A good way to spice up some boring information?
2. This is a regular column in the NYTimes magazine: Questions For. Peruse the folks interviewed, read one or two. What do you think of the full page interview? The full page dedicated to a single source? Is this something The Voice should look into? What person could fill the page? What group? How could we use this to our benefit? Or, is a full page too much for one story?
Excellent comments this first semester. Enjoy the break.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Week 16
1. Here's an interesting article about teasing from the NYTimes. What are your thoughts on this issue? Is there any forms of teasing that go on at MA? Is this something to look at for a future article?
2. An interesting follow-up to our article on cheating. Clearly the article in last year's paper wasn't an anomaly. What are your thoughts on this study? Do you think this issue needs to be revisited considering the community response and the lack of follow-up we've had this year?
2. An interesting follow-up to our article on cheating. Clearly the article in last year's paper wasn't an anomaly. What are your thoughts on this study? Do you think this issue needs to be revisited considering the community response and the lack of follow-up we've had this year?
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Google and Censorship
Read this article from Sunday's NYTimes magazine and comment on it. What are your thoughts? What do you think about the cool graphic headline? What troubles do you see with internet censorship in the future? There's lots this article covers, so dig in and share your thoughts.
Please post all thoughts by 8AM Thursday morning.
Please post all thoughts by 8AM Thursday morning.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Week 15
I will post three times in December. You have until the end of the month (12/31) to comment on the posts.
1. A pretty interesting human interest piece from the NYTimes. Not only is this a unique story, but it's well written and digs into the subject quite well. What do you think of this piece? While we have the Wildcats of the Issue in the sports section, how might The Voice work in more single person profile pieces to spice up its pages? And I'm talking about more than a review. What kinds of things are MA students doing outside the classroom, on-campus that merit a little spotlight?
2. With the recent trouble in Mumbai, this article from CNN discusses the role of Twitter in the fiasco. There were some moments when Twitter was the ultimate news source, and other times when it seems to fail. First, what is Twitter and how does it function? Second, how do you see Twitter playing a role in the future of news gathering and reporting? Is it a good tool with the potential for awesomeness? Or, like many other social networking tools, is it something that should be discredited for its lack of veracity?
1. A pretty interesting human interest piece from the NYTimes. Not only is this a unique story, but it's well written and digs into the subject quite well. What do you think of this piece? While we have the Wildcats of the Issue in the sports section, how might The Voice work in more single person profile pieces to spice up its pages? And I'm talking about more than a review. What kinds of things are MA students doing outside the classroom, on-campus that merit a little spotlight?
2. With the recent trouble in Mumbai, this article from CNN discusses the role of Twitter in the fiasco. There were some moments when Twitter was the ultimate news source, and other times when it seems to fail. First, what is Twitter and how does it function? Second, how do you see Twitter playing a role in the future of news gathering and reporting? Is it a good tool with the potential for awesomeness? Or, like many other social networking tools, is it something that should be discredited for its lack of veracity?
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Week 14
Final post for November
1. Check out this article and the graphic that goes with it. You'll have to click on the MULTIMEDIA side bar that says "Timeline for Chinese Democracy". It's a great graphic as it parallels GNR with the music world. What do you think? Is it effective? Eye catching? How might we use this idea for something in The Voice? What specific article ideas could be expressed through this kind of graphic? Think outside the box! Go crazy.
2. Here's a story on a trend from the NYTimes. It's well written, focused, and appealing to more people than those receiving shoe shines. Great. Now, what trends could we focus on in the next edition of The Voice? What sliver of campus could we expose and bring to the greater community?
Share your thoughts, comments, brilliance.
1. Check out this article and the graphic that goes with it. You'll have to click on the MULTIMEDIA side bar that says "Timeline for Chinese Democracy". It's a great graphic as it parallels GNR with the music world. What do you think? Is it effective? Eye catching? How might we use this idea for something in The Voice? What specific article ideas could be expressed through this kind of graphic? Think outside the box! Go crazy.
2. Here's a story on a trend from the NYTimes. It's well written, focused, and appealing to more people than those receiving shoe shines. Great. Now, what trends could we focus on in the next edition of The Voice? What sliver of campus could we expose and bring to the greater community?
Share your thoughts, comments, brilliance.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Week 13
Here we go ...
1. From the lead to the final line, the reporting, interviewing, quoting, writing and description are worth studying. This article titled "Guard Shot During Robbery Attempt at Waldorf" is amazing. The action verbs alone are a lesson. These reporters have, indeed, told a story. What do you think of this piece? Comment on the structure.
2. Another interesting story involving your favorite site: Facebook. What are you thoughts? Comments? Insights? Was the response from the school appropriate?
3. Just an interesting read on copyright violation and the struggles a school goes through to deal with it. Thoughts? Comments? What do we as a newspaper need to do to avoid some of these issues?
1. From the lead to the final line, the reporting, interviewing, quoting, writing and description are worth studying. This article titled "Guard Shot During Robbery Attempt at Waldorf" is amazing. The action verbs alone are a lesson. These reporters have, indeed, told a story. What do you think of this piece? Comment on the structure.
2. Another interesting story involving your favorite site: Facebook. What are you thoughts? Comments? Insights? Was the response from the school appropriate?
3. Just an interesting read on copyright violation and the struggles a school goes through to deal with it. Thoughts? Comments? What do we as a newspaper need to do to avoid some of these issues?
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Week 12
1. While the article is an interesting read, what do you think of the graphic? This is from the Sunday Style section of the NYTimes. How could we use this simple layout and design spread to tell a story at MA? There's lots of room to tell stories with pictures, even in our publication. Thoughts? Comments? Ideas?
2. It's too important a moment to pass up, so comment on two of the front page designs from Wednesday, November 5. You can look through national, international, and alternative news outlets. There's some pretty cool and varied ideas. What worked best? What design did you like? Any headlines more interesting than others? What would you have done? Any ideas to bring to The Voice front page?
2. It's too important a moment to pass up, so comment on two of the front page designs from Wednesday, November 5. You can look through national, international, and alternative news outlets. There's some pretty cool and varied ideas. What worked best? What design did you like? Any headlines more interesting than others? What would you have done? Any ideas to bring to The Voice front page?
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Week 11
Whoa -- lots going on. And, lucky you, some of it is local!
1. Check out this article from the Marin IJ regarding a student at Redwood High that has been suspended for distributing an underground newspaper. What are your thoughts on this situation? Remind yourself of some recent readings on the law and websites and comment on whether or not this student should have been suspended. Is it relevant to include that this student has gotten in trouble with the school prior to this incident?
2. Cartoon time. Here are some great editorial cartoons from the last week. What do you think? Effective? Not so much? What role do editorial cartoons play in the media these days? In this charged political climate?
Housing
Baseball
Obama Spending
Swing Voting
Share your ideas, brilliance, insights.
1. Check out this article from the Marin IJ regarding a student at Redwood High that has been suspended for distributing an underground newspaper. What are your thoughts on this situation? Remind yourself of some recent readings on the law and websites and comment on whether or not this student should have been suspended. Is it relevant to include that this student has gotten in trouble with the school prior to this incident?
2. Cartoon time. Here are some great editorial cartoons from the last week. What do you think? Effective? Not so much? What role do editorial cartoons play in the media these days? In this charged political climate?
Housing
Baseball
Obama Spending
Swing Voting
Share your ideas, brilliance, insights.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Week 10
Two interesting pieces to comment on and one for some good reading.
1. In "For Once, CNN Takes New Less Seriously", it's clear that the format of shows such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are catching on and even the elusive, "we're the toughest news in the business" CNN is trying to pull on the 18-34 demographic that the comedy/news shows draw on. Of course, this comes only a few weeks before the end of the election, so who knows how the show will fair. But, what do you think of this type of news shows? This is not Comedy Central, so what is CNN's commitment to this show saying about mainstream news outlets and how they're trying to reach viewers? Is this a good move?
2. Rituals is a regular column in the Escape section of Friday's NYT. The content varies, but this one ("1st Down and 3 decades gone by") stuck out as something, topic-wise, we might be able to incorporate into The Voice. Maybe a way to get alums interested in reading and/or writing for us? The style of this piece of quite touching yet avoids sentimentality. How does the author keep us engaged with the narrative? Any style tips to take from this piece?
No need to comment on this final suggested reading, but I thought it a good read on a hotly debated topic in California: Proposition 2. That's the prop about caged animals. A long read, but an interesting one. Lots to learn in "The Barnyard Strategist."
1. In "For Once, CNN Takes New Less Seriously", it's clear that the format of shows such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are catching on and even the elusive, "we're the toughest news in the business" CNN is trying to pull on the 18-34 demographic that the comedy/news shows draw on. Of course, this comes only a few weeks before the end of the election, so who knows how the show will fair. But, what do you think of this type of news shows? This is not Comedy Central, so what is CNN's commitment to this show saying about mainstream news outlets and how they're trying to reach viewers? Is this a good move?
2. Rituals is a regular column in the Escape section of Friday's NYT. The content varies, but this one ("1st Down and 3 decades gone by") stuck out as something, topic-wise, we might be able to incorporate into The Voice. Maybe a way to get alums interested in reading and/or writing for us? The style of this piece of quite touching yet avoids sentimentality. How does the author keep us engaged with the narrative? Any style tips to take from this piece?
No need to comment on this final suggested reading, but I thought it a good read on a hotly debated topic in California: Proposition 2. That's the prop about caged animals. A long read, but an interesting one. Lots to learn in "The Barnyard Strategist."
Monday, October 20, 2008
Week 9
Sports, anyone? Here are two great stories to comment on.
1. Tiger Woods was back at Torrey Pines, but this time as a caddie. While the topic of this piece is quite feel good, the writing is solid and the intention is well stated. In the current news atmosphere, do you think pieces like this will increase in popularity or decrease? As people tire of the economic situation and presidential fight, they will increasingly turn to news outlets for sources of inspiration and relief. Is this the role of the media in a time of crisis? Or, will pieces like this fall to the background even more? Is there a sports piece in here with an MA twist?
2. Ah, the Rays. Sweet Tampa Bay. Slayer of the evil Red Sox. Winner of the ALCS. Awesome. Here is a great analytical article on the make up of the team that is now headed to the World Series. Not only is this a great example of division/analysis style writing, but it's also quite creative at times. Does this style work? Do you find this article interesting even, if say, you hate baseball or sports in general? What kind of Voice piece might you be able to model after this one? Is this a good way to cover a sports team at MA?
Share yourinsights, brilliance, amazingness and more. Honestly, the comments from the last few weeks have been awesome. Keep up the great work!
1. Tiger Woods was back at Torrey Pines, but this time as a caddie. While the topic of this piece is quite feel good, the writing is solid and the intention is well stated. In the current news atmosphere, do you think pieces like this will increase in popularity or decrease? As people tire of the economic situation and presidential fight, they will increasingly turn to news outlets for sources of inspiration and relief. Is this the role of the media in a time of crisis? Or, will pieces like this fall to the background even more? Is there a sports piece in here with an MA twist?
2. Ah, the Rays. Sweet Tampa Bay. Slayer of the evil Red Sox. Winner of the ALCS. Awesome. Here is a great analytical article on the make up of the team that is now headed to the World Series. Not only is this a great example of division/analysis style writing, but it's also quite creative at times. Does this style work? Do you find this article interesting even, if say, you hate baseball or sports in general? What kind of Voice piece might you be able to model after this one? Is this a good way to cover a sports team at MA?
Share yourinsights, brilliance, amazingness and more. Honestly, the comments from the last few weeks have been awesome. Keep up the great work!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Week 8
Lots going on ...
1. A good read for all of you. This NYT article talk about the economy and how it's already hitting teens. While I think the article is well written and pertaining to a great topic, what do you think of the cartoon? This is a great example of a cartoon complementing an article. Thoughts? Comments? Brilliance?
2. Another article from this weekends NYT Style Section ... this piece talks about overfeeding on news. How does the constant consumption of news effect the media? Does it make the media sharper? more focused? Or might it make the media softer and less effective because the shift is moving to smaller bits of information but at higher rates of release? Could America's obsession with things like the economy and the election be a bad thing? Could over consumption eventually turn people into apathetic blobs? Or is this the way of the future -- news briefs every second of every day, no matter the seriousness or relevancy of the issues?
3. This article from the NYT's New York section is a great example of a creative lede. While the nut graf still has all of the basic information in it, the style is more relaxed, more story-like that hard news. This is a feature and deserving of a strong lede, but what do you think of its effectiveness? Is it appropriate for the tone of the entire article?
4. This piece is from Slate Magazine and it's all about baseball and the postseason. Now, this isn't hard news and it surely isn't breaking news, but the style and structure is one The Voice can emulate. First off -- what do you think of the piece? Is it well written? Is the tone balanced enough between humor and information? Secondly -- what topic could The Voice take on with this kind of structure and format? It need not be something sports related.
5. Ok, I couldn't resist this one -- it's a great editorial by Ben Stein. What do you think of his writing? or his tone? of his ideas and how he gets them across? Is this editorial too edgy? Too severe? Maybe you think this editorial stinks. Why? or why not? What kinds of structural lessons can you learn from this piece?
1. A good read for all of you. This NYT article talk about the economy and how it's already hitting teens. While I think the article is well written and pertaining to a great topic, what do you think of the cartoon? This is a great example of a cartoon complementing an article. Thoughts? Comments? Brilliance?
2. Another article from this weekends NYT Style Section ... this piece talks about overfeeding on news. How does the constant consumption of news effect the media? Does it make the media sharper? more focused? Or might it make the media softer and less effective because the shift is moving to smaller bits of information but at higher rates of release? Could America's obsession with things like the economy and the election be a bad thing? Could over consumption eventually turn people into apathetic blobs? Or is this the way of the future -- news briefs every second of every day, no matter the seriousness or relevancy of the issues?
3. This article from the NYT's New York section is a great example of a creative lede. While the nut graf still has all of the basic information in it, the style is more relaxed, more story-like that hard news. This is a feature and deserving of a strong lede, but what do you think of its effectiveness? Is it appropriate for the tone of the entire article?
4. This piece is from Slate Magazine and it's all about baseball and the postseason. Now, this isn't hard news and it surely isn't breaking news, but the style and structure is one The Voice can emulate. First off -- what do you think of the piece? Is it well written? Is the tone balanced enough between humor and information? Secondly -- what topic could The Voice take on with this kind of structure and format? It need not be something sports related.
5. Ok, I couldn't resist this one -- it's a great editorial by Ben Stein. What do you think of his writing? or his tone? of his ideas and how he gets them across? Is this editorial too edgy? Too severe? Maybe you think this editorial stinks. Why? or why not? What kinds of structural lessons can you learn from this piece?
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Week 7
Let's learn how to review!
Rachel Getting Married
A movie review of the upcoming film by the same title.
Eco-nomics
Book review equating green business to big business.
Stopping Makes Sense
A review of Vince Young the the struggles he's facing in the NFL.
So, what makes a good review a GREAT review. Which of these reviews is most successful and why? What kind of language does a good review use? What style works best? How can a reviewer express his/her opinion without alienating the audience? What kind of tone must a reviewer maintain? As you can see, reviewing is more than summarizing; it's about capturing a film or piece of music or person, and making it compelling to others. So compelling, that you'd want to jump out the buy the book, see the film, meet the person. As I did when I read this review: A Race Like No Other.
Rachel Getting Married
A movie review of the upcoming film by the same title.
Eco-nomics
Book review equating green business to big business.
Stopping Makes Sense
A review of Vince Young the the struggles he's facing in the NFL.
So, what makes a good review a GREAT review. Which of these reviews is most successful and why? What kind of language does a good review use? What style works best? How can a reviewer express his/her opinion without alienating the audience? What kind of tone must a reviewer maintain? As you can see, reviewing is more than summarizing; it's about capturing a film or piece of music or person, and making it compelling to others. So compelling, that you'd want to jump out the buy the book, see the film, meet the person. As I did when I read this review: A Race Like No Other.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Week 6
Trying to stay a little tighter with the posts tonight, I offer you three articles to comment on. These are the final post for the month of September. Yippie!
The Wall Street Journal reported on the not-so-green side of reusable shopping bags. While I post this for the interesting facts -- especially considering we live in the Bay Area, an area known for its cutting edge green-ness -- I wonder a few things: 1. How might the media have played a roll in the questionable ethics of these bags and their marketing? Simply because something is said to be green, doesn't mean it is. 2. If the media is the watch dog for the people, why didn't it question the claims of these bags earlier? 3. Were the American people to blame? In our desire to be green, are we the people willing to follow any claim, any product just to soothe our own conscience? 4. Does any of this really matter? The American public has been lied to about far more pressing issue than this.
Wall Street R.I.P. That was the headline across the NYTimes business section today. What a story. This story explains some of the goings on of Wall Street and some explanation of what is to come. I post this not only for the content, but also the writing. What did you think of the style of this article? The opening? The playing to the American Dream and how it's over? Does this piece glorify what is going on on the Street right now, or simply try to explain how we got here?
Slate Magazine, along with many other news outlets, has started using Twitter as a way to interact with its readers. Firstly -- Twitter is a social networking sight based on micorblogging. Yes, mini itty bitty blogs. You are limited to 140 characters when commenting on anything. So, check out Slate Magazine's Twitter page and read through some of the responses about the presidential debate. Is this the wave of the future? Limiting your comments and ideas to 140 characters (that includes spaces)? Is this an effective way to get the readership involved? Or, is Twitter just another way to reinforce uneducated, slightly superficial responses from a generation already too consumed with instant gratification and brevity?
Share, comment, enlighten.
On another note -- want to do better on the current events quizzes?? Check out these podcasts from the NYTimes, particularly the one called Front Page as it summarizes the major headlines of the day. These podcasts range in length and are quite interesting and easy to listen to.
And, one final note -- Wordles are the hottest thing in design right now. Check these out from the DNC and RNC. Is there a place for Wordles in The Voice?
The Wall Street Journal reported on the not-so-green side of reusable shopping bags. While I post this for the interesting facts -- especially considering we live in the Bay Area, an area known for its cutting edge green-ness -- I wonder a few things: 1. How might the media have played a roll in the questionable ethics of these bags and their marketing? Simply because something is said to be green, doesn't mean it is. 2. If the media is the watch dog for the people, why didn't it question the claims of these bags earlier? 3. Were the American people to blame? In our desire to be green, are we the people willing to follow any claim, any product just to soothe our own conscience? 4. Does any of this really matter? The American public has been lied to about far more pressing issue than this.
Wall Street R.I.P. That was the headline across the NYTimes business section today. What a story. This story explains some of the goings on of Wall Street and some explanation of what is to come. I post this not only for the content, but also the writing. What did you think of the style of this article? The opening? The playing to the American Dream and how it's over? Does this piece glorify what is going on on the Street right now, or simply try to explain how we got here?
Slate Magazine, along with many other news outlets, has started using Twitter as a way to interact with its readers. Firstly -- Twitter is a social networking sight based on micorblogging. Yes, mini itty bitty blogs. You are limited to 140 characters when commenting on anything. So, check out Slate Magazine's Twitter page and read through some of the responses about the presidential debate. Is this the wave of the future? Limiting your comments and ideas to 140 characters (that includes spaces)? Is this an effective way to get the readership involved? Or, is Twitter just another way to reinforce uneducated, slightly superficial responses from a generation already too consumed with instant gratification and brevity?
Share, comment, enlighten.
On another note -- want to do better on the current events quizzes?? Check out these podcasts from the NYTimes, particularly the one called Front Page as it summarizes the major headlines of the day. These podcasts range in length and are quite interesting and easy to listen to.
And, one final note -- Wordles are the hottest thing in design right now. Check these out from the DNC and RNC. Is there a place for Wordles in The Voice?
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Week 5
I'm not going to lie, there are oodles and oodles of articles I would love for you all to read, but I fear I would overload your lives with reading. Then again, reading is a good thing, right? So, I am going to post a few extra reads. Read, comment, share, etc. Any suggestions for readings, please let me know.
Vanishing Republican Voter
A good read about the hows and whys of a counties political leanings. And, a mention or Marin County always gets my attention.
Digital Intimacy
As one letter to the editor quoted, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, speaking to Deborah Solomon in 2005, best captures my reaction to this trend: “What’s called the dominant culture will fade away as soon as the electricity goes off.” Could that really happen? If people are only connected digitally, what happens when technology fails?
Texting & Teachers
An interesting read regarding "casual rapport" between students and teachers. If teachers are using social networking sites to keep up with students, and clearly students use these kinds of sites to network with each other, should communication via these outlets be limited or banned? Is this an infringement on the First Amendment?
This sucks!
Or, maybe it doesn't. What do you think about this work and its usage in The Voice? In mainstream media?
The death of newspapers
Really? The newspaper crisis is hitting college campuses. Does that mean the good old newspaper is not long for this world? Long ago newspapers started giving away their product for free -- a reader simply had to go on-line to get all the news. No charge. No messy fingers. Will newsprint really be a thing of the past? Is the new media blogs and message boards and social networking sites? Say it ain't so.
Obama as Other and The Power of Political Misinformation
Two good reads not only for their stellar style but also their content. Misinformation is running rampant in this election. Both sides are using comments out of context and hoping that people are listening and remembering. But how this could backfire. While many of the missteps are on commercials and in paid campaign activities, a lot of the mainstream media has been caught up in cultivating and perpetuating ideas and claims that are false. How can this be stopped? How can the average voter sift through the noise and figure out what is real and what is not, what is truth and what is not? Is the media to blame for the culture of misinformation? Or is that just the nature of politics as usual?
Vanishing Republican Voter
A good read about the hows and whys of a counties political leanings. And, a mention or Marin County always gets my attention.
Digital Intimacy
As one letter to the editor quoted, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, speaking to Deborah Solomon in 2005, best captures my reaction to this trend: “What’s called the dominant culture will fade away as soon as the electricity goes off.” Could that really happen? If people are only connected digitally, what happens when technology fails?
Texting & Teachers
An interesting read regarding "casual rapport" between students and teachers. If teachers are using social networking sites to keep up with students, and clearly students use these kinds of sites to network with each other, should communication via these outlets be limited or banned? Is this an infringement on the First Amendment?
This sucks!
Or, maybe it doesn't. What do you think about this work and its usage in The Voice? In mainstream media?
The death of newspapers
Really? The newspaper crisis is hitting college campuses. Does that mean the good old newspaper is not long for this world? Long ago newspapers started giving away their product for free -- a reader simply had to go on-line to get all the news. No charge. No messy fingers. Will newsprint really be a thing of the past? Is the new media blogs and message boards and social networking sites? Say it ain't so.
Obama as Other and The Power of Political Misinformation
Two good reads not only for their stellar style but also their content. Misinformation is running rampant in this election. Both sides are using comments out of context and hoping that people are listening and remembering. But how this could backfire. While many of the missteps are on commercials and in paid campaign activities, a lot of the mainstream media has been caught up in cultivating and perpetuating ideas and claims that are false. How can this be stopped? How can the average voter sift through the noise and figure out what is real and what is not, what is truth and what is not? Is the media to blame for the culture of misinformation? Or is that just the nature of politics as usual?
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Week 4
1. Read this article from the Student Press Law Center Report. The article talks about web publishing and the rules and regulations that come with it. What do you think about the rules of web publishing? Should web publishing be held to the same standards as print publishing? Should schools be able to reprimand you/punish you for something published from home? Now school's have legislation to support discipline decisions. Will this make you think twice about about starting a Facebook forum against school policy? school issues? Is this legislation a threat to freedom of speech or a benefit to the integrity of the internet? Share your brilliance and insight.
2. Sarah Palin is all over the news, still. Read this article from the pages of the Wall Street Journal opinion section and comment on the effectiveness of the writing. It's not content reaction, rather execution and writing response that I'm looking for. Is this an effective opinion piece with viable examples and engaging language? Is the argument well stated and supported? Share your brilliance and insight.
2. Sarah Palin is all over the news, still. Read this article from the pages of the Wall Street Journal opinion section and comment on the effectiveness of the writing. It's not content reaction, rather execution and writing response that I'm looking for. Is this an effective opinion piece with viable examples and engaging language? Is the argument well stated and supported? Share your brilliance and insight.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Week 3
1. Michelle Williams is a popular actress with lots of experience on the screen and in the lives of paparazzi. She is profiled in this weekend's Arts & Leisure section of the NYTimes. This is a great example of a feature piece. How does the author delve into Ms. Williams' life and work without being too personal or too chummy with her? How would you describe the style of this piece? And is it successful in engaging the audience for the duration of the piece? What do you think of the ending? Does it work with the piece? Share your thoughts, comments, brilliance.
Read it.
2. Design, design, design. You can have the most amazing copy, but if the design isn't worth looking at, it doesn't matter. Here is a link to a page that looks at many major news outlets and how they covered Barack Obama's acceptance speech. Scroll through the pages and discuss which pages are successful and which ones aren't. Do you have a favorite? Is there a design The Voice should emulate? What are the different messages being conveyed with the designs? You can click on each page to see a larger version for a better look. Share your thoughts, comments, brilliance.
Read it.
2. Design, design, design. You can have the most amazing copy, but if the design isn't worth looking at, it doesn't matter. Here is a link to a page that looks at many major news outlets and how they covered Barack Obama's acceptance speech. Scroll through the pages and discuss which pages are successful and which ones aren't. Do you have a favorite? Is there a design The Voice should emulate? What are the different messages being conveyed with the designs? You can click on each page to see a larger version for a better look. Share your thoughts, comments, brilliance.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Week 2
1. The 2008 Presidential race is well under way, and the hottest news is McCain's running mate Sarah Palin. How exciting is it that a women is on the GOP ticket, a first in history. But, now the news that her daughter is pregnant is flooding the media. Obama said this news should not be a part of politics. McCain said he knew about this before selecting Palin. Palin and her husband even sent out a press release pertaining to this matter.
Clearly both sides feel the need to focus on real issues. When most Americans have expressed that the economy and the war are most important, and hurricane Gustav is hammering the Gulf coast, why is the media going to dig and dig and dig at this issue until we're all tired of it? If the media is supposed to be the watch dog for the American people, why pursue something that clearly has nothing to do with politics -- or does it? Might Palin's gender play a role in this? Or is the media playing to the lowest common denominator: money? Share your brilliance, insight, and thoughts.
2. John Stewart of Comedy Central fame is the prime news source for many, many Americans. While he is often times overly satiric and less balanced than a news source attempting to maintain objectivity, he is wickedly intelligent and quite passionate about politics. The end of the following article gets to an interesting point: is the media giving the American people what they want or what the media thinks the people want? We are a scandal obsessed nation, eager to watch a tragedy before celebrating something amazing, but does that mean that the media should be seeking out those scandals and tragedies rather than valuable news? As young journalists, how do you see the news coverage of major issues and the balance of information being shared? Share your brilliance, insight, and thoughts.
SF Chronicle story
Clearly both sides feel the need to focus on real issues. When most Americans have expressed that the economy and the war are most important, and hurricane Gustav is hammering the Gulf coast, why is the media going to dig and dig and dig at this issue until we're all tired of it? If the media is supposed to be the watch dog for the American people, why pursue something that clearly has nothing to do with politics -- or does it? Might Palin's gender play a role in this? Or is the media playing to the lowest common denominator: money? Share your brilliance, insight, and thoughts.
2. John Stewart of Comedy Central fame is the prime news source for many, many Americans. While he is often times overly satiric and less balanced than a news source attempting to maintain objectivity, he is wickedly intelligent and quite passionate about politics. The end of the following article gets to an interesting point: is the media giving the American people what they want or what the media thinks the people want? We are a scandal obsessed nation, eager to watch a tragedy before celebrating something amazing, but does that mean that the media should be seeking out those scandals and tragedies rather than valuable news? As young journalists, how do you see the news coverage of major issues and the balance of information being shared? Share your brilliance, insight, and thoughts.
SF Chronicle story
Friday, August 29, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Week 1
1. Photoshop is a powerful tool that can help an artist or regular Jane create and enhance photographs. Very cool. But how does this fit into journalistic ethics? Read the following article and think about how journalists, photographers, editors, and designers might be tempted with the powers of Photoshop. Where do you draw the line between ethical doctoring and outright distortion of the truth? Share your thoughts, insights, brilliance.
Read it!
2. A solid feature piece on post-Katrina education. How does this author effectively maintain the audience through the length of the piece? What elements of good writing can be taken from this article? Were there any parts that lagged? If so, why? How does the author maintain objectivity and a balance viewpoint? Share your thoughts, insights, brilliance.
Read it!
Read it!
2. A solid feature piece on post-Katrina education. How does this author effectively maintain the audience through the length of the piece? What elements of good writing can be taken from this article? Were there any parts that lagged? If so, why? How does the author maintain objectivity and a balance viewpoint? Share your thoughts, insights, brilliance.
Read it!
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