After watching a clip from "State of Play" and the story of the photojournalist who won the Pulitzer Prize, there are similarities in the way they do journalism, but fictional journalism and the real thing showed themselves to be very different.
The real contrast between the two was emotion in my opinion. "State of Play" showed journalists to be very cutthroat and very intent on revealing the truth, no matter who it hurt or what the consequences. As it was said in class though, truth can be a weapon. If your audience is not ready, it will hurt them. In contrast, the photojournalist had a heart for the hostage situation that was going on. It was a small town and he was emotionally invested in everything. He could not bring himself to take a picture of the cut-up, thrashed, 5-year-old girl because it was too graphic. If that had been a fictional situation, I think they definitely would have revealed the picture of the little girl. Fiction is meant to shock, as opposed to real life where people are real and have real emotions and do what the average person would do.
Sometimes with fiction journalism out there as a model, we forget that journalists are just average people who have normal responses to unusual situations. Real journalists are not much different than us, while fictional journalists can be very ruthless as they try to get to the bottom of the story in a very pressing, cutthroat manner to not only reveal the truth, but advance their careers.
That is the difference between truth and fiction.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
So About This Class...
Basically, this class has been pretty crazy. Michael J. Farr came in who works for the L.A. Times and I learned a lot about how they do coding for the html and even how to do some simple things, like insert format for a story, and I know that will come in handy at some point, so I am pretty excited. I feel slightly more computer literate. Unfortunately, this class came in at a time when I had to pick classes, so I only halfway paid attention to some of the stuff. I missed out a little bit on the learning. Bummer. Actually as I am typing this, I should be inserting html or something. I don't know what I am supposed to be doing. At least I showed up, right?
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Ideas Raised From "All The President's Men"
According to the review by Roger Ebert handed out in class, "All The President's Men" was an extremely accurate vision of what real journalism looked like and for that he praised the movie, but also said that it lacked storytelling elements usually necessary to satisfy moviegoers. Maybe this is true, but I throughly enjoyed the way that they accurately portrayed journalism instead of making it just another flashy, unreal, exciting, Hollywood film. Journalism is not always going to have all the leads or information one needs, and it is not always going to be a glamorous job that receives a lot of recognition for findings. There is real work involved, and real dead ends, and times when the story is not always going the way you expect it to.
I think that "Woodstein's" techniques to get the story on the Watergate scandal were completely ridiculous and unconventional, but given the situation, it was completely necessary. There were so many secrets going around that unless they used all the anonymous sources and semi-confirmations, they were never going to be able to get to the bottom of the story the way that they did. I honestly hope that when I believe a full-fledged journalist one day that I do not have to go through the lengths that they did to get every little tidbit of information that added together to make the story that they were after. I do not know if the public would accept this kind of vagueness in today's society. There are so many people who doubt the validity of the press and all that they have to say and would probably just peg things like that as conspiracy theory. I mean, look at the story of the death of Bin Laden! People already doubt if it happened just because of the lack of evidence in their possession, like the body or a picture of the body. How then would they be able to accept such a vague story with such elusive details and sources as the one that Woodward and Bernstein put out?
Another issue brought up in this class was the fact that President Richard Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal so that he could avoid impeachment, while President Bill Clinton, the president with the highest approval rating of any other president ever in America's history did not resign and was later impeached. I think that this situation speaks a lot about both the character of Nixon vs Clinton, as well as Congress's response to their given situations. From their different reactions to facing impeachment, it can be deduced that Nixon is the kind of man who cares very much about his pride and his image, while Clinton cares more about standing up for what he has done and taking responsibility for it, as well as facing the controversy head on. Also I think that based on this contrast, we should critique Congress and their decisions. Congress decided that despite the people's love for President Clinton, they could not have someone who committed adultery and lied about it as their president. Personally, I think that it had nothing to do with his ability to lead the country and the decision to impeach him upset a lot of people and was probably not the best for the country. On the other hand, I think that their decision to try to impeach President Nixon was completely valid and it is too bad that he never came them the chance to impeach him.
I think that "Woodstein's" techniques to get the story on the Watergate scandal were completely ridiculous and unconventional, but given the situation, it was completely necessary. There were so many secrets going around that unless they used all the anonymous sources and semi-confirmations, they were never going to be able to get to the bottom of the story the way that they did. I honestly hope that when I believe a full-fledged journalist one day that I do not have to go through the lengths that they did to get every little tidbit of information that added together to make the story that they were after. I do not know if the public would accept this kind of vagueness in today's society. There are so many people who doubt the validity of the press and all that they have to say and would probably just peg things like that as conspiracy theory. I mean, look at the story of the death of Bin Laden! People already doubt if it happened just because of the lack of evidence in their possession, like the body or a picture of the body. How then would they be able to accept such a vague story with such elusive details and sources as the one that Woodward and Bernstein put out?
Another issue brought up in this class was the fact that President Richard Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal so that he could avoid impeachment, while President Bill Clinton, the president with the highest approval rating of any other president ever in America's history did not resign and was later impeached. I think that this situation speaks a lot about both the character of Nixon vs Clinton, as well as Congress's response to their given situations. From their different reactions to facing impeachment, it can be deduced that Nixon is the kind of man who cares very much about his pride and his image, while Clinton cares more about standing up for what he has done and taking responsibility for it, as well as facing the controversy head on. Also I think that based on this contrast, we should critique Congress and their decisions. Congress decided that despite the people's love for President Clinton, they could not have someone who committed adultery and lied about it as their president. Personally, I think that it had nothing to do with his ability to lead the country and the decision to impeach him upset a lot of people and was probably not the best for the country. On the other hand, I think that their decision to try to impeach President Nixon was completely valid and it is too bad that he never came them the chance to impeach him.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The Truth Behind Journalism
All The President's Men is a riveting movie that provided a great amount of insight into the world of journalism.
The portion of the movie that we just watched in class is about the pursuit Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein engaged in to find the story behind the Watergate Scandal. Through a lot of investigative work, they were able to make a connection between the burglars of the Watergate Hotel to the Chief of Finances in the White House. I thought the movie and the true story behind it was extremely compelling both in the historical lesson it provided as well as the picture of journalism that it painted for me.
All The President's Men portrayed such an intriguing illustration of the journalism world, so I am extremely glad I watched it. It depicted the journalism field as not only a career in writing, but more importantly a career in investigating. Woodward and Bernstein were like the authorities the way they inquired the real story behind all the lies and confusion surrounding the crime. It was not about the way they wrote and used colorful imagery or anything like that that they became known for, it was their cracking down and getting the story. Journalism is not always about the way you write, as I have come to learn. It is about WHAT you write and the facts you have to back it up. Journalism is very much about investigating and getting to the true heart of the issue that one is writing about.
The portion of the movie that we just watched in class is about the pursuit Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein engaged in to find the story behind the Watergate Scandal. Through a lot of investigative work, they were able to make a connection between the burglars of the Watergate Hotel to the Chief of Finances in the White House. I thought the movie and the true story behind it was extremely compelling both in the historical lesson it provided as well as the picture of journalism that it painted for me.
All The President's Men portrayed such an intriguing illustration of the journalism world, so I am extremely glad I watched it. It depicted the journalism field as not only a career in writing, but more importantly a career in investigating. Woodward and Bernstein were like the authorities the way they inquired the real story behind all the lies and confusion surrounding the crime. It was not about the way they wrote and used colorful imagery or anything like that that they became known for, it was their cracking down and getting the story. Journalism is not always about the way you write, as I have come to learn. It is about WHAT you write and the facts you have to back it up. Journalism is very much about investigating and getting to the true heart of the issue that one is writing about.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
EagleVision
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Start: 5:00 PM
End: 5:55 PM
For the second media week, I thought it would be a good idea to explore EagleVision and the broadcasting side of journalism. During the meeting, the supervisor started off by talking about the importance of clear voice overs. He told them they needed to sound conversational and to let their voice be heard over the ambient sound. Then he just went through some random announcements and orders of business, such as their deadlines and how exactly they are to turn in all their footage, voiceovers, and finished edits in the class file so that their package could be completed. The supervisor handed out notes about what a news/ feature TV package entails, and another about the delivery and voice-over techniques. After his short lecture, we watched last week’s footage and the finished broadcast that was released last Friday. The students critiqued their own work and the work of others as the footage played. Finally, the executive producer, Taelor Smith, took the reins and began a planning session for the next couple weeks. They reviewed exactly what was being done for this week’s newscast and the progress being made on all the current stories in news, weather, health, world, sports, and entertainment. They ended with the assignments of the following week’s sections, and what stories would be included in each one. The last part of the meeting was brainstorming stories and the angles they could be taken.
I thought that the work that they did at EagleVision was absolutely amazing. I was so impressed with how much work went into that form of media. I now viewed EagleVision as the same as writing a story like I would have done with print, but then on top of that, they add in aspects of film and editing before their deadline. They had to plan out their stories, get people to say the exact quotes they needed to film, film an introduction, use voice overs, and then add in other film and still pictures to demonstrate the story. It was basically like a print story on steroids. That's how I feel. I never saw myself being interested in broadcast journalism because my dad works for radio and that never really appealed to me, but EagleVision opened my eyes to a whole new world and I can now definitely see myself doing something just like that. They had to work fast and concise and be very good at what they do to make to all come together correctly and I could not be more impressed. Deciding to visit EagleVision for my media week reflection was one of the best decisions I could have made.
Start: 5:00 PM
End: 5:55 PM
For the second media week, I thought it would be a good idea to explore EagleVision and the broadcasting side of journalism. During the meeting, the supervisor started off by talking about the importance of clear voice overs. He told them they needed to sound conversational and to let their voice be heard over the ambient sound. Then he just went through some random announcements and orders of business, such as their deadlines and how exactly they are to turn in all their footage, voiceovers, and finished edits in the class file so that their package could be completed. The supervisor handed out notes about what a news/ feature TV package entails, and another about the delivery and voice-over techniques. After his short lecture, we watched last week’s footage and the finished broadcast that was released last Friday. The students critiqued their own work and the work of others as the footage played. Finally, the executive producer, Taelor Smith, took the reins and began a planning session for the next couple weeks. They reviewed exactly what was being done for this week’s newscast and the progress being made on all the current stories in news, weather, health, world, sports, and entertainment. They ended with the assignments of the following week’s sections, and what stories would be included in each one. The last part of the meeting was brainstorming stories and the angles they could be taken.
I thought that the work that they did at EagleVision was absolutely amazing. I was so impressed with how much work went into that form of media. I now viewed EagleVision as the same as writing a story like I would have done with print, but then on top of that, they add in aspects of film and editing before their deadline. They had to plan out their stories, get people to say the exact quotes they needed to film, film an introduction, use voice overs, and then add in other film and still pictures to demonstrate the story. It was basically like a print story on steroids. That's how I feel. I never saw myself being interested in broadcast journalism because my dad works for radio and that never really appealed to me, but EagleVision opened my eyes to a whole new world and I can now definitely see myself doing something just like that. They had to work fast and concise and be very good at what they do to make to all come together correctly and I could not be more impressed. Deciding to visit EagleVision for my media week reflection was one of the best decisions I could have made.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Why Journalism Matters in Times of Tragedy
The horrors of September 11, 2001 and the reality of the people who were killed was just visually presented in class.
September 11 was a tragic day in America's history that affected our emotions, our sympathies, and our fears. Seeing the damage of the World Trade Center visually was a huge reminder of the tragedy that stuck almost 10 years ago.
Journalism is what presented those haunting images and video and journalism is what told the world exactly what was going and what people need to know about the World Trade center catastrophe. It think that journalism is so crucial to our lives in America, and even to everyone's lives around the world because not only does it bring the truth and the realities of what is going on in the world, but it is able to affect our emotions and motivate us toward a better society. Seeing the 9-11 incidents over again ignited my patriotism, and I think that is a huge part of what journalism can do. Journalism matters because not only do we need to know the facts about the tragedies going on around us, but we also need to know how they affect us. 2,752 people died that day and those people were our brothers, our sisters, our parents, and our spouses. They were our friends, our coworkers, and our fellow Americans. That disaster is not something to be ignored and journalism brought us the facts and emotions of that event that will be remembered forever in America's history.
September 11 was a tragic day in America's history that affected our emotions, our sympathies, and our fears. Seeing the damage of the World Trade Center visually was a huge reminder of the tragedy that stuck almost 10 years ago.
Journalism is what presented those haunting images and video and journalism is what told the world exactly what was going and what people need to know about the World Trade center catastrophe. It think that journalism is so crucial to our lives in America, and even to everyone's lives around the world because not only does it bring the truth and the realities of what is going on in the world, but it is able to affect our emotions and motivate us toward a better society. Seeing the 9-11 incidents over again ignited my patriotism, and I think that is a huge part of what journalism can do. Journalism matters because not only do we need to know the facts about the tragedies going on around us, but we also need to know how they affect us. 2,752 people died that day and those people were our brothers, our sisters, our parents, and our spouses. They were our friends, our coworkers, and our fellow Americans. That disaster is not something to be ignored and journalism brought us the facts and emotions of that event that will be remembered forever in America's history.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Entertainment
Everyone loves to be entertained, myself included. Entertainment in America is such a prominent focus and a lot of times we revolve our lives around it.
I worked at a movie theater for two years and because of that, I really enjoy movies and talking about them and analyzing them, but I also love other forms of entertainment like music, television, books, sports, etc.
If I had a blog that I wrote so other people could see what I am about and what my passions are, I would want to do a blog about entertainment and all its facets. While movies would be my focus and writing about movies most often and in the most detail, I would also want to graze over the other forms of entertainment too. I enjoy them all, as do most other people in today's culture so entertainment, while it is a broad subject is very relevant and it peaks the interest of today's generations.
Being a college student is hard on my passions. First of all, I do not have the money to see all the movies I want to see when I want to see them. Secondly, I do not have the time to go out and buy all I want, do all I want, or see all I want. As much as I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to blog about the most recent movie I went out and saw and maybe even write a review for it, the most recent movie I have seen is The Adjustment Bureau, which has been out for about a month already. I saw it even before that though at a free screening (thank God Biola is so close to Hollywood!) Either way, I could definitely talk about that because it is so relevant, not only to the entertainment industry, but to Christians.
The Adjustment Bureau features Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, who are legends in their own right. Emily Blunt has been nominated for three Golden Globes and has won one in her roles in The Devil Wears Prada, Young Victoria, and Gideon's Daughter. Matt Damon has been nominated for Golden Globes, Emmys, and Oscars, and is best known for his role in the Bourne series and his Oscar winning role in Good Will Hunting.
The combination of these two professionals acting in a movie which boils down to fate vs. freewill makes for a very interesting movie.
I worked at a movie theater for two years and because of that, I really enjoy movies and talking about them and analyzing them, but I also love other forms of entertainment like music, television, books, sports, etc.
If I had a blog that I wrote so other people could see what I am about and what my passions are, I would want to do a blog about entertainment and all its facets. While movies would be my focus and writing about movies most often and in the most detail, I would also want to graze over the other forms of entertainment too. I enjoy them all, as do most other people in today's culture so entertainment, while it is a broad subject is very relevant and it peaks the interest of today's generations.
Being a college student is hard on my passions. First of all, I do not have the money to see all the movies I want to see when I want to see them. Secondly, I do not have the time to go out and buy all I want, do all I want, or see all I want. As much as I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to blog about the most recent movie I went out and saw and maybe even write a review for it, the most recent movie I have seen is The Adjustment Bureau, which has been out for about a month already. I saw it even before that though at a free screening (thank God Biola is so close to Hollywood!) Either way, I could definitely talk about that because it is so relevant, not only to the entertainment industry, but to Christians.
The Adjustment Bureau features Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, who are legends in their own right. Emily Blunt has been nominated for three Golden Globes and has won one in her roles in The Devil Wears Prada, Young Victoria, and Gideon's Daughter. Matt Damon has been nominated for Golden Globes, Emmys, and Oscars, and is best known for his role in the Bourne series and his Oscar winning role in Good Will Hunting.
The combination of these two professionals acting in a movie which boils down to fate vs. freewill makes for a very interesting movie.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Christians in Journalism
Christians' involvement in media today is a must, but have they taken it too far?
Christians, especially gung ho ones that feel the need to be extremely forward with what they believe, have often gone too far with how they go about journalism. I believe that yes, we do need Christian publications, but we also Christians planted in the secular world who can be a light to everyone who does not read religious publications. Christians have perspectives that are unique to this world and they do not need to mention God to portray a view that displays the attributes or the work of God.
I really appreciated Paste Magazine, which we analyzed today in class. They have shown that it is possible to write articles from a Christian perspective without throwing God's name out there. God can be displayed in everything, so we do not always need to bombard people with his name.
We need Christian writers in unchristian places so that they can be a light not only to the people around them, but also give the people who read their publications a view that reflects the view of God, without shoving religion down their throat. People need to see the love of God more than anything else in this world, if they want to eventually understand who he is. It is crucial in the world of journalism to have both Christians writing Christian articles, and Christians writing articles that do not necessarily scream God's name.
Christians, especially gung ho ones that feel the need to be extremely forward with what they believe, have often gone too far with how they go about journalism. I believe that yes, we do need Christian publications, but we also Christians planted in the secular world who can be a light to everyone who does not read religious publications. Christians have perspectives that are unique to this world and they do not need to mention God to portray a view that displays the attributes or the work of God.
I really appreciated Paste Magazine, which we analyzed today in class. They have shown that it is possible to write articles from a Christian perspective without throwing God's name out there. God can be displayed in everything, so we do not always need to bombard people with his name.
We need Christian writers in unchristian places so that they can be a light not only to the people around them, but also give the people who read their publications a view that reflects the view of God, without shoving religion down their throat. People need to see the love of God more than anything else in this world, if they want to eventually understand who he is. It is crucial in the world of journalism to have both Christians writing Christian articles, and Christians writing articles that do not necessarily scream God's name.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Remembering Michael Longinow
Michael Longinow, age 50, died yesterday from an unexplained problem in his digestive system. Born August 23, 1960 to a Ukrainian father and a Mexican mother, Longinow was a very active child, and he had scars to prove it. As he grew up, he became more involved with the church and less with sports because he felt that sports were becoming his God. The summer before his freshman year of high school, Longinow rededicated his life to Christ. After high school, he attended Wheaton College in Illinois, University of Illinois for graduate school, where he met his wife, Robin Turley, whom he married in 1987, and he went to the University of Kentucky for his doctorate in 1996. After graduate school in Illinois, he became a newspaper reporter, until he started teaching in 1989. His teaching career started at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, and ended teaching journalism at Biola University in La Mirada, California, a position he took in 2005. Longinow is survived by his three kids: Ben, a junior at Biola, Mat, a sophomore, and Sarah, a high school student of 17.
My Obituary (A Class Exercise)
Heather Pape, an 18-year old student at Biola University, died yesterday in a tragic and surprising shark attack off the coast of Newport Beach. Heather was an aspiring journalism student who enjoyed watching movies and playing sports in the time when she was not trying her hardest to excel in school.
Pape loved the beach so in an ironic twist of fate, it was on her favorite beach where the shark attack occurred. She was out in the water, alone, farther than recommended, and a shark had ventured closer to shore than expecte. There was no escape from the hungry jaws that took her life.
Pape's life was a full one, yet one short lived. She spent a lot of her time building relationships with her family and friends, and working at the local movie theater making minimum wage. It was not about the money for her though--watching movies was one of her passions. She was highly active through middle school and high school, playing volleyball for three years, track for two, and softball for five, as well as helping out with various student governments throughout the years. She also participated in drama for 4 years and was in a variety of different shows.
Being a resident of the California Bay Area, she was a huge San Francisco Giants fan, because that is the way her father raised her. She attended such games as the Division Championship in 2002, and Barry Bonds 500th career home run and 72nd home run in a year.
Throughout the first two years of high school, Pape dealt with scoliosis and had surgery for the correction of it in August 2007. This was a huge struggle in her life, but one she overcame with poise and style. This was a major event in her life, and one that affected her in a very permanent way in the time that followed.
As a child, Pape was the apple of her parents' eyes. She learned to read and do complicated math, like division, at such an early age that by the time she got to first grade, the public school system could not keep up with her. Every day she was forced to sit in the back corner and read to herself because she was so far ahead of the class and the school could not cater to her needs. That is when she started attending private and Christian schools, and that changed her life. Her intelligence was what helped her stumble upon the Christian religion.
While in recent years, she may have been just a normal smart kid instead of the child genius her parents thought she was when she was a kid, she still made her mother, Sandra Pape, and her father, Mark Pape, very proud. She often tried to help her younger sister, Ashley Pape, follow in her footsteps, but she and Ashley were very different people and they often dealt with a disconnect of cultures, one being in private school and one being in public. Despite all of that though, she was very close to her family.
Heather believed very much in fairness and equality, especially when trying to find scholarships to pay for college. As a result, Heather's family will be establishing a scholarship fund that gives money to students who do not qualify for minority scholarships or scholarships of poverty. She believed that those who have the smarts to get into college, should be able to find money to pay for it as well. If you would like to support Heather and her family at this time, please donate to the Heather Pape Memorial Fund and help students just like Heather pay for college.
Pape loved the beach so in an ironic twist of fate, it was on her favorite beach where the shark attack occurred. She was out in the water, alone, farther than recommended, and a shark had ventured closer to shore than expecte. There was no escape from the hungry jaws that took her life.
Pape's life was a full one, yet one short lived. She spent a lot of her time building relationships with her family and friends, and working at the local movie theater making minimum wage. It was not about the money for her though--watching movies was one of her passions. She was highly active through middle school and high school, playing volleyball for three years, track for two, and softball for five, as well as helping out with various student governments throughout the years. She also participated in drama for 4 years and was in a variety of different shows.
Being a resident of the California Bay Area, she was a huge San Francisco Giants fan, because that is the way her father raised her. She attended such games as the Division Championship in 2002, and Barry Bonds 500th career home run and 72nd home run in a year.
Throughout the first two years of high school, Pape dealt with scoliosis and had surgery for the correction of it in August 2007. This was a huge struggle in her life, but one she overcame with poise and style. This was a major event in her life, and one that affected her in a very permanent way in the time that followed.
As a child, Pape was the apple of her parents' eyes. She learned to read and do complicated math, like division, at such an early age that by the time she got to first grade, the public school system could not keep up with her. Every day she was forced to sit in the back corner and read to herself because she was so far ahead of the class and the school could not cater to her needs. That is when she started attending private and Christian schools, and that changed her life. Her intelligence was what helped her stumble upon the Christian religion.
While in recent years, she may have been just a normal smart kid instead of the child genius her parents thought she was when she was a kid, she still made her mother, Sandra Pape, and her father, Mark Pape, very proud. She often tried to help her younger sister, Ashley Pape, follow in her footsteps, but she and Ashley were very different people and they often dealt with a disconnect of cultures, one being in private school and one being in public. Despite all of that though, she was very close to her family.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
We're Going Biblical on Japan
Thousands of years ago, God used a little thing called "The Flood" to wipe out almost all people on the entire face of the earth, and maybe the situation with the earthquake and tsunamis in Japan are not so different.
"What is going on in Japan scares me," said Kristina Newkirk. "While it doesn't really affect me personally, this is just like the biblical catastrophes of the Old Testament, and that should affect all of us emotionally. A lot of people died! And that incident in Japan could have happened to us.We are all sinners"
According to Newkirk, historically, massive incidents like this with a large death toll have been related to the wrath of God. Large amounts of people die, and some people's minds, especially those of Christian background jump to punishment, or a display of god's power. They think of disasters like The Flood where God destroyed a large quantity of people because they were corrupt. If this were the case, America has a lot to be afraid of. While this does not affect the majority of people directly, it should affect all people emotionally, and instill in them a healthy fear of God.
Katie Thede said that the way she was affected by Japan was that her heart was broken for those people. It made her feel helpless, as not only the calamities themselves were out of her control, but also she cannot really do much to fix them either. She struggled with the idea that she wanted to help, but did not know how she could really do much.
Chris Chung felt the same way. Despite his feelings of helplessness though, Chris wanted to go around Biola and collect donations and give it to an organization that is dedicated to helping rescue and rebuild Japan. He also thought it would be good to raise awareness about what is going on so that more people would do the same.
Lying on the Pacific Coast, California is lucky that a similar incident has not occurred here. That could have easily been us. The things we can do with the incident in Japan in mind are donate, raise awareness, and pray--pray that God helps them, and that God's will be done in this current crisis.
"What is going on in Japan scares me," said Kristina Newkirk. "While it doesn't really affect me personally, this is just like the biblical catastrophes of the Old Testament, and that should affect all of us emotionally. A lot of people died! And that incident in Japan could have happened to us.We are all sinners"
According to Newkirk, historically, massive incidents like this with a large death toll have been related to the wrath of God. Large amounts of people die, and some people's minds, especially those of Christian background jump to punishment, or a display of god's power. They think of disasters like The Flood where God destroyed a large quantity of people because they were corrupt. If this were the case, America has a lot to be afraid of. While this does not affect the majority of people directly, it should affect all people emotionally, and instill in them a healthy fear of God.
Katie Thede said that the way she was affected by Japan was that her heart was broken for those people. It made her feel helpless, as not only the calamities themselves were out of her control, but also she cannot really do much to fix them either. She struggled with the idea that she wanted to help, but did not know how she could really do much.
Chris Chung felt the same way. Despite his feelings of helplessness though, Chris wanted to go around Biola and collect donations and give it to an organization that is dedicated to helping rescue and rebuild Japan. He also thought it would be good to raise awareness about what is going on so that more people would do the same.
Lying on the Pacific Coast, California is lucky that a similar incident has not occurred here. That could have easily been us. The things we can do with the incident in Japan in mind are donate, raise awareness, and pray--pray that God helps them, and that God's will be done in this current crisis.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Yummy Ice Cream!
I am an ice cream addict. There is no denying it. The freezing cold temperature that warms and melts into flavor in your mouth--what's not to love? I prefer flavors of the chocolate variety. Chocolate has practically no smell, so you have to rely on your taste to really understand its character. Chocolate ice cream is hard to describe without using chocolate to describe it. Chocolate is a flavor in itself. It has that taste of cocoa bean and sugar, and when used in ice cream, it is like a chilled way of downing some Hershey syrup. Delicious. It is a flavor completely unique to everything else. That sweetness, that frigid temperature--it provides the perfect dessert.
Savory Senses of Biola
Walking through campus, one may enjoy Biola while it is experiencing "the freshness of Spring," as Luke, age 25, calls it. The clacking of sandals pounds the cold asphalt as students hustle off to classes. While the asphalt is cold, the warm rays of sun soak into one's very core, providing a very mild temperature. The wind is just slightly breezing by, enough to blow small strands of hair lightly across one's face.
Luke noticed the savory aroma of the greenery of Biola, while I just noticed the smell of food radiating from the cafeteria. Granted, there are greenish brown tress that blanketed me in shade overhead, and the smell of fresh cut grass, but I was locked in on the incense of that meal that I was wishing awaited me in the Caf.
While I sat there pondering this, the sounds of Biola struck me. The spinning and clicking of bikes tires across the ground can be heard over the relaxing, rushing sound of Flour Fountain and the chirping of birds. Conversations can be overheard all the way across Sutherland Way, but as I sat there with stomach growling, all I could hear was the sound of construction trucks beeping incessantly in the background. That is what it is like to be on Biola on March 15, 2011.
Luke noticed the savory aroma of the greenery of Biola, while I just noticed the smell of food radiating from the cafeteria. Granted, there are greenish brown tress that blanketed me in shade overhead, and the smell of fresh cut grass, but I was locked in on the incense of that meal that I was wishing awaited me in the Caf.
While I sat there pondering this, the sounds of Biola struck me. The spinning and clicking of bikes tires across the ground can be heard over the relaxing, rushing sound of Flour Fountain and the chirping of birds. Conversations can be overheard all the way across Sutherland Way, but as I sat there with stomach growling, all I could hear was the sound of construction trucks beeping incessantly in the background. That is what it is like to be on Biola on March 15, 2011.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Guys Smell
Old Spice, Axe, and the other body sprays of the world have done wonders for the men of America today. Nothing appeals to a woman more than being able to snuggle up to her significant other and take in the calming and exciting aromas that cover up the smell of whatever disgusting secretions are emitted from his body that day.
A Very Mental Way to Examine Features
The piece about the memory team in Hershey, Pennsylvania by John Branch was extremely interesting and so I wanted to look in depth as to why it is a good feature.
First of all, the lead is pretty unique I think. Instead of telling us what he is going to tell us, Branch just jumps right into the setting of the story he is about to tell. He sets the scene with beautiful imagery and colorful diction, while also explaining what the place we are talking about is like. I don't know what the heck he is talking about yet, but I know that the writing is going to be good at this point.
Branch does not even get to the "so what" until the fifth paragraph so he takes a while to set up the point and after that, he spends time analyzing every little detail of this memory team, their techniques, about the members' routine and daily lives. He really makes the team come to life and seem like an interesting thing to get involved in.
He does not use a lot of paraphrasing but uses a lot of quotes from students, which makes the story come of alive because it feels real when using their own words. Branch uses mostly facts and quotes to form his story.
I like the story a lot just because of how appealing Branch made it sound, and how real the whole situation seemed.
First of all, the lead is pretty unique I think. Instead of telling us what he is going to tell us, Branch just jumps right into the setting of the story he is about to tell. He sets the scene with beautiful imagery and colorful diction, while also explaining what the place we are talking about is like. I don't know what the heck he is talking about yet, but I know that the writing is going to be good at this point.
Branch does not even get to the "so what" until the fifth paragraph so he takes a while to set up the point and after that, he spends time analyzing every little detail of this memory team, their techniques, about the members' routine and daily lives. He really makes the team come to life and seem like an interesting thing to get involved in.
He does not use a lot of paraphrasing but uses a lot of quotes from students, which makes the story come of alive because it feels real when using their own words. Branch uses mostly facts and quotes to form his story.
I like the story a lot just because of how appealing Branch made it sound, and how real the whole situation seemed.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Say Whatever You Want
Grief strikes the families at military funerals everywhere, but who would have though that hateful homosexuality protests would be allowed to strike as well? On Wednesday, March 2, 2011, The Supreme Court ruled that it was more important to protect the First Amendment than to protect the mourning people at military funerals. As many people may know, there have been hateful protests executed at military funerals because the people of Westboro Baptist Church believe that God is punishing America for its stance on homosexuality.
While I believe these protests to be WILDLY inappropriate, I believe that the Supreme Court did the right thing.
The protests at funerals are not only a disrespect paid to the memory of someone who gave their life for their country, but it is also very inconsiderate to those who are mourning the loss of their loved ones. Westboro Baptist's protests are a terrible display of the love that Christians should be showing and they give Christians a bad reputation. I do not support what they are doing in any way.
That being said, I do however believe that the Supreme Court has done the right thing in allowing it because it corresponds with everything that the First Amendment, the freedom of speech, stands for. People should be able to express themselves in whatever way they chose. I would want the courtesy extended to me to protest what I believe in, so they should be given theirs. It is not fair for the government to say that one protest is any more protected by the First Amendment than another.
While I am glad that the Supreme court has allowed us this freedom of speech in whatever the circumstances, I wish the people of Westboro Baptist Church would be reprimanded for being anti-American.
Shonette Reed, from my Foundations of Journalism of class, agrees. Reed believes that while she believes that it is the freedom of speech, they should be stopped by violating some other sort of law, though she is not really sure of which one they would be violating. Either way, Reed says that freedom of speech is right, Westboro Baptist is wrong, and the way in which this situation has been handled is very contradictory regarding the Christian faith.
While I believe these protests to be WILDLY inappropriate, I believe that the Supreme Court did the right thing.
The protests at funerals are not only a disrespect paid to the memory of someone who gave their life for their country, but it is also very inconsiderate to those who are mourning the loss of their loved ones. Westboro Baptist's protests are a terrible display of the love that Christians should be showing and they give Christians a bad reputation. I do not support what they are doing in any way.
That being said, I do however believe that the Supreme Court has done the right thing in allowing it because it corresponds with everything that the First Amendment, the freedom of speech, stands for. People should be able to express themselves in whatever way they chose. I would want the courtesy extended to me to protest what I believe in, so they should be given theirs. It is not fair for the government to say that one protest is any more protected by the First Amendment than another.
While I am glad that the Supreme court has allowed us this freedom of speech in whatever the circumstances, I wish the people of Westboro Baptist Church would be reprimanded for being anti-American.
Shonette Reed, from my Foundations of Journalism of class, agrees. Reed believes that while she believes that it is the freedom of speech, they should be stopped by violating some other sort of law, though she is not really sure of which one they would be violating. Either way, Reed says that freedom of speech is right, Westboro Baptist is wrong, and the way in which this situation has been handled is very contradictory regarding the Christian faith.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
What a hassle!
This is actually not my first reporting experience. I have been working for the Chimes and this is my second article for them, which doubled as my Story #1 for class. I have decided that I do not like reporting. Reporting is annoying because setting up interviews and fitting them in your schedule is difficult.
I feel like reporting is just uncomfortable and a hassle. Going out and finding people to interview is also a pain, and then you also have to make up questions, meet up, record the conversation both on a recorder and handwritten, and then somehow find a way to incorporate the way that they say their quotes into your writing. I wish I could rephrase what they say in my own clear and concise wording! I love writing articles, but I just did not enjoy getting all the information for it. Maybe it is because I am lazy and reporting is a lot of work? I don't know. I guess we will see how I adjust to reporting as I get more into journalism. As much as I dislike it, I like writing, and reporting is just the necessary evil I have to put up with to do that writing.
I feel like reporting is just uncomfortable and a hassle. Going out and finding people to interview is also a pain, and then you also have to make up questions, meet up, record the conversation both on a recorder and handwritten, and then somehow find a way to incorporate the way that they say their quotes into your writing. I wish I could rephrase what they say in my own clear and concise wording! I love writing articles, but I just did not enjoy getting all the information for it. Maybe it is because I am lazy and reporting is a lot of work? I don't know. I guess we will see how I adjust to reporting as I get more into journalism. As much as I dislike it, I like writing, and reporting is just the necessary evil I have to put up with to do that writing.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
On the Record Interviewing: A Necessary Evil
Lately I have become involved with The Chimes and so the topic of problems with interviewing people on the record at Biola has become an issue of which I have recently been made well aware. The main issue that I have come to find is that quoting people or keeping the integrity of their quote intact when interviewing them is very difficult. It is hard to get exactly what they said and figure out how to get in to fit into you article.
Another obvious problem to me has been that people are sometimes unwilling to talk on the record. A lot of people close down when they know that everyone will be able to see what they say. People don't want to be judged, or criticized. Getting sources to open up has been a problem, but I know by developing my interviewing techniques, I will succeed at getting people to open their thoughts to me a lot easier.
Another obvious problem to me has been that people are sometimes unwilling to talk on the record. A lot of people close down when they know that everyone will be able to see what they say. People don't want to be judged, or criticized. Getting sources to open up has been a problem, but I know by developing my interviewing techniques, I will succeed at getting people to open their thoughts to me a lot easier.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Congressman Christopher Lee Resignation
Today I read up about the situation regarding the resignation of Congressman Christopher Lee. Apparently, he sent a shirtless picture he took on his phone to a woman who had put up a personal ad on Craigslist. Following the Craigslist woman's release of the information, he publicly apologized to his wife and all the people who were hurt by his actions and he resigned from Congress.
In my opinion, Congressman Lee was very indiscreet with his actions and is very unintelligent for doing something risque while in that position with power. Through recent years, many different sex scandals have come out regarding politicians and because of that, politicians should know by now that what they do will be found out and hurt their careers. Being in that position of power, he should have known how easy it is for people to expose him and how the act is not worth the risk. How many sex scandals have to come out about government officials before they finally get it?
In my opinion, Congressman Lee was very indiscreet with his actions and is very unintelligent for doing something risque while in that position with power. Through recent years, many different sex scandals have come out regarding politicians and because of that, politicians should know by now that what they do will be found out and hurt their careers. Being in that position of power, he should have known how easy it is for people to expose him and how the act is not worth the risk. How many sex scandals have to come out about government officials before they finally get it?
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Biola Construction
Recently, Lindsey Douglas, Becca Nakashma, and I went on an adventure to write an article about the construction on the Biola campus. It was a really good experience and I realized a little bit of what Journalism is all about. This is the end result:
Construction on the Biola Campus has students overflowing with negative opinions about its inconvenience to their daily lives. Set to be completed by mid-august of 2011, the 5-story parking garage near the baseball field is both noisy for on-campus students and an annoying drawback for students with cars.
“It doesn’t really affect me that much, “says one student reading by Flour Fountain. “I don’t have a car though. The only thing is that, it’s really loud and annoying. I live in Hope, so when I open my window every morning, all I hear is the obnoxious sound of construction.” Others are not so cavalier about it. Entering in the Collegium, Biola’s home for Commuter students during the day, heated opinions and emotions were stirred concerning the lack of parking.
“Oh, I have so much to say about this topic,” said Elaine, an upperclassmen commuter started. “It is such a hassle to be a commuter at Biola these days. As if parking weren’t scarce enough already with the Talbot construction!” Elaine held the opinion that Biola should have followed the example of most college campuses and just taken away parking privileges for freshman. She believed that this work on the parking structure was going to be worth the hassle in the end, but at the same time, would be a terrible inconvenience in the meantime. As another commuter at the collegium, A.J. told reporters that she had to arrive at 8:00AM every morning, no matter if she had a 10:30AM class or a 3:00PM class just to get a parking spot.
In the end, most people believed the construction to be beneficial to Biola and its “Up and Coming School” reputation, but at the moment, it is a hassle that no one enjoys, but will have to endure for another 6 months.
-Heather Pape, Lindsey Douglas, and Becca Nakashma
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