J 201 - Section 316

Research Report - The Weekly Warrior by Nicholas Lemann - Kiera Arnson

2012-03-08T05:21:00.000-06:00

Nicholas Lemann began his work as a journalist at the age of 17. He worked for an alternative weekly newspaper in his home town of New Orleans. For college, Lemann attended Harvard where he studies both American history and literature. There he was the president of the Harvard Crimson and graduated with magna cum laude. After graduation, he held several positions such as: associate editor and managing editor at the Washington Monthly, associate editor and executive editor at Texas Monthly, national correspondent at The Atlantic Monthly, staff writer and Washington correspondent at the New York Times, and was a member of the national staff at The Washington Post. Also, for sometime Lemann was the dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, and has published five books as a New York staff writer. Lemann has also done work in documentary television such as: the Discovery Channel, “FRONTLINE,” “Blackside, Inc.,” and the BBC. Lemann is certainly a credible source.

A possible reason that Lemann chose to write an article on I. F. Stone is because he believes that the few autobiographies and books out there on him are wrong, or at least do not shine him in the correct light. Much of what Lemann writes about deals with how he does not feel that Myra MacPherson does not give enough character to Stone, does not emphasize his beliefs, and does not truly understand Stone. Lemann has more of a connection with Stone having similar experiences with starting in journalism early and making it “big” in the world in their fields. It seems that Lemann is able to appreciate the importance of Stones work more closely than MacPherson.

According to “The New Yorker” blog on Tumbler, The New Yorker is “is a weekly magazine with a mix of reporting of politics and culture, humor and cartoons, fiction and poetry, and reviews and criticism.” This presents the New Yorker in a very unbiased, informative and yet entertaining media. Obviously, this article fits into this wide variety of material being as it is about an important and influential journalist. The audience for this publication is directed mostly towards the citizens of New York - alluding from the name - but there is a wide variety of audiences from all around America that reads this magazine. The fact that there is such a wide variety of audience creates an impact for the publication to present an unbiased stand on what it publishes.

I seem to be unable to find any reviews on this article. This doesn’t surprise me much since, although the article is written on an influential and important journalist, the journalist is dead and most of his controversial topics are years old. Though, I did find it interesting that MacPherson did not seem to comment at all on the criticism that Lemann made in his article. This proves that this article was not very well established or controversial.

Sources

“Faculty: Nicholas Lemann.” Columbia Journalism School. Web. 05 March. 2012. <http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/profile/50-nicholas-lemann/10>

“About this Blog.” The New Yorker. Web. 05 March. 2012. <http://newyorker.tumblr.com/>

Mestelle, Discussion Questions, March 8

2012-03-07T06:06:00.002-06:00

Discussion questions for "Journalism of Verification" by Bill Korach and Tom Rosenstiel

1)In Karach and Rosenstiel's article, they claim that the definition of objectivity has been warped from the original definition set in the late 19th-early 20th centuries. It is commonly agreed upon that pure objectivity is a myth but do you believe that objectivity is possible in the way that Karach and Rosenstiel describe it?

2)The authors go on to describe the differences between, and the difficulty of achieving, balance and fairness. Which one is more difficult to achieve, balance or fairness? Can you have one and not the other and still be valid as a journalist?

3)Of the 5 scientific principles of reporting, which one do you think is the most crucial for great reporting?

4)How much responsibility do you feel journalists have to get facts 100% correct? This may seem a silly question, but do the readers share any of the responsibility? Can the journalists take shortcuts in order to speed up reporting and allow the readers to do the rest themselves?

Discussion Questions- The Weekly Warrior

2012-03-06T22:30:00.001-06:00

The article attributes Stone’s success as a journalist andreporter to his “courageous independent voice,” “dazzling mind,” “greatjournalist’s instinct” and his tendency to “agonize over his writing.” Whatqualities make a good, successful modern journalist or reporter? How are theysimilar or different from the past?

“He [Stone] treated the world, even the ancient world, as asuccession of stories to be covered.” Do you agree with this ideal?

Stone spent his entire career appealing to one audience and never worked foran organization that he felt was selling itself objectively. Do you think it’s moreimportant for journalists and reporters to try and deliver the newsobjectively, or should they be valued for their opinions?

Should we assume all news has a political agenda?

Online assignment 2

2012-03-02T16:47:00.000-06:00

1) How well did the journalistic community live up to its responsibility to present the ‘facts’?

The Journalistic Community did not live up to their responsibility very well. Granted, at the time, they were trying to report what they knew. However, as the video revealed, in most cases there was almost no fact checking.

2) Where they failed, why did they do so?

They failed to publish the truth. That was the biggest problem that was revealed was that the news agencies did not verify their facts. Some sources were also being strung along, as in the case of President Bush's address to the nation. He himself admitted that his questions and answers were scripted. He had a very calm, joking manner about his slip ups, when he made them. He would call on certain reporters, some of which didn't even have their hands up at the correct time.

3) What kinds of pressures did news organizations face?

There was immense pressure from all sides. From the community, there was a desperate thirst for knowledge after 9/11. This was probably the reason most news sources in the US felt they needed to get any information they had out to the public. From the government side, news agencies that tried to speak up about the mistakes that were being made were labeled as "unpatriotic," and were thought of as stirring up dissent.

4) How did different kinds of news outlets cover the issue differently? What was the difference between these outlets?

News agencies outside of the US were shown to have a better perspective on the issue. CBS's 60 Minutes, based in the middle east, stated that the reporting within the US was bordering on absurdity. The New York Times, a reputable news source, was one of the agencies to question the blind following of what President Bush was feeding the press. They found many red flags, one of which was that the public was listening to the head of the Iraq Exiles committee, a man the CIA had dropped as an informer because he was a con man.

Overall the type of reporting done after 9/11 is quite worrisome. I feel, though, that after the mistakes were exposed (and apologies were made), that the investigative reporters of today are much more careful in verifying that their information is correct.

Online Assignment 2- Maren Meyers

2012-03-02T15:01:00.000-06:00

1 1. Howwell did the journalistic community live up to its responsibility to presentthe ‘facts’

Accordingto this documentary, journalists did a poor job of presenting the factssurrounding American declaration of war on Iraq in 2002. In response to thehigh demand for information surrounding this topic, articles were released veryquickly. However, much of the information released was inaccurate. In manycases, claims were used from unsound sources and facts were not completelychecked for accuracy.

2. Wherethey failed, why did they do so?

In the film, Walter Isaacsonexplained how a sort of ‘patriotism police’ emerged following the terroristattack on the US on September 11^th. The pressure for the media toportray our nation and our government in a positive light after the devastatingevent outshined the ability for factual information to be release—informationthat people didn’t want to necessarily hear. I believe that there reason inmiscommunication lies in the human need to feel safe and united. All Americanswere deeply impacted by the attack, causing general emotional state of all UScitizens to be very fragile. On top of this, George Bush and many highgovernment officials believed that declaring war was absolutely the rightresponse to the terrorist attack. So, the journalistic community failed topresent the ‘facts’ in order avoid accusations of anti-patriotism and followorders from the government.

3 3. Whatkinds of pressures did news organizations face?

Newsorganizations felt tremendous pressure to maintain a patriotic image and obeythe government. Advertising agencies applied pressure if anything releasedseemed ‘anti-American’ while the public expected full support as they tried tounderstand and recover from the tragedy. The government insisted on working intandem with very large media sources to gain support for going into war. Newsagencies even put pressure on other news agencies, criticizing if articles weretoo objective or emotional about such a sensitive subject.

4 4. Howdid different kinds of news outlets cover the issue differently? What was thedifference between these outlets?

News outlets surroundingthis topic seemed to be either objective or emotional. Some presented news in astrictly factual way—taking the responsibility to simply communicate the newsto the mass public. On the other hand, many sources were very emotional inreporting. The attack was undoubtedly very traumatizing for Americans and thepeople covering the story felt the same way that everyone else did. Reportersfrom these news outlets could express what they were feeling in order toconnect with the audience. Weather or not the news was reported moreobjectively or emotionally depends on the political orientation of that source.For example, CNN was criticized for being too liberal for presenting informationthat seemed to contradict President Bush’s belief

2012-03-02T12:19:00.000-06:00

Ryan's Online Assignment #2

11) How well did the journalistic community live up to its responsibility to present the ‘facts’?

I think it is fairly obvious to come to the conclusion after watching the video that we did that the journalistic community failed to present the real facts of the time. But I think it is too easy to criticize what the journalists did in retrospect.

22) Where they failed, why did they do so?

In many cases journalists must present what is most acceptable and what their employers pay them to portray. In this case, it may not have been 100% the truth, but reporting anything different, as was shown, resulted in the singling out of companies as "unpatriotic" or "unamerican". So in one set of eyes, they failed to do so because they had no choice. In another however, many criticize the journalistic community as a whole even prior to the 9/11 attacks by making the claims that journalists have become too soft and have strayed away from their roots. Specifically during 9/11 I think that it was a combination of both.

33) What kinds of pressures did news organizations face?

Because of the sensitive nature of a terrorist attack, news organizations had to be careful. They had to show what was wanted to be seen which was that America was not going to back down and that we were going to "kick them in the teeth" more or less. Showing anything else would've hurt these organizations more than helped.

44) How did different kinds of news outlets cover the issue differently? What was the difference between these outlets?

Most outlets followed this news case as mentioned before: going with flow, telling Americans what they wanted to hear. They stressed and mercilessly attempted to tie Al Qaeda to Iraq to attempt to justify these false findings that everyone was believing. When CNN messed up by trying to go against that grain, other outlets used this to their advantage to hurt CNN which, for a while, actually worked. The difference between the main media outlets (that were feeding lies) and other outlets (that were real investigative reporters finding the truth) was that the smaller outlets with the truth had a much smaller fan base and therefore did not have the capacity to circulate their news to the country.

Lauren Mathea Online Assignment #2

2012-03-01T19:16:00.003-06:00

1) The American media community failed pretty tremendously to present the facts in the time leading up the invasion of Iraq. They published many stories that were false, and I even remember at one point in the documentary that they discussed how The New York Times presented a story that was leaked and then endorsed by the same person, a story that turned out to be false. Certainly the administration used the media to rustle up support for a war that had very tenuous grounds, but this is certainly not that first time that the media has worked to some extent in cahoots with the government to drum up support for overseas conflicts. In the Cultural History of Broadcasting class I am also in we recently discussed radio's part in WWII and the it inundated the public with a considerable amount of propaganda (I don't think it was false news stories like this but I don't know) both to encourage people to support the war and to encourage women to leave the home and start working in the jobs that men had left behind.

2 )I discussed this some in my first question, but I think they failed most heavily in fact checking. I recall one person being interviewed who said that foreign correspondents who were stationed in the middle east found some of the news being released to the American public almost laughable in its absurdity. It certainly seems to me that the media released stories that could have relatively easily been proven wrong with just a little bit of digging in the right place. When the media decided to "line up" with the Bush administration I think it lost sight of objective and thorough reporting and instead released news that was neither true nor objective.

3) The pressure undoubtedly came from the bush administration, and probably from corporate sponsors who would benefit from the choices that the Bush Administration was trying to drum up support for. Money certainly influences the agendas that the media have, and I think with a little bit of money in the right place the media can be relatively easily manipulated or silenced.

4) I don't remember very clearly what the different news outlets that were mentioned were, but I do remember a man being interviewed who said that he fact checked some stories, found that they were false and wasn't really able to get his voice heard and release that information. I think he was part of a smaller news organization that seemed to some extent silenced by the fact that gigantic news suppliers like the New York Times seemed to have the opposite (and ultimately wrong) viewpoint.

Hanson Online Assignment 2

2012-03-01T17:00:00.003-06:00

1) How well did the journalistic community live up to its responsibility to present the ‘facts’?Journalists presented the facts that they had learned about to the public. They did a good job of presenting the facts that they knew about; however, they did not do a good job of thouroughly investigating what they were hearing. So, it turned out that a lot of what they were reporting was what they thought to be the truth, but really wasn't.

2) Where they failed, why did they do so?
They failed with reporting some of the events and causes of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Many journalists just wanted to know why it was done and who did it and they didn't take the time to properly do their job of presenting facts, not opinions.

3) What kinds of pressures did news organizations face?
News organizations were facing pressure from many areas. They seemed to be pressured by society, wanting to know the facts of what happened, when nobody really knew what exactly the truth was. They also faced pressure from advertisers who called them anti-American for showing some of the tragic things that happened following the terrorist attacks, some that were extremely sensitive images. No matter what news organizations faced criticism from someone.
4) How did different kinds of news outlets cover the issue differently? What was the difference between these outlets?
Different networks were attacking each other for the images or stories that they had on their programs. Some networks decided it was best not to show certain images, others thought that Americans needed to see everything. FOX news accused CNN of being anti-American. There was constant attacks against opposing networks. The news networks differed by they way they reported the happenings of the world. Some did it with sensitivity and others viewed everything very politically.

Mestelle,Online Assignment 2, Mar. 1

2012-03-01T01:04:00.002-06:00

11)How well did the journalistic community live up to its responsibility to present the ‘facts’?

During the time following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the journalistic community warped the facts and presented the information in a way where the truth was hidden behind sensationalism. The line between the Iraqi government and Al-Qaeda became blurred to the point where it was commonly believed that Iraq was responsible for the attacks. Also, the idea that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction became common knowledge despite the fact not being confirmed.

22)Where they failed, why did they do so?

There was tremendous pressure on media outlets during this time period. After one of the greatest tragedies in our nation's history, a huge surge of patriotism appeared. Any report or story that seemed to have any level of criticism of the government was blasted as being un-patriotic. The news outlets couldn't risk losing their readers and advertising in such a sensitive time so they reported stories that the readers wanted to her, regardless of validity.

33)What kinds of pressures did news organizations face?

During this time, there was a "patriotic police" that monitored news and placed pressure on any outlet that seemed to be too critical of the government. None of the outlets could challenge anything the government did for fear of seeming unpatriotic. For every scene of distress in the Middle East that was shown, a scene of 9/11 was supposed to be shown to remind the public why the war was happening.

44)How did different kinds of news outlets cover the issue differently? What was the difference between these outlets?

jf Fox News claimed CNN as being "too liberal" and unpatriotic. The Knight Ridder group was more skeptical of the lead up to the war. Their idea was that, because their readers are the ones that are going to be going to war, they deserve to know the full scoop on what's going on. When the New York Times posted a report on the lead up to the war, everyone bought it due to the high reputation of the paper.

Stephanie Castillo Online Assignment #2

2012-03-01T00:23:00.002-06:00

1) How well did the journalistic community live up to its responsibility to present the ‘facts’?

As a whole, not well. The first scene of the press conference with Bush shown in the documentary displays this lack of scrutiny perfectly: rather than fielding difficult questions from reporters about the legitimacy of going to a war with a country that had technically done nothing, Bush had a list of reporters to call on who would ask "easy" questions. This lack of investigative critique of the Bush administration and its choice to go to war with Iraq embodies the shortcomings of journalism during this period.

Where they failed, why did they do so?

The period right after the 9/11 attacks ensued an overwhelming feeling of patriotism, and there was a sense that any journalistic piece, be it a photo of dying civilians, or an article admonishing the war was being anti-American. So, journalists tried to bolster the image that the administration put out in order to maintain their reputation. Additionally, they were passively reporting facts without checking to find out the truth. Often, the administration would plant a story in a newspaper, and this newspaper would quote it as coming from "anonymous" sources - but then, a government official would appear on a news show quoting the article that he originally planted. This sort of cyclical falsity became an unfortunate trend with most news sources reporting the war.

3) What kinds of pressures did news organizations face?

As previously stated, the bolstered feeling of patriotism placed pressure on news organizations to be pro-war -- if they were not, they were pegged as "anti-American" by major corporations. So there was a pressure on them to report only positive pieces about the war.

4) How did different kinds of news outlets cover the issue differently? What was the difference between these outlets?

Publications such as the New York Times and the Washington Post reported pro-government stories -- as their readers were in close proximity to the capital, there was an underlying sense that journalists should not criticize the government. Other publications, who were not in the immediate area of the capitol, reported differently. Jonathon Landay of Knight Ridder, was one reporter to investigate beyond claims of the White House - notably, Dick Cheney's claim that Saddam Hussein was close to acquiring weapons of mass destruction. His article that refuted Cheney's claims was overshadowed by news outlets like the Times and the Post.

James's Assignment 2

2012-03-01T00:22:00.000-06:00

1. How well did the journalistic community live up to its responsibility to present the ‘facts’?

Frankly, the journalistic community failed at their responsibility to present the "facts" leading up to the war in Iraq. They were continuously presenting stories that were based on rumors at best. The journalistic community as a whole was much more wrapped up in the post-9/11 patriotism than they should have been.

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2. Where they failed, why did they do so?

As I mentioned above, America was very sensitive after 9/11, and rightly so, but that doesn't mean the journalistic community should change the way they operate. In the time period before the war in Iraq, journalists tried their best avoid being critical of President Bush. The journalistic community also believed sensational stories from the mouth of Iraqi defectors that with just a little research could have been proven absurd.

3. What kinds of pressures did news organizations face?

News organizations faced the pressure of offending the general public, who was badly wounded from 9/11 and wanted revenge for what terrorists had done to us. There was also pressure from advertisers who obviously funded news organizations. If any opinion critical of the current administration was aired, news organizations faced the chance of losing advertisers and viewers.

4. How did different kinds of news outlets cover the issue differently? What was the difference between these outlets?

Many mainstream media outlets recirculated the same sensational stories. Many about how sure they were that Iraq had terrorist training camps or that Iraq definitely had weapons of mass destruction. In the documentary, Knight Ridder was presented as one of the few exceptions. They were quit critical of the administration's desire to go to war. They seemed to be one of the few that did their due diligence as journalists and examined the facts in an unbiased manner, but unfortunately they were in the minority.

Mitch Assignment 2

2012-02-29T19:25:00.001-06:00

1) How well did the journalistic community live up to its responsibility to present the ‘facts’?
As facts became known, the journalists presented those facts to the nation. They used their resources and journalistic knowledge to investigate an incident and give a report about what happened to the public. They did that very well, and very fast, but not very accurately. Claims were not further investigated, facts were not checked, and sources were not evaluated. Many media outlets chose speed of information over accuracy, which is a major fault of the current high-speed nature of today's media.

2) Where they failed, why did they do so?
During an event such as 9/11, emotions and tension are high. When journalists get wrapped up in emotions and patriotism, their judgement becomes foggy. The journalists were no longer objective about the news they were reporting. Bad news hurt them just as much as it hurt their audience. When things were going badly, people wanted news so badly that procedures were skimmed and people took advantage of the things they had to get what they wanted. In that haste, the information was not entirely correct.

3) What kinds of pressures did news organizations face?
News organizations faced pressure from every aspect. Advertisers were putting pressure on organizations not to seem anti-American, because the company would look bad if they supported an anti-American news organization. The public was putting pressure on the news outlets for information because 9/11 was such a tragic event. News organizations were putting pressure on other news organizations because they were being too objective about such a sensitive topic, or they were being too emotional in their reports. There was no way the news organizations could make everyone happy.

4) How did different kinds of news outlets cover the issue differently? What was the difference between these outlets?
Some news outlets became very emotional in their reports. The reporters voiced their opinions and feelings on the topic because it connected with the audience. After such a tragic event, the whole country was feeling hurt and the news organizations shared that perspective. Other news organizations remained objective in their reports. No matter how bad the news gets, it is the responsibility of the news organizations to report objective news to the public. The nation needed everyone to do their job to the best of their ability to get through such a tragic time. The news organizations differ based on their political perspectives. Even with the same information, a political spin can put the story in very different perspective based on the party the news organization wants to focus on.

Kiera's Assignment #2

2012-02-29T17:10:00.003-06:00

1. How well did the journalistic community live up to its responsibility to present the ‘facts’?

Many of the journalists pushed their own beliefs rather than the actual facts. Many of the facts they were stating weren't actual facts either, and if they had actually checked a few places they would have discovered a lot of the information they were relaying to the public really didn't add up.

2. Where they failed, why did they do so?

They failed because many were afraid of being perceived as being anti-American and unpatriotic. It's hard to attack the president or the government after a major crisis. Also, some took this as an opportunity to get what they wanted (i.e. Suddam killed.)

3. What kinds of pressures did news organizations face?

The public wanted a reason why and someone to blame for the attack on 9/11 and the media was supposed to answer these questions for them. They needed to present what America wanted to see and hear rather then the truth. Like when they broadcast all of the civilians deaths that America was causing during the war, America did not take kindly to this. America didn't want to know that they were doing wrong, just that they where punishing those who had done wrong to them.

4. How did different kinds of news outlets cover the issue differently? What was the difference between these outlets?

It was similar to the partisan style newspapers in the respect that different "liberal" or "conservative" news stations had a slightly different angle on the news, yet all were usually in favor of the war. Some criticized others for not being American enough in how they covered the war. Each tried to out news the others by spinning different topics like focusing on the weapons of mass destruction, or the terrorist schools, or just Suddam himself. Yet, when it boiled down to it, they were all just reporting on the war.

Assignment #2

2012-02-29T15:52:00.000-06:00

1) How well did the journalistic community live upto its responsibility to present the ‘facts’?
I don't think the journalistic community did a very good job of representing the 'facts'. Instead of investigating what was true, they told Americans what they wanted to hear, and believed unreliable sources. Not only did it not give us all the facts, but they also helped spread lies.

2) Where they failed, why did they do so?
In America, it is a journalist's job to give unbiased facts. One way in which the journalists failed is by having biased news coverage of the War on Terror. Even though they were just trying to be 'patriotic', I believe journalist's support of President Bush greatly influenced how the country thought of him, which probably encouraged him to continue to make similar decisions that he thought everyone approved of (which obviously they didn't in the aftermath of events). I also think the journalists failed by not checking their facts; if they don't have a reliable source, then the story shouldn't go to press or be said on the news.

3) What kinds of pressures did news organizationsface?
In this particular case, the new organizations faced the pressure of giving America information. Everyone was so anxious to know what was happening that a new organization with the most information, even if it wasn't all true, would probably get a large boost in ratings. Also, news organizations face the pressure of being patriotic; if they ran a story that went against any American ideas or actions, that news organization would probably be bashed in the ratings.

4) How did different kinds of news outlets coverthe issue differently? What was the difference between these outlets?
Different news outlets that had different political values (for example, liberal vs. conservative) covered the news differently. For example, many conservative news stations may run stories showing that another attack on the U.S. was definitely going to happen unless we stopped. A liberal news station might ignore the signs of a war, and instead focus on stories that prove to listeners why we shouldn't be going to war, like an Iraqi insider who says there are no weapons there.

Charlie Eichstaedt, assignment #2

2012-02-29T14:55:00.001-06:00

1 How well did the journalistic community live up to its responsibility to present the ‘facts’?

T The journalistic community did not do a very good job of presenting the facts during that time. All of the major news organizations had very emotional newscasts and articles. It was easy to see that there was a very strong sense of patriotism in the news after 9/11 and most of the major news sources wanted to stand behind our country after such a huge national tragedy. This sense of patriotism may have blurred some of the judgment of journalists which resulted in newscasts and articles that weren't completely accurate.

2 Where they failed, why did they do so?

One of the main points that was brought up in the video is that many of the journalists failed to check their sources so some of the information was inaccurate. The journalists also failed to scrutinize the information that the government was releasing. They also failed by not showing certain images, such as images of the war in Afghanistan. I feel that the main reason for these failures is that after 9/11 everyone felt very patriotic and there was a very strong sense of nationalism so none of the journalists wanted to be too critical of what the government was doing.

3 What kinds of pressures did news organizations face?

The main pressure on news organizations after 9/11 was that they did not want to seem un-American. The producers and editors of major news sources were urged not to show certain things(images of the war). Many of the newspapers had guidelines on the types of articles that they should include about the war on terror.

4 How did different kinds of news outlets cover the issue differently? What was the difference between these outlets?

Most of the different news outlets had varying opinions on the issues that were being presented. The news stories were often about the same general topic but each news source had a particular bias that made their story unique from the others. Some of the sources expressed bias in favor of the war while others were opposed and some, like CNN, tried to remain as objective as possible when covering these stories.

Online Assignment #2

2012-02-28T15:00:00.002-06:00

1. How well didthe journalistic community live up to its responsibility to present the‘facts’?

There arediffering opinions on how well the journalistic community did in regards toliving up to its responsibility to present the “facts”, but for the most partthe industry didn’t do a very good job. Following the tragedy that occurred on9/11, many (if not all) of the major news reporting agencies developed a veryemotionally charged attitude towards the Middle East and towards SaddamHussein. Reporting news that might have gone against a newfound sense ofpatriotism in Americans generally was seen as unfavorable, so many reportersmight have played down information that would have put them in a negativelight. Another way that the journalistic community failed to live up to itsresponsibility was in how it handled facts and information that it received.Since there was a much smaller division in press and government post 9/11, theinformation that many reporters were using was clearly biased or outright unreliable.

2. Where theyfailed, why did they do so?

As previously stated, the reasonthat many people within the journalistic community failed in their reporting ofunbiased, truthful facts was that they simply didn’t want to “go against thegrain.” Post 9/11, the entire nation was uniting behind a sense of nationalismand patriotism, and the nation was also somewhat looking for a scapegoat toblame the terrorist attacks on. When the Bush Administration started to makethe connection between Saddam Hussein and the attacks on the World Trade Centerwithout necessarily having much substantial evidence to back their claims, manyjournalists took off with this story. There was a clear absence of factchecking, and an overabundance of blindly reporting information that wasn’tnecessarily true.

3. What kinds ofpressures did news organizations face?

News organizations had to maintain adelicate balance of accurately informing their readers what was going on withinthe War of Terror and what the readers “wanted to see.” News reporters faced achallenge of being obliged to show civilian deaths and the devastation that washappening within Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as showing US Military successes.

4. How diddifferent kinds of news outlets cover the issue differently? What was thedifference between these outlets?

While it wasn’t explicitly stated,different news outlets definitely had different political biases when it cameto the War on Terror and America’s involvement with trying to topple SaddamHussein. Depending on who owned a specific news conglomerate and his or her ownpolitical views, the news presented by their respective news outlets wasportrayed through the same lens. There was debate between large cable newsorganizations such as FOX News and CNN over who had a liberal or conservativebias in reporting stories, and very few news organizations could be seen ascompletely bias free in its reporting.

Morgan's Assignment #2

2012-02-27T20:34:00.001-06:00

How well did the journalistic community live up to its responsibility to present the ‘facts’?

I Some journalist did not live up to their responsibility because they didn't check the facts, they just went with what the Washington administration was saying, and wanted the public to hear. Some journalists like Bob Simon did because he, as well as others, checked other sources and didn't immediately trust the New York Times or what the Bush administration was saying. In hindsight we could say they all didn't live up to their responsibility, but it's important to keep in mind that even those that were skeptical still couldn't be sure whether what was being propagandized was wrong until they checked other sources.

Where they failed, why did they do so?

One area in which they failed was not being critical enough right after 911. When Dan Rather was asked whether they could be critical of the government's decisions, he said they could have gone against the president, but that no one really wanted to. Although this was a time where everyone seemed patriotic, it is journalists' job to find out the truth, even if people think they're being unpatriotic, ultimately they're helping the public by exposing the truth.

What kinds of pressures did news organizations face?

There were pressures from the government mainly the Bush administration who were trying to connect Saddam Hussein to the attacks, for example those sent over seas to find some proof of a connection. Also, advertisers were indirectly pressuring journalist, for example telling newspaper companies that they couldn't put too much about civilian causalities in their paper, and especially not on the front cover. There was also pressure from the public because after 911 people came together to back up the president and it seemed everyone was being patriotic. So many newspapers and new stations didn't want to cover any story that went against the president right after the war because they knew they would get a flood of calls and complaints.

How did different kinds of news outlets cover the issue differently? What was the difference between these outlets?

One difference was the political affiliation of the newspaper or program. CNN was criticized for being too liberal and certain stories were seen as unpatriotic if they went against what the president was saying. The New York Times was one of the most influential sources because it was so widely trusted. It also depended where the reporters were, Bob Simon explained how those reporters stationed in Iraq had a much clearer perspective and said it was, "absurd to connect Saddam Hussein with 911". There was also propaganda from the WIG (White House Iraq Group) which was sending out the message that 911 and Hussein were connected, this got repeated so much that even when it was proved untrue in polls people still believed it was true.

Discussion Questions 2/16

2012-02-16T12:28:00.001-06:00

1) Do you see fear reactions in children as harmful?

2) Are their reactions to frightening imagery in moviesand on television different than their reactions to scary stories or real worldexperiences?

3) This article brought up some interesting points aboutmedia’s effects on our emotions. Is the author displaying a belief in the“magic bullet” paradigm of understanding media by suggesting that watching TVaffects the way we process loss and other emotions?

4) In your opinion: is paranormalmedia content more frightening than violent media content? Why?

Trevor Shimulunas Research Report: "Wounded but Not Slain, the Orderly Retreat of the American Newspaper" --James Baughman

2012-02-16T09:08:00.000-06:00

Research Report: “Woundedbut Not Slain, the Orderly Retreat of the American Newspaper” by JamesBaughman.

Trevor Shimulunas

ProfessorJames Baughman has been an instructor at UW Madison since 1979. He has received some distinguished awardsfrom the University, including the UW Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Awardin 2003, as well as the Ciriack’s Alumni Outreach Excellence Award in2005. He is a professor of Journalismand Mass Communication, and held the position of Director of the School from2003 – 2009. Because of his scholarlyand instructing background, we can be confident in the quality of his work, andare able to take it as fact. With hisbook, The History of the Book in America,Professor Baughman and his colleagues pursue mainly an academicagenda.

Hisarticle explores the path the American Newspaper took following the end ofWorld War II. His chapter covers newforms of the paper that cropped up, such as African American presses, orrestructured columns. He also goes on tocover why the Television first was not, and later became, a competitor toNewspaper readership. From the topics hediscusses, and the language with which he discusses them, it is easy to assumethat Professor Baughman is following no agenda. I believe I detect, however, that Professor Baughman is somewhatindignant of the progress Television has made. The very title of the piece says “Woundedbut Not Slain.” This title invokes the image of the Newspaper as somethingthat has been assaulted, a valiant victim that lives on despite the ravaging ofenemies.

We mustnot forget that “Wounded but Not Slain” is part of a larger work. An entire volume of information is at handwhich discusses the different progressions of the Print Industry. The effects of the Cold War, Globalization,technology, and many other subjects are explored in detail. Volume 5 has been set up to resemble ahistory. Because of that, it appearsthat the intended audience was that of historians and students. There are over 200 examples of students who’veread this article in our very class. Dueto the nature of the publication, that being articles by different esteemedauthors, it is most likely that portions of Volume 5 are assigned to studentsrather than the entire book (as seen in our class).

Therewere several book reviews praising A History of the Book in America, Volume 5.

TheJournal of Scholarly Publication states, “A model of scholarly publication and institutionalcooperation. . . . A timely achievement and a great one. . . . Withoutuniversity presses, we would still be waiting for HBA.” Publishing Research Quarterly goes on to state,“Certain to become required reading for anyone interested in books, book publishing,and/or print culture in postwar America. . . . This one’s definitely a keeper.”

In conclusion, Professor Baughman’swork invokes some sympathy for the paper industry, but leaves us with theknowledge that it is by no means finished. He is Professor of repute here at Madison, and we can think of him as anauthority on the subject.

Sources:

“Baughman.” School of Journalism &Mass Communication. 2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. .

Hall, David. “A History ofthe Book in America, Volume 5. TheEnduring Book in Print in Postwar America.” UNC Press. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2012

Professor Baughman, inLecture.

Discussion Questions for Wounded But Not Slain: The Orderly Retreat of the American Newspaper

2012-02-15T21:31:00.003-06:00

Do you think the internet will ultimately kill thenewspaper? What about Television?

What would you do if you were the head of a newspapercompany going forward?

How do you feel about the strategy of subscriber contentonline? Is this fair? How else can online papers make money?

The article talks about a decline in American’s attentionspan, do you feel this exists? And if so, how short can this attention spanget?

Research Report - Media That Stir Emotions

2012-02-14T16:08:00.002-06:00

ResearchReport

KatyStankevitz

“Media That Stir Emotions” is the seventhchapter in the third edition of a book called Media Effects Research: ABasic Overview by Glenn Sparks, Ph.D. The book was published in 2009, andwas written as a way to broadcast findings from Sparks’ multiple studies onmedia effects, and also as a textbook for students with an interest in thetopic. “Media That Stir Emotions” discusses how and why media affects usemotionally, with a large focus on children and their reaction to frighteningmedia. Glenn Sparks has a personal connection with this topic; he starts thechapter out with the story of when he first watched The Twilight Zone as a small child. He is still frightened when hethinks of the manikins in a department store that magically came to life in theepisode. Chapter seven of his book explains why frightening media such as TheTwilight Zone affects children so negatively. For example, younger children(2-7 years) have not yet developed the conceptual thought processing skills ofolder children, and therefore are more afraid of things that look scary, even if they are notrealistic. Older children focus their fear on more true-to-life, yet rare,occurrences like flash floods and kidnappings. Sparks also uses this chapter toadvise parents how to deal with scared children, and reminds them that thingsthat may seem innocent or unrealistic to them can instill fear in their child,whose brains and coping skills are not as developed as theirs.

Glenn Sparks graduated with aBachelor of Arts degree from Wheaton College, earned his master’s from NorthernIllinois University, and his Ph.D from The University of Wisconsin-Madison,where his research in media effects began. Sparks mentions many different experiments he conducted throughouthis years of research, and uses his findings to back up his claims. He observedand interviewed children and college students, and also followed up with themon how they felt years after the studies were completed – his experiments wereethical, random, and complete. Sparkshas written 3 full-length books and multiple scholarly articles on cognitiveand emotional effects of the media. He currentlyteaches at Purdue University. “Media That Stir Emotions” is an un-biasedchapter from a scholarly book, written by an author with credentials that thereader can trust. Cengage Learning - a company that supplies universitiesand other research institutes with trusted material and textbooks with a goalof fostering worldwide academic excellence - published the book, which proves its material reliable. Allreviews of the book cite it as informational yet entertaining, saying thatSparks puts the entire media scene in perspective from a research point ofview. It is also helpful that Sparks uses real-life examples, many that heexperienced himself, to back up his findings. Overall, this chapter seems likea legitimate piece of literature written with pure intentions of educating itsreaders on the influence of the effects of frightening media.

"Cengage Learning: Media Effects Research." Cengage Learning. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://www.cengage.com/search/productOverview.do?Ntt=9781111344450&N=16+4294922390&Ntk=P_Isbn13||P_Isbn13>.

Sparks, Glenn. Glenn G. Sparks. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.glenngsparks.com/spark/welcome/>.

Sparks, Glenn. "Glenn Sparks." Career Account Web Pages. Purdue University. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~sparks/>.

Discussion Questions- The Unbeautiful Game

2012-02-08T18:05:00.001-06:00

The Unbeautiful Game by Adam Gopnik goes into some of the unspoken truths about pro-football today.

One aspect that Gopnik mentions is that where you watch the game changes your perspective, to start, do any of you notice this while watching football live vs. watching on TV? And if so do you think that TV has influenced your opinions while you're watching?

To follow that, how has football become more commercialized?

Do you agree with the statement that pro-football is the "silly putty" of social media?

They explain what is called "hang around time" after the game when interviewers try and talk to players, in the article they say this has become more dull and the players are not as willing to share. Do you have any opinions on why you think this might be?

Do you agree that the players' desires for ever increasing salaries "drains joy out of the game"?

Finally is your mood, opinions, or feelings affected by watching a game?

The Advent of the Media discussion

2012-02-08T17:16:00.003-06:00

Which communicative innovation do you think is the most revolutionary and why?

This article only talks about the positives of America's media and the negatives of Europe's. How do you think the article would have a different perspective if written by a different author?

Do you think all new forms of media should be legally protected, or should they go on a case by case basis?

How much censorship should media have? What, if anything, is too inappropriate to report to the public?

What is the biggest concern about the media, like bias, censorship, etc? Why?

The Economist Discussion Starters

2012-02-01T12:16:00.001-06:00

Here are a few of the questions I came up with to get the discussion started:
Would you consider social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook just an advanced form of the pamphlets that Luther used to spread his word? Why or why not?
If Luther had lived in today's world do you believe the use of these sites would have helped or hurt his cause? Why?
Do you believe that Luther's revolution (or that of the Arabs) would have been possible without the use of social media?

Mestelle, Research Report, Feb 2

2012-02-01T07:12:00.001-06:00

Jacob Mestelle
J201-316
2/1/2012
Research Report

A Social History of American Newspapers

The history of print media and communication in general is rich and full of events and people that changed how the world transfers its information. It would seem a daunting task to even attempt to record the history of such an important part of history. The first chapter of Michael Schudson’s book, Discovering the News: A Social History of American Newspapers, does well in giving the reader and introduction into the evolution of the newspaper and society as a result of it. Schudson does well in depicting the important events in the early 19th century that lead to great change in the newspaper and how it was used. The main argument made in this first chapter is how the penny press and the penny papers created a “democratic market society” in the United States and revolutionized the way newspapers were created, distributed, and read.
Michael Schudson is an academic sociologist, currently employed at the Journalism school at Columbia University. At the time this article was written, however, Schudson was an assistant professor at the University of Chicago. The fact that this is an academic article, rather than one you would find in a newspaper or journal, changes the way that one should look at it. The fact that Schudson isn’t writing the article for any other company or outlet is important in that all the views expressed in the article are his own and are in no way shaped by the editor of the publication. This article is primarily fact-based. Schudson goes into great detail about the transformation of the American newspaper during the beginning of the 19th-century as takes great care in providing a number of outside sources to verify his claims. While the claims Schudson makes are clearly his own, he provides the reader the opportunity to create his/her own by mentioning several different arguments in his article. I find it hard to argue, however, against his claim that the penny papers were largely influential in changing American newsprint.
The selection chosen for the reading is the first chapter in Schudson’s book, entitled Discovering the News: A Social History of American Newspapers. This is Schudson’s first book, written while he was still an assistant professor at the University of Chicago. That being said, there is no criticism or response to his work being as it is the work of a novice. While it may be difficult to give credibility to the work of an inexperienced author, we can take heart in knowing that Schudson has written a fair number of books since then. This is a clear indication that he is respected in his field and viewed as a very important member, as showed by his reception of the MacArthur foundation award in 1990. His publisher, Basic Books out of New York, prides itself in its rich history of delivering valid academic literature to the masses. The company’s tag line is, “Renowned publisher of serious nonfiction by leading intellectuals, scholars, and journalists.” This information tells us that we can trust Schudson’s words. He is clearly an expert in his field and definitely one whose writing should be treated well.

Works Referenced:

"About Basic Books." Basic Books Home. The Perseus Books Group. Web. 1 Feb. 2012.

<http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/basic/about_us.jsp>.

"Michael Schudson." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc., 26 Nov. 2011.
Web. 02 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Schudson>.

Schudson, M. (1978). The Age of Egalitarianism: The Penny Press. In Discovering the News: A

Social History of American Newspapers. New York: Basic Books.

Research Report- How Luther Went Viral

2012-01-31T23:30:00.000-06:00

Maren Meyers

J201-316

January 31, 2012

Research Report

How Luther Went Viral- The Economist 2011

The unstated author of the recentarticle How Luther Went Viral makescompelling comparisons between the use of social media in the Arab spring of2011 and the European Reformation that took place nearly 500 years ago. In the16^th century, “the unintentional but rapid spread of the ’95 Theses’alerted Luther to the way in which media passed from one person to anothercould quickly reach a wide audience”(94). Similarly, the outbreaks of unrest inearly 2011 over Egypt and Tunisia’s dictating regimes served as an example tothe world of how social media web sites such as Facebook and Twitter can enablethe mass sharing of opinions that creates “momentum for further action”(96) Theauthor uses these two examples to link the present to the past and correct thecommon assumption that modern social media and technology are superior to thoseof the past. Instead, he asserts that “social media are not unprecedented:rather, they are the continuation of a long tradition”(96)

One enduring practice of The Economist, the renowned news andinternational affairs magazine in which HowLuther Went Viral was published, is that author’s names are not includedsave for special occasion articles. While certainly advantageous for theauthors, as it allows expression of opinions without threat, disclosure oftheir names disadvantages the readers. We cannot find information about theiroccupation or past writings and therefore cannot find reasons for theirmotivation in writing the articles. However, after researching The Economist itself, I can concludethat this article comes from a reliable and well-informed source.

TheEconomist refers to itself as an “Authoritativeweekly newspaper focusing on international politics and business news andopinion.” It’s referred to as a newspaper for historical reasons, but today itreleases it’s news by printed magazine and Internet. It takes an editorialstance, targets highly educated readers, and boasts an audiencecontaining many influential executives and policy-makers. James Wilson founded TheEconomist in 1843 to advance the repeal of the Corn Laws, a system ofimport tariffs. Today, however, its news aims to inform much more, reporting anaverage circulation of just over 1.6 million copies per issue. The massdistribution of The Economist and apparentlyprestigious audience requires high quality news. It must be selected by keenminds and presented as professionally as possible. Like any kind of news thoughcome opinions arguing and supporting its claim.

Upon investigating the onlinepublication of How Luther Went Viral, Ifound many interesting responses. Overall the article was received well withmany readers agreeing with the claims and expanding on them. For example, ElinWhitney-Smith commented on www.economist.com agreeing that “Luther was the first media evangelist,” and further supports that notion by providing insight toLuther’s relation to John Huss, a man who had great influenced on Luther. Ifcommentators argued, they typically wrote something along the lines of, it takes more than media to start arevolution, or, the outcome wouldhave been the same despite the use of social media, though these commentswere not well supported.

SourcesReferenced

"Commentson Social Media in the 16th Century: How Luther Went Viral | TheEconomist." The Economist - World News, Politics, Economics, Business& Finance. Web. 30 Jan. 2012.<http://www.economist.com/node/21541719/comments>.

"HowLuther Went Viral." The Economist (US) 17 Dec. 2011: 93-96. Print.

TheEconomist - World News, Politics, Economics, Business & Finance. Web. 30 Jan. 2012.<http://www.economist.com/>.

Eichstaedt, Discussion Questions, Jan 31

2012-01-31T18:04:00.000-06:00

Of all the changes in newspapers from the 1820's till the 1850's which do you think was the most significant? (public vs private, hands off advertising, objective reporting, non-partisanship...)

All these changes in content helped circulation of penny papers rise but do you think the rise in circulation was due to these changes in content or due to technological advances in the mid 1800s?

Online Assignment #1

2012-01-30T21:54:00.001-06:00

Name and hometown: Megan Bell - Waukesha, WI

Possible future job? Anybody in that job you really admire now? As of right now, I don’t have a set plan as to what I’m going to do with my life and what job I want to have. However, as weird as it may sound, I love bridges so I’m thinking of going into civil engineering. If I end up absolutely hating engineering, I have absolutely no idea as to what career field I would even want to go into so hopefully engineering works out for me!

Do you consume “news”? If you do, what are your main sources? My homepage on my computer is set to Yahoo, so when an interesting story comes up, I tend to read the story but other than Yahoo and the things that are talked about on Facebook I don’t look elsewhere for news on a regular basis.

What kind of music do you like? (It could appear in lecture.) I listen to a lot of different types of music but I am absolutely in love with country music!

Favorite online video (link to it): I wouldn’t necessarily say I have a single favorite online video, but Books for Christmas is definitely towards the top of my list.

What recent pop culture expression do you love (or find yourself using)? I don’t love this expression, I actually find it quite annoying but I used to make fun of my friends and how they said it all the time and it kind of caught on... But I tend to put the phrase “I mean,” in front of basically anything I’m going to say.

Online Assignment #1

2012-01-29T17:52:00.000-06:00

Name andhometown: Will Dehn from Maple Grove, MN

Possiblefuture job? Anybody in that job you really admire now? As of right now,my goals are to go to flight school once I graduate from UW-Madison to get mypilot’s license and hopefully fly for one of the major commercial airlines oneday (Delta, United, US Airways, etc.). Someone in the aviation industry that Ireally admire would be Captain Chesley Sullenberger from US Airways Flight 1549or Charles Lindbergh.

Do you consume“news”? If you do, what are your main sources? I do considermyself a bit of a “news junkie” so I do like to keep pretty up-to-date with thecurrent events happening around the globe. Generally my main sources of newsare online sources (MSNBC, NY Times, CNN), a little bit of print (The DailyCardinal, The Badger Herald, Star Tribune), and social networking (Facebook andTwitter).

What kind ofmusic do you like? (It could appear in lecture.) As cliché as issounds, I really don’t have a favorite type of music, I really do like it all.I’ll listen to pretty much anything from the Mainstream Top 40 to Country toMozart.

Favoriteonline video (link to it): The “Charlie Bit My Finger” video is always aclassic.

What recent popculture expression do you love (or find yourself using)? Hashtagexpressions from Twitter are pretty fun, and I find myself using ebonicsexpressions more than I probably should.

Online Assignment #1

2012-01-29T13:13:00.001-06:00

Name and hometown: Sarah Hanson, Merrill, WI

Possible future job? Anybody in that job you really admire now? I really don't know what I want to do with my life right now, but I think it would be kind of cool to be the Editor in Chief of a magazine or it would also be interesting to work on movies. Who knows if I will end up doing either of those things, but they seem interesting.

Do you consume “news”? If you do, what are your main sources? Yes I do, mostly from Yahoo and Facebook.

What kind of music do you like? (It could appear in lecture.) I listen to pretty much any music, but a few bands I like are Dashboard Confessional, Blink 182, and Jimmy Eat World.

Favorite online video (link to it): I don't know that I have a favorite, but Kittens Inspired by Kittens is always a good one.

What recent pop culture expression do you love (or find yourself using)? This isn't one that I love (it is actually really annoying), but I find my friends using it a lot...waaahh!

Online Assignment #1

2012-01-29T12:46:00.003-06:00

Name and hometown: Ryan, Baraboo WI!

Possible future job? Anybody in that job you really admire now? I am completely undecided. Recent events have caused me to look at how I really want to spend the next 50 years and I just don't know. I really admire dentistry as my great-grandfather, grandfather and my own dad were all dentists.

Do you consume “news”? If you do, what are your main sources? I do, but not much. Mostly big news and a little bit of politics. MSN .com and Facebook

What kind of music do you like? (It could appear in lecture.) The Beatles.

Favorite online video (link to it): BEST Teaser ever!

What recent pop culture expression do you love (or find yourself using)? That is SO fetch.

online assignment #1

2012-01-28T18:26:00.002-06:00

Name and hometown:
Morgan Loomis, Glencoe, IL
Possible future job? Anybody in that job you really admire now?
I'm planning to major in retailing with the business certificate so potentially a buyer, merchandiser or something like that.

Do you consume “news”? If you do, what are your main sources?
Magazines, yahoo, twitter, facebook and other websites

What kind of music do you like? (It could appear in lecture.)
I love country! Also, the OC soundtrack. Other than that I listen to pretty much anything if it's a good song.

Favorite online video (link to it):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ssXJtzFOjA
What recent pop culture expression do you love (or find yourself using)?

I say 'struggling' a lot. Like I can't get out of bed in the morning, "I'm struggling here".

Online Assignment 1

2012-01-28T13:49:00.001-06:00

Name and hometown:
Mitch from Sheboygan, WI

Possible future job? Anybody in that job you really admire now?
I'm thinking of majoring in something with math, but I have no idea what. I don't know anybody that deals with math to admire.

Do you consume “news”? If you do, what are your main sources?
I mainly use Facebook for news. I never have to watch sports because I get a play by play with everybody's statuses.

What kind of music do you like? (It could appear in lecture.)
I like pop and hip-hop the most.

Favorite online video (link to it):
Dead Fantasy there are currently 5 videos in the series, and they're all good!

What recent pop culture expression do you love (or find yourself using)?
My friends and I sometimes greet each other with "hey girl hey."

Emily's Online Assignment

2012-01-27T19:47:00.000-06:00

Name and hometown: I'm Emily Quandt and I am originally from the St. Paul area (but on the WI side of the river) but I have lived in Madison for almost ten years now.

Possibile future job? My dream job is to be a photojournalist because I am obsessed with traveling and love photography. Realistically, though, I'm thinking about either a job in Anthropology or Journalism. I'm leaning towards anthropology because I'm very interested in other cultures and I would love to study/photograph them. I really admire Smithsonian and National Geographic because of their amazing cultural studies (and photos, of course!)

News sources: I usually consume news by word of mouth - I hear important things from my sister (who is extremely political) and my friends. I'm usually not one to sit down and read a newspaper. I do periodically read online news articles, though. Also, Facebook and Twitter do an excellent job of keeping me in the loop with important things!

Kind of music I enjoy: I like indie music - indie rock, indie pop, etc. I also like classic rock. Really, the only kind of music that I will not listen to is pop-country.

Favorite online video: Boys Will Be Girls. There is also an episode where the girls act like boys, but it's not nearly as funny. There is also a sequel here.

Popculture expression: I tend to hash-tag things in real life. #TakingTwitterTooFar

Online Assignment #1

2012-01-27T12:17:00.000-06:00

Name and hometown:
Lesslie Alonso, Mexico City, Mexico

Possible future job? Anybody in that job you really admire now?

Major is Life Science Communication, so future job is hopefully working in social media or T.V.

Do you consume “news”? If you do, what are your main sources?

Yes, I consume it T.V. broadcasting. Like CNN and the Madison local newscast.

What kind of music do you like? (It could appear in lecture.)

Reggeaton, hip hop, r&b, and all sorts of latin music

Favorite online video (link to it):

Don't have a favorite online video

What recent pop culture expression do you love (or find yourself using)?

Boop. Rude.

Online Assignment #1

2012-01-26T22:13:00.004-06:00

Name and hometown:
Stephanie Castillo, Whitefish Bay (suburb of Milwaukee), WI

Possible future job? Anybody in that job you really admire now?
I'm an undecided major, so it's all up in the air. I'm thinking of marketing or journalism though. As far as people I admire, I would say I admire anyone who managed to find a career that they loved and became successful at it...that's what I hope to do!

Do you consume “news”? If you do, what are your main sources?
Yes, mostly through Facebook though, unfortunately. When people read news articles, it shows up on my news feed, so I occasionally read those.

What kind of music do you like? (It could appear in lecture.)
Truthfully, I like all genres of music, although my ears naturally gravitate toward pop-y sounding music...it's fun to sing along with :]

Favorite online video (link to it):

The ending is the best: "You sneaky mom!"

What recent pop culture expression do you love (or find yourself using)?
I don't use many, but on occasion, I say "legggo" (let's go) and "scrubbin" (as in dressing/looking like a sloppy mess. For example: "Megan looks like she just rolled out of bed, she must be scrubbin' it today.")

First Online Assignment

2012-01-26T18:37:00.002-06:00

Name and Hometown:

Kiera Arnson - Dousman Wisconsin

Possible future job? Anybody in that job you really admire now?

At the moment I am thinking of becoming a lawyer in international relations. My mother is a lawyer and I've always admired her for it.

Do you consume “news”? If you do, what are your main sources?

No I really don't know much about what is going on in the world right now. I find out things on facebook every now and then but I really don't watch the news or anything.

What kind of music do you like? (It could appear in lecture.)

I love all most all music besides rap and country in moderation. Some of my favorite artists are Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareilles, Regina Spektor, Plane White-Ts, Death Cab for Cuties, Mumford and Sons, and The Ultimate Bearhug.

Favorite online video (link to it):

I was in Seussical the Musical this summer and this was something slightly related. Green Eggs and Ham

What recent pop culture expression do you love (or find yourself using)?

I guess my own word that I use a lot is die. I say things like "Please don't die" or something like "You shouldn't take off your hat and scarf when you get warm because then you'll get cold cuz of the sweat and then you'll die." I don't say it meaning actual death, but like a wipeout or a cold or something like that. Just when you don't feel good.

Online Assignment #1

2012-01-26T16:58:00.000-06:00

Name and hometown:

Jacob Mestelle: Arbor Vitae, WI

Possible future job? Anybody in that job you really admire now?

I'm going to school to be an accountant. My Uncle has his own firm so I suppose he's someone I look up to as where I want to be

Do you consume “news”? If you do, what are your main sources?

Most of the news I consume is sports related, so espn.com is a common place for me to go. If I hear about a event or happening that interests me I usually go for Google News.

What kind of music do you like? (It could appear in lecture.)

My favorite genre would have to be the 1960's harmony groups like The Beatles, The Hollies, The Association and the like. I'm also a big Chris Brown fan as well as They Might Be Giants. There isn't really a genre I don't like. I can find great songs in all of them

Favorite online video (link to it):

After Professor Wells showed his video I thought of the Youtube channel Schmoyoho who do a lot of work with Autotuning and "Songifying" people. Their newest one features Joseph Gordon-Levitt of Inception and 500 Days of Summer fame.

What recent pop culture expression do you love (or find yourself using)?

Swag. Like people with extreme amounts of confidence that carry themselves as if they can do no wrong. As long as they back it up, I think it's the coolest thing

Katy's Online Assignment

2012-01-26T16:30:00.000-06:00

Name and Hometown: Katy Stankevitz from Green Bay, WI

Possible future job? Anybody in that job you really admire now?

I have way too many dream jobs: Editor of a big magazine, book publisher/editor, dolphin trainer (still can't let go of that childhood fantasy...), but my most realistic dream job is a physical therapist. I guess the person I admire in that field now would be my physical therapist, since she is the one who got me interested in it.

Do you consume “news”? If you do, what are your mainsources?

I wish I could say I did, but I really don't besides main headlines and twitter/facebook and whatever Packer/Badger headlines I see. Hopefully that will change this semester.

What kind of music do you like? (It could appear inlecture.)

My favorite genre of music is country, but I'm a big John Mayer and Coldplay fan also. Miranda Lambert is my all-time favorite.

Favorite online video (link to it):

All-time favorite (beyonce clown)

Recent favorite (Disney Mean Girls)

What recent pop culture expression do you love (or findyourself using)?

My friends and i quote Dom Mazzetti constantly. I apologize if that isn't class-appropriate.

My Online Assignment

2012-01-26T15:48:00.000-06:00

Name and Hometown: James Martins. Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

Possible Future Job: I'm really hoping my agent can find me a spot in the NBA after graduation. I don't have an agent yet, but that's just a technicality. I really admire Jackie Moon and Earl Boykins. If that doesn't work out I guess I could do something in business, but I think I'm a lock for the number one pick.

News: I like following major news outlets on Twitter and following their links to news stories. I'm always on ESPN or CBS Sports for my sports news.

Music: I like a lot of stuff, but right now I'm really into mashups and hip hop. I'm really into Chiddy Bang, Macklemore, Childish Gambino, Avicii, and White Panda.

Favorite Online Video: This is a tough one, I have a bunch. I'll just put two: the hilarious Neature Walk and The Wisconsin Football Experience, which is a must-watch for anyone that goes to UW-Madison.

Pop Culture Expressions: I like to "Tebow" now and then. http://tebowing.com/

2012-01-26T11:59:00.001-06:00

My Online Assignment

Name and Hometown : Lauren Mathea from Rhinelander, Wisconsin.

News? : I read news mostly online, especially from the BBC. I read Matt Taibbi's blog a lot. I also consume a great deal of entertainment news (film and television industry journals) as that is my primary interest.

Music? : I like a lot of different music. My go-to pandora stations are CCR, Modest Mouse and some funk/disco. But my favorite band is Wolf Parade.

Favorite Online Video? : This sweet breakdown of the credit crisis.

Pop Culture Expressions? : I have no idea what sort of pop culture expressions I use. I quote Wilfred quite a bit, if that counts. "What happened to my hair, Ryan? I distinctly remember leaving it right here, all over the place!"

Online Assignment #1-Eichstaedt

2012-01-26T10:06:00.003-06:00

Name and hometown? Charlie Eichstaedt, from Oconomowoc, WI.

Possible future job?Anybody in that job you really admire now? After I graduate, hopefully in botany or horticulture, I would like to work at and apple orchard or some type of fruit farm out on the west coast. There is not really anyone in that field that I admire specifically, but I really like the lifestyle that people in this field can live. They get to travel around a lot and spend most of their time working outdoors.

Do you consume “news”? If you do, what are your main sources? For the most part the news I read is off of websites like Yahoo and ESPN.

What kind of music do you like? I love Phish. Besides that I listen to the String Cheese Incident and a few other electronic bands.

Favorite internet video? I can't really pick one video in particular, but the main videos I watch are Phish videos.

Favorite pop culture expression? I don't really pay very much attention to the popular expressions that everyone uses but one expression that I have been using a lot lately is "oooooh baby"

Online Assignment #1

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

Name and hometown: Trevor Shimulunas, from Two Rivers, WI.

Possible future job? Anybody in that job you really admire now? When I graduate, I will commission into the Marine Corps. I will serve my 20 years, retire, and become a screenwriter/author operating from my forested, mountainous home with my Golden Retriever, Jack. I really admire Major Kocab, one of my instructors. He always has a way of guiding us along the right path.

Do you consume “news”? If you do, what are your main sources? I read the Marine Corps Times, and also visit Time Magazine's website.

What kind of music do you like? (It could appear in lecture.) I enjoy the Barenaked Ladies, 3 Doors Down, Blackfoot, and Jimmi Hendrix.

Favorite online video (link to it): The Bark Side.

What recent pop culture expression do you love (or find yourself using)? I don't really pay much active attention to pop culture, so I don't notice myself using many popular sayings. I sometimes say "like" overmuch, and from time to time, the Kool-aid Man's "Ohhh Yeahh."