Expansion of Instertate 49 in Lafayette, Louisiana
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Twitter Homework April 14, 2009
The new age of technological advancements have taken the media world by storm. A new innovative technological text messaging system known as Twitter is making its way to the surface. During the presidential elections, Twitter was a huge hit. Bloggers everywhere were fascinated about being able to know what the presidential candidates were doing practically every minute of the day. Younger students have not yet figured out why the importance of Twitter is so important to them, but what they might not know is that this might be a valuable tool for the business world.
Many professional bloggers and business organizations use this as a way for keeping up with clients and developing strategies to meet the needs of competitors. Right now, it is recognized as knowing what someone had for lunch, or what book someone is reading that day.
Another driver for this business application by an older demographic is the economy. Twitter probably benefits greatly from the fact that everyone is scrambling to survive in this economic mess. As the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. Since it doesn’t cost anything other than time to be on these social media outlets and people don’t need to leave their house or office to do it the option becomes more attractive particularly to those who have to pay the bills.
Twitter is coming up slowly but surely, and as a journalist it is prevelant that we make ourselves comforatble with this new technology because its not going anywhere its just going to grow more and possibly higher in demand. All multimedia journalists should have one to stay one step ahead of their competition because one thing is for sure…the competition will definitely have it and be aware on how to use it properly. Twitter will continue to grow and as it does we need to be ready for it.
Media Storm: The Ninth Floor April 14, 2009
I watched The Ninth Floor audio slideshow by Jessica Dimmock. This compelling video showcased the story of 4 people who lived in an abandoned apartment in Manhatten, New York. The first person showcased was a man by the name of Joe Smith. He was the orginal owner of the apartment. He invited these 3 people along with many others to live with him and help him pay rent. Before too long, the people he had living with him could not supply the rent, so in return he had them give him drugs and beer for compensation. This turned that apartment building on the ninth floor into a crack house. There were people there who shot up, got high, and drunk. The audio slideshow was amazing and kept my interest to the very end.
The use of the photos really made the story compelling. The photos ranged in drastic and dramatic intervals from a couple having sex with a beer in the woman’s hand to actually seeing someone shoot a needle into their arm. It was almost overbearing and cringing but it made you want to keep looking to see what was going to appear next.
The story was told documentary style and had a beginning, middle and end. Therefore, the beginning was the victims of the apartment shooting up and getting high. The middle was the reformation from addict to cleaning up, and the end was the next step in life, for example, the addict couple had a baby and now are looking into the future of possibilities for their growing family.
The music really made the story come alive. The tempo went from dark and hazy to bright and hopeful. It was very easy to follow and it kept the interest of the viewer throughout the entire documentary. It made the viewer want to know more about the victims even after they gave brief synopsis in the slideshow.
7 Elements of Digital Storytelling April 9, 2009
The seven elements of digital storytelling helps to visually capture a story through more means than one. As a television journalist, I often find myself conforming to one type of media with that being broadcast, but as the web has grown, the need for digital storytelling through online journalism will benefit me as a multimedia journalist of the 21st century. Below, is a description of the seven story elements along with ways to successfully use them for online writing:
1. Point of View: The stories we tell are very important and with that the stories should also make a justified point. If a point in your story does not occur, it is really hard to follow along and viewers/readers will quickly lose interest. Consider your audience when you tell your story.
2. Dramatic Question: This question can make or break a story. It discusses the question that will hopefully grab your reader from the beginning of the story all the way to the end. You want to engulf the reader so that they are practically begging for the answer! You want to make this question very engaging and relatable to your audience/viewers so that they will not just look at your story and keep it moving. Make it juicy without overbearing it because it could possibly turn the reader off and they might get defended by it.
3. Emotional Content: This element kind of goes hand in hand with the dramatic question because within your story there should be some type of emotional, humanizing element that will keep the reader hooked until the end. A good example of this would be if you were covering a fire and you told the story of the woman’s whose firefighter husband died in the house trying to save the life of a young child. You always want to find the human element in your story and aim for the heart of the viewer/listener.
4. Your Voice: Your voice is one of your most powerful weapons in storytelling. How you tell the story sets the tone for the entire piece. Be familiar with your voice and also the voices you use from your interviews for the story.
5. Sound Track: This is the music or sound effects used to tell your story. The best time to use these for online stories would be in slideshows because it makes the photos or video that you upload come alive. It is very effective if its used properly.
6. Economy: To describe the key points in your story, using video or still clips can really grab the viewer. But do not make them too long and drawn out because viewers online are not interested in looking at a story for too long; they normally just scan. Keep them short and sweet and to the point.
7. Pacing: Always make sure the story is paced well. If its too long you might bore your audience, but if its too fast you have a chance of losing your audience in the madness. Keep it at a pace that you can imagine yourself looking at it if you were viewing it on the web. This will help get a feel on how others perceive your story.
In-class Assignment March 5, 2009 March 5, 2009
Bill Cleared for Tobacco Regulation in the U.S.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, along with a panel of democrats and six republicans passed the legislation for the regulation of the tobacco industry.
The bill would restrict tobacco marketing to young people and larger warning signs added to cigarette packages. The new bill also requires the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to track the ingredients being put into the tobacco products, as well as the introduction of the new products.
Public health support is also in recognition of this bill. The American Lung Association says its important that the bill is passed and sent over to the U.S. Senate for review. ALA spokesperson says tobacco control should be the topic in any discussion concerning wellness and prevention.
The bill will not get rid of tobacco entirely. A popular flavor of cigarette known as menthol is the only one not banned under the current measure. The FDA is still undergoing research for the potential health risk of using menthol.
The 21st Century Journalists: New Trends in Media March 5, 2009
It wasn’t long ago that a reporter could head out on an assignment with nothing more than a notebook and a pen. Maybe a camera, but that was only if there were no photographers around. But those days are rapidly drawing to a close.
The multimedia journalist is on the rise. Nowadays, your cell phone and digital camera can serve as your camera, microphone, recorder, and data transporter. There is no reason why one cannot retrieve a story on the spot with the necessary equipment at hand. Denton Record Chronicle’s B.J. Lewis takes pride in this new trend of media. Lewis uses the technological approaches to help advance the work he does for the local newspaper. His day consists of going out with the camera, recording and reporting his story, coming back to the newspaper headquarters and logging and editing his piece, and then comes the fun part. He uploads his stories onto the Denton Record Chronicle website, and then allows readers to see an extension of the story via myspace.
Multimedia journalism has taken on a major aspect in how all journalists convey their news. This type of free range gives journalists the ability to share more of their opinion in response to stories they have done. Journalists do this through private websites, blogging, and live chats. The digital age has led the way for more advancements beyond belief and will continue to do so.
As a journalist in progress, I have had the opportunity to take classes that teach me how to write and produce effectively for the web. Lewis was not as fortunate as I am in this respect because he had to learn through trial and error. I am hoping that I will grow in my studies here at UNT, and be able to work effectively in this new age of multimedia.
3 Brothers Shot, Baby held Hostage (Crowdsourcing Exercise continued) March 5, 2009
One brother is dead after a fatal shooting took place at River Oaks Apartment complex in Dallas. A baby was held at gunpoint during the invasion of the three suspects.
Roberto Ramos was pronounced dead shortly after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. His two brothers, Martin Figueroa, 20, and Eustacio Torres, 28, were also shot and taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center.
After holding an 11-month-old-baby at gun point, the three robbers went up to the second floor to encounter the three brothers. Detectives investigated at the complex this morning. Police did not have a detailed description of the suspects.
Anyone with information on the shootings can call the Dallas police homicide unit at 214-671-3661 or e-mail homicide@dpd.dallascityhall.com.
Crowdsourcing: To crowdsource this story, I would have viewers setup a blog where they could discuss any further information that anyone might have on the three unknown suspects. A countdown could also be made to show the progress of the capture of the three suspects.
Proposed Bill for Divorce Classes (Crowdsourcing Exercise) March 3, 2009
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something…taught? A bill filed in the Texas House has issued that spouses are to take a required 10-hour course before making the decision to divorce. 45 percent of marriages end in divorce. And for this reason, couples are required to take the class.
Texas alone has nearly 600 couples who have filed for divorce, and the number is increasing. A Texas House spokes person says the bill will ease the growth in divorce rates among spouses. He says that enlight of the bill, this bill can possibly save marriages and save families.
Crowdsourcing: To crowdsource this story, I would show charts on the increase of divorce rates in Texas. I would also take a poll asking what viewers thought of the bill, and if they would take the classes. I would also add an online chat for the couples already enrolled in the class to show how they are helping with their marriage.
Women and Binge Drinking News Story February 24, 2009
February 24, 2009 News Story Assignment
Women and Binge Drinking: Women Empowerment or Distasteful Confusion?
Britney Darnell reports the rise of binge drinking for women and why they feel so strongly about it.
Cocktail party! It is Saturday night and you and the girls are chilling out on the sofa and getting caught up with the latest campus gossip. The girls begin talking about that frat party you attended last weekend. Yeah, the one you were super wasted at, remember? Or do you? You can’t remember a thing. Your disheveled look says it all! Everyone laughs and starts drinking some more. You laugh it off, but you know it bothers you. And it should. Results show that binge drinking among women was linked to unsafe sexual practices, such as multiple sex partners, sexually transmitted diseases, rape and even unplanned pregnancies. I bet you wish you could remember now, don’t you?
Many college students drink with one goal in mind―to get drunk! Binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more drinks in a row for men and four or more in a row for women. Among those women who partake in binge drinking suffered from alcohol poisoning in need of stomach pumping and others have endured fractured bones after drunken plunges. Why go through such physical agony? Many young women say it makes them feel empowered. Junior communication studies major Kiera Wade of the University of North Texas in Denton, TX disagrees.
“When people do things to show they can impress other people, it shows low self-esteem,” Wade says. “I think that’s foolish to impress a guy by showing that you can hang with them.”
Throughout the 90’s and midway through the 2000’s, fraternity boys were among the elite for partaking in binge drinking festivities. In recent years, women have nearly exceeded this growing trend. Respiratory Therapist Pashine Broussard, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Lafayette, La. says the numbers are equal nowadays between young men and women who binge drink.
“There are just as many young women who binge drink as there are young men,“ Broussard says. “The party scene of college campuses plays a major role.”
The process in which alcohol poison victims undergo is almost identical to a drug victim. When the stomach is pumped, it’s like pumping pills out of the system of an overdose victim. If problems increase, the liver and kidneys will suffer and the binge drinking victim could end up on dialysis.
Alcohol poisoning is only a minor encounter that young women indulge in―unsafe sexual practices tops the chart. Wade says drinking impairs the body and makes it easily accessible as well.
“When you drink you don’t feel as in control of your body and you are looser and do things you do not normally do,” Wade says. “They pay the consequences the next morning.”
According to recent statistics taken from the Journal of American College Health, there has been a tremendous increase in “unplanned” sexual activities, such as date rape and sexual assault. Alcohol completely takes you out of your element and bestows upon you the disability of memory loss. And with this disability, major consequences follow. Recent study has also released an increase in abortions due to drunken nights and unprepared parenting roles. This serious matter continues to be a hot topic because women are the most affected from binge drinking.
Although these taunting statistics are dramatic on instance, there are still those students who would just rather say “no” to drinking altogether.
“It is a personal choice for me not to drink. I have always been taught not to do so,” Wade says.
Wade states that the horrific advertisement of alcohol-related fatalities and viewing what others have gone through in situations where they were drunk, made it easier for her not to give into temptation.
“There are other ways to have fun and not get drunk, and that is just the way I like it,” Wade says.
In all reality, we are college students and drinking will happen regardless of what the most scientific medical expert says. Keep in mind your surroundings, environment, and your limits. Only you can be the judge of that.
