Media Bloggers

A part of this project was to read blogs about our topics. I was thinking of using the Media Decoder again, but I had already referred to it in a previous blog entry. I decided to use a website given to me by Mr. Miller called 10,000 Words. This is a blog about blogs, journalism, social networking, and more. I can't say I found this blog on my own, but it has been helpful.

A blog I came across was the 10 Ugly Truths About Modern Journalism which is about the changes in journalism from what it once was. A certain point that I get out of it is that there is too much information out there for journalists to use. 10 years ago, journalists didn't have all the reference books and information they needed right in front of them like it is for us today. The job doesn't require as much effort because now, journalists can sit in front of their computer and get information right then and there. One of the bullets on that blog mentioned how journalists use Wikipedia all the time now. I personally feel like the computer is taking over so much of this occupation. It worries me that even now almost everything is done over the computer and what the job will be like in 10 years.

Another point is made that journalists are doing more than just dedicating themselves to one story. Ten years ago, pink slips weren't being tossed around like they are today, so modern journalists are getting worried by having side blogs and writing books. These journalists aren't spending as much time on their certain assignment and are scrambling to do more.

One of the points is one that I can easily relate to. It is about how entertainment news is viewed more than the serious news articles. I wish I wasn't like this, but I always read the stupid, pointless, and exaggerated news articles about what's going on in Hollywood. I worry myself because I know that this is what other girls my age are doing around the country and I think CNN news is more important. Don't get me wrong, I will check CNN from time to time, but I will always check People Magazine. Anyways, this point leads to my next which is about "writing news articles that sell." Basically I view this as what InTouch, US Weekly, and People Magazine do every week for their cover story. They will write a huge headline on the cover that will get people to buy the magazine. If they put an article about how Kate kicked John out of the house, it will most likely sell. Whether it's true or not, these magazines just want to make money.

I think it's cool that there is news on the news. The news is how we get our information on breaking news and current events. I think it's awesome how blogs are trying to save the Newspaper industry... as weird as it sounds. The internet itself is taking over how we do things in our everyday lives, and one of them is the way we get the latest news. If I want to read about the death of Patrick Swayze, isn't it easier to go on a magazine website instead of waiting to buy the magazine? Things like this are killing the printing industry and everything is going digital. I hope newspapers are still going to be running in the future and that the internet doesn't take over everything. I know I don't want to stare at a computer screen all day!

Why I Chose Media

When given this assignment, I knew I wanted to choose a topic about something I enjoy and would want to learn new things about it. I'm not interested in the environment or anything having to do with science, and knew I would end up doing media. To me, the media is so important and I've always been interested in news. After I get all my homework done, I quickly log onto my computer and look around at the news going on right now. As weird as it sounds, I love when the bar comes up at the bottom of the T.V. with breaking news. I then want more details and will even look online for more information. I think this topic is important because the media is how we recieve the news, opposed to the other topics that are news (...if that makes any sense).

I started out on the New York Times and typed in "newspaper bailouts" in the search bar because that is one of the topics I wanted to discuss. I then came across a New York Times blog Media Decoder. This blog is about "behind the scenes" of the media. Once I found this blog, it was smooth sailing from there. This blog linked to other articles about the failing newspaper industry and what Obama thinks of it. I feel like I've past the hardest part of the assignment and that the Media Decoder has really helped me move along. As I continue with this project, I hope to find more articles on media today and how it is changing.I am also going to be looking into how the news is going to be distributed as time goes on.

Photo Credit: Media Decoder by New York Times

The Developments of the Media

Everyday of our lives, the media is changing. In today's world, to get the latest news, the average American will go onto the computer and read articles instantly. A decreasing amount of people will read the paper over a cup of coffee in the morning.

Currently, it seems as though the internet is overshadowing the newspaper, even Barak Obama agrees. Obama, a "newspaper junkie," is hoping that the tough economic times won't stop people from buying the newspaper. Told to the Toledo Blade, the President said, "Journalistic integrity, you know, fact-based reporting, serious investigative reporting, how to retain those ethics in all these different new media and how to make sure that it's paid for, is really a challenge."

This article is newsworthy because they way we recieve news is rapidly changing. We went from reading the newspaper every morning to skimming articles on our laptops. These changes are hurting the printing industry because almost everything we look at now is a screen.

I know teens would much rather want to read about who Rob Pattinson is dating, but the media and how it's distributed is a huge topic. I honestly can't tell you how I'll be getting the news in 5 years because everything is changing. My dad and mom grew up with the newspaper everyday, and even now they still read it, but not as much as they would have if the internet was not around. It's my generation that would be keeping the industry going. My parents are still buyers of the newspaper, and the only thing that would change that would be the newspapers going bankrupt. I don't want that to happen because I don't want to be staring at a screen all day.

This issue also makes me wonder about my occupation when I'm older. I want to be a journalist for a newspaper or magazine, but what if there are no more?! Yes, I could still write for a "website," but I don't want the industry to die out. In the Toledo Blade blog, there was talk of passing legislation for saving newspapers. I think that is such a good idea because we don't want life to be computers 24/7. The media and how it is recieved and distributed is such a broad yet interesting topic.


Political Cartoon that fits this topic.

TTYL

Blogging is the start of a new trend for expressing your opinion and even handing in papers. Although it has been around for some time now, I never really thought about blogging and never understood its point. The only blog I had ever heard of was Perez Hilton's, which basically trashes every celebrity in Hollywood. All different sites offer free blogs for a multiple of reasons.


To me, the most effective way to use a blog is when your a teacher to post the assignments there. Instead of wasting tons of paper for assignment sheets, you can just post it on a blog. Students can check the blog for the assignment and can post their assignment on a blog also. Another upside to blogging is that the text is easier to understand and isn't written in a tough format.


A downside to a blog is the fact that I'm using "I" a lot, which isn't a good habit to get into. You don't want to get in the habit of these grammatical errors and want to make you remember how to properly write. Refering to an article about how blogs are affecting our language, I came across a section of the article about how he (the author of the blog) reads text differently now that he is a "blogger." Blogging could affect the way the younger generation writes and reads. Since they are exposed to the internet at such a young age, they start to soak in the "slang" terms that could be used in a blog. What could happen is "IM lingo" starts to mix into our language. Instead of saying, "talk to you later," people will be like, "TTYL!"


Now that I exposed to blogs, I think they're actually pretty cool. I like hearing other peoples opinions and I like to give mine. Blogging would make life so much easier because my printer only works when it feels like it. Instead of printing out papers, I could post a blog entry. Plus they're free!

Photo Credit: Blogging by funkyphani on September 17, 2009

The Next Generation of Journalism

The most interesting thing I learned in 21st Century Journalism was when the NYU student came in and told us about some of the internships she had to do. I thought it was really odd that people are getting paid to update Twitter and Facebook pages. Journalists are going to these top-notch schools to go on Facebook! It makes me wonder what job I may get assigned to when I get a job or internship. In this class, I hope to continue to learn more about the journalist job itself and its pros and cons. In the last 2 weeks, I've learned about hard news, deadlines, and how to catch attention in the lede. Speaking of lede, I've learned new journalism terms that are found in articles from newspapers, web pages, and magazines. I still want to know new things about the job such as the hours put in to the job per week, and if they vary depending on your job. I also want to know if breaking news happens during the night, are there people in the office ready to update the paper for the next day? Are there people in the office all night long? Lastly, I think we should continue to talk about current events going on around the world. I think it's important for students to know what's going on outside the high school world.



photo credit: Journalism
by angelicdevil619 on September 15, 2009

Are Americans pushing the brand name aside to save money?

New York Times 9/3/09

As I was looking through various articles on major newspaper sites, I came across one from The New York Times. It's not a "hard news" article, meaning it's not hot off the press or going on as we speak. The article is about the decrease in sales at major retailers for the back-to-school season. You could almost assume something like this would happen, especially for the back to school clothes. It is said that the economy is stabilizing, but after reading the statistics, I have trouble believing that.

On the first day of school, students all over the country want to show off their newest clothing items. With job cuts and a plummeting economy, some parents couldn't afford the expensive clothing their children wanted. As a whole, there was a 2.9% decrease in sales for this back-to-school season. The biggest drop in sales was at Abercrombie and Fitch, a teen store that sells overpriced clothing for men and women. There was a 29% decrease in sales. It's no surprise to me that a store selling $30 t-shirts isn't making any money. An alternative to Abercrombie is Aeropostale, which sells similar clothing for cheaper prices. Aeropostale was one of the few clothing stores with an increase in sales and was up 9% this August. Other clothing stores with increased sales were TJ Maxx and Kohl's. TJ Maxx, up 5%, re-sells in style, cheap, and normally-would-be-expensive clothing. In these statistics, it's really showing that the average American is going for a cheaper wardrobe opposed to expensive clothing.

Do you see where this is going? The stores with the more affordable clothing obviously had sales increases over the expensive stores. I personally could have predicted these increases and decreases. I have shopped at each of the stores I named and TJ Maxx, one of the most increased sales, is definitely doing great in the economy. It has designer labels for men, women, and children with unbeatable low prices. Abercrombie is very overpriced; even the clothes on the sales rack. This decrease (and few increases) makes me wonder how the Christmas shopping season is going to be. Are people going to spend more in order to please? Or are they going to spend less to get more?


I think this article will draw people's attention because almost everyone can relate. The economy is affecting almost everyones lives and prices at retailers are a big deal. If Abercrombie sells a $50 sweatshirt, and Aeropostale sells a sweatshirt for $20, are people going to put the brand name aside and save money? This August, many Americans put the label aside and saved their money for more important things for clothes. I think this article has Human Interest because almost everyone can relate. Who knows what will happen to the retailers with expensive clothing. Will they lower their prices to sell more clothing? What do you predict?