Blog Post 9: The future of journalism

Journalism has many struggles that it is dealing with.  The biggest being the Internet and civilian journalism and what that means for newspapers and TV reporters.  Some may think that the journalism business is dying and that the Internet and people will be the primary source for news, but I do not think that will be the case.  I think there are still many possibilities and opportunities to have a career in journalism.

I do think that journalists and news organizations need to find a way to adapt to the changing culture faster.  They need to be able to embrace new technologies instead of fight against them like they seem to do when the Internet first started to come into play as a viable option.  Most of the news organizations have done this and I think it has given even more opportunities for journalists.  Primarily because the Internet allows you to increase your coverage and serve more niche markets.  I think journalists now have the ability to reach audiences that they never have been able to before, and cover more news than what they could have before.

I also think that the outlook for journalism is positive because at the end of the day someone will have to cover the news.  News won’t stop.  Although civilians are now coming into the picture most them do not have the resources or time to produce quality and timely reporting.  Journalists will always be the go to sources for news because they have a history and they take the time to find the stories.  While many daily newspapers have gone away they have been replaced by other  forms of reporting whether it be Internet newspaper sites, radio, or TV (even short news stories on YouTube).  

I also feels like it comes down to having a passion for reporting the news.  For those that are willing to sacrifice and work hard there will always be a place for them in reporting and to be successful.  While it may not be for everybody, and it isn’t the easiest of jobs, again someone will need to do it, and if you have the drive you can be successful.

Blogpost 8: marketing journalism

As social media, television news, and TV in general become more popular it becomes easier to identify and no those who are reporting the news. Celebrity journalist like Chris Matthews or Anderson Cooper are becoming more and more popular in mainstream media. In fact in many cases you will actually see many journalists who are promoting themselves through their own website, Twitter, or Facebook pages. There can be both advantages and disadvantages to self-promotion within journalism. One of the main disadvantages that can happen through self-promotion is failing to serve your base honestly and faithfully. As journalists try to promote themselves they may tend to forget their responsibility to reporting the news. For example, they may want to go after stories that are more nationally known so they can get recognition on a national stage versus serving their own community with the stories that are more relevant. Another disadvantage to promoting yourself to become a celebrity journalist might do with their sources. As journalist become more well known it might be harder for them to up team stories where people have to go on record or if they show up to a seen the police were firemen may do their best to keep that journalist out or to cover up part of the story. I personally think probably the biggest disadvantage it serves them is whether or not they can be perceived as being genuine in their work. As journalist try to promote themselves they can come off as self-serving rather than public serving entities. Journalist trying to promote themselves often seem like they're trying to get theirs instead of actually trying to genuinely covering a story. This can lead them to being alienated from their readers. I do think that there can't be some advantages to self-promotion in journalism. One being that the more popular they can become the more clout they can hold while covering a story. As I mentioned before sometimes this can be a disadvantage of being well-known however in some cases in my game then access to sources or leads that others might not have. For example, they might be able to get calls from businesses or politicians who are trying to get a story out in the public and would like to have somebody who is more well-known publish their story. Like any business the more you promote yourself the more connections you make more connections you make the more successful you are going to be. I also think that it can be an advantage for journalists to be well-known because they can become more trusted in their work. Journalists were well-known usually can be more trusted because they're held to a higher standard. They have more people watching them. I think an example of this was Walter Cronkite who was the most trusted man in America. I believe as he became more famous and people listen to him more he was held to a higher standard and people trusted him more because he knew that he had eight people to serve and to make sure he got things right. Again I think there can be both advantages and disadvantages of self-promotion within journalism. It is a fine line that they must walk in order to not alienate those they serve or to be thrill seekers within journalism. They must maintain their integrity and be able to report the news and honest and fair way. If they do that I think they would become just like a flash in a pan and not be up to sustain their celebrity like status.

Blog Post 6- challenges of journalism

The biggest problem facing journalist today is the Internet. The Internet is an ever-changing landscape that has been hard to figure out even for the most involved on the web. Things like blogs, message boards, and Twitter journalists are being drowned out by regular citizens and other sources. As regular people have more opportunities to express their opinions and to break news journalist need to find more creative ways to reach out to the people that they serve. They need to adapt to changing times by aggressively thinking of ways that they can stand out. I think one way they can do this is by marking themselves through social media platforms. Journalists have opportunities now to give their readers more insight as to how they develop stories and where they're coming from when writing stories. This can help build more of a whale fan base and allow readers to get to know the journalist more personally. It seems that early on journalist tried to fight the new media that has been being developed for several years now, but what they need to do is to engage it and figure out how to use it to their advantage. The Internet has also proved to create an additional problem of connecting with younger readers. It seems like more and more younger people have stopped reading newspapers or stopped following important news to them and are more attracted to celebrity or reality television. I think one of the main issues is that journalist's writing can often times be stuffy and hard to understand. If they would like to retract younger readers they need to figure out how to write for them. For example, using easy-to-understand language, or using metaphors that younger people can relate to. I think to often newspapers sound elitist and they become hard to follow and not engaging enough of their audience. Finally, I think another reason why journalism is struggling is because everything has become sensationalized. There seems to be an operative in the media to overblow or to quantify everything immediately instead of letting it simmer and action seeing the true impact. Because journalists tend to overblow everything they are sometimes not only get it wrong, but seem to have bias, or seem to miss the mark and it becomes hard to trust or enjoy listening to the news. I believe if the media took more of a step back instead of trying to find instant reaction it would become easier to rely on the media for the reports and easier to trust them. Much of this comes from the fact that there is high competition within reporting. However, I think as journalist do a better job of covering the news instead of trying to be the fastest to cover the news people will be more willing to follow that particular reporter or news outlet rather than getting sensationalized news even though it's fast.

Blog Post 6- Democracy in Journalism

At its root journalism is a way to spread democracy throughout a community.  Journalists create opportunities for public discussion by supplying people with facts and news and letting them make their own opinion or their own choices in different matters around their community.

Most citizens do not have the time or resources to be able to understand every little thing going on around them.  Whether it is an upcoming election, a new building being built that may cause issues, or even as small as the local high school football team recap, journalism helps provide the information to us in order to make informed and educated decisions.  Without journalism we wouldn't know which candidate we think best represents our ideals or if the new building might effect me, and if so what actions I can take to hopefully prevent it from happening.  It allows us to take an active role in the communities we live in.

Journalism also provides for public discussion to happen.  It encourages people to talk about the issues confronting them in bars and at dinner.  With most newspapers it also affords regular citizens to express their views and opinions on different matters.  Without public discussion then we would never know the impact of the different issues.  While one side may say that a new building in the community might be good for business and be a beautiful monument to the city the other side may talk about the environmental impact and overall well being of having a monstrous building casting a shadow over the home.  Without journalism there would be no vessel to facilitate these discussions.  We wouldn't have a chance to learn more about things and to challenge ideas that may arise.

I don't think in most cases there is a right or wrong answer, but I do think it is important that everyone has a voice.  Journalists first responsibility is to the citizens and to be a "voice to the voiceless".  If they are representing them then it should provide a place where our opinions can be represented and told, which is exactly what democracy is.  Not being told what to do or what to think.  It is having the power to be informed and to think for one's self.

Blog Post 5- Religion in Journalism

In, The mind of a Journalist, the author, Jim Willis, goes into great detail about the role that faith plays within journalism and journalists personal lives.  He points out there is and overall idea that journalists are devoid of beliefs because they should be detached in order to effectively cover stories and avoid any biases.  However Willis does go to great lengths to show that there is a place for religious beliefs and still remain to be a great journalist.

I agree with Willis' assessment that you can hold deep religious convictions and still remain objective in covering different stories.  As journalists we live by the motto of verification and not assertion.  Journalists are there to describe events and report an accurate of portrayal of the news.  Journalists for the most part should not be inserting opinions into their writing.  Also as your responsibility to the reader you should be able to cover all of the facts and let them decide what might be right or wrong, or what side they stand on.  I do not feel that there is a place for journalists to share their beliefs int he stories they cover.

If they do come across stories that involve religion then they need to check those at the door and again stick to the main stories and the facts that are there.  I think Willis points another good example that we should allow the subjects of the story to explain their views their own way rather than trying to tell the readers about it through our own most likely distorted goggles.  As long as journalists remember that they are not their to extol their faith and to supply their readers with facts then I do think it is very possible to still believe in a higher power, or not, and be a great journalist.

Blog Post 4- Objectivity/Nuetrality

As a journalists in many cases it is important to stay neutral in your covering of the different issues that may arise in the community. However, I think it is humanly impossible for any journalists to totally separate themselves from the stories they cover.  Mainly because I think it is also vital to be engaged in the community and events that you are involved in to give your readers a better understanding and perception, and being able to understand your readers.  What journalists need to recognize is how to separate their feelings and ideals from being able to cover a story. Journalists need to have the foresight to recoginize if their personal feeling are comprimising their ability to fairly cover a story.

As we learned about in previous chapters journalists need to not just report the facts, but the truth about the facts.  I think this can go a long way to helping journalists not letting their biases enter their reporting.  It is easy to put facts down on a paper that support your argument or your story, but it can be hard if the context of those facts doesn't support your argument.  For example I could say that BYU was a better team than Utah because they had a better record.  The fact about the record is true, but that doesn't account for the quality of opponents that each of them played which may be a better barometer to measure which team was better.

If journalists feel strongly about different subject then they should refrain from reporting on them.  They should ask for different beats or stories to cover.  Journalists should understand that their first loyalty should be to the people they serve and then to the truth, and not various causes that they support.  There will be some cases that it is obvious to take sides like murder or child molestation.  Some things are bad and are universally known to be bad.  When it comes to covering social issues though is when the journalists needs to refrain from letting their biases or opinions affect the way they cover the news. 

Blog Post 3- 5 Points of Ethical Journalism

1. Try to Tell the Truth

I use the word try because often times journalists are not going to get all of the facts, or desired material they need to write a story.  Even if they do not have all the facts they are still pressed against a deadline and need to write the story.  Journalists job is too inform the readers.  Journalists shouldn't guess or make things up about a story so that it sounds more interesting, or provides more detail.  It is the journalists job to provide the detail that they have and let the reader decide the rest.

2. Journalists Work for the People

I do think this is an ethical issue within journalism.  As the reporting industry become more competitive and the bottom line is stressed even more journalists could lose sight of who they actually work for.  Although the paper may be cutting the checks they actually do work for the people.  This is important for journalists to remember because if you are working for the bottom line it can be easy to sensationalize stories, or maybe even exclude stories of facts because it may hurt your reputation with advertisers.

3. Do not Deceive

This ties into the first rule, but is a bit different.  Journalists see a lot of things going on in the world more so than an average person.  They are probably able to see generalities or common issues throughout the entire world.  Journalists like any human can also become attached, or moved, by the things they witness each day.  Journalists should not fabricate stories to illustrate issues or problems that will then motivate the public to take action.  Even if what they are saying may be true they should have real sources and real subjects that they write about.

4. Show Compassion

It seems that sometimes journalists will do anything to get a story, even if it means envading others private life.  Part of a journalists job is to cover tragedy.  Journalists need to show restraint and compassion for those they are writing stories on in their darker hours.  This year Junior Seau, a professional football player, passed away, and the press was relentless with his family to get a story or quote from them.  It seemed that they wouldn't let them mourn for their loss in peace.  Also it may not be wise to run stories that may affect others like in the Penn State sacndal and those victims and families who were hurt by the actions of an evil man.

5. Journalism is the Star not the Journalists

Journalists shouldn't be seeking to get their own gain of noteriety from the pieces that they write.  they should try to remove themself from the story as much as possible.  They shouldn't use their influence in the public for their own gain no matter what.

Blog Post 2- Principles of Journalism

Overall I think the news tries their best to tell the truth.  I don't think that journalists can sway too far from the core value that anyone would expect of them.  Not only could journalist lose their jobs for lying about news stories, but it could also leave them vulnerable to law suits from those that they could potentially be lying of.  The general public also seems to do a good job of keeping journalists in check if they are incorrect, or fail to get the story correct.

If journalists are guilty of not being forthwith I think it is more because they intentionally omit details or even whole stories.  Whether it is because certain details do not support their story, or they may hurt someone they support or have a relationship with.  I think journalists and maybe even editors fail to convey all of the facts because it may make their story obsolete, or they may have agendas one way or the other.

I don't think all journalists do this, and I believe most of them try to get the facts straight.  I think journalists get a bad reputation, but they are only given so much information to make a story out of.  I think they try to do their job the best they can because they have no real incentive to lie to the general public.  There are too many watch dogs and access to information that they would be exposed too easily.

Blog Post 1- Principles of Journailsm

Journalism is a form of communication that informs, educates, and helps the "people" that they serve to decide for themselves on various newsworthy topics throughout the world. Whether it is about war or celebrities journalism can derive out of a variety of sources. Generally where their is news you will find journalism.

As technology, particularly the internet, becomes more prevalent journalism is starting to take on a new form. In the past journalism was only controlled by so few people. Newspapers, television, and radio were the mediums which journalism and the news was articulated. The internet created a new medium that allowed more people to have a platform to express themselves and create journalism on their own. We could even go as far as saying that the homemaker who blogs about the birth of their new child, or the recent trip to Disneyland is creating journalism.

The internet has as well changed the definition of a journalists. Journalists were before what we could classify as the "informers", or those that were in the know. Journalists did the work to find out about newsworthy stories. They went to lengths that the general public didn't, or made connections that others couldn't. It was then their responsibility to clearly and concisely inform the public of the issues, or news, so that it could be understood.

Journalists are people who care about their community and those involved within them. The internet, again, has made it possible for more people to become journalists, and communicate news to their virtual community. It has made it possible, and lucrative in some cases, to create their own community who share the same passions and care about the same issues for cheap and far reaching.

Sadly the internet has forced established journalists and news organization to change the way they operate. It has cut jobs and forced companies to seek revenue in other forms besides through their printed newspaper as people have gone to the internet to get their news instead of picking up a paper. It has forced journalists as well to expand their skills and be able to communicate through different mediums.

When the Daily Universe made the decision to switch to a weekly instead of daily print it came as no shock. Despite the fact that it was a student run paper that was free to students (they weren't actually trying to generate revenue from subscriptions) I think it was an important move to adapt to the changing landscape of news. It forced the newspaper to explore other ways of engaging the people they serve, which is more realistic to what they would expect as they look for jobs. Students still have the opportunity to write as many articles as they did before, however the difference is that it will allow them to be more prepared to enter the workforce as journalists.

I know you all want to see her so here is a picture

I thought I would add some pics for those who haven't seen the apartment yet.






Also my thoughts on the BYU tournament game. They drew Florida which to me isn't a bad draw in all honesty. I know that is seems scary because they have the name, but Florida can't really shoot and they depend a lot on their athleticism. If BYU can score 80 points, which is pretty easy for them, they will win this game. Florida doesn't have the fire power to hang with them. The only real problem is that if BYU has an Achilles heel it is against athletic teams. It will only cause problems on the offensive end for BYU, but I think BYU has enough weapons to get around them. BYU shot themselves in the foot however. They could have easily ended up with a four seed had they not choked away that New Mexico game. Freaking Noah throw it down next time! Don't go for a sissy lay up!

Dang I am GLAD I avoided that one!

Alright so for all of those who hadn't heard I had been going out and dating this girl in my ward for a couple of weeks. She seemed cool and knew just about as much of BYU sports that I did. It seemed liked it was a match made in heaven right? Not only could we go out and date, but she would have let me watch all of the sports that i wanted to.

I took her out a couple of times and she came on really strong (Anyone who knows me knows that I hate that). In fact on our first date we came back to watch a movie at our apartment and she was getting a little bit too cuddly for my comfort. After the first date i wasn't really sure if i was feeling it. The only connection we had was sports really, but nothing else. I decided though that i would take her out again and see if something happens.

We hung out all week and we had planned a date for Thursday. Every time we hung out she acted as if we were a couple and i just wasn't sure. I could tell that she wanted to kiss me, but something didn't feel right. On Wednesday she starts telling me how she has had about ten boyfriends and almost all of them she wanted to marry. The minute I hear this I could hear sirens going off in my head. All this girl wants to do is get married, and she will take whatever comes her way. Anyway we go out on Thursday and afterward I was positive it was our last date. I didn't know how to tell her so I was trying to play it off. We were suppose to hang out on Saturday, but i came up with an excuse why I couldn't. Then I left for Dallas to go to a conference and she was texting me the whole time i was there. I didn't respond to her text. I know it sounds like I am a jerk, but really I didn't want to lead her on. *On a side note we saw Snoop Dogg while I was there because he was staying in our hotel... it was pretty sweet.

So I get home late Thursday night around 12:00 fully prepared to break the news to her the next day, but the best part was she had already moved on! One of her roommates were over when i came home and told me that she was hanging out here because the girl was making out with another guy. All I could do was laugh and feel relieved that I didn't have to talk to her anymore. I was even more happy that I never kissed her because it was obvious that all she wanted was to get a boyfriend. Needless to say it was a weird two weeks with a funny ending. Oh well. I guess that is what happens though when you date people who are a lot more immature than you, and are just hungry to get married!

This Post is Mainly for Mikila

Last night I went to the Cougar Tip-Off (with a girl mom... yes it was sort of a date... aren't you proud of me?) And I just wanted to share some of my thoughts about what I saw. First and foremost it was great to see Coach Rose on the sideline. He got a huge standing ovation from the crowd. It was weird though because his hair was white white and lost all of its color. For those who don't know during the off season he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He had surgery that got rid of the cancer but it definitely took a toll on his body. He is something like one out of 5 million who have beat this type of cancer. He was also super skinny, but seemed energetic.

Now on to what I saw. The Cougs this year are DEEP. They have a lot of talent and could easily run the table in the MWC if they play their game. As a team they were pushing the ball up the court on every possession. This is the style that Dave Rose likes to play, but the hard things in years past was that by the end of the game our guys would get tired i.e. Lee Cummard never could finish off a game. However with this team Rose can go to his bench without having a huge dropoff in production to rest his star players for the end of the game.

Jimmer looked, as many expected, freaking awesome. He had 22 points including the buzzer beater game winner. He was getting into the lane and creating havoc on the floor. His shot looks dead on. I can't see any reason why he want win MWC player of the year.

Emery was a stud as well. He was hitting the three ball and playing stellar defense. His play of the game came when Jimmer had a fast break and he picked him clean on the dribble. He was everywhere on defense though getting five steals during the srimmage.

JT started off really hot. It seemed like he couldn't miss. In the second hald it looked like he was trying to score as much and really just playing his role. He had a sweet baseline drive at the end of the game though to tie it up before Jimmer hit the game winner.

Chris Miles looks really improved. He was hitting everything that he generally missed last year and he seemed to fit into the offense better.

For the rest of the guys i was really impressed with Charles Abouo. He is super athletic and was playing shutdown defense. He is going to be key for the cougars with teams trying to key in on Jimmer and JT. Davies the true freshman looked awkward at times, but had probably the best play of the game when he dunked over Miles and was fouled. Other than that most of the players look improved from last year. One thing that was frustrating was free throws. I know it is the college level, but they missed a lot. We can't win if we don't hit our free throws. Hopefully they get a lot of practice in.

Overall I was pleased with what i saw and i think it is going to be another MWC Championship for the Cougs, and another invite to the dance. Just please oh please win one game!

What it do?

So I finally decided to update the ole blog. The reason why i never update because I don't really have anything to update people on. I still don't date (monetary reasons) and really not much has changed. Actually if anybody knows any single girls out here in Utah you can let me know. And Mom I know who you are thinking about and you don't have to post any comments about it. Plus I don't have a camera right now so I don't have any pictures to post up there.

BYU sports has taken a bit of a downturn as well so really my life is somewhat depressing to the outside viewer. Actually things have been great though. Work is good and allowing me to have fun and still save. I went to school over the summer and got a few more classes done. The best news is lately though that i finally figured out what i want to major in. I want to go into marketing. i am excited because now i can have some direction in life. I am going to try to get back into school as soon as I can so that I can get my degree.

Also i recently got another calling at church. it actually happened today. I got put in the Sunday School presidency. The only problem is that they told I would not be released from my old calling as Emergency Prep Coordinator. I just have to wonder what the deuce that is all about? It is most likely that they realize I don't do anything when i come home from work so they think I will have the time.

If anyone has any ideas that they would like for me to blog about just let me know and I will do it. Otherwise I probably won't blog as much. Peace out!

Huge Shout Out to Miki K's

Last night was awesome! Thanks to my good friend Mikila Hemstalk i was able to get a great deal on some MC Hammer Vanilla Ice tickets for Friday night. I took Shannnon Robertson with me and we had a great time. Vanilla Ice opened up and he rocked. He sang a bunch of his new stuff and then took it back old school style with some Ice Ice Baby and Go Ninja Go. I don't think there is a better way to relive apart of your childhood then to actually see Go Ninja Go Ninja Go actually performed live by the Ice Man himself. After Vanilla Ice it was Hammer Time and he did not fail to disappoint. He kept pretty much old school the entire time and it was fun watching him up there in his hammer pants bustin out to U Can't Touch This. Seriously though last night was a blast. Overall I think that Vanilla put on a better show, but nevertheless, both were way cool. Once again Mikila thanks for the hook up and you can officially call me Coach from now on!

Also just a quick update on the ankle. For all you Nay Sayers out there I did play in my soccer game on Thursday and I did dominate. i played goalie, but was an absolute beast back there. Also i have a game tonight that i will most likely dominate in again! And i hope that everyone said their prayers today so that the Cougs will be the Utes!

I've Got the Basketball Jones

I should have taken the passing of Larry H. Miller (owner of the Utah Jazz) on Friday as a sign of bad things to come for me in relation to basketball. I have always been a huge Jazz fan so his passing was sad because he had done so much for that team. Little did I know it was also a bad omen.

On Saturday i went and played some basketball with a couple of buddies. Everything was going fine and i was having a lot of fun until I went up for a rebound and came right down on another person's foot. Next thing I know I heard two loud pops and my ankle was in extreme pain. My first thought was, "Oh crap! Mom is going to kill me?" Why was that my first thought. Well about two weeks ago I told my mom that I wanted to file as an independent for my taxes and she was against this because I would have to be taken off their insurance, and if anything were to happen I would be screwed. Luckily though i just sprained my ankle and it didn't break so a trip to the hospital wasn't necessary. So even with the forces of Karma working against me I have come out on top!

Also on a more of a down note BYU lost a huge game to UNLV. BYU's chances to get into the tournament took a big hit Saturday night. I don't think that i am really all that mad that we lost on Saturday, but just overall that we can't step up for big games. For some reason, or another, anytime we have a "must win" situation our key players (namely Cummard and Fredette) seem to disappear. I think a huge problem that BYU has is the lack of athleticism. Every great team has someone who can take over a game and create his own shots by beating their guy off of the dribble. And BYU just doesn't have that. If you watched the last ten minutes of the game UNLV's Wink Adams took over and dominated. He got into the lane, shot the ball from the outside, and got to the free throw line and killed BYU. This is what we are missing. As great as Cummard is he is not the type of player that will beat his opponent off the dribble and get into the lane. Also most of his shots come from beating his opponent off of screens. Well there was just one problem. UNLV kept switching on the screens so Cummard couldn't get the shot he was looking for all night. All in all it was a very disappointing performance and once again proves that BYU can't step up in big game situations, which will be their doom if they make it into the tournament.

Anyway after this weekend i am thinking that i need to take break from basketball for awhile. Hopefully i will be able to recuperate quickly enough for my soccer game on Thursday!

That's Right I am Starting a Blog

After a lot of deliberation and because i had a request from a couple of people I have decided to start a blog. I really don't know why I need to. I have no wife, no kids, and well I am not even going to school right now so I don't see why anyone would actually want to read this. Mainly my life is composed of going to work (Zinch) and watching sports. Hopefully though this blog i can write about my dating life, which I know most of my family is laughing right now, I might write some of my opinions on what is going on in the sporting world (especially BYU!!!), and so my mom can know what I am up to and i won't feel as guilty because I never call her. Anyway i hope you enjoy and hopefully I can remember to actually update this thing.

For those who want a quick update on my life I am currently living in Provo, UT and working at my job Zinch. I live at the Cinnamon Tree Apts. which is a piece of dump. I am not currently dating anyone right now and I am just enjoying being single. Also come December i will be the only Hancock (besides Scotty of course) that won't be married. I know that sounds pathetic to most of you, but I am having a lot of fun out here.