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!