Edition 5 Article Ideas

Please post your ideas for the second edition of the year. Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Be specific and try to format each idea as such:

Article Idea:
Must interviews:
Why will people want to read this:

This edition will come out in early February.

Edition 4 Design Assignment #2

Here's what you can use as the logo (the center part of this picture)







Here's the copy for the flyer you should make. It will be 8 1/2" x 11".

DESIGN A REUSABLE BAG AND ENTER
THE BAGGY AWARDS

PROBLEM:
Californians use 19 billion single-use bags annually or 600 per second
Only 10-15% of paper bags and 1-3% of the plastic bags make it to landfill

SOLUTION
Marin County wants to lead the nation in eliminating environmentally responsible single-use bags. An ordinance has been authored that will ban throw-away paper and plastic bags at all retail locations in Marin. With support from community residents, groups and businesses, we can ensure its passage on Earth Day 2010.

ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS IN MARIN COUNTY
• design the art for one side of the official BYOBag :MARIN reusable bag and enter to win the Baggy Awards.

SUBMISSIONS
• send electronically : info@teensturninggreen.org
by mail: TTG PO Box 1146 Ross, CA 94957
• Go to the website to download an information sheet that must accompany artwork
• Submissions due by: January 18, 2010
• Guidelines: bold art ….. ( need help here )
• Questions: 415 289-1001

JUDGING | PRIZES
A jury assembled by the BYOBag: MARIN committee will pick three winning bags to be produced.
First Prize: Winning bag will be printed and featured in the BYOBag: Marin campaign
• $300 eco lifestyle collection of products and $100 gift card
Second Prize: $200 eco lifestyle collection
Third Prize: $100 eco lifestyle collection

• Winners will be presented at the Teens Turning Green Summit on Friday February 5,2010

A project of the County of Marin, EcoMom Alliance, Green Sangha, iReuse.com and Teens Turning Green

Week 15 — Final December post

1. From Amanda: Taking the Magic Out of College. A great read because 1. it's about a topic you all already or will know well, and 2. it's written by a high school senior. What do you think of the topic? the argument? the style?

2 From Nish: The $700 billion man. "It's one of those hidden stories of an extremely prominent guy who disappeared off the map and wasn't heard from again. It makes me wonder about the adults on campus at MA, and if any of them use teaching as an escape from a more high-pressure lifestyle they used to live. It's a good read too." What do you all think? And is there an MA hook in here somewhere?

Share you thoughts. The deadline for posting for this semester is Thursday December 17. Post! Post! Post!

ps: super kudos to Amanda and Nish!!

Edition 4 Design Project #1

These projects will be submitted to Dan Babior for selection.

Here's the copy:
Marin Academy Athletics Open House
Monday November 3rd 7:00 P.M.
Marin Academy Athletic Center (the newer gym)
Meet with coaches, players, our Athletic Director Josh Frechette and learn more about sports at MA
Be sure to include any and all direct contact information for both the athletic and admission offices.

You can alter the copy to make it more concise, more interesting, more zingy. Just remember: this document goes out to all applicants who have shown interest in sports.

For photos, please go to the MA website, athletics snapshots. You can copy any and all images onto your document

Document Requirements:
1. 8 1/2" x 11" document to display on campus.
2. 4" x 6" postcard that will be mailed to families.

The two items must complement each other and work together stylistically.

Edition 4 Headline Ideas

Please post your article headlines here. Make it clear what your article is & what section it belongs in. Please post 3-4 options ranging from 30-50 characters in length. Remember, spaces count as characters.

Editor Goals Edition 4

Please post 3 goals you have for your section. Reflect on the last edition, areas where you have the most to improve and areas where you're doing great work. These goals can be design related, deadline related, or anything else. BUT, make sure these are measurable, outcome goals.

Design assignment take 2

Now that we talked about Contrast Repetition Alignment Proximity and you have a bit more experience with good design, let's try reworking the Peer Resources flyer one more time.

Information to use

The document needs to be an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. You have all of the copy. Go crazy.

Week 14 -- Welcome December!

1. A interesting read from the NYT magazine this weekend. Why Women Can't Let Sarah Palin Go touches on why women struggle to support her and eagerly hate her. What do you think of the opinion presented in this piece? There are some excellent similes used to describe Palin. The author is also quite honest in her own feelings about the subject. Does that skew the overall impression of the piece?

2. This is a RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME READ!!! from Andrew Miller. It is long, but so worth the read. It's about a man who tried to hide from the internet for one month. As Andrew noted, the point of view is not consistent. Why do you think that approach was taken? Seriously READ THIS ARTICLE!! IT'S THAT GOOD!!

Week 13

1. This is from Sara Morgan: A great article about the UC budget cuts and rising tuition costs. This is a great piece news-wise as the cost of a UC education is going up. But, something to consider is the cost of the UCs is still considerably less than other equivalent schools. Is the rising cost of in-state tuition a problem? Will that drive more people to private schools? Will that force the UCs to go the route of U of Oregon -- take more out of state students to balance the cost cuts?

2. Gifts are useful; give me cash: Jamie actually brought this article to my attention for the catchy lead. The subject is interesting, but it's the lead that really makes this piece stand out. What are your thoughts on this style of lead? Catchy? Misleading? Makes you want to read on? What kinds of Voice pieces could we use this for?

3. Precious & The Blind Side: This is a fabulous compare and contrast piece by NYT reviewer A.O. Scott. He looks at both films, their coinciding release dates, and the social commentary they make on African-American life. How does A.O. Scott establish his credibility? Does he succeed in making comparisons between to the two films? What topics might Voice writers be able to take on using this format?

4. A late edition after I went through Saturday's Times: Far Away From Field, N.F.L. Blog is a Player. This is a great piece on how a blogger got himself on the football map. He's done some great things -- trying to become a 24/7 football source -- but has also made some mistakes along the way. Is this the future of sporting news, die-hard fans getting enough attention to make national news? Will this eventually compete with the more standard idea of news?

Share you awesomeness!

Week 12

Two articles I suggest more for their content than their amazing style. Just made me think .... always good.

1. Teachers selling lesson plans to make money. Public school has mixed feelings about teachers making some extra cash. What do you think?

2. Lobbyists influence lawmakers and this time it's on official record. Eek. You would think in a time when all public record is reviewed and inspected, lawmakers would be a bit more original. Not so. What's your take on this situation? Especially since this involves the health care reform.

One more design project

Information to use

The document needs to be an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. You have all of the copy. Go crazy.

Edition 4 Article Ideas

Please post your ideas for the second edition of the year. Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Be specific and try to format each idea as such:

Article Idea:
Must interviews:
Why will people want to read this:

Article will come out January 7. We will close this edition BEFORE December break, but will hand it out the first day AFTER break.

Week 11

1. A fantastic piece on Nelson Mandela. What's compelling about this? The subject. A great read about a great man.

2. Ask a Fourth Grader. That's what ESPN magazine did in a Pittsburgh town. This is a cute fluff piece with a good angle. What do you think of this video? Is there a fun issue like this we could cover at MA? Are you smarter than a freshman? Smarter than a SF dweller? Smarter than Travis?

Edition 3 — Friday's in-class work

Typography powerpoint — please watch carefully as you will have to utilize this information in your own design project.

Typography assignment — due at the end of class

How to make an InDesign document

Some other hot tips about InDesign: palette 1, palette 2, palette 3

Edition 3 Editor Goals

Please post 3 goals you have for your section. Reflect on the last edition, areas where you have the most to improve and areas where you're doing great work. These goals can be design related, deadline related, or anything else. BUT, make sure these are measurable, outcome goals.

Headlines, please

Please post your article headlines here. Make it clear what your article is & what section it belongs in. Please post 3-4 options ranging from 30-50 characters in length. Remember, spaces count as characters.

Week 10 — Welcome November

1. Here's an interesting piece from the Wall Street Journal about alimony (payments one spouse makes to another after a divorce). This may seem like a somewhat adult article, but I was struck by the tone created by the interviews or lack thereof. hhhhmmm. I've talked about editorializing, but can you skew an article with a selective usage of quotes? Is there a bias present in this piece? If so, to what side oes it bend? If not, how does the writer maintain objectivity with such a heated topic?

2. An interesting read from Slate Magazine. It's about the Northwestern pilots that missed the airport, among other things, and about distracted driving. Where are we headed in an autopilot world? What do you think of the format of the argument? It draws heavily on news from other sources. Does that work well? Is there a smooth flow to the piece?

Share your insights, brilliance and wisdom.

Week 9

1. A great read from ESPN.com (Thanks, Andrew, for the suggestion). While this piece deals with broadcast journalism, there are lots of ideas and insights we can apply to our work as print journalists. What are your thoughts? What concrete items can we bring to the next edition of The Voice?

2. A great cartoon from The Economist. There's lots of news about Afghanistan these days, and lots of speculation about Obama's plan of action. While we don't have cartoons in our newspaper, what do you think of this one? Of cartoons in general? What do they offer than words cannot?

Share your insights and comments.

Week 8

Both from this week's Wall Street Journal Weekend Journal.

1. Making Ugly Betty Prettier: While I like the piece, what really drew my attention was the "then & now" graphic. It was expressed side-by-side in the printed paper, but is still effective up and down on the web. What areas of MA might we be able to do a then & now piece on?? Keep in mind that last year we covered the changing campus, the changing teachers and more. Try to think beyond the usual

2. The New Wild and Crazy Yankees: Yes, I am biased. I love the Yankees, but I liked this article because it's about sports but moves beyond a game wrap-up or personal profile. It looks at a team from another angle. What do you think? Does this angle work? Make you want to read on? Offer a new insight into the team?

Edition 3 Article ideas

Please post your ideas for the second edition of the year. Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Be specific and try to format each idea as such:

Article Idea:
Must interviews:
Why will people want to read this:

Article will come out November 19.

Week 7

1. Here's a great piece on Nellie McKay. She's a singer/song writer, but this review borders on a feature piece as well. What do you think of the delayed lead? Does it server the article well?

2. A piece recommended by Amanda. This is about the recent death of William Saffire ... and a few other things related to journalism. What news tidbits do you read first? What do MA students read first? How do we balance what readers want to read and what they should read?

Edition 2 Staff Work

Welcome to NewsU. It's an awesome site that has lots to see and do. And, it's a place where you'll take a few classes pertaining to journalism. So fun! Over the next few class periods you are responsible for completing the following courses:

Beyond the Inverted Pyramid: Creating Alternative Story Forms

The Lead Lab

Cleaning Your Copy

These courses require that you sign-up for NewsU (don't worry; it's free!), so create a username and password you can remember. We'll be using this website again. After you complete each course, please post the 3-5 best take-aways (that means, what you learned that you're just dying to share) to the blog. Keep in mind how you can apply a new skill to your work on The Voice, and be as specific as possible. Lastly, when you finish the course, please print out a Course Report, show it to me, and then add it to your binder. This course report is you receipt of completion. Any questions, just ask.
Homework for the layout days:

Thursday night: if there are any last minute items for your article, get on that! Otherwise, relax and start thinking of article ideas for edition 3.
Tuesday night: 5 article ideas for the next edition. Post these ideas to the blog. Hand out date for the third edition is November 19.

Thursday night: Relax. Get ready for the next edition. Articles will be assigned next class.

Editor Goals

Please post 3 goals you have for your section. These goals can be design related, deadline related, or anything else. BUT, make sure these are measurable and realistic goals.

Good work!

Week 6: Happy October

1. This is a wild read. Is MA headed down this road? Could our love of organic turn to panic? I love the lead and the way the writer maintains objectivity. What do you like about the piece? What do you think of the topic?

2. Even the NYT struggles with maintaining objectivity. What can we learn from them?

3. A fun read about the process of all-nighters our fair legislators pull. Is there an MA story like this? What about the culture of one-up-manship when it comes to who slept less last night?

4. A solid opinion piece about the budget crisis in California and who's to blame and who isn't. What MA angle could be taken on this topic? Any merit to looking at our own budget and where the money goes?

Week 5

Two great reads. Remember, September ends on Wednesday.

1. Finding censorship where there is none: This is an opinion piece about library censorship, or maybe not. While it talks about banned book week, it more closely looks at stats that tell a different story of censorship than many people would like to believe. This is a great lesson on why context to statistics and the source of statistic is so important. Have any books ever been banned from MA? Are there any books Derek would refuse to purchase?

2. Women at Arms — Mothers at War: A compelling read about women in the military and the drawbacks of being on active duty while being a mom. Look closely at the variety of sources, the depth of coverage, and the breadth of ideas presented. How does the NYTimes remain objective? What makes this a universally readable piece?

Week 4

Some good reads this week, but these two really stood out to me:

1. If Sports Ruled the World: this is a well written opinion piece about a topic I love — sports! But the crux of the piece is how sports reflect themselves in society and why we all (ok, some of us) crave the rules driven structure sports offers us. Is there an MA angle in here? A way to bring this idea -- be it in opinion piece or a sports feature?

2. What does the SAT test: this next edition will come out on October 22, right in time for SAT madness. You know you love the SAT!! How can we localize this idea? Maybe we can look at testing practices in MA classrooms? Are MA tests geared toward college style testing? or are there are antiquated practices that still linger? Are the testing practices of MA really pushing students to be critical thinkers? And what's the happy medium between critical thought and rote memorization? Ok, I may have gotten carried away with questions ....

Edition 2 Article Ideas

Please post your ideas for the second edition of the year. Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Be specific and try to format each idea as such:

Article Idea:
Must interviews:
Why will people want to read this:

This edition will come out around October 22.

Week 3

1. A great read about getting to school. We have done stories about carpools and the distance traveled by students, but what other angles could we take on this? Are there MA parents that share the fear mentioned in the piece? Might this fear play a role in parents not letting students drive themselves?

2. Maybe it's too late to do a look at the first day of school this year, but what other story ideas could you take from this read about New Yorkers heading back to school? We did a day in the life of Travis, a day in the life of an unplugged student, what about a simple day in the life of a regular student?? an athlete? a dancer? a musician?

share your comments, ideas, brilliance ...

Week 2

1. Here's a great read on a somewhat overlooked topic: receipt length. Firstly, what do you think of this topic? Know that this story ran on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Secondly, what interesting facet of MA life could we express in a similarly styled story? Note the topic has to be somewhat fun but serious enough to make the reader scratch her head.

2. Check out this opinion piece from the Wall Street Journal. It's about healthcare — the most heated topic of discourse in the press these days — but note the author. This is a perfect example of how it's important to consider a writer's intentions when expressing an opinion. Does the author's credentials bolster his claims or weaken them? How and why?

Share your thoughts, ideas, and moments of brilliance.

Week 1 — Happy New Year!

Two articles related to reading:

1. NYTimes writes about The Future of Reading. While many of the sources are from the middle school level, how do you think this issue manifest itself in high school? Pertaining to writing style, what do you think of the overall structure? Is it a straight news piece or does it lean toward a feature?

2. Wall Street Journal has a great piece on literature and how it's changing to more plot focused pieces. This is a great example of an opinion piece, but many people think this is a straight news piece. It's also raises questions about what people read and why we read what we read. How might this affect newspaper readers?

Edition 1 Article Ideas

Please post your ideas for the first edition of the year. Be sure to read the other ideas BEFORE you post your own. You can elaborate on another person's post (with a citation, of course). Be specific and try to format each idea as such:

Article Idea:
Must interviews:
Why will people want to read this:

Here we go!
mc

Contests to enter

Folks

Here is the website for the CSPA categories. Please peruse and think about what article(s) you'd like to enter. You will need to cut out the articles, affix them to the proper paper and fill out an entry form. I have entry forms in my office and will bring them to class. Please be sure to read submission instructions as well.

You can also check out the results from this year's awards and finally know what Josh and Natasha got second for. Very cool.

Any questions, let me know.
mc

Week 36: the last week

It has finally arrived and it's time to close out the year with some awesome posts. Hope you enjoy! I have loved reading your posts more than anything else we've done in class. You all have been insightful, reflective, and responsive to each other in ways I never imagined. Thanks for making this work and thanks for partaking in this part of the class.

1. Here is an amazing story about a school that has a segregated prom. This piece appeared in the NYTimes Magazine this weekend. The topic is what intrigued me the most, but the writing is pretty solid as well.

2. An interesting piece from the radio show On The Media. This particular piece digs into the health care issues facing America, but more precisely, the misinformation that killed the last attempt to change our system. Is the media to blame? Why didn't the media do more to find out the truth in 1994? How can we learn some investigative tips from this piece? How could this inform the depth we go to (or don't go to) in our own work?

Homework for 5.21

All
Look at the MA Handbook, specifically the style section in the back, and come up with 7-10 items to add to this section. Think of mistakes you've/we've made often (maybe how to write numbers, how to cite a source) and how we can add that to the style book.

Editors
Create a tutorial for use next year. This tutorial should be easy to understand and illustrative of quality writing. Be sure to include:

1. Five musts for a successful article in your section.
2. A good example to share with the class.

Others
If you could do things differently for The Voice, what ten things would you do? Be realistic and concrete.

Week 35 — almost done ...

1. NYTimes writer Maureen Dowd made a little mistake in a recent column. Eek. What do you think of her actions. Is this something that will surely face journalist in the future as more and more bloggers get the scoop?

2. Some interesting ideas on how to save journalism. In this Washington Post column, Sanford & Brown say that the government can help. What do you think of these ideas? Is this really the way to help journalism transform?

Share your insights. Next week will be the final post of the year! NNNNNooooooooooo.

Week 34

Room for Debate is a great way to get people talking about topics in the news. How could this be utilized in The Voice? What kinds of topics would be most successful? least successful? Read a few and comment on the form and structure.

Week 33: It's May!

1. This is an informative read, but I want you to look at it more for the structure. How could we incorporate this simple idea into The Voice? We've done some pieces on advice from the seniors to juniors, but what, more serious topics could we tackle on a regular basis. Notice that this piece combines depth with breadth.

2. Here's a piece from Newsweek about the cost of beauty and how much women spend on product over the course of a lifetime. Eek! It's pretty crazy. What is so great about this piece is the graphic representation of the information. Sure it's on a website, but we have the skill and style to integrate more infographics into our pieces. Thinking of either this final edition or some other story for next year, what kinds of topics would benefit from this style of reporting?

Share your amazing ideas.

4.29 In-class assignment

Here's the assignment.

Here's some dummy text.

Here's a graphic to use.

Week 32

Wowzer! Lots of goodies to share, but I will control myself and post only two. Both are profile pieces. Read them separately or together, regardless these are great pieces we can learn a lot from.

1. This piece focuses on an immigrant family in New York. The family is struggling because the mother and father and daughter are still not legal residents. The son, born in the US is. But, he wants to return home to Ecuador. The piece delves into the sacrifices and sufferings of the family.

2. This piece focuses on a 100 year old Red Sox fan and his return to the position he held back in the early 20s: bat boy. A great special interest profile piece.

How could we incorporate more in-depth pieces into The Voice? And how could we do more single person/single interest profile pieces?

Share your brilliance -- by the end of the month (that means THURSDAY).

Week 31

My latest addiction: ESPN's E:60. What a great show on ESPN! Here is a piece on Vince McMahon, the mastermind behind the WWE (formerly the WWF). It's a well reported item and a good example of an in-depth feature. Sure it's on video -- not exactly the usual format for The Voice -- but it's worth the watch for it's savvy writing and reporting. Enjoy! And, do yourself a favor by watching a few more episodes. I also recommend this piece on Don Meyer.

Share your thoughts, insights and ideas about these pieces.

Edition 6 Staff Courses

Here are two courses to pique your interest in journalism. These are to be completed during our layout days. Check the syllabus for homework.

Ethical Decison-Making
This course is the priority.

The Interview
If you have time, please complete this course.

Questions? Just ask.
mc

Week 30: Welcome April

An interesting read about one of American Idol's most successful contestants. There's only one item that might keep him from a win: he might be, could be gay. While this is an issue we discuss a lot here at MA and in the Bay Area, what do you think of this piece as a reflection on the nation as a whole, on the issue of homosexuality in the mainstream media. Please be especially considerate with your comments as this is a personal subject.

Is this just a sentimental attempt to get us all to rethink our connection to print journalism? Or is there some truth to this piece? Is there some magic in being a journalist? some crazy power that few other jobs hold?

Yea for April! Next it's May and then it's June!!! And then it's SUMMER!

Week 29: Last March Post

It is March Madness, so let's go mad and talk about sports!!!!

1. A phenomenal article on an up-and-coming basketball player. There's only one problem: he's only 13. Eek. A great feature. Excellent graphics as well (try to look at the electronic edition, if possible) with great repetition of elements. What do you think?

2. Another solid profile piece, just a wee bit shorter. A long, long time ago, Harvard beat Stanford (the long time favorite and former champion) in the women's basketball final. This piece gets into how they won. What do you think of the perspective of the piece? The style? The structure?

Photoshop pictures

Big Hat

Dark Photo

Lexie

Shocker Shirt

Bouncing Kid

Old Image

Editor Application for 2009-2010

Here is the application for next year's senior staff.

If you have any questions, please see me.

mc

Week 28

As if California doesn't have enough problems on its hands, here's another one. This is a great piece on the two clashing cultures alive and well in the state, and what one group would like to do to fix the clash. The writing is tight, and the topic is well flushed out even in a short piece. What are your thoughts on the writing and the topic?

Another great piece but in the form of video story-telling. It's a topic near and dear to my heart because, well, this was what my dad did for quite some time: he was a photo retoucher. What do you think about the author's final challenge to the media? What do you think of this form of opinion "writing"?

Week 27

1. How is the media talking about Barack Obama's fiscal policies? Read this to find out. Is the media a pussyfooter when it comes to this issue? Might the media be trying to manage the public worry about the economy?

2. A bit old news now, but worth discussing. See this cartoon from the 2.18.09 NY Post. The big question: racist or satire? You can read about the Post's response and see what readers had to say as well. Quite a bot topic. For any newspaper, how do you balance intent and impact in a situation like this?

Because you love it

Folks

Great work on the on-line courses. We still have three more days of layout, so here is another course for you to complete. It's called Get Me Rewrite: The Craft of Revision. Please check in with Eugenie on Thursday as I will not be in class, again. I appreciate your work on these courses as they will make you stronger writers and editors.

Have a good week and weekend. Enjoy the Monday off. See you all back in action next Tuesday.

Mary

Week 26 — Welcome March!

1. Is this the future of journalism? Is this a way for a major newspaper to attract readers? Or a way to cut budgets and still cover small events? Could something like this work in the Bay area? Do you think the IJ or the Point Reyes Light would mind this kind of program in the area? Would there be a way to apply this idea to MA?

2. Here's a great review from the NYTimes. What do you think of the writing and style? Is it too negative? Too opinionated? Yes it's a review, but are reviewers supposed to maintain any objectivity?

on-line courses for staffers

Folks

Here are the courses to complete during the layout days. Firstly, go to THIS website and register. After you've done this, please complete the following courses: Cleaning Your Copy and Beyond the Inverted Pyramid. These courses should be completed in class during the layout days. They should take no less than two hours and no more than four. When you have completed them, please send me proof of completion. You are expected to work alone; you may not work in groups or get help from your peers. This is a solo endeavor.

Thanks
mc

Week 23

Famed movie critic Roger Ebert on why news in print is better than news online. What do you think about what he has to say? Does his argument hold water with the larger population?

Wall Street bonuses have been in the news a lot lately. Some people hate them; some people love them. Here is a well written piece articulating one of the sides of the argument. While the topic is timely and that's why I'd like you to read this piece, what do you think of the writing? The construction of the argument? The evidenced used to support the writer's claims?

Share your brilliance and ideas.

Week 22 — Welcome February

A little lesson in some important student press legislation. Tinker vs Hazelwood was a landmark case in press freedoms. What are your thoughts on the case and how it plays a role in the press freedoms you have today.

Week 21

A little early, but who cares ...

1. Could this idea be the future of newspapers? And, how might this trickle down to high school journalism?

2. How can The Voice capitalize on new media? Is this the way to increase our readership? Do high school students use this form of communication?

Share, comment, inform.

Week 20

1. This is a great profile piece on a former college basketball star. It's well written and reported, and illuminates the life of most college players post college. What do you think of this piece? Is there a place for some Alumni news in The Voice? Is it worth following up on grads after their life at MA is over?

2. Here is another great idea from the NYTimes. It's a sound slide package -- something we can't do on paper -- that focuses on one person each week. It could be an interesting way to bring more people in to The Voice. We profile athletes and some artists, but what about the regular Joes and Janes? What do you think of this package? What about something like it in The Voice?

3. This is a great piece on the fate of the newsweekly. With US News and World Report gone and Newsweek on its heels, the role of newsmagazine is not good. So, instead of reporting the news, many magazine are turning to commenting on the news rather than reporting the news. What do you think of this? Could this be the fate of newspapers as well? Will this trickle down to student press?

Week 19

1. At the end of the NYTimes magazine there is a piece called "Lives." Today, the piece focused on a topic we at MA speak about often: privilege. Last week, the piece focused on food and a child's passion for the forbidden. I liked both so much and I couldn't pick which one to post. Lucky you! The topic of the first piece is well covered territory, but accurately articulated in such a simple piece. The second piece just made me laugh. What do you think of the writing? As mentioned before I would love to see more of this in the My MA section of the newspaper. How can we get more people to participate?

2. While the article about Obama and basketball was interesting, the graphic was even better. Check out this link so see what I'm talking about. What do you think of the manipulation of the simple headshot? This article was in the Sunday Styles section — a fairly light-hearted section — but what do you think of the idea behind the dream teams? Could we put together a dream team of sorts at MA? If so, what would it be. We have the artist skill and know-how to make this work graphically.

3. This piece — again from the NYTimes Magazine — confused me a bit. No, I wasn't confused by the content rather how I felt while reading the article. It's about service and companion animals and their role in society and the life of their owners. Great writing, awesome sources, but still hard to take seriously. Why? If you were assigned this piece, how would you tackle the naysayers that might think your story was a joke?

Happy 2009!

1. Here's an interesting article on Caroline Kennedy and her desire to become the next senator from New York. While I find the entire piece well written, pay particular attention to the opening paragraph. The lead is quite catchy. What is the author trying to accomplish with this anecdotal lead? Is the author successful? Is the author successful at bringing the topic back to Whitney Hoffman? What are your thoughts? In what kind of article could we employ this technique?

2. Check out this piece on Obama's speech writer. It's a well written piece, but I find the topic of more interest than the execution. What do you think? Many writers want to be famous in their own right, not because they're good at making other people look great. Thoughts?

3. For some fun, check out this news quiz. Not going to lie -- I struggled a lot with this one. Then I just started guessing.