The News About The News

Citizens or Consumers?

Saturday, August 30, 2008

By: Alex Jones

Low voter turn outs across the board, and an overall indifference being felt lately in American Politics, could this be attributed to the poor coverage major news stations are currently displaying? Alarming to me is that the three major broadcast stations in America: NBC, ABC and CBS seem to be down-playing their coverage of the current presidential race and instead focusing more on their ratings.

With these major stations worrying about their ratings, there seems to be no time for the Presidential race. In 2004 NBC aired Fear Factor in place of the conventions where current Democratic Presidential hopefully Barack Obama made his first appearance (Karr). No wonder America has become disinterested, voter turn out, especially in youth has been in a "steady decline" and voter turn out overall is only striking between "50-55 percent" (Karr).

In my experience it is tough enough for the youth of today and voters overall, to maintain their interest in politics without the temptation of flipping the station to see their favorite reality T.V. show airing at the same time. Journalism should strive to cover all of the political hype, regardless of ratings. It is their job to provide accurate information to the masses. Without the help of these major television stations how are the citizens of America supposed to stay informed? More people continue to tune in to their television sets for their current news. I cannot help but feel that this is an incredibly low blow to broadcast journalism overall.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/networks-sleep-while-demo_b_121438.html

Lack of Information or Lack of Respect?

By: Katie Anthony

In today's society, it seems that hearing about certain deaths become more and more common in any form of media that's available to the public. However, while it is so common, it seems that a few newspapers aren't finding it necessary to print about a local "violent death." The New York Times, The New York Post, and the New York Daily News remained absolutely silent about a death of a man who was found stabbed in his apartment. There was only a brief statement on The New York Sun website with a title that read "Man Found Dead in Bathtub." At the crime scene, it was noted that they found knives, but the police quoted that there was "no criminality suspected."

Though it was thought to be a suicide, the fact that it was very poorly reported, I find to be extremely disrespectful. A professor of journalism at Ohio University says that the reason it was so poorly reported was due to the fact that suicide is a "touchy subject." However, when it was thought that Heath Ledger's death was an appararent suicide, it was all over news mediums, both printed and online.

Virginia Heffernan, a noted New York Times blogger, went on to Google News and typed in the deceased man's name. Only five articles were found. Most of them vague about the cause of death (and any details), due to the fact that nothing "official" had been determined. One of the articles closed with their condolences to the man's friends and family, but the article was found to be so brief that the closing seemed to be the most important part of their article. There was hardly a body to this supposed story.

So, how is the media prioritizing stories? If there was a suicide of anyone in the "public eye," it would make the front page of any major papers. If there was a suicide bomber, who, only ended up killing himselves overseas, I'm sure that that would be in the major papers as well. I believe it to be sad that a death that was noted as "violent" without a true cause of death, got hardly no attention at all.

I believe it to be a sad day once one person is allowed to choose which stories, based on death, they will or will not publish.

Obama Takes the Cake... Will the Convention's Journalists do the Same?

By: Kathryn Lisk

While politics have always played a large role in society, America seems to be especially interested in November's presidential election. Barack Obama's speech was not only given in front of While politics have always played a large role in society, America seems to be especially interested in November’s election. Barack Obama’s speech was not only given in front of 80,000 people at Invesco Field in Denver, Colorado, but was also viewed by 38 million people from home. This number nearly doubles the number of viewers John Kerry, who had 24.4 million in the 2004 election. With these numbers, will there be more voters than usual? Can McCain match these numbers in his upcoming speech in Minnesota in the next few days?

Furthermore, there were over 15,000 reporters present at the Democratic Convention, each hoping to bring home an original story about where the U.S. was headed and if Obama would become a part of history. Before reading this article, I felt the number of stories produced by this number of journalists may be a bit much. Does America really need 15,000 views of this story? But with the obvious interest in the convention and election, maybe this is necessary. Various writers have mentioned job cuts within the journalism market, including Fairfax, who just laid off 550 Journalists. As long as Americans are demanding stories and information on the election and the candidates, Journalists may still have work.

I hope that as information is given to the American public about the election, Americans decide to participate in the election and vote. I’ve heard quite a few Simpson students talking about their views and I hope to see that they’ll take part in the elections. After all, news is supposed to inform its viewers. Will it?

To hike... or not to hike? by Sarah Keller

This summer, I read the book "three cups of tea", it was about a man named Greg Mortenson who loved to hike, but after his failed attempt to climb K2, a mountain in Pakistan. he came upon a village named Karakoram and decided to build them a school, after that he built many schools across Pakistan primarily for girls, and made a great impact on their society, all while going through many struggles. All of this came about because of Mortenson’s love for hiking. Which made me wonder what is it about hiking that attracts so many people? In a few instances such as Mortenson good can come out of a hike, but in many cases things can come out bad, even deadly. So I would like to know is it worth the risks?

ABC wrote a story about a five year old prodigy girl named Yunona Bukasov who loves to hike. She has been to 21 national parks in the last 13 months, and has summated some of the highest peaks such as California's Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the continental United States. Bukasov’s father said that they keep her very safe and do not put her in harms way while hiking, but I can not help but wonder how one can be truly prepared for any obstacle that might come about on a hike.

Yesterday ABC reported Wednesday August 27, Gibson called 911 and told them that he and his girlfriend were trapped at Dana Glacier and had lost part of their equipment, it was not until yesterday August 29 that they were saved. The paramedics believe that the couple will be ok after they receive medical attention.

In the end everything turned out fine for the couple, but that is not always the case for hikers. I do not know if I would be able to put myself in harms way to hike dangerous mountains, that is just me personally. I am however thankful for people such as Greg Mortenson who had the courage to hike because if it were not for him he would not have accidently come upon a small village, promised to build them a school and make a real impact in Pakistan for the women, if it were not for him none of the girls there would be receiving an education.

-the scaredy cat

Sharing Stories?

Friday, August 29, 2008

by: Jessica Hamell
Isn’t the point of having three different news papers to compete against each other? The Miami Herald, the Sun-Sentinel and The Palm Beach Post announced that they were going to start sharing basic news stories. This kind of threw me off, three different papers would run the same story with the same facts. The good thing about not sharing stories is that each paper would have different facts and information to give the readers. Each paper also has a different demographic to please so they should write there stories differently.
The editors said they would still “preserve” the competition between the three papers but I don’t get how that would be possible. I understand that each paper would still have different stories but the articles about what was going on around their area would be the same.
Two of the Three papers I think would lose business just for the simple fact why buy three different papers when you can read the same story in all of them and still have others that catch your eye. Think about it for a second, why share stories?

A Career in Journalism? Nah...too hard!!!

By: Lexie Hagerty

After reading the article about the sports columnist who quit due to the decrease in newspaper sales, it is becoming obvious that the way in which are news is being reported is changing. Instead of newspapers, information is being reported through cell phones, the Internet, and television. Many articles have been published about drops in newspaper advertisements. Even larger newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times are losing profit due to the decrease in advertising sales. In reaction to this decrease, journalists are losing their jobs and the publishing companies are selling assets. So, basically one would have to have the skills to publish his or her work online to succeed in the journalism world.

I was previously interested in a journalistic career until I interned at Meredith Corporation in Des Moines, Iowa. The majority of the employees worked for the web journalism rather than the normal print magazine journalism. Without proper education and computer skills, it would be very hard to make a career in magazine journalism. Therefore, besides the stress of finding a story and making it interesting to readers, I would also have to have the skills to display it online. Also, it still wouldn't be much of a career after all of this work, since anyone today can publish his or her work online. Basically, the story I worked so hard to write and publish has to compete with millions of others around the world! This is not an easy job to succeed in. With those odds, I might as well take my chances in professional volleyball!

When is it considered crossing the line?

By LIZ TJADEN

The Summer Olympic Games. It’s every athlete’s dream for a chance to prove to themselves, their country, and their competition that they are the best. But is it more than that? Paul Farhi from the Washington Post has been enjoying the Olympic Games like any other fan but feels like we are missing out on the bigger stories around Beijing and the Games. He talks with Brooke Gladstone from On the Media.

This sparked an interest in me, not only because of my recent trip to China and Beijing, but also because that is how I felt while watching the games this past summer. Where were the stories of the people and their society, the pollution, and protests that have surrounded the Games? I know from experience that China is quick to cover up what they don’t want other people, especially people from other countries, to see. The government has a vision of China that they want to portray to others and they try their hardest to cover up the poverty, parts of their history, and anything that makes them stand out from others.

I noticed that NBC had little segments on the Great Wall, Three Gorges Dam, and the Forbidden City. But they were so small and insignificant. Farhi points out the spot that NBC did on the Three Gorges Dam. The problem with it was that it was only a few seconds long and failed to mention the 1.5 million people who were kicked out of their homes and forced to live on the countryside.

One could argue that the Olympics aren’t for news. They are for the athletes and the games themselves. But I think one of the great things about the Olympics, no matter what country, is that it gives people a chance to peak into a culture that they wouldn’t normally get to see without going there. Even during the cycling races, when the athletes are competing, they were biking through Beijing towards the Great Wall. I thought it was cool to just see the city and part of the countryside in the background of the race. Actually, I will be honest, it was more interesting than the race itself.

If NBC had taken this opportunity to not only show the games but also use it from an educational standpoint, I think a lot more people would have benefited from it. They didn’t need to bash China or point out everything that was wrong but a little more hard headed reporting wouldn’t have hurt either.

By: Jessica Hartgers

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Hi. My name is Jessica Hartgers. I am a junior from Colfax, its a little town between Altoona and Newton. I attended Colfax-Mingo High School and played softball there, and am continuing to play softball here at Simpson.
I have two younger siblings who I can't ever seem to get enough of. My sister's name is Hope and she will be celebrating her eighth birthday in September. Hope loves to ride her bike, play with her dolls, and do tricks on the swing set. My brother's name is Hugh and he is six years old. Hugh is a typical boy, he loves to play baseball, ride his four-wheeler, and get dirty.
My family and friends mean the world to me and without them I would be lost. I love to see my family whenever possible, but sometimes that's not very often. I spend time with my friends in every spare second of my day. I love to hang out with my friends, let loose and just have a good time. I am a pretty easy going person and am very easy to get along with, and at times I am a little shy. That's me!

Last Minute Inspiration

By SARA CROUSE
Student

Sticking to my true Art major roots, I have decided to wait until the day of class to find my inspiration for blogging. Artists never seem to complete something until the timing is right, and the right reasons are in it. So here I am!

My name is Sara Crouse, and I am enjoying the start of my junior year here at Simpson. I am double majoring in Art and Corporate Communications, with a minor in Political Science. I’m only a junior though, and perhaps my majors will change yet again. I did have an internship this past summer at the Des Moines Art Center. It was helpful to get acquainted with the staff, and also help aid their marketing campaign with local business professionals.

The past two years at Simpson, I have been involved in numerous organizations from SGA to CAB. This year though, I am mostly excited about Greek Recruitment, and continuing my work in the Office of Admissions. There’s never enough time in the day to be involved in all the great things going on at Simpson.

GO STORM!

QUINN!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

I'm a junior and a corporate communications major. I was an elementary education major but found out it wasn't for me. I played football but now I stay busy with other activities with my fraternity. I'm from Dunkerton, which is in northeast Iowa by Waterloo. This summer I lived in Indianola and worked customer service for Guthy Renker, the company that owns
Proactiv Solution. Taking phone calls sucked but it paid the bills. Last semester I stepped on a piece of glass and had seven stitches in my foot and I also got shot in the face. There was also record snowfall, record rainfall, and record tornadoes all near my home in northeast Iowa. I'm hoping to have a better semester this year. I like long walks on the beach and candlelight dinners.

Quinn Albrecht

I'm going to call you Caty...

Hi I'm Katharine, better known by my alias Katie Schaefer. I'm 20 years old and a Junior here at Simpson College. I grew up in a small town by the name of Prairie City. When I was in 5th grade my teacher Mr. Grier use to always call me Katy, so that is why my title is what it is. If you have ever seen the movie Mean Girls, and if you haven't then I suggest you should, then my title will also ring a bell from that too. I live with 3 wonderful roommates that I love. I am majoring in Sports Administration and minoring in Communications. I have an internship with KCCI this fall that will hopefully go well!! After graduating from college I hope to become a sports broadcaster when I get done with college.

Well this has been my first blog so hopefully everyone enjoys it! :)
If you have any questions just ask I'm pretty easy to get along with!

Hey Everybody

My name is Taylor Browning and I am a junior this year. I'm majoring in Corporate Communications and minoring in Marketing. I graduated from Valley High School where I spent most of my time in volleyball. Im glad to get back to school but it will be rough considering I just came back from Canada. My summer went pretty well. I spent most of my time working, going to the lake, or going to rock concerts. The tennis coach asked me to play this year, so it will be pretty interesting considering I've never played before. Anyways, that's all I can think of, so see you all in class.

Tay

I'm The Procrastinator!

By: Sarah Harl

Hello everyone! My name is Sarah, and I am excited about beginning my junior year at Simpson! Originally from Williamsburg, IA, I am a corporate communications major, with a specialization on Sports Entertainment management, as well as a political science minor. I'm very actively involved on campus, holding a leadership position in my sorority, serving as the Panhellenic Council President, the Concerts co-chair of CAB, and am a member of PRSSA. I recently completed my second summer as a counselor at Trail's End summer camp in Beach Lake, PA, and while camp is one of the greatest loves of my life, it falls short to my love for Simpson! Needless to say, I'm very excited to be back on campus, and back into the swing of everything.

See you all tomorrow!

Sarah

A little about me

Hey! My name is Erin Floro and I am a sophomore here at Simpson. I am from Ankeny but we are actually in the process of moving to Waukee. I graduated from Dowling Catholic High School and was involved in just about everything. I decided to cut back on all the activities in college so right now I'm just very busy with my sorority. This summer I had an awesome job with Professional Property Management and made some good money. I'm excited for this class because it seems very interesting! I'm a procrastinator as well, I have to go do the reading now I will see everyone tomorrow!

Homework Already?!?

Hi. I'm Shauna Agan, but really if you can't remember my name I answer to anything including "hey you!". I am a sophomore here at Simpson and like Kellie Green, I also went to Lincoln High School in Des Moines. I am a member of the Simpson softball team and love all kinds of sports! As of right now I am a political science major and am planning on adding a Corporate Comm major and an English Comp minor. I have an avid interest in politics (by the way I'm very jealous that Pat got to do a White House Internship!). I have wanted to become a politician since I was five years old but I also love communications so I am hoping to tie them together somehow. After college I want to go to law school and possibly even become a prosecuting attorney or a labor lawyer. Who knows what will happen?!? I am very outgoing and personable so just say hi to me sometime or facebook me! See you all tomorrow!

Oh yeah...I am kind of a procrastinator sooooo needless to say I will be the one doing my blogs right before they are due! See you all later!

Introduction: Alex Jones

My name is Alexandra Jones, Alex for short. I am a Junior this year and am majoring in English with minors in Journalism and Secondary Education. All throughout high school I was on the Yearbook staff. I really enjoyed Journalism and my teacher was absolutely amazing! She treated her students like adults, we earned our grades and it was not easy. I have to admit I am a weak writer and was more into the designing aspect of the Yearbook. However, I hope to strengthen my writing skills through taking this course. I am very excited to go into teaching Journalism because I believe it is a class that enables students to be more creative. There are no right and wrong answers. My Journalism classes taught me a lot about people and taking responsibility for my actions.

Hi! I'm Allison McNeal

Hey! My name is Allison McNeal, and I'm a transfer student at Simpson this year. I transfered from DMACC in West Des Moines, so this is definately a change! I'm a Junior with my major being journalism. I haven't decided if I want to do a minor in French or what I'm going to do for sure yet.

I've really enjoyed my time here at Simpson so far and love how nice people are! I'm hoping to do some extra-curricular activities, like joining a club or organization of some sort. I would also possibly like to join a sorority next year.

I'm a pretty nice person, but am kind of shy sometimes. I do like meeting new people, so I can't wait to meet everyone in the class!

See you guys tomorrow!

"my introduction"

Hello, this is my first experience with blogging- I know, that's crazy seeing as I'm a sophomore in college and my life revolves around the internet (ex. email and facebook) However, I'll give this a shot so please bear with me.

My name is Kelsey Knutson and I am a sophomore and I am enjoying every minute of it. I'm from St. Charles, Iowa, which is only twenty minutes south of Indianola... I know, I made a big move. I play softball here at Simpson and plan on leaving here with some sort of communication major. I love writing and journalism is obviously a main interest, however, like many college students I'm lost and confused when it comes to making life-altering decisions. I know, if I'm going to be successful I should probably figure out what I'm going to do. Who knows- it may come down to a coin flip.

I'm pretty easy going and love to meet new people so I'm sure everyone (you, whoever is reading this, haha) and I will get along well. I'm excited to start the new year and I'm really looking forward to this class- I'm sure it will be fun! And hey, I've already done something new.. I've "blogged!"

Hello there

Hey, my name is Gabe Gilson and I am currently a sophomore here at Simpson College. At this point, I am not quite sure what I am majoring in but it will most likely be something in the Communication field. At Simpson, I play football which basically takes up any amount of free time I have. It also keeps me out of too much trouble which is a good thing. I come from Prairie City which is about 20 miles east of Des Moines. I graduated from PCM high school and of course I am pround to be a Mustang alum. In the summer, I work without a shirt as a lifeguard. Lets just say, the job has its benefits. Overall, I have an extrodinary sense of humor and I am always trying to crack jokes. I often laugh to myself at things the average person would not find remotely humorous. This class excites me because I find the journalism field very interesting and someday I would like to be a broadcaster on ESPN. All I need is some brains to go along with these looks! (joking). Hopefully this class gets myself, along with everyone else on the right track for their future in writing.

Hi! I'm Pat!

Hi! My name is Pat Tierney, and I'm a sophomore here at Simpson. I haven't quite officially declared a major yet, but communications is probably where I'll end up. I'm a big fan of photography but figured out really quick that in the photography profession it’s more about your portfolio than your degree - so we'll see where that leads me. This is my first semester back at Simpson after spending just under 5 months working in the White House. I worked in the Photo Office while I was there, which really proved to be one of the best experiences of my life. I'm excited to be back on campus this semester and definitely ready to return to the good life of a college student. Outside of the everyday hustle and bustle of college and classes, I’m a huge sports fan, landing a job at ESPN would be a dream. I’ve also found a lot of fun in entering road races across the mid-west. With any luck I might have a marathon under my belt one of these days.

That’s the basic scoop on me. I’m a pretty laid back easy going guy and really excited for the next 9 months here at school. I know each classes has it’s own ups and downs and new opportunities and I’m excited to see where this class takes us.

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