wolfgram news blog

Headlines: there is an art to writing a 4 word sentence.

2008-12-06T22:29:56Z

As we discussed in class, headlines are pretty tough to write, especially with the limited space.
I wasn’t sure how difficult until we were assigned to write them. I mean they aren’t the trickiest things for me to write, but there is an art to them.

]]> Some headlines are just dull to me and don’t capture my attention, while others are clever and creative and make me want to read the story. An example of this was observed when I went to the New York Time’s main web page. One headline that was dull to me was: Obama Pledges Public Works on a Vast Scale, while an eye-pooping creative headline was: Debt Watchdogs: Tamed or Caught Napping?
The headline could be just dull because of the content of the story, but either way, when it’s dull it makes me not want to read the article.
It’s kind of sad to me that these journalists put all this time and their effort into writing a story and then no one reads it because the headline isn’t catchy enough. So, the headline is very important, and an art that should be perfected to catch the reader’s attention.

Journalistic Ethics

2008-11-20T05:12:59Z

On the SPJ website they stated the code of ethics they follow: Public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. The SPJ website also says Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.
Some ways to remain honest and fair would be to test the accuracy of sources, question people’s motives, don’t distort images, avoid misleading the audience, and never plagiarize.

]]> I think the code of ethics for journalists is high but also very necessary to be effective. I don’t know of many other professions where they should follow such a high code, but it’s all part of the role.
I know that I and the general public don’t want to be lied to, don’t want to mislead, and want the real story and truth. We as journalists have the obligation to dig deep, do extensive research, and present issues and stories to people with full integrity. The general public deserve that.

Food Writing is absolutely delicious

2008-11-11T06:15:52Z

I love how the leads for food stories says something that makes the reader’s mouth water. They are so different from regular reporting, much more relaxed and all about one topic: food.

]]> Pioneer Press did an article on gourmet chocolates for cheap. The first sentence was, “Want to sink your teeth into gourmet chocolate this holiday season? Put down that $30 box of truffles and go cruise your supermarket's candy aisle.�? It seems so funny and so animated to me; like a 50’s mom in an apron on television raving about how to make your roast chicken perfection. It seems too much to me, but I love food very much, so nonetheless I love to read about it. Although I’d much rather eat it than read it.
The article I read was still organized very well, having a good lead, information to back up her main point, price comparisons, and good quotes. All in all the story was well written and well formatted, it was just a very light easy-going topic; but that’s what is expected for food writing I guess.

The Star Tribune article was much shorter and to the point. The title was, “This brownie is pure gold.�? And boy by the picture and the description I was hooked. The brownies the writer was talking about came from a local baker. The introduction was, “When baker Donna Cavanaugh calls her signature confection a "brownie," she's selling her work short. My friend nailed it on his first bite. "They're creamy without being gooey," he said. Exactly. They're also intensely chocolately, a mouthwatering combination of semisweet and bittersweet that's wrapped around Minnesota-made butter and a hint of almond.�?
I don’t know who wouldn’t faint or run to the baker the second they read that. That writer nailed it. It allowed me to taste it in my mouth while I read the article.

Of course both articles provided pictures of the food they were talking about to add to the excitement. A food article would be nothing without a good picture to describe what is being discussed. Both newspapers gave great mouth-watering pictures that made me want to run to the store and get it.

I guess you have to be ready to start baking or have a full stomach when reading the food articles, or at least I do. Otherwise I’d be craving the food discussed so bad I’d have droll coming down my chin, no joke.

Business Section

2008-10-28T06:12:59Z

When looking for articles to read in the Business section of the New York Times, almost every story had to do with the economic crisis and everything related to it; such as the Dow dropping, financial safety, and the value of the American dollar.

]]> Unlike the Times, The Wall Street Journal had more of a variety in the business section. It had articles about the financial crisis, but also about sales of the DTV converter boxes, the Discover card lawsuit, and the downfall of the circulation of newspapers. Overall, WSJ had a much more interesting variety of topics.

The top story for the LA Times was “Stocks slide sharply as recession worries continues.�? However, their lead story was an economic crisis story, they organized the articles into groups, which I really liked. They had business blogs, a whole section on the financial crisis, global economy, small businesses, box office, and a Q & A segment. This format was much more appealing, and I think it may draw in more readers who aren’t necessarily corporate business owners. The regular reader gets to read about the economy, small businesses, stocks, movie sales, etc. What ever interests them they can access. I really like this format.

The article I read in the LA Times was about how ATM overdraft fees will rise again. This story had no business jargon, and was straight to the point. It was also a topic that almost every American can relate to since most Americans have checking and savings accounts. I liked the article because it was simple and a story many people could relate to.

I feel like a lot of news paper’s business section is very much tailored to a certain group of people, and it can be very overwhelming for the average person to understand and capture their interests.

New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/business/index.html
Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/public/page/news-business-us.html?refresh=on
LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-bankfees28-2008oct28,0,1201453.story

Opinion Columns

2008-10-21T03:40:25Z

When looking at various paper’s opinion columns, the most popular topic, is of course, the election, and everything related to it. I looked at three different opinion columns dealing with the last presidential debate, each candidate’s policies, and the most popular topic, “Joe the Plumber.�?

]]> Jo-Ann Armao of The Washington Post kept making the comparison between her father, who was a butcher, to Joe the plumber, who McCain kept addressing in the last Presidential Debate. She said, “Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama hoped to show their understanding, their support, and their empathy for the working people of America. What they ended up doing, though, was objectifying -- and to my mind, disrespecting -- the very people they claim to admire. Joe Wurzelbacher is not a gimmick or a slogan, and his hopes and fears deserve more than to be campaign fodder.�? She stated that “ordinary folks�? are given the most attention for presidential candidates, and then they’re forgotten until the next election comes around. She didn’t take a side for McCain or Obama, but rather said that both of them kept overusing the phrase “Joe the Plumber�? when neither of them cared, it was just a campaign slogan. She also concluded with the fact that the candidates would never address them as “gentlemen from Ohio.�? I had never thought of it like that before, and I thought it was extremely disrespectful to just bluntly label someone “Joe the Plumber�? like they’re such lower class, non-important people.

The LA Times’ opinion column discussed more about McCain’s actions during the last presidential debate, and asked the question of whether or not McCain swayed voters or alienated them by harshly attacking Obama. It was McCain’s final debate with Obama, and he needed to do something in for he feared he might lose the election, so he decided to attack. The writer had a definite bias against McCain and the way he handled the debate and took low blows to Obama to make him look bad. McCain’s desperate attempt to win voters didn’t seem to work, instead, it seemed to put McCain in a bad light, and gave Obama higher standing by the way he elegantly handled himself during McCain’s blatant attacks.

Lastly, Paul Krugman of the New York Times also talked about Joe the plumber, but in a different context than The Washington Post. He talked about how McCain believes that the old formula of no social change still works. He believes the old strategy actually hinders the working American, while McCain endorses no change, all while him and Palin are trotting around the United States, or should I say “pro-America�? parts of the country, which apparently doesn’t included New Jersey, Krugman sarcastically stated. He argued that the average plumber of America makes around $50,000 and McCain was making outrageous accusations saying that under Obama’s plan that Joe the plumber would have horrible taxes. McCain needed to rethink his tactic and get it facts straight about the average working American, because if he did really know, he’d know that a plumber does not make over $200,000. (the amount that would be needed under Obama’s plan to be taxed)

The LA Times and The New York Times both attacked McCain and his campaign.
I was surprised that the Washington Post did not take sides and bluntly said that both campaigns are disrespecting the average American.

The Washington Post: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2008/10/_my_father_guy_armao.html
The LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-debate16-2008oct16,0,7923080.story
The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/opinion/20krugman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin

Different Photo Slide Shows

2008-10-14T05:48:42Z

The New York Times did a photo slide show about Diane Paulus the director of the Public Theater’s revival of “Hair�? in NYC. It started out with a picture of the director in a natural setting surrounded by flowers. The caption described her work very briefly. The rest of slides, excluding the last one, showed different scenes from different plays that Paulus has done. They also showed the actors in action with Paulus directing. The captions describe what’s going on in the scene and which characters the actors are playing. The last slide ended with a scene from her latest play “Hair.�? The whole photo slide show was some of Paulus’ theater work, ending the slide show with her latest show she directed.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/08/17/theater/20080817_PAULUS_SLIDESHOW_index.html?scp=1&sq=photo%20slide%20shows%20Paulus&st=cse

]]> On Oprah.com, the photo slide show is called Dr. Oz’s 20-min. workout, with photos showing you how to do each move. This photo shoot is more directed towards women, showing them how to stay in shape with little time and no equipment. The whole thing emphasizes keeping your body and mind in good shape by strengthening both in his exercises. The captions also try to encourage the reader by having one sentence as an excuse saying something like, “I can’t do this because. . .�? with the line underneath it stating an excuse buster saying that you can do the workout and that it’s easy!

http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/omagazine/slideshow2_ss_health_omag_200704_oz

Breaking new on People magazine online! They go through an 18 photo slide show on new mommy Jamie-Lynn Spears bargain shopping at Walmart, along with tracking where other Hollywood stars have been. Such as, Reese Witherspoon with her new boyfriend, Mariah Carey on the red carpet, and Victoria Beckhem, well basically just walking like she’s on a catwalk. Each caption just briefly describes where each of these stars are and what they’re doing.

http://www.people.com/people/gallery/0,,20232413_1,00.html

All three media outlets obviously have a target audience that they’re trying to reach by their photo slide shows. NY Times is much more news in-depth, along with photos that appeal to NYC residents, such as the local director. All the photos and topics seemed very artistic too. The pictures captured beautiful moments and they were all very creative. Oprah’s photo slide shows obviously appeal to her target audience: women. So her main photo slide shows included, what hair style fits my face shape, 20 min. workouts, or creative Halloween ideas for your family! People magazine has pictures only containing celebrities. Where they’ve been, who they’re walking with, what they’re doing, and what they’re wearing. Because with all that’s going on in the world, we must know at any moment what bad outfit Miley Cyrus was caught wearing.

Vice Presidential Debate

2008-10-07T04:44:15Z

Thursday night was a very interesting and heated vice presidential debate, said was said to be one of the most watched VP debates. I wasn’t surprised by all the attention and anticipation leading up to the debates because is was sure to be good, especially with Palin’s rocky interview just days before with Katie Couric. Biden and Palin butted heads all through the debate, except when it came to gay marriage; it was the only point they both agreed on, both being against it. Although there was much coverage leading up to the debate, all the excitement and coverage kind of dwindled down after Thursday night. When I searched online for articles regarding the previous night debate, I found articles, however, the main focused headline was the economy. Rightfully so, however, it was even more difficult to find more coverage on the debate a couple days later. When searching for articles, I was surprised to find that when I searched on Google “Palin and Biden debate“, I got many links talking about Tina Fey on SNL playing Gov. Palin. I was surprised that half my results came up with debate satires. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing; are we really paying attention to the debates and the facts, or are we as a people more interested in SNL’s take on the debate.

]]>
As pointed out in a New York Times article, link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/us/politics/03debate.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&sq=vp%20debate&st=cse&scp=3&oref=slogin
Biden occasionally lost patience with Palin’s debating tactics, as when she used Biden’s words against her. Palin stressed that she and McCain are the right fit for the job, saying the people want something new and fresh. She said she was on the same level as the American people with issues such as the economy, stating, “Go to a kids’ soccer game on Saturday and turn to any parent there on the sideline and ask them, ‘How are you feeling about the economy? And I’ll betcha you’re going to hear some fear in that parent’s voice, fear regarding the few investments that some of us have in the stock market — did we just take a major hit with those investments?�? She kind of took her own stance on how she lead the debate, and when in doubt would refer to her favorite subject, energy!

Biden took the stance, that if McCain became president, we would be going down the same road and same policies as Bush. Just as Obama stressed in the presidential debate, Biden reinforced the issue that John McCain’s policies are going to be the same as Bushes, and we cannot have that happen again. Things got heated towards the end of the debate, when Biden shot back against Palin, saying, “He’s not been a maverick when it comes to education — he has not supported tax cuts and significant changes for people being able to send their kids to college, he’s not been a maverick on the war. He’s not been a maverick on virtually anything that generally affects the things that people really talk about.�?

One thing is for sure, it was an interesting debate that went in it’s own direction. And I’m just happy I don’t have to hear Palin say the word “maverick�? again!

1st Presidential Debate

2008-09-30T05:56:09Z

Did anyone notice that Sen. Obama addressed Sen. McCain as Jim, Bob, and another name which was not John, his actual name. That was just something I noticed that I thought was kind of rude and unprofessional on Obama’s part to mistake his opponents name on several different occasions.

It was unsure whether or not McCain would show up to the debate, but he did, and rightfully so since he owed it to the American people to talk about his view on our country’s issues and how he plans to address them as future President. That to me was much more important and advantageous event for McCain to attend, as opposed to staying in Washington.

]]> Anyways, moving on to what was discussed and debated at the presidential debate.
The Wall Street Journal pointed out how the debate veered off from topic.
(http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122247204209780953.html?mod=article-outset-box)
Even though the debate was supposed to be devoted entirely to foreign policy and national security, the debate brought up issues such as the new economic crisis, taxing, and spending. However, they did talk a lot about national security and the war. McCain kept pointing out that he has much experience in combat as a Vietnam Vet and knows how to better handle the current war. He doesn’t want to pull out because he feels that we are winning. He also kept saying that Obama doesn’t know the difference between a strategy and a tactic. He says Obama is not well trained in how to handle military moves and is ill-equipped to handle the current state of the war. McCain took a stab at Obama stating, "There are some advantages to experience and knowledge and judgment, and I honestly don't believe that Sen. Obama has the knowledge and experience. I don't think I need any on-the-job training. I'm ready to go at it right now."
Obama struck back against his harsh comments saying, "John, you're absolutely right that presidents have to be prudent in what they say. But coming from you who in the past have threatened extinction for North Korea and sung songs about bombing Iran, I don't know how credible that is."

The New York Times emphasized how Obama continually compared McCain like Bush, and saying that we cannot afford to have a repeat of the last 8 years. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/27/us/politics/27debatecnd.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=presidential%20debate&st=cse&oref=slogin)
NY Times stated that for the first 40 minutes, Mr. Obama repeatedly sought to link Mr. McCain to President Bush, and suggested that it was policies of excessive deregulation that led to the financial crisis and mounting economic problems the nation faces now.
As quoted from the debate, “We also have to recognize that this is a final verdict on eight years of failed economic policies promoted by George Bush, supported by Senator McCain — the theory that basically says that we can shred regulations and consumer protections and give more and more to the most and somehow prosperity will trickle down,�? Mr. Obama said. “It hasn’t worked, and I think that the fundamentals of the economy have to be measured by whether or not the middle class is getting a fair shake.�?

The main argument from the two candidates that I got from the debate was that McCain kept emphasizing that Obama wasn’t ready to handle big military problems, the war in Iraq, and the financial crisis because he is too inexperienced. McCain repeatedly brought up that the American people should go on his website and check out things he’s done in the past to prove that he knows what he’s talking about. This goes along with his famous saying, “I walk the walk, not just talk the talk.�?

As for Obama, he stressed that we cannot afford as a country to have a repeat of the last 8 years, and McCain is supported of many Bush decisions, and says we cannot expect good change for this country if we follow in the footsteps of Bush’s reign as President, which he is confident will happen if McCain becomes president.

Troubles on Wall Street

2008-09-23T06:13:54Z

The Pioneer Press took on a different angle compared to the Star Tribune and the MN Daily on the country's financial problems. Instead of writing about the woes of Wall Street, the Pioneer Press (http://www.twincities.com/ci_10531164?nclick_check=1 interviewed a Minnesota based company that is actually doing quite well in our suffering economy. They interview General Mills and talk about how in midst of everything that is happening, they have sales rising, stocks going up, and a debt that is very much manageable. The story's purpose was to bring hope and confidence in the economy by their example. I thought it was a great white light in the middle of financial turmoil, however, I really think they should have focused more on what Washington is doing to fix the problem, and not lead people on that the economy is okay because one MN company is doing fine.

The Star Tribune focused on the new bailout bill that was proposed. (http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/congress/29234359.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUX)
They described the bill, and said how Democrats want to cut executive's pay to help with the company. They said the government is very generous to offer such a bill that would help so many companies since the Great Depression. Frank, D-Mass, who was leading negotiations said "By the declaration that they made, by sending this proposal, I think we have to recognize the reality that we don't have a choice now of debating whether this is a good or a bad thing," This obviously is a much different view and angle than the Pioneer Press did. In this quote, it states how things are really bad, and it’s supported by the fact that the $700 billion bailout bill is being proposed. Even President Bush is worried, saying to Congress to pass the rescue plan quickly, declaring, "The whole world is watching."

The MN Daily also did a story on Bush’s plan to solve the economy’s bad debt.
(http://mndaily.com/content/bush-meets-treasury-secretary-fed-chief-says-hes-working-hard-financial-turmoil)
However, unlike the Star Tribune, the MN Daily just stated that Bush met at the White House to calm the financial turmoil. They just stated, “news reports said Paulson was considering having the government create an entity to take over banks' bad debt.�?
They didn’t have any quotes from White House treasury secretary, Bush, big business executives, or citizens. They also ended the story with: Bush canceled his trip so he could focus on the worst financial meltdown since the Great Depression. That was a pretty bold statement, I thought, to make seeing as how throughout the whole article it never once gave information about how bad the economy was, or quotes from people who are worried. All it did was state that Bush was meeting at the White House to discuss the issue, and it said nothing else. However, the Star Tribune actually went into detail about what happened at the White House and what bill was presented to Congress. It also stated the challenges our economy is facing, and I think the MN Daily did a poor job on reflecting the struggles and the actions put forth to solve the issue. Maybe they feel students won’t care about the bill, or maybe they didn’t have enough information, I’m not sure. All I know is that the two stories (MN Daily and Star Tribune) were posted on the same day. So how one story could have lots of information, while the other one is very vague about what happened at the White House is beyond me.