In terms of the R. Budd Dwyer photographs, there are far too many "depends" scenarios that have been left unaddressed. Some of the questions I have before making a decision on what photo to run would be: is this a paper that is primarily distributed by mail subscriptions or one that is primarily sold on newsstands? Newspapers that have wide distribution by subscription have to be handled much more sensitively. Subscribers are placing even more trust in you as an editor in making appropriate decisions on the things that are coming into their homes every morning. Newspapers that have greater circulation through newsstands have much more leeway.
But since the page asks "what photos would I run in MY newspaper", I need to figure out what MY newspaper is. For all practical purposes, let's just say that my newspaper is The News-Gazette.
For the R. Budd Dwyer photos, I would be the most inclined to publish the 2nd picture, assuming that it is an immediate breaking news story about his death and a feature. Under absolutely NO circumstance would publishing the 4th, post-bullet picture be acceptable. That sort of thing is best saved for those disgusting shock websites that post videos of beheadings, torture, and all that other stuff, which by the way, apparently still have the video up of this incident if anyone is so inclined and disturbed enough to watch it. You have to remember that not everyone in this country has sound mental and emotional health. It's far too intrusive to publish something like that on a front page. I think you would atleast owe you readers a warning, and you can't do that on the front page. You have to remember that subscribers are inviting your paper into their homes every morning because they trust you, and to publish something like that on the front could be a violation of that trust, especially to families with impressionably young children in them. If a newspaper showed up on my front porch with that picture, you better believe I would throw it straight in the garbage because I would be extremely offended by it. I have to imagine that a lot of people would be too disgusted with that picture to even get past the first page, and get chucked in the garbage. Not good if you are the editor. I would not publish the third picture either because it also pushes the line. The second picture would be my choice. It pushes against the fine line, but doesn't go over it, while doing the story justice for the provocative story that it is.
Onwards to the other photos. There are only two of them that I might consider publishing. It's hard for me to see how a story about a kid whose dog has got run over by car would ever be newsworthy enough to publish, so I can't think of why it would ever be published. But, if there were newsworthy text that could be supported by this picture, I would consider publishing it. There's no doubt that it's a beautiful picture, but it seems more like an art photograph than a journalistic photograph.
The picture of the devastated family with their son in the body bag is another photo that I would consider publishing. The death of a child is always a newsworthy story. It's an excellent picture because the emotional quality captured is extremely intense and very difficult to ignore. If the people agreed that it would be ok to publish the photo, I wouldn't have a problem with it.
Under no circumstance would I publish any of the other pictures. Like I said earlier, they would fit right in to any of those shock/gore websites online. I would want my newspaper to be a classy publication, and there is no class in any of those pictures. I would find better pictures to visually communicate any of those stories.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Love Pacifica, Hate Name Errors
I have been a huge fan of the Pacifica Quartet ever since I arrived on campus. I don't think I missed even one of their performances when I was a freshman. Had I continued on my path of being a violin major, one of the violinists would have probably been my professor, which is an interesting point for me to daydream about. Needless to say, I'm very excited for them for winning a Grammy. They are such an amazing reflection on our university and I'm tremendously proud of them.
The Daily Illini ran a story about their win. It was a decent story with interesting quotes. The only problem is they made an error with one of the performers' name. The quartet's violist is Masumi PER Rostad, not just Masumi Rostad. I guess it's a good sign that my editing skills are improving because I'm noticing small inaccuracies like that. It's not a very big mistake when you look at it, but it's vital to not screw up someone's name.
That reminds me of when I was concertmistress of my high school orchestra (for 3 years straight ;)). I would get my name published in the program under a seperate subheading than everyone else, which was a great honor for me.
I don't think they spelled my name right once in my four years at Mother McAuley. It didn't bother me too much, but the more I think about it now, the more pathetic it seems. I even had a favorite misspelling, from which my current blog nickname is derived. They spelled it "Kimbereley", and I liked the ring to it so I changed the spelling so it would look sexier. And my name wasn't the only one misspelled. Some of the name misspellings were blatantly obvious.
I'm beginning to wonder how parents sitting in the audiences and reading those programs could ever send their daughters to McAuley, let alone choose to pay the exorbitant tuition. Whoever it was who proofread the names obviously didn't take it seriously enough. Since no one cared enough to make sure that the programs were presentable to the public, it almost devalued whatever we were doing onstage.
For my final concert, I was asked to perform a special solo with orchestral accompaniment. It was a standard reward given to the best seniors over the years, and I was so proud to be one of them. It was my big moment. My glimmering good-bye. And what appeared in the program?
Meditation from Thais
Written by Jules Massanet
Performed by Kimbereley Scarabello
I think it's a small statement of neglect when someone publishes material that gets the person's name wrong. It's not fun to see your name spelled wrong in print. But more importantly, it gives off the impression that you, as the writer and editor, didn't find their input to be valuable enough that they deserved their name to be spelled right.
The Daily Illini ran a story about their win. It was a decent story with interesting quotes. The only problem is they made an error with one of the performers' name. The quartet's violist is Masumi PER Rostad, not just Masumi Rostad. I guess it's a good sign that my editing skills are improving because I'm noticing small inaccuracies like that. It's not a very big mistake when you look at it, but it's vital to not screw up someone's name.
That reminds me of when I was concertmistress of my high school orchestra (for 3 years straight ;)). I would get my name published in the program under a seperate subheading than everyone else, which was a great honor for me.
I don't think they spelled my name right once in my four years at Mother McAuley. It didn't bother me too much, but the more I think about it now, the more pathetic it seems. I even had a favorite misspelling, from which my current blog nickname is derived. They spelled it "Kimbereley", and I liked the ring to it so I changed the spelling so it would look sexier. And my name wasn't the only one misspelled. Some of the name misspellings were blatantly obvious.
I'm beginning to wonder how parents sitting in the audiences and reading those programs could ever send their daughters to McAuley, let alone choose to pay the exorbitant tuition. Whoever it was who proofread the names obviously didn't take it seriously enough. Since no one cared enough to make sure that the programs were presentable to the public, it almost devalued whatever we were doing onstage.
For my final concert, I was asked to perform a special solo with orchestral accompaniment. It was a standard reward given to the best seniors over the years, and I was so proud to be one of them. It was my big moment. My glimmering good-bye. And what appeared in the program?
Meditation from Thais
Written by Jules Massanet
Performed by Kimbereley Scarabello
I think it's a small statement of neglect when someone publishes material that gets the person's name wrong. It's not fun to see your name spelled wrong in print. But more importantly, it gives off the impression that you, as the writer and editor, didn't find their input to be valuable enough that they deserved their name to be spelled right.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
After Janet Cooke fabricated a pulitzer prize-winning story for The Washington Post, she sold the film rights to her ordeal to Columbia TriStar Pictures for $1.6 million, which was split between her and a few other people. The film has never been created.
After Jayson Blair fabricated and plagiarized articles for The New York Times, he wrote a tell-all memoir about his ordeal.
After fabricating stories for The New Republic, Stephen Glass wrote a book and also was the subject of a major motion picture - both of which put money in his bank account.
After talking about all of this in lecture, I wondered whether or not this was fair. In these days, notoriety can be a pretty profitable commodity. It seems as though Cooke, Glass, and Blair have all been rewarded for their stunts with million dollar movie deals, a spark to sell their books, and a lasting legacy (not a good one, but that doesn't always matter to some). After all, why work hard and devote your every waking thought to your journalism career when it's just as easy to make up all your stories and land a major motion picture deal after you get caught and be set for life?
That's one thing that appears to be emerging in American culture that I really don't care for. Dignity doesn't have the value that it used to. Everyone's can be bought or sold at a price, with the market price getting lower and lower.
Nothing at the surface is ever at face value, so you can't make any character judgments on the part of Cooke, Glass, and Blair. I just wish they could have set a better example and did not take a swipe at American journalism's creditibility.
After Jayson Blair fabricated and plagiarized articles for The New York Times, he wrote a tell-all memoir about his ordeal.
After fabricating stories for The New Republic, Stephen Glass wrote a book and also was the subject of a major motion picture - both of which put money in his bank account.
After talking about all of this in lecture, I wondered whether or not this was fair. In these days, notoriety can be a pretty profitable commodity. It seems as though Cooke, Glass, and Blair have all been rewarded for their stunts with million dollar movie deals, a spark to sell their books, and a lasting legacy (not a good one, but that doesn't always matter to some). After all, why work hard and devote your every waking thought to your journalism career when it's just as easy to make up all your stories and land a major motion picture deal after you get caught and be set for life?
That's one thing that appears to be emerging in American culture that I really don't care for. Dignity doesn't have the value that it used to. Everyone's can be bought or sold at a price, with the market price getting lower and lower.
Nothing at the surface is ever at face value, so you can't make any character judgments on the part of Cooke, Glass, and Blair. I just wish they could have set a better example and did not take a swipe at American journalism's creditibility.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
introductions
I'm no stranger to blogging. I've been blogging since high school. I currently host a blog that I have titled "Don't Worry... She's Harmless" on livejournal. Click here if you would like to see it, though it's probably not worth your time considering 1.) you have to have a livejournal account to open it and 2.) I've locked it off from the world except my two best friends in the entire world - my wildchild Jasmine from DePaul University and whiz kid Lina from the University of Chicago. By the way, the "adult content" disclaimer is a joke.
I suppose I should tie all of this in to news editing. I have found that, as small and insignificant as a personal blog may seem, it's true that you really have to make your own editorial decisions from time to time. One of the most important ones is who you are willing to disclose your information to. This new blog is exciting for me because a part of me has always wanted to have a public blog, yet I have always made the editorial decision that it is best for me to keep my writing private. I have developed a strong belief that my blog is mine. A part of what has made my blog such a positive part of my life is that I feel free to say whatever I need to say. My blog becomes my confidant.
As Professor Follis said, blog entries are the most likely to be successful when they are short and concise. This is where I fail. My blogging tends to be very long-winded, just ask my friends. During summer, weekends, or whenever I feel so compelled, it is not uncommon for my blog entries to be about 13 pages long when copied and pasted into a Word document. Most of the time now, with classes in full swing, I use my blog to record my moods, ability to concentrate, to-do lists, shopping lists etc. Sometimes, though, I like to write carefully-crafted memoirs for entries. In fact, I was preparing a lengthy draft for this first post that included my history as a blogger/journal-keeper; life lessons; favorite quotes; and all kinds of other stuff, but with all the deadlines (and tiredness) looming over my head, I'll try to keep it short and sweet for now.
But to sum it up, the written word is my voice. I am generally meek and mild in person and don't have a lot of things to say. It's easier for me to write my words on a page than to annunciate them with my mouth.
I am what I am.
Otherwise, my name is Kim Scarabello. I'm 21 years-old. I'm from Blue Island, Illinois. My favorite color is green. My favorite animals are tigers and English bulldogs. If I could have one superpower, it would be to fly. My favorite food is Indian. The three places in the world that I would like to travel to the most are India, Israel, and Prague. If you can think of any other standard icebreaker questions and are curious, send them my way.
I suppose I should tie all of this in to news editing. I have found that, as small and insignificant as a personal blog may seem, it's true that you really have to make your own editorial decisions from time to time. One of the most important ones is who you are willing to disclose your information to. This new blog is exciting for me because a part of me has always wanted to have a public blog, yet I have always made the editorial decision that it is best for me to keep my writing private. I have developed a strong belief that my blog is mine. A part of what has made my blog such a positive part of my life is that I feel free to say whatever I need to say. My blog becomes my confidant.
As Professor Follis said, blog entries are the most likely to be successful when they are short and concise. This is where I fail. My blogging tends to be very long-winded, just ask my friends. During summer, weekends, or whenever I feel so compelled, it is not uncommon for my blog entries to be about 13 pages long when copied and pasted into a Word document. Most of the time now, with classes in full swing, I use my blog to record my moods, ability to concentrate, to-do lists, shopping lists etc. Sometimes, though, I like to write carefully-crafted memoirs for entries. In fact, I was preparing a lengthy draft for this first post that included my history as a blogger/journal-keeper; life lessons; favorite quotes; and all kinds of other stuff, but with all the deadlines (and tiredness) looming over my head, I'll try to keep it short and sweet for now.
But to sum it up, the written word is my voice. I am generally meek and mild in person and don't have a lot of things to say. It's easier for me to write my words on a page than to annunciate them with my mouth.
I am what I am.
Otherwise, my name is Kim Scarabello. I'm 21 years-old. I'm from Blue Island, Illinois. My favorite color is green. My favorite animals are tigers and English bulldogs. If I could have one superpower, it would be to fly. My favorite food is Indian. The three places in the world that I would like to travel to the most are India, Israel, and Prague. If you can think of any other standard icebreaker questions and are curious, send them my way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
