Writing For Media

Saturday, October 30, 2010

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.'





Posted by Chi Omega | Beta Lambda Chapter of Carthage College at 11:50 AM No comments:
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Friday, October 29, 2010

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."



Posted by Chi Omega | Beta Lambda Chapter of Carthage College at 12:11 PM No comments:
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Thursday, October 28, 2010

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.

Posted by Chi Omega | Beta Lambda Chapter of Carthage College at 2:03 PM No comments:
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

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.


Posted by Chi Omega | Beta Lambda Chapter of Carthage College at 12:38 PM No comments:
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Sunday, October 17, 2010

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."

Posted by Chi Omega | Beta Lambda Chapter of Carthage College at 12:02 PM No comments:
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Tuesday, October 12, 2010

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.





Posted by Chi Omega | Beta Lambda Chapter of Carthage College at 10:33 AM No comments:
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POLITICAL SATIRE

THE ONION- NATION'S MORONS MARCH ON WASHINGTON STATE

Posted by Chi Omega | Beta Lambda Chapter of Carthage College at 10:02 AM No comments:
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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.



Posted by Chi Omega | Beta Lambda Chapter of Carthage College at 9:59 AM No comments:
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Friday, October 8, 2010

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.

Posted by Chi Omega | Beta Lambda Chapter of Carthage College at 9:29 AM No comments:
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Sunday, October 3, 2010

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.





Posted by Chi Omega | Beta Lambda Chapter of Carthage College at 3:17 PM No comments:
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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.


Posted by Chi Omega | Beta Lambda Chapter of Carthage College at 1:57 PM No comments:
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Friday, October 1, 2010

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.


Posted by Chi Omega | Beta Lambda Chapter of Carthage College at 1:31 PM No comments:
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Blog Archive

  • ▼  2010 (22)
    • ►  November (3)
    • ▼  October (12)
      • NEW YORK TIMES- TELEVISION 10.30.2010
      • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC -SCIENCE - 10.29.2010
      • NEW YORK TIMES- THEATER 10.28.2010
      • NEW YORK TIMES- WORLD 10.19.2010
      • VOA NEWS- 10.17.2010
      • WFMGradFinalBeltranT
      • POLITICAL SATIRE
      • TIME MAGAZINE- TECHNOLOGY 10.12.2010
      • NEW YORK TIMES- COMMUNITY 10.08.2010
      • WFMGradIIBeltranT REVISED
      • NEW YORK TIMES- SCIENCE 10.03.2010
      • NEW YORK TIMES- TRAVEL 10.01.2010
    • ►  September (7)
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