Tampa Bay Mug Shots

1. I'm not sure what exactly this falls under, but it is definitely not journalism. Some of the individuals profiled as convicted criminals do not even have a charged cited against them. For example, Timothy Shane Worley is profiled on a mugshot website as a criminal, yet under his charge it says "had trouble getting a charge for Timothy Shane". This is inconclusive and there is not enough evidence to put them on this website. On the website there is a small side-blurb that labels itself a "public service" and that all people on the site "have not been convicted of the arrest charge are presumed innocent". It even goes as far as to say "do not rely on this site to determine any person's actual crime record". I think that would bring it closest to entertainment than anything.


2. I do not think it is fair to put people up on a entertainment-based website as because none of them have actually been convicted of the crimes they are being labeled with. Even if they are acquitted, they have already been documented with the crime and have it on their record.

3. I don't think it's technically illegal to have a website like this because it does state that it isn't an actual crime record, but at the same time someone could challenge the fact that a false allegation was being printed against them and try to file a lawsuit.

4. A website about restaurants and food is different a mugshots website because businesses serving food are legally responsible to provide information about what they serve to the public and follow all health code violations. A website like this is designed to give people entertainment rather than vital information about their food and how it is prepared.



5. In a digital age, a website like this could do irreversible damage to someone's personal or private life. Associating someone with a false conviction could cause a potential employer to associate them with the crime without realizing that the website was inaccurate and entertainment-based. Attaching someone's identity on the internet to a false accusation could cause irreversible damage and isn't something to be taken likely.

Codes of Ethics

For the most part, the various codes of ethics we looked at have similar goals and guidelines that are being enforced. Overall, the most common "goal" was to report an accurate/unbiased account of the news to the public. There was also a theme of accuracy, credibility, the truth, avoiding conflict of interests, responsibility, and consistency throughout all of the codes. The strictness of the codes varied, from being merely "guidelines" to rules that can result in job termination if not followed. The codes also ranged in coverage, some like NPR only apply to their new employees, whereas the NYT code of ethics applies to an extended network of individuals, including publishers, family members, etc.


The code that stood out to me the most was the New York Times. It was noticeable longer, more detailed, and more ambiguous in its content. Its format was broken down into chunks that were very specific, rather than other codes that were straightforward and formatted as a numbered list or bullet points. Although this is probably to ensure legal coverage in the event of a violation, it ends up being more confusing for the employee to know if they are breaking a rule in the first place.

One thing I found interesting from reading the codes was that accepting gifts/freebies/promotional items from any outside party is considered a bribe and/or makes them biased. In the NYT code, it states that reporters/employees should try at all costs to avoid situations where they are paid for, unless it is within cultural/religious customs. I wonder how often that is actually enforced?

Headline Assignments

Thursday:


1.  Civilian negligence (16.5/18.5)
     in China, caused by (18/18.5)
     government control? (18.5/18.5)

2. Indiana schools ditch textbooks, (27/27.5)
    for laptops and digital education(27.5/27.5)

Friday:

1. Ohio police fear public safety, kill dozens of freed animals (44/44.5)


2. Preserve owner dead on-site (27/27)
    Freed animals cause chaos(25/27)

3. British laws restrict non-Europeans from the Arts (46.5/47)

4. Strict immigration laws (21/23)
    In Britain reject foreign (22/23)
    artists and performers (21/23)

Saturday:

1. Preserve owner's autopsy: Big Cat bite? (38/38)


2. Ohio: officials say all animals (26.5/27)
    Have been killed or captured (26.5/27)

4.  A genius (7.5/9)
     life: Jobs' (9/9)
    biography (8.5/9)
    tells it all (8.5/9)

Sunday:

1. Brazilian doctors guilty (20.5/20.5)
    of killing 4 patients (18.5/20.5) 

2. Chinese toddler dies (18.5/20.5)
    of hit-and-run injuries (20/20.5)

3. 5 of Bachmann's staff (20/20.5)
   quit, 'miscommunication' (20/20.5)

4. GE's net earnings go (19.5/20.5)
   up for the third quarter (19.5/20.5)

5. NBA lock-out: players (20.5/20.5)
    and coaches fall silent (20/20.5)

Pulitzer Prize 2011 Response

2011 Feature Writing Pulitzer Prize: Amy Ellis Nut, Star Ledger, Newark

The Wreck of the Lady Mary is a chilling and detailed account of a commercial fishing boat's mysterious demise that left six of the seven fisherman dead in the Atlantic. I was drawn to the story because of its mystery as well as the creative narrative Nut tastefully carried throughout the project.

 Nut did everything right when it came to this feature. First and foremost, she chose a topic full of action, suspense, mystery, faith, and the human experience. The parallels between the stories of the Lady Mary and the Titanic are undeniable, and they are both the kind of story that people cannot help but be infatuated with. Readers want answers, and a tragedy without invites readers to draw their own conclusion. Stories like this and the Titanic let the reader wonder "what if?" "if only", and lets them go inside the story rather than being on the outside looking in. When Nut teases "the only other information that is known for certain is that a phone call was placed from the Lady Mary at 5:17," the reader is not going to stop reading until he/she knows what that phone call was about.

Nut attacked this story from every possible angle it paid off. What makes this a first place project is Nut's ability to flood the reader with facts and information without ever sounding tedious or scientific. The way in which so many facts and figures are inserted tastefully within profound narrative and professional reporting is truly brilliant. The kind of story Nut chose, the way she prepared for it, and the way she wrote it equally contribute to its Pulitzer Prize winning quality.

Nut's narrative is present throughout the feature, yet never overbearing. Little moments of observation like "drowning, more than anything else, is kind of like a quick suffocation." Adding moments like this during a vivid flashback makes this more than just a news story, but also a narrative on life. We get moments like this throughout the feature, and they bring a quality of compassion that is appropriate when dealing with grief and loss

This story benefits both the reader and the news organization in various ways. This story gives the reader everything they could ask for when it comes to journalism. We get drama, suspense, mystery, hope, heroics, and tragedy. There is a cosmic moment that is central in this story, the miracle that kept the lone survivor alive to tell his story. Jose Arias was the only one of 7 fisherman to survive, all because of chance. When getting on the Lady Mary before leaving the port, he found a 8 foot piece of plywood sitting on the dock, and brought it on board to use for repairs. He never got around to using it, until he was drowning in hyperthermic waters above the sinking Lady Mary. The driftwood appeared beside Arias, who used his last ounce of energy to attach himself to the floating wood. Fate, chance, luck, divine intervention- whatever you want to call it- moments like this give readers hope and comfort in our world.

The structure of the story was composed of flashbacks and different points of view, from the victims families to the rescue workers to the Coast Guard hearings after the sinking. Nut is strategic in never losing the reader despite the jumping around, instead she strings them along and captivates their attention from start to finish.

What surprised me was the similarities between the sinking of the Lady Mary and the Titanic. Both ships could have been spared casualties if their S.O.S. calls for help had been taken seriously and pursued. It surprised me that almost 100 years after the Titanic, careless errors are still being made out at sea every day. It also surprised me that I had never heard about the Lady Mary until reading this. I was also surprised to find out that the sinking was most likely caused by an unreported collision with another commercial boat, and that incidents like that are more common than we realize. Overall I learned many things about writing, journalism, and controversial behavior happening on open waters that have tragic consequences.

NYT Most Popular Stories

After looking at both the New York Times website and facebook page, I have a better idea of what the "most popular" stories, and genres of stories, that are resonating most with readers. I found that sports, human interest/ human drama, and political stories were the most shared and viewed on both of these social media outlets.

Sports stories ranged anywhere from "How Yoga Won The West" to "Homecoming Queen and Field Goal on the Same Night". These stories were generally "feel-good" and incorporated both sports analysis and coverage as well as a human-interest aspect to attract readers who aren't typically sports readers. The focus was not so much on sports stories about games or scores, but rather a more universal story that would attract all demographics and geographic locations.

Another story that was almost impossible to ignore from both media outlets was the upcoming release of the newest version of the iPhone. From stories like "iPhone Gets its Upgrade, All Under the Hood," which attracted technologically-savvy readers, to "You Love Your Phone, Literally," which were aimed at popular-culture demographics, the stories were attracting all types of readers surrounding this same topic. Stories about the iPhone were among the most shared, e-mailed, and viewed- not many others could compete with that.

Among the other most popular, breaking news human interest stories were frequent. The Amanda Knox freeing from Italian court story attracted thousands of viewers from the Facebook page alone. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced that "it is not his time" to run for president, which has generated a good amount of buzz and disappointment from readers.


What I gather from these trends in readership is that people read things that stir their emotions. There are always certain groups of people that will read the technology or the arts stories no matter what, but those stories aren't the ones that bring in the masses. If you are a reporter aiming for optimal readership or a spot on the New York Times "Most Popular" page, it's important to write a story that appeals to more than just the subject you are writing on. This relates back to the 10 Questions we talked about in class, that a story needs to be fleshed out enough that someone who doesn't know or care for the subject can still be drawn into it. For example, the story about the iPhone being designed to evoke the emotions of love and compassion, in addition to information about its latest software updates and installations- that's a good story because there's something there for everyone.

Story Development Exercise

Working together with Alexia as editors/reporters was a helpful exercise to test whether or not a story idea is complete enough to create a news article that people will want to read.

As her editor, I took her through the 10 questions about her story idea about UNH Hockey, and the instances of concussions and what is being done to prevent them. We decided that the idea could be fleshed out to all levels of the sport, from elementary school to the NHL. We also discussed all of the research she could do to support her story, as well as testimonials from the UNH team, friends, and family.

As the reporter, Alexia talked me through my story idea that related to the New York Times article that some states now require the presentation of a photo ID at the voting booth, and how this will effect young and low-income voters. I initially thought the story could relate to the UNH community because many students are out of state and might not be able to go home and renew their ID in time for the elections, thus making them ineligible to vote. We went through the ten questions, and ultimately decided that although it is an interesting idea for a story, it would not resonate on campus at UNH as well as it might somewhere with less access to education. It is, however, a good idea to follow the story as it gets closer to the 2012 elections and maybe there will be another opportunity for a story.

What I learned from editing my credo

What stands out to me the most from revisiting my credo is the excess of words I tend to use in my writing. I feel as thought I use a lot of "empty" or "filler" words that take up space without contributing any additional meaning to a sentence. In learning to think as an editor, I am becoming more conscious of this habit and will hopeful see improvements.

Learning to edit your own work is a valuable skill for any kind of writer. I am always quick to find flaws in the writing of others, but it is a very different experience trying to edit the words I wrote and know so well. As with anything, practice and effort will make this process easier as time goes on, and will be a skill I know I can take with me wherever I find a career.

CREDO: trust your instinct, follow your passion

 Trust your instinct, follow your passion.

I always knew how much I loved to write, but I never knew if that meant I could make a living doing it. I went into UNH as undeclared, and spent my freshman year trying everything from family sociology to health management and policy. But the only class I truly enjoyed all year was in English, so I became a journalism major. And as a journalism major I learned I didn't want to be a journalist. So I switched to communications. But as a communications major I learned that I didn't enjoy school if I didn't get to write. It was that simple.

I could say that over the past two years I have learned how much I love to write, but you can't learn something you already know. Instead, I learned the importance of trusting your instinct, and if you are lucky enough to find a passion in life- follow it. Which is why I am declaring my fourth and final major as English.