DAILY HERALD- 11.12.2010

'STRAIGHT PRIDE' SHIRTS BECOME FREE SPEECH FIGHT AT ST. CHARLES NORTH
BY JAMES FULLER

PRESSING ISSUE, UNBIASED ANGLE

The issue that arises is that school administrators were abusing the freedom of speech. Students were allowed to wear shirts that read 'Gay pride' but not allowed to wear those that read 'Straight pride'. They insisted that the 'Straight pride' was offensive and promoted homophobic bullying. In order to maintain an ubiased angle- the author was not opinionated, but factual. He made no claims to or against either side of the spectrum. This is a quality of a good journalist, especially when writing for a newspaper.

PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY FOR INVOLVEMENT

Not only does he explain the issue, but the author provides opportunity for the reader to get involved and share their opinion if interested. He provides information to a school board meeting in the near future in which 100 students are estimated to attend.

LATEST SPORTS BUZZ- 11.09.2010

"CHILEAN MINER COMPLETES NYC MARATHON TO SHOW THAT I COULD DO IT"

FACTUAL SUMMARY:

I heard about a Chilean miner who just recently ran a marathon after being rescued. I couldn't believe it. So, I decided to research it to find out the details. This article summarizes who the miner was, how he trained in the mines, his condition as of now, his doctors perspective, why he decided to run, how he did and how others viewed him.

ADVERTISING

Well written advertising: Macbook Air

NEW YORK TIMES- TELEVISION 10.30.2010

'THE WALKING DEAD' UNLEASHES ZOMBIES

By ALESSANDRA STANLEY

LIGHTHEARTED SUBJECT

The author chose to cover a new zombie series on AMC called 'The Walking Dead'. She did so in a very lighthearted manner by using the following points:

COMEDY: CLEVER PICK UP LINE

Right off the bat, he captures attention with a clever pick up line: "The one good thing about the walking dead is that they don’t drive." Not only is the author being funny, but proving a point leading up to the first counter arguement.

POINT, COUNTER-POINT: VAMPIRES VS. ZOMBIES

The author proposes which is better: vampires or zombies? He points out that the vampire have been the most popular 'monster' for quite some time with shows like "Twilight" and "True Blood." She goes on to say that zombies have been under-rated in the realm of monsters and are making their way back into pop culture.

PERSUASION: ZOMBIES TO BECOME THE NEXT CRAZE

Once the author persuaded me to believe why zombies are a better breed of monster than vampires, she pleaded her point on why this zombie show in particular is more accurate than others in the past. 'The Walking Dead' is a "straight tale of horror" rather than just a spoof in comparison to films like 'Zombieland.'

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC -SCIENCE - 10.29.2010

TIME WILL END IN FIVE BILLION YEARS

BY: KER THAN

SHOCKING STATEMENT, SUPPORTING THEORY

Nothing says read me like 'the world is going to end'. The author catches the reader with this blunt title and lead. He then goes on to describe the supportive theory. Although, he doesn't just state the theory like we the reader are just supposed to know. Instead, he explains the theory as if we were dummies to it. This helps me, the most unscientific person alive, to understand why my future generations are not going to live on forever.

PROVIDES MULTIPLE SOURCES

The author can't just expect us to believe such a ravishing statement without some eligible sources. He credits multiple colleagues perspectives in supporting his statement & theory. Also, he provides multiple colleagues perspectives in supporting the opposite. This allows the reader to decide for themselves what they believe and makes for a more well-rounded article.

"Time Coming to an Abrupt End? But eternal inflation still isn't perfect, as the problem with probabilities in the multiverse illustrates."

NEW YORK TIMES- THEATER 10.28.2010

CANDY-COLORED BOW-TIED REDEMPTION

By DAVE ITZKOFF

PLUGGING IN FAMILIAR EXAMPLES

I love it when authors find a way to plug in familiar characters or topics into their stories for comedic effect. In this case, the author introduces characters "The Pied Piper" and "Santa Clause" as examples of the how popular spectators found Pee Wee Herman.

"The Pied Piper was nowhere to be heard, and Santa Claus wouldn’t be coming to town for a few more weeks, but something irresistible had drawn a small crowd to the West Fourth Street basketball courts in Greenwich Village on a recent Thursday morning."

STATING THE FACTS THROUGH DESCRIPTION

Instead of stating the facts- ex: "On thursday morning, a crowd of middle aged men and women crowded the character Pee-Wee Herman as he acted out a skit in Manhattan. The crowd were informed of this skit from a twitter update." Instead, the author describes the situation. He paints out the scenario in descriptive language which makes it more enticing to read.

"Huddled in groups of two and three, a few dozen men and women in their 20s and 30s glanced at one another and at their smartphones, rereading the Twitter and Foursquare messages that directed them here, waiting for something to happen. Without fanfare a white van sailed up to the curb, and from it emerged a thin, 58-year-old man — wearing a gray suit, a tiny red bow tie and white loafers — who seemed as uncertain to meet his fans as they were excited to receive him. The gathering parted as he stepped onto the blacktop, picked up a basketball and made a few graceless attempts at hurling it at a hoop. “Yeah, match that,” he said snidely, to laughter."

Not only do I know what the skit was, but can picture it in my head. I can see what he is wearing, the voice he had, and the typical goofy act he put on. At the same time- I knew who the target audience crowd was, how they got there & what happened.

NEW YORK TIMES- WORLD 10.19.2010

JAPAN GOES FROM DYNAMIC TO DISHEARTENED

By MARTIN FACKLER

SMOOTH WAY WITH WORDS:

The simplest thing can be said in so many ways. The author takes a not so simple topic and spits it out so elegantly and understandable. Take this excerpt for instance:

"The original Asian success story, Japan rode one of the great speculative stock and property bubbles of all time in the 1980s to become the first Asian country to challenge the long dominance of the West. But the bubbles popped in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and Japan fell into a slow but relentless decline that neither enormous budget deficits nor a flood of easy money has reversed."

PATHOS APPEAL:

In the introduction, the author introduces a hard-working family making a good life for themselves. They owned an expensive condominium, a Mercedes and traveled frequently. Although, due to the crumbling economy- this family was forced to sell their home, their car and give up vacations altogether. This story line tugs at the reader on an emotional level because we ask ourselves, could this happen to me? Has it happened to me? The economy sucks for everyone.

By starting with this pathos appeal- he forms an understanding with the reader that keeps them interested in reading.

VOA NEWS- 10.17.2010

SOME RESCUED CHILE MINERS RETURN FOR SERVICE

INFORMATIVE:

The article gave me a background about the chilean miner rescue. I had heard about it but didn't know the details which is why I chose to read the article. Sure enough, the article informed me exactly what had happened and what condition the miners are in right now.

STRAIGHTFORWARD:

Sometimes simplicity is bliss. The article managed to inform me of what had happened without side tracking to other topics. Sometimes when the author displays too much detail it side tracks me from the real point of the article. It was a good length as well.

INFLUENTIAL:

The article even prompted me to do further investigation on the topic by youtube-ing the event. If hundreds of millions of people were tuned in, I want to be too!

"The drama was watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world."

WFMGradFinalBeltranT

WFMGradFinalBeltranT

'The Carthage Yearbook'

Its graduation day. Jimmy rolls over in his bed. Music is blasting. "Todays the day man- we finally did it!" His roommate Greg, and best friend since freshman year yells from the room over. An alarm clock buzzes 9:15 a.m. Greg walks into the room, adjusting his tie. "Get up! We have places to be my friend." Jimmy stretches, "Yea, yea I'm getting up- meet you there later."

Jimmy sits in silence for a minute reflecting on what is going on. He thinks to himself- is it really over? He gets up to get ready but pauses for a second. He reaches under his bed and pulls out an old hardcover book. He falls back down onto the bed and blows the dust off. "Haven't look at this in awhile." He opens to the first page.

Time warps back to August 28th, 2007. Chapter One: Freshmen Year.

Tears roll down her face as she flashes back through the years. She grasps her son tightly into her arms. Cardboard boxes, a microwave and a jumbo pack of ramen noodles form a tower of freshman necessities outside Denhart Hall, The sun beats down on Campus drive. The car door slams shut, he lets go. "It's time. Don't worry mom, I'll be fine." Jimmy takes a deep breath and a look around. Unfamiliar faces whizzing past. He hides a smile and mutters to himself, "welcome to college."

(Insert Testimonials on students fondest memories of freshman year)

(Match a few of these memories with a scene including themselves as actors)

(Ex: The Freshman block party, the first 10 swipe sunday, painting the rock)

Time fades back to present day

Jimmy's head springs up. He sat back up in his bed. Was he dreaming? Had he fallen asleep? He flips to the next page.

Time warps back to September 13th, 2008. Chapter Two: Sophomore Year.

The groups of eager college kids jump out of the car. Jimmy and friends rush to the infamous pier in downtown Kenosha. Jumping off is sort of like initiation for a Carthage student. It was his first time as a sophomore. He runs, he jumps, he plunges.

(Insert Testimonials on students fondest memories of sophomore year)

(Match a few of these memories with a scene including themselves as actors)

(Ex: Dorm-life, Jumping off the Kenosha Pier, Library All-nighters, Relationships)

Time fades back to present day

(Ggraduation song by Vitamin C playing from the stereo)

Jimmy's girlfriend walks in, curlers in her hair, getting ready for the big day ahead. "Sooo... how do I look? Yes, no?" She walks further into the room. "What are you looking at?" "Just doing a little reminiscing." He flips to the next page.

Time warps back to October 3rd, 2009. Chapter Three: Junior Year.

Jimmy walks up to a brick office building in downtown Kenosha. Its the first day of that big internship he scored. He clenches his fist, slips off his shades and looks to the sky. The time has come when Jimmy can put his Carthage education to the test. He walks in the door. Getting paid to go to class? I think yes.

(Insert Testimonials on students fondest memories of junior year)

(Match a few of these memories with a scene including themselves as actors)

(Ex: Internships, Living on your own, Organizations )

Time fades back to present day

Jimmy's phone rings. "Dad! hows it going?" "Yes, I'm getting ready right as we speak." Jimmy looks to the side and fakes a smile. "Alright, I'll see you guys soon." He hangs up and flips to the final page.

Time warps back to December 8th, 2010. Chapter Four: Senior Year.

He taps his pencil against the table. Jimmy sits in a study room in the Hedberg Library. He's been there for a few hours now. Fine... maybe the whole morning. He is prepping for the most anticipated project of all Carthage College history: his senior thesis.

(Insert Testimonials on students fondest memories of senior year)

(Match a few of these memories with a scene including themselves as actors)

(Ex: Senior Thesis, Homecoming, Study Abroad )

Time fades back to present day

Jimmy slams the dusty book shut. He throws on his suit and tie ready for the day ahead of him. All the while, he ponders to himself about the memories he just ensued. He smiles and looks ahead. Although the Carthage yearbook is coming to a close he realizes the bright future he has yet to write.

POLITICAL SATIRE

THE ONION- NATION'S MORONS MARCH ON WASHINGTON STATE

TIME MAGAZINE- TECHNOLOGY 10.12.2010

A FIVE-STEP PROGRAM FOR FACEBOOK HAPPINESS

By HARRY McCRACKEN

CREATING A LIST:

I'm really into the bolded and numbered list way of writing a step by step article rather than flowing it all into a paper. I'm the type of reader that tends to scan over so having those big bold bullets lets me decide if it is interesting enough to read on below. Typically, I do!

BIAS TONE:

By the way the author talks about Facebook in the introduction, it seems as if they are very bias against it. They call it 'an occasional headache', 'confusing', 'ticking off users' and 'spammy'. Initially, I thought the article was to point out the good things Facebook can provide. Maybe he is trying to bring up the opposite perspective before he explains the objective of the article but It just falsely sets the tone.

USE OF LINKS:

I like how he includes links to things that he explains. These links lead to photos and further explanations that trigger the interest to read on.

NEW YORK TIMES- COMMUNITY 10.08.2010

PIE + DESIGN = CHANGE

By JOHN T. EDGE

PAINTING THE SCENE:

Right off the bat I feel as if I am indulging in the coming of Fall. With descriptive language, the author initially marks the time of year, paints a scene and creates a tone for the article. This tone in my opinion spells out happy, light-hearted, mysterious and delicious.

"On a sun-splashed afternoon in August, blueberry pies and peach pies cooled on wire racks inside PieLab, a white brick cafe with floor-to-ceiling windows on Main Street in Greensboro, Ala."

"If there was any thought that this was just a typical small-town cafe, the blue flag above the front door dispelled the notion. As the fabric rippled in the breeze, the words inscribed at the edges came into view: “Pie & Conversation, Optimism & Design.”"

PRESENTS QUESTION & ANSWER:

I really like it when authors flat-out ask the question that they know you are wondering and provide a answer preceding the question. This makes me as the reader feel as if I am following accordingly because I am wondering in my head the same question. Or it could work in opposite ways and steer a confused reader on track of what they should be thinking.

"How could the baking and serving of pie help tackle entrenched social and economic ills? Project M aimed to answer just such questions..."

PERSUADING:

It might help that I am a graphic designer, but after reading this article I definitely shared it with a few friends encouraging a roadtrip. Just saying.

WFMGradIIBeltranT REVISED

'The Carthage Yearbook'

Its graduation day. Jimmy rolls over in his bed. Music is blasting. "Todays the day man- we finally did it!" His roommate Greg, and best friend since freshman year yells from the room over. An alarm clock buzzes 9:15 a.m. Greg walks into the room, adjusting his tie. "Get up! We have places to be my friend." Jimmy stretches, "Yea, yea I'm getting up- meet you there later."

Jimmy sits in silence for a minute reflecting on what is going on. He thinks to himself- is it really over? He gets up to get ready but pauses for a second. He reaches under his bed and pulls out an old hardcover book. He falls back down onto the bed and blows the dust off. "Haven't look at this in awhile." He opens to the first page.

Time warps back to August 28th, 2007. Chapter One: Freshmen Year.

Tears roll down her face as she flashes back through the years. She grasps her son tightly into her arms. Cardboard boxes, a microwave and a jumbo pack of ramen noodles form a tower of freshman necessities outside Denhart Hall, The sun beats down on Campus drive. The car door slams shut, he lets go. "It's time. Don't worry mom, I'll be fine." Jimmy takes a deep breath and a look around. Unfamiliar faces whizzing past. He hides a smile and mutters to himself, "welcome to college."

(Insert Testimonials on students fondest memories of freshman year)

(Match a few of these memories with a scene including themselves as actors)

(Ex: The Freshman block party, the first 10 swipe sunday, painting the rock)

Time fades back to present day

Jimmy's head springs up. He sat back up in his bed. Was he dreaming? Had he fallen asleep? He flips to the next page.

Time warps back to [Insert date], 2008. Chapter Two: Sophomore Year.

(Insert initial scene of a memory of sophomore Jimmy)

(Insert Testimonials on students fondest memories of sophomore year)

(Match a few of these memories with a scene including themselves as actors)

(Ex: Dorm-life, Jumping off the Kenosha Pier, Library All-nighters, Relationships)

Time fades back to present day

(Insert graduation song by Vitamin C playing from the stereo)

Jimmy's girlfriend walks in, curlers in her hair, getting ready for the big day ahead. "Sooo... how do I look? Yes, no?" She walks further into the room. "What are you looking at?" "Just doing a little reminiscing." He flips to the next page.

Time warps back to [Insert date], 2009. Chapter Three: Junior Year.

(Insert initial scene of a memory of junior Jimmy)

(Insert Testimonials on students fondest memories of junior year)

(Match a few of these memories with a scene including themselves as actors)

(Ex: Internships, Living on your own, Organizations )

Time fades back to present day

Jimmy's phone rings. "Dad! hows it going?" "Yes, I'm getting ready right as we speak." Jimmy looks to the side and fakes a smile. "Alright, I'll see you guys soon." He hangs up and flips to the final page.

Time warps back to [Insert date], 2010. Chapter Four: Senior Year.

(Insert initial scene of a memory of senior Jimmy)

(Insert Testimonials on students fondest memories of senior year)

(Match a few of these memories with a scene including themselves as actors)

(Ex: Senior Thesis, Beer tent at Homecoming, Study Abroad )

Time fades back to present day

Jimmy slams the dusty book shut. He throws on his suit and tie ready for the day ahead of him. All the while, he ponders to himself about the memories he just ensued. He smiles and looks ahead. Although the Carthage yearbook is coming to a close he realizes the bright future he has yet to write.

NEW YORK TIMES- SCIENCE 10.03.2010

THE BP-SPILL BABY TURTLE BRIGADE

By JON MOOALLEM

Personally, I know nothing about the biology of turtles. I only opened this article on the basis of how cute I think they are and the curiosity of why they were walking in brigades.

INFORMATIVE:

What I came to learn, was a very informative explanation of the loggerhead nesting season as a precursor to why they were 'brigading' and what BP had to do with it. If I hadn't had a background check on the nesting of turtles- I wouldn't understand the measures the US. Fish & Wildlife services were taking to save them from the oil spill.

TOO LONG:

This article was six pages long. It covered a variety of angles regarding the issue but for the standard newspaper reader- I think it was a bit overwhelming.

NEW YORK TIMES- TRAVEL 10.01.2010

36 HOURS IN MOSCOW

By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ

USE OF SIMILES:

He began the article by addressing Moscow's wild reputation. By doing so, he stated that Moscow was a "a giant college dormitory gone wild". He was able to relate the qualities of college life to the city... Free from parental control, in this case- 'Overbearing Soviet leaders'. Indulging in the fruits of capitalism- with reference to drinking and hangovers. This simile set a story line for the introductory paragraph.

ARTICULATE:

Not only was the authors vocabulary profound- but the way he phrased these words was very unique as well. He was able to put a conversational spin onto big words.

"There is, however, plenty of debauchery left, so bring your tight leather trousers and leopard-print hot pants, if that’s your thing. But those with more refined tastes will also find a more subdued sense of chic."

LAYOUT:

He really set up his article to match his title. I like how he creates an hour for hour game-plan for a weekend in Moscow by giving you the best day & time to check out the list of exhibits.

AFTER CLASS THOUGH 9.29.2010

Todays Question:

How are you going top last years senior video? ...Haha, but really.

How does one get involved in the making of the senior video? I am interested.

On a class note...

How do you determine what how much of the information you play in your head as you come up with an idea, to put in your treatment? That is my biggest challenge.

WFMGradIIBeltranT

WFMGradIIBeltranT

Objectives:

•10-15 Minutes Long

•Share viewpoints of a broad spectrum of seniors

•Topics to cover: where they are in life/ school, where they've come, where they are

going, important lessons learned in college,

•Balance speaks to seniors & to families

•Youthful & important

'The Carthage Yearbook'

Its graduation day. Jimmy rolls over in his bed. Music is blasting. "Todays the day man- we finally did it!" His roommate Greg, and best friend since freshman year yells from the room over. An alarm clock buzzes 9:15 a.m. Greg walks into the room, adjusting his tie. "Get up! We have places to be my friend." Jimmy stretches, "Yea, yea I'm getting up- meet you there in minute."

Jimmy sits in silence for a minute reflecting on what is going on. He thinks to himself- is it really over? He gets up to get ready but pauses for a second. He reaches under his bed and pulls out an old hardcover book. He falls back down onto the bed and blows the dust off. "Haven't look at this in awhile". He opens to the first page.

Time warps back to August 28th, 2007. Chapter One: Freshmen Year.

Tears roll down her face as she flashes back through the years. She grasps her son tightly into her arms. Cardboard boxes, a microwave and a jumbo pack of ramen noodles form a tower of freshman necessities outside Denhart Hall, The sun beats down on Campus drive. The car door slams shut, he lets go. "It's time. Don't worry mom, I'll be fine." Jimmy takes a deep breath and a look around. Unfamiliar faces whizzing past. He forms a smirk and mutters to himself, "welcome to college."

(Insert Testimonials on students fondest memories of freshman year)

(Match a few of these memories with a scene including themselves as actors)

(Ex: The Freshman block party, the first 10 swipe sunday, painting the rock)

Time warps forward to October 28th, 2008. Chapter Two: Sophomore Year.

(Insert Testimonials on students fondest memories of sophomore year)

(Match a few of these memories with a scene including themselves as actors)

(Ex: Dorm-life, Jumping off the Kenosha Pier, Library All-nighters)

Time warps forward to October 28th, 2009. Chapter Three: Junior Year.

(Insert Testimonials on students fondest memories of junior year)

(Match a few of these memories with a scene including themselves as actors)

(Ex: Internships, Living on your own, Organizations )

Time warps forward to October 28th, 2010. Chapter Four: Senior Year.

(Insert Testimonials on students fondest memories of senior year)

(Match a few of these memories with a scene including themselves as actors)

(Ex: Senior Thesis, Beer tent at Homecoming, Study Abroad )

Time warps back to present day reality. Jimmy slams the dusty book shut. He throws on his suit and tie ready for the day ahead of him. All the while, he ponders to himself about the memories he just ensued. He smiles and looks ahead. Although the Carthage yearbook is coming to a close he realizes the bright future he has yet to write.

NEW YORK TIMES- MUSIC 9.27.2010

KATY PERRY FINDS A HOME IN SPRINGFIELD

By RACHEL LEE HARRIS

UNEXPECTED TAGLINE:

Protests over a music video with Elmo will keep the pop star off "Sesame Street," but Ms. Perry's fans can see her later this year on "The Simpsons."

The tagline alone makes you wonder, Elmo? Maybe its just the comedic topic but the author phrases it so unexpectedly by putting protest, music video & Elmo in the same sentence.

OFFERS BOTH PERSPECTIVES:

The author maintains an unbiased perspective. She is informational on the situation but doesn't personally scrutinize Sesame Street for choosing not to air the video. She offers Sesame Streets view on Katy Perrys attire and the Simpsons view on Sesame Street. She also includes Saturday Night Live's take on the circumstance as well.

EMAIL SCAM 9.25.2010

The following link is a copy of an email scam that I received today in my inbox. Typically, I disregard these faulty mass emails but I decided to further investigate this one. How is the writing so powerful that my own friends are believing it? Lets take a look.

SPAM EMAIL HOAX

UNPROFESSIONAL STYLE:

First of all, by the use of 1,005 explanation marks and extended letters in words- it just looks amateur. There is no professional stamp or format to it whatsoever.

LACK OF CREDIT:

They start off by crediting the whole idea to "a good friend named Pearlas Sandborn". The only thing that they state is that she "really is an attorney" which sounds sketchy in itself. They give no supporting explanation to why we should believe this person in her theory that Bill Gates will pay us 10,000 if we forward an email.

PERSUASIVE LANGUAGE:

I do give her that she does use persuasive language. She plays in the guilt factor when stating "you will repent later if you ignore this". It is almost threatening. She also pokes at the fact that by forwarding an email, what do we really have to lose? Whether the content is true or not, she uses the style of repetition. "This is the law, this is for real" is repeated on more than two occasions.

AFTER CLASS THOUGHT 9.22.2010

Todays Question:

A treatment is ultimately pitching a story idea. You showed us several different examples on treatment writing.

Are there treatment styles best suited for certain projects? How do we know the best style of treatment to use for our next assignment?

NEW YORK TIMES- TECHNOLOGY 9.17.2010

A LOOPHOLE BIG ENOUGH FOR A COOKIE TO FIT THROUGH

By RIVA RICHMOND

OPENING LINE:

"If you rely on Microsoft’s Internet Explorer’s privacy settings to control cookies on your computer, you may want to rethink that strategy"

The opening line had me at hello. The writer presents a problem that most readers can relate to. Internet privacy is something that everyone deals with but few pay close attention to. I myself could not tell you what my privacy preferences even are. The writer presents the problem but does not give you the answer right away. This tricks you to keep reading to answer that question- 'could this be happening to me?'.

TOPIC CLARIFICATION:

"Cookies are used to store information about a user or computer’s Web use so sites can customize that user’s experience, including what ads they see."

The writer clarifies some foreign terms in the article that I myself, and readers in general may not know off hand. If the writer did not clarify the topic, I would have probably been confused and stopped reading there.

ILLUSTRATION:

"For illustrative purposes, imagine an interaction between browser and site that goes something like this: Browser: I don’t allow cookies that store personally identifiable information that could be used to contact me without permission. Site: I do have some cookies to place here, but none do that. Browser: That sounds fine. Come on in."

The writer illustrates the situation out to the reader in a way that one can better understand it. They set it up as a relationship between the Browser and the site, offering an interesting perspective.

AFTER CLASS THOUGHT 9.15.2010

Today's Question:

How does one master their own voice in writing?

I enjoy a journalistic, comedic, sarcastic tone. I tried to emphasize this in assignment one. My group seemed to enjoy my unexpected one-liners in the specific piece, but how can I apply this to my writing across the board?