Jaws activity 4

The nurse shark being blamed for the recent deaths of Chrissie Watson and Alex Kintner has been caught and killed, and the fishermen responsible are being rewarded $3000 for their efforts.

Matt Hooper, a marine biologist and shark expert from Woods Hole, Mass., Oceanographic Institute identified it as a nurse shark, one of the most brutal and dangerous sharks around the East Coast of the United States.

Hooper was also saying that the shark that has been caught might have a bite radius too small to be responsible for the death of Chrissie Watson after examining her body.

Jaws activity 3

A town meeting of Amity was held last night to discuss the recent deaths of Chrissie Watson and Alex Kintner.

"We're going to put on the extra- the extra summer deputies as quickly as possible, and then we're going to try and use, uh, shark-spotters on the beach," said Police Chief Martin Brody.

During this meeting it was brought up that Kintner's mother is offering a $3000.00 reward for finding her sons killer.

The beaches will be closed for a 24 hour period following the possibility of the attacks being shark related. Many locals expressed their displeasure at having the beaches closed for any amount of time saying it would hurt local businesses.

Brody seemed to desire the beaches closed for a longer period of time.

"I'll catch this bird for you, but it ain't gonna be easy," said local fisherman Ben Quint. "I'll find him for three, but I'll catch him, and kill him, for ten [thousand dollars]. For that you get the head, the tail, the whole damn thing."

The council said they would take Quint's offer under consideration.

It has still not been officially confirmed that it was a shark attack.

Who's in control the editor or reporter?

Who's really in control of what gets into the paper? Does the editor sit behind you looking over your shoulder the whole time while you write, just edit away once you give him your story, or just blindly print everything that comes across his desk?
I suppose it depends on the editor in the end. A good editor will probably trust his reporters, but will look over what happens every now and again.
It also depends on the publisher as well. If a publisher is a Nazi about everything the editor will probably be more strict so as to keep his job and appease the publisher.
I remember reading one of Hunter S Thompson's stories and in it one reporter was getting chewed out by an editor for having his story too long. That has always given me the view that editors are always in control with an iron fist.
But, I don't think that is too true. That might just be one editor. And he got killed in the end anyways so it all worked out. I'm not sure of the factual evidence of that story.

Rumor has it

Rumors, scuttlebutt, words on the grapevine. Should newspapers print rumors?
I mean sometimes it can be a great way to get a start on breaking a big news story and you can be the focus of much praise. Other times it turns into nothing and everyone looks at you like you're a babbling nincompoop.
Take the Boston bombings for example. There were so many rumors flying around that at the beginning. Hell someone said Zooey Deschanel was a suspect for the bombings themselves. Now this is ridiculous and was quickly taken down and apologized for. But, what happens when it's not someone famous and the news story just sort of drops the follow up on what happened? How many people's good names were dragged through the mud by the time they found the real suspects?
I guess it's a tentative line we flirt with as to whether or not we should use them.

Swearing in the newspapers

Can we swear in news articles? Because the FCC does not control the content in newspapers like it does in TV and radio.
If so we should take advantage of this ability as TV and radio can not. It's an untapped market right there. I'm not saying put "fuck" right in the title, but at least give it a little more spice. Hell it's worked for TV to show more and more vulgar material and get more and more viewers.
Maybe in order to win back a few readers we need to lower our standards on use of swears. But, that's a fine line to cross too. You go too far and you start to alienate readers who are turned off by that. Whereas going too shallow wont do anything at all and it's unlikely most would notice.
This might be too late though. With the advent of the internet people can say whatever the hell they want without any concern for language use. I mean I just wrote the F work not 6 lines above. So, this market may have already passed them by.

Story telling or Journalism?

Journalism is more than just telling a story. A story needs to be compelling, interesting, and engaging, and a news article aims to be that too.
But, a story doesn't need to be factual. A story can vague and gloss over certain details. That is not the case with news articles.
News articles need to be well researched and specific to show that the writer knows what he's talking about. It needs to have concrete quotations and details.
Another big difference is that the most often remembered parts of a story is the beginning and the end. A news article is usually remembered for the beginning and that's about it because after that it starts to get more broad and general.
A story also needs an arch. A news article doesn't necessarily need one, the character of a news article isn't always going to come around and become a new person.
Another difference is that sometimes there isn't going to be a protagonist of a news article. That's something that a story needs and can't live without.

My wrist hurts...

Recording everything a speaker or interviewee says is a bitch. It is hard. A lot of times my wrist is killing me by the end of the interview.

I also feel telling them to stop talking is a little rude. Even if said in a kind way it still feels a little rude. Interrupting them to say, "hey could you hold on a sec". It also looks bad on you because you can't get everything they say down immediately. It can also cause a speaker to forget what it was they were talking about and ruin a good quote or idea and waste the time it took to write everything down that is unfinished now.

I also feel I miss some important quotes when writing down other ones and panic and don't know which to write down at all.

I feel blessed when a speaker recognizes my speed and pauses for me though. It shows they can understand me and aren't just upset that I'm there interrupting their life.

I suppose I should start recording what people say and use that instead. It would be easier on the wrists at the very least.

People can be dicks

When I was covering a women's lacrosse game everyone I interacted with was an ass to me. They all acted like they were upset I was there and I felt repulsed to be having to interview and rely on them.
The team I was covering had just lost the game and it was a close match, but damn don't take it all out on me. And even questions I was asking meaning to be impartial and matter-of-factly they bit my goddamn head off for. "Well I think we played great and it wasn't a real loss!"
It was real loss! The scoreboard says so! Don't take your anger out on me.
But, this experience has given me a valuable lesson: timing is everything. Interviewing someone at a certain time can have their emotions running in completely different directions than at another time. Sometimes that can be good to cover. Other times people can be dicks to you for no reason.

Is it lying if I don't mention it?

Honestly is it? I'm not saying it's moral, but if you want to gloss over some details or just altogether not mention something is it lying in a news story? Like doing a profile on someone for example. If part of a politician's platform is family values but he's having an affair with his secretary is it better to just ignore that bit and talk about his platform or break the story about the affair. If you don't break the story you will probably get to continue following him around for the remainder of the candidacy, but, then again, if you break it the candidacy might end right there and you get really noticed. But, according to Hunter S. Thompson something like that can completely alienate you on capital hill for future races as people are afraid you can't be trusted.
What about manipulating quotes? I'm not saying chop up sentences and suddenly someone went from peace advocate to warmonger. I mean can I take one sentence and put another sentence that relates to the same context but was said later on in an interview right next to it? I suppose that can be a pretty broad topic though as it can easily get out of hand and end up being the peace to war example.

Jaws activity 2

Two local kids have been killed while swimming in Amity within hours of each other by possible shark attacks.

The first victim was 17-year-old Chrissie Watson, whose mauled body washed ashore this morning. She was last seen alive leaving a beach party with another teen the night before around 11 p.m.

The other teen, Trinity College sophomore and former resident, Christopher P. Hoggenbottam III, told police that Watson decided to go swimming after heavily drinking and possibly smoking marijuana. Hoggenbottam notified police this morning that Watson did not return from the swim.

Watson was a local senior at Amity High School. She was a member of the varsity swim team at Amity High School and lifeguard at the Amity Island YMCA pool in Oak Bluffs.

Her body was then discovered by Police Deputy Jay Hendricks this morning washed up on the beach. Her body has been transported to the coroner's office for an autopsy. No charges have been filed so far.

The second attack was against 10-year-old Alex Kintner of Mayfair Court who was floating on a raft while his swimming in the ocean. The raft has since been recovered with what appears to be a large bite out of it, but no body has been found.

Kintner's mother, Marion Kintner, who was present on the beach at the time of the attack, is being treated for shock at Amity General Hospital.

Police believe a possible link between the two and possible shark activities in the vicinity of Amity.

The investigations are still ongoing. 

Is it worth it?

I'm going to use the National Enquirer as an example. They print pure lies and a bunch of bullshit. But, it's interesting and gets people to read it. 

The thing is though, is it worth being sued over for some of the stuff they print?

Yeah, probably actually. The amount of money they make off of one issue vastly outweighs the amount it would cost in a settlement fund or in a retraction. 

"Tom Cruise says he wants 'alien babies'" 

"Tom Hanks kills a party-goer"

"Oprah turns down Dr. Phil's marriage proposal"

Those are all made up but good examples of what goes into an average issue of the National Enquirer. They would probably have to pay a couple thousand dollars per each story that gets them sued. So, if all three of those stories get them sued that would be about six to eight thousand dollars. But, how much do they make off of each issue? Probably about 25 thousand dollars. 

And, that's assuming the people actually sue for a retraction. If no one sues over it or just ignores it then they don't lose any money at all.

So, yeah from a monetary standpoint it's worth it.

But, from a pride standpoint and being able to hang your hat on something saying "I did this", I think not.

Jaws activity

Possible shark attack kills local teen Sunday evening off the shores of South Beach Shoal.

The mauled body of 17-year-old Chrissie Watson washed ashore this morning. She was last seen alive leaving a beach party with another teen the night before around 11 p.m.

The other teen, Trinity College sophomore and former resident, Christopher P. Hoggenbottam III, told police that Watson decided to go swimming after heavily drinking and possibly smoking marijuana. Hoggenbottam notified police this morning that Watson did not return from the swim.

Watson was a local senior at Amity High School. She was a member of the varsity swim team at Amity High School and lifeguard at the Amity Island YMCA pool in Oak Bluffs.

Her body was then discovered by Police Deputy Jay Hendricks this morning washed up on the beach.

Her body has been transported to the coroner's office for an autopsy. No charges have been filed so far, and police are continuing the investigation. 

I have a theory

Should we post our theories?
I noticed in the beginning of the Boston bombings everyone was afraid to say "terrorist" or anything related to it. Everyone was trying to insinuate it without actually saying it. I think I heard multiple times someone say "I'm not saying terrorism but this is what it looks like."
So if we have a theory about what happened does that mean we should tell people? I mean if we're right yay us. But, what if we're wrong?
Should we just sit around saying, "well shit happens"? Or do we need to make up a theory as to why this happened.
With breaking news this isn't important, people just want to know what is happening. But, after something has broken and it's simmered for a bit, people want to know why it happened.
Going back to Boston, at first it was all about developing news, what happened, how many people were hurt, lets hear some stories, and here is what the police say. But, the next day it was all about why did this happen. And, that is when everyone tried saying terrorism without saying it. Which I don't understand why they even tried to hide that they thought it was terrorism anyways.

Does it matter if they finish the story?

Honestly does it?
They've already started reading it, that means they have probably already purchased it or somehow paid for it. So, why does it matter if they reach the end of the story?
Most stories endings suck anyways. Every story these days has a more and more vague ending with less information and less interesting points.
Every story I've read recently on North Korea ends the same way, it just sums up what has already happened in every other news story I've read. I've read that North Korea did a nuclear test in February about 15 times already, but only once was that the main focus of the article.
So does it really matter? Should journalists focus on the ending all that much? Or can we just sort of let the ending slip?

Reviews, is this news?

Is a review a news article?
Does it matter if a movie only gets 2 out of 5 stars?
I think this goes back to the opinion argument. If opinion is news then I suppose a review should be also. Maybe.
But this poses a more interesting angle that if a big block buster movie that was looked at to be the next Titanic and make a bunch of money for everyone ended up like the real Titanic and sank. Then that might be news because it relates to job loss and economic things.
Or another thing is if a movie takes the country by storm out of nowhere. If a completely under promoted movie takes over and everyone goes crazy then that would be news too. Especially if it breaks into mainstream culture and everyone starts quoting it.
But, if a movie was supposed to be good and it is, or is supposed to be bad and it is, then no I don't find that newsworthy because it did as it was supposed to. The status quo was not changed.

Deadlines: Do they still matter

Do deadlines still matter? I mean in this day and age of technology and instant gratification why does it matter if I have a story exactly at 10 am?
Especially if it isn't a breaking news story it isn't important.
We can all agree that print media is dying a slow and painful death. The internet is, unfortunately, the future. But, that does mean that deadlines shouldn't matter. Breaking news is one thing that needs to be up the moment it happens, but anything else can wait, especially if something is breaking news.
Take last week for example. The Boston bombings covered everything up. Even someone trying to poison the president was covered up. The Texas explosion happened and came into the limelight for a bit but even that was covered up again by Boston. And, what happened to that North Korea crisis?
So what I'm trying to say is it shouldn't matter when the story comes out so long as it is in a reasonable time frame.

More interesting than the truth!

Fake newspapers and anchors are more interesting and more fun to watch and read than real ones.
The Onion is hilarious and widely read all over, sometimes believed to be true too. But, why is it that people find that more interesting? It's all fake, no matter how realistically they portray it. Shouldn't what is actually happening and something that could actually have an effect on people's lives be more important? Apparently a quick entertainment is more important than actual fact.
Also John Stewart and Stephen Colbert are watched by people looking for actual news too. I mean I enjoy watching them too, I find them hilarious, but I don't get my news from them. I watch them make fun of actual news organizations. Maybe when I was young and immature I watched them for news, but my news watching only consisted of what I heard via my friends or facebook, The Daily Show and Colbert Report on occasion when I had nothing else to watch, and the weather channel in hopes of a snow day. But, that was when I was a young kid who didn't actually pay attention to the real world news (now I exclusively read the BBC because I'm a snob who wants to seem more interesting because I get my news from and internation news source). It just seems silly to seriously look to them for news.

Did I just hear him correctly?

Is it okay to print what was overheard but isn't in an interview? Should that be allowed? Is there a moral obligation not to report it because you didn't get their consent? Or is there a moral obligation to report on it if it is potentially harmful?
Personally I would be okay with printing what I overheard. I know that's probably wrong, but sometimes you can get some vital and important information when someone doesn't know someone else is listening. I haven't yet because I know it's probably against the rules, but I'm saying that it would probably be a good resource if someone wont talk with you directly.
I guess the moral implications are there though. People would not feel comfortable with big brother watching over their shoulder all the time recording what they say.
Technically isn't reporting and quoting on a speaker doing exactly this though? You didn't ask for their consent to quote and wright down what they said.

We like sports

People like sports. People want to hear about sports when they can't either watch it live or on TV. So that would make sports reporting very important right?
Maybe not. I know when I check my phone to see how the Bruins, Red Sox, or Celtics (I don't have a football team I'm really devoted to) I just check the scores and move on.
Do people really need the entire game analyzing down to what socks the player was wearing?
I mean how many people actually go through and desire every single minute detail they could possibly consume? It just seems like if you showed the big plays, maybe some injuries or fights, and the scores, people would be okay with it all.
But then again ESPN, NESN, and all the other sports networks make a lot of money. So what the hell do I know?

Why does TMZ exist again?

TMZ is a perfect example of everything that is not only wrong with journalism but with America at large.
It shows the very worst parts of American culture: the worst parts of our celebrities. I don't care what Kanye and Kim's baby is going to be named. When did this crap become newsworthy? So they're celebrities, who the fuck cares?
And, the fact that they pester, pander around, and swarm these people is awful too. They're people too you know, they want their privacy as much as the next person does. They don't like having their personal space bubble raped by a thousand flashing cameras every time they come out in public.
Let's start doing this to the TMZ executives and reports and see if they put it on TMZ. That would be news in my book.

Blogging Seriously?

How long have people been taking blogging seriously? I mean I've always thought of it as a thing that people who wanted to be journalists did to get attention. Or other people did to push their opinions on people. Hipsters are another sort of people I associate with blogging. Of course if it keeps catching on them hipsters will move on to something else and just complain some more about how lame blogging is now.
But, when did it become, for lack of a better word, mainstream? When did people start listening to bloggers?
I bet it has to do with people using blogs while they travel. I've heard of so many people doing big long country wide trips and blogging about their adventures. That's the biggest reason I can think of.
Maybe it's because actual journalists are doing it too. That could be another reason.

The French Connection story

Gunfire erupts on the streets of Brooklyn as a police detective chases a fleeing suspect.

"I heard a gunshot go off then saw a man over a woman on the ground," said Rebecca Weilbrenner, an eye witness at the start of the event. "The man told everyone to get down and then ran off towards the train station."

The man was police detective James "Popeye" Doyle. The woman on the ground was Betty Badluck, she was killed by the shooter.

Doyle then commandeered a vehicle driving through as the shooter, identified as Pierre Nicoli, made a getaway on a train.

While on the train Nicoli shot a transit police officer named Sonny Grosso.

Doyle drove haphazardly after the train. As he doges across both lanes in pursuit of the train Doyle managed to: swideswipe a car, crash into a truck, almost hit a mother and her stroller, and crashes into a wall.

Witness Jess Weilbrenner 7

I Have a Dream

"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered this opening statement in his emotional "I Have a Dream" speech. From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, King cried out his decree against injustice and segregation to hundreds of thousands of supporters.

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"

King bellows out this with an emotional tag that was felt by all who were present. He cries out for freedom and justice. He cries out for equality and an end to segregation. 

But, King also cries out to his fellow African Americans to "conduct [their] struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline." He wants them to turn away from violence and continue in their non-violent protests. 

"Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred... Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force." 

King also tells people to not distrust all whites because many were present at that moment. He says how they can not walk alone.

Saturday Morning's Alright for Dentention

Portsmouth School Board discusses a notion to approve a new policy on possible Saturday detentions.

Initiated by School Board member Tim Steele, the policy would require students who have disciplinary problems during the week to return to school for a special Saturday morning session. It would cost about $3,000 per year for staffing.

Steele says this is being proposed to reduce the number of in-house suspensions. "I know this isn't good news for parents, but I hope the threat of Saturday classes will make the students think twice before breaking the school rules."

Resident Bob Farely agreed with Steele saying that "parents aren't teaching their kids any discipline, so the kids have no respect for rules 

Lead writing

I believe that a delayed lead is the best. It allows the story to have more personality. "It’s official: We’ve got our Ben back. And, good Lord, what he had to put us through, and go through, to get here." The Boston Globe article's delayed lead tells very little of the actual story, but it draws you in. It even includes the reader when it says "we've". Its weakness is that it doesn't include much details. If someone was just quickly browsing and only wanted to learn the quick details and move on, this wouldn't do it for them.
A summary lead gives you all the details immediately, but it's a little boring. "Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Britain’s highest-ranking Catholic leader, said Monday he wouldn’t take part in the conclave to elect the next pope after being accused of improper conduct with priests — an unprecedented first head to roll in the mudslinging that has followed Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to resign." This tells all the basic information, but it doesn't draw the reader in or make it sound very interesting.

Facebook and Twitter as news sources?

Are Twitter and Facebook reliable sources of news? I say no.
For the amount of crap I see uploaded to both Facebook and Twitter I don't understand how anyone can consider it a news source.
I mean how reliable is a 160 character post even going to be? You can't get any details or anything in there anyways. Plus all the hashtags usually just make me discredit the user immediately.
I can see using Twitter or Facebook as a teaser or something, like something is upcoming and they mention it. Or maybe to be used to promote a video or link to an actual article. But, to call Twitter or Facebook actual news isn't right.
Actual news doesn't belong on a social networking site. I'm still not totally sold on the concept that news belongs on blogs either, but "when in Rome" I guess.

Boston living Center summary lead/delayed lead

Larry Kessler was recently hired as the Boston Living Center's new executive director.

After a few years of retirement, the long time Boston warrior against the AIDS and HIV viruses is back. "There's still more work to be done," said Larry Kessler.

Kessler is now executive director of Boston's Living Center.

Station fire soft lead

Even after 10 years, Walter Castle Jr. still has nightmares. "I was 30 seconds away from dying."

Castle was 29-years-old at the time of the fire and suffered third-degree burns to his lungs, throat, and bronchial tubes. He had been in counseling until 2009, but recently returned to counseling after the nightmares started. "It's just very rough."

The Warwick, RI nightclub fire happened February 20th, 2003. The 10th year anniversary is Wednesday. The memorial happened Sunday. Survivors and relatives came to pay their respects, some by bringing flowers, and others by crying and speaking of the trauma at their lost loved ones and experiences they had. 

The Station nightclub caught fire as rock band Great White's pyrotechnics ignited soundproofing packing foam.

Brainy Parrot summary lead

A 31-year-old African grey parrot named Alex, who became famous for learning to talk, died last week.

Alex's death was attributed to natural causes according to Dr. Irene Pepperberg, who worked with the bird for most of its life after the bird at a pet store. Dr. Pepperberg is a comparative pyschologist at Brandeis University and Harvard.

The bird rose to prominence after learning more than a hundred words, 

Does the reporter's opinion matter?

A reporter is supposed to keep their opinions out of a story and never use "I", "we", or "us". But, aren't there times when the reporter is an expert on the subject he is reporting one. Who else has followed or researched as much on the subject as the reporter has? If the reporter is supposed to have expert knowledge on the subject doesn't that make him qualified to speak on it? And, what about those situations where everyone knows what happened, but there just isn't enough evidence to convict on it?

A reporter is taught to research, interview, and dive into his story. But, at the same time he is supposed to keep himself out of it. Police use their opinions when investigating a crime. Reporters should be allowed to use theirs when reporting one. They have a voice to be heard and need to use it. While not every reporter is out there working for the good of the human race, every reporter's voice is still important. 

How can a reporter report on something cruel and terrible without using their own opinions?

Bias

How does one consider biases in a news story. People say the dislike reading biased news story, but is that really true? And can you truly have an unbiased news story?

The reason I say people probably do enjoy biased news stories is because they're usually biased from the readers side. Fox News is considered extremely biased, and it also has the highest fan base of any cable network. 

BBC News is considered extremely unbiased, but isn't every story still going to have a western bias with it? When reporting on a story in the Middle East, for example, wouldn't they tend to see it from a different perspective than the locals would? Does Al Qaeda consider itself a terrorist organization, or do they say freedom fighters? What about the Irish Republican Army (IRA)? Or, what about ethnocentric stories? If they don't understand the culture behind the story how can they report on it?

Just food for thought.

Gonzo Journalism

Gonzo Journalism was a type of reporting coined by Hunter S Thompson. It involves the reporter to invest himself heavily in the story. Including taking part in what the story is about instead of just being a fly on the wall. But, is this really a good technique.

I'm a huge fan of Hunter S Thompson, I've read 5 books by him and watched his documentary multiple times. He was what influenced me to start journalism. But, his methods don't always work well. If a reporter joins in on what he is reporting on, he is bound to miss certain important elements. The reporter is open to distraction more so than if he were just in the press box watching over the place.

Another thing is the story tends to become less about the actual story and more about the reporter. It becomes the reporters reaction and activities during the situation. And, while I find this incredibly interesting myself, others might be turned off by it or at the very least just consider it an opinion piece.

Other than opinion pieces, does anyone actually still use this form of journalism today?

Accident at Mill Hill Road

An accident happened Sunday evening on Mile Hill Road in Belmont, Massachusetts involving three local teenagers.

Jamie Peterson was driving his two friends in his white Mustang along Mile Hill Road around 9 o'clock, when he lost control of the vehicle and flipped the car onto the roof. Peterson, seventeen, was able to walk away from the accident, while the other passengers have been hospitalized.

"I thought the worst." Said Tom Carroll Jr. who was the first one on the scene. He had been driving in his pick-up truck behind the Mustang. He is also seventeen. "It's hard to see kids your age in something like this." Carroll lost sight of the Mustang around a curve and then found the car upside down.

We don't know the names of the other two female passengers. Police will not reveal the names at this time, only that the two passengers are female.

"I've never seen a car going so fast on this road." Said Josie M. Crandall, who lives at 27 Mile Hill Road. Crandall happened to look out her window at 9 PM, saw the accident and phoned the police. "It's really easy to lose control."

Two other local teenagers were involved in a fatal accident at the same spot on December 24, 2005. Mile Hill Road is a dirt road without any streetlights.

While Peterson managed to crawl out on his own, rescuers were forced to use the jaws of life to free the other two. It took 45 minutes to free the other passengers. One was taken to Memorial Hospital in Belmont in stable condition. The other was airlifted to Mass. General Hospital in Boston. A spokesperson from the hospital confirmed they were treating an accident victim for a brain injury, but wouldn't release the patient's name.

This weeks story

This weeks story was easy for me to find. I didn't have to work at all, I really lucked out on this one. I decided to just do one on the big snow storm. I figured it would be news because we got absolutely covered in snow. I really need to stop procrastinating on the stories though. I really need to get out there earlier and go searching for one. This time I got lucky, but every story isn't just going to come to me. And, even when they do come to me I really need to think them through and get interviews lined up and find good sources to use. I feel I have some good sources this time. I'm trying to interview someone from PSNH and the NH state climatologist. These are the type of sources I should look for because they are both trustworthy sources that dealt with the storm.

Adapting to Newswriting

I feel I am adapting slowly. This is my first semester of taking a 600 level course and I'm taking two at the same time. So, my time is still being balanced out.
Interviewing people is pretty scary. It takes guts to go up to a complete stranger and just start asking them questions. I'm actually a pretty shy person. If I don't know someone I rarely talk to them, but once I get to know someone I can't stop talking. For me just going up to a stranger is still a rather daunting task.
The style of writing I feel will be easy for me to do. I am used to writing short paragraphs and sentences that get right to the point. I guess that is from reading Hunter S Thompson so much. I just became accustomed to how he wrote and started subconsciously emulating him. In one class I found myself struggling to write long paragraphs for research papers.
Looking for stories is also pretty difficult. I keep trying to think what would people care about. I still want to look for the "so what?".

Cross-dressing talking wolf's attempted double homicide thwarted

Early this morning a cross-dressing talking wolf attempted to eat both Elisabeth "Little Red Riding Hood" and her sick grandmother alive in the grandmother's home. The home is located about a mile and a half away from the village. The wolf's plans were thwarted by a huntsmen that happened to be traveling by. The huntsmen killed the wolf and miraculously both victims emerged unharmed.
Little Red Riding Hood was on her way this morning to bring her sick grandmother some bread, wine, and butter. She met the wolf about half way to the grandmother's house. She reported that he inquired about where she was going and walked with her for a bit. The wolf then distracted Little Red Riding Hood and made his way to the grandmother's house and ate the grandmother before Little Red Riding Hood had arrived.
Upon arrival at the house Little Red Riding Hood said she "found the door open and felt afraid". She went into grandma's bedroom and whom she thought was her grandmother in bed.
The wolf then ate the poor girl too and went to sleep.
As this unfolded a huntsmen was walking by and heard the wolf's snoring and thought something was wrong with the grandmother. As he entered the scene he immediately knew what had happened and instead of shooting the beast he cut him open so as to not harm the victims.
"I've been looking for you all these years and this is how I find you," said the huntsmen when he saw the wolf.
Both victims emerged unharmed unharmed. The huntsmen skinned the wolf and put the pelt on his door.
Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother then enjoyed their meal and grandma cleaned the scene of the crime.
Investigations are still on going and no police were available for comment

What is news?

News is everything. What's happening, what's going to happen, what already happened. Everything. From the theories and ideas people are coming up with to major conflicts going on in the world. The conflict in Mali is news. What the Kardashians are doing today is news to some. It can be about sports, like how Celtics center Rajon Rondo tore his ACL. It could also be about music, like how Foo Fighters' lead singer Dave Grohl is directing a movie about the Sound City recording studio. Video games, movies, people, countries, health, science, whatever it is, it's news. News is just events. This being my first day in Writing and Reporting the News 1 is news. It's probably not very interesting to many people, but it's news.
The most popular sources of news are Fox news for network viewing and Yahoo news for internet viewing. I don't believe there is a single definition of news, it is just too vague and encompassing to truly be defined.