“Generation Y” Logs On, Tunes Out

The latest DIY tips, celebrity gossip and newest apps are available literally at the fingertips of smart phone users. This is a generation where social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have become the source of news for current events both domestic and international. In technology-infused environments from the classroom to the workplace where accessing information is easier than ever, many Americans still are tuning out important information in the media.

Americans now pay less attention to international affairs and consume less foreign news. Domestic news continues to dominate new American media. According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 59 percent of Americans say they regularly watch the local news in their area. This has decreased significantly from the more than three-quarters of American who regularly watched local news in the early 1990s, but is largely unchanged from 2000.

“Our generation is so used to getting things instantly, everything is available in one click, and I think that makes us less interested in taking time to read and digest a traditional news story when we can get the gist in a 140-character tweet instead,” said Karah Finan, an OU junior studying journalism and political science.

Yahoo and ABC Merge to Spread the Word

Kenneth McNulty, Column

 It is already an accepted fact that Yahoo and ABC have formed a    partnership in pursuit to deliver more widespread news.

After reading articles from  The New York Times, Mashable   Business, CNN, and ABC’s website, it has become clear to me that  there is more to this alliance than what meets the eye.  Aside from  the money and praise these companies will receive, I believe the  true cause for the merger is to increase audience awareness of the  state of our world today.

Yahoo and ABC’s estimated plan for success rests in their  logic that  ABC’s top notch anchors and reporters blended with Yahoo’s unrivaled amount of viewers will create a large conduit for news to be spread. The companies claim that the new partnership is projected to garner up to 100 million viewers each month.

The new partnership will stream ABC’s online shows and events through Yahoo’s website. ABC’s most popular news broadcast show Good Morning America will now be displayed on Yahoo’s pages for people to watch at their leisure.

Now, ABC will be the main media outlet for Yahoo and its content. Each business will be sharing airtime on the other’s respective channel. The news stories from ABC will be put on Yahoo’s site, while some of Yahoo’s own reporting will be shown on ABC’s on-air shows.

ABC will still hold control over its own website, as will Yahoo. In the future though, larger scale events that occur will be covered and reported on cooperatively by both companies.

Through their joint efforts they will be able to report on bigger issues and broadcast them faster than most of their competitors because they are using both Yahoo’s website and ABC’s broadcast channel to relay the news.

This is not the first time that Yahoo and ABC have made such a commitment though. Since 2005, the companies have had a video sharing agreement through their websites.

In further efforts to increase audience awareness of what is happening in the world, Yahoo and ABC are officially joining in on the video streaming craze by showcasing their own original series of shows.

One of the new series that Yahoo and ABC will be producing is Newsmakers, hosted by many of ABC’s most popular anchors. The premise of the show is to interview affluent celebrities and world leaders.

Around the World with Christiane Amanpour is another new series that will be starting from the partnership. This show will analyze daily headlines for viewers, taking a unique approach to help viewers understand what is going on in the world.

The third show released for the lineup is called This Could Be Big. The show is to be hosted by Bill Weir, and will cover new technologic advances and devices that the modern age brings forth.

Yahoo and ABC’s alliance will create a new kind of media sharing for our digital age. Companies have done agreements along these lines before and will continue to do so in the future. But for journalists, this shows that through cooperation, the news can reach audiences that would never have been  informed before the alliance.

Whether the news is delivered through Yahoo’s site or ABC’s television program, journalism in our world is changing in such a way that content can now be shared and created by two different entities that have collaborated to deliver the same message.

To tweet or not to tweet?

Casey Compernolle, Reporter

To tweet, or not to tweet?  That is the question for many journalists who are often faced with the difficult decision between tweeting what they want as opposed to what they feel they should.

Journalists have joined the Twitter world to share news and events, but what about their opinions?  Is there an unwritten rule that prevents journalists from being too opinionated on social media?

These are questions that student journalists may find themselves pondering as well.

Elizabath Krizner, a Scripps sophomore majoring in Public Relations, said  “You sacrifice certain things when you decide to become a journalist, and unfortunately you give up certain rights in order to stay professional at all times. I think if you are representing a major corporation like CNN, it is your responsibility to draw the line of appropriateness.”

With The New York Times generating a staggering 3,743,424 followers, CNN close behind with 2,627,953, Fox News with 1,002,185 and CNBC coming in with 513,835 followers, there is proof that people are embracing the fast, accurate updates Twitter has to offer.

“Twitter audiences are not given enough credit.”  Hans Meyer, a professor at the E.W Scripps School of Journalism, said.

With regard to the grey areas of tweeting journalists’, Meyer said,  “I bristle anytime someone tries to stifle another on twitter, because if you’re a major journalist generating thousands of followers you were clearly hired for a reason: because you have a personality, and that’s a virtue.”

Recently, major corporations have allowed anchormen, correspondents, and hosts to create their own Twitter with more depth, updates, and thoughts.

Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly), a host for Fox News, has over 74,000 followers on her twitter account.  Kelly uses it as a promotional tool for her network, but also gives pregnancy updates, pictures of concerts, events, and much more.

“Authenticity is one of the core reasons people are drawn to Twitter, and if lost it could take away from the likability of users,” Meyer said.

Aside from major news outlets, there are still journalists that agree with professor Meyer’s idea of free range to voice any and all opinions—and they do just that.

Jay Rosen, a journalism professor at New York University, uses his twitter account (@jayrosen_nyu), to speak to his 67k plus followers about his take on current events.  He received backlash for tweeting that “Media bias isn’t the problem. It’s a solution.” Rosen’s tweet was in response to an article written by Jack Shafer in relation to the pros and cons of media bias.  Whether tweets such as this are controversial or not, Rosen still continues to voice his opinion on current issues through Twitter.

Some believe that if we allow journalists more free range on social media, the public will be rewarded with more depth and creativity.  Others believe appropriateness is key, and professionalism could be at risk. No one knows for certain what the future holds for Twitter, and most certainly not for the journalists that use it, but one thing remains the same: every tweet is a tweet of faith.

 

 

How To: Build Your Resume Over the Summer

Nicole Spears, Reporter

For many of us, the past months have been filled with daydreams of a breezy summer break. It can be a time for yourself, taking a much-needed break from racing around. But, although you may think that a full school year of climbing Jeff Hill was good enough, summer break doesn’t have to mean a stop in your progression.

A little rest and relaxation can do everyone wonders, but taking the summer too easily may guarantee that September will hit you like a freight train. This summer, try to find your own balance of work and play.

Don’t have an internship, or simply looking for more ways to beef up your resume over this break? Getting creative can give you the experience that you don’t even realize you will need someday. You can use this time off to cultivate skills on your own time, while finding new ways to network, and discover your own brand.

With the way our industry is constantly changing, there are endless platforms and programs to familiarize yourself with. Apart from internships, we often overlook the simpler methods of becoming more career-ready. While the list of possibilities is endless, here are a few suggestions that everyone could employ.

1. Build Your Personal Online Presence
This is a word of advice that always seems to be much easier said than done. However, starting up is the hardest part. You’ll find the most success if you can come up with a creative idea that you’re passionate about, and also the right platform to display it. A personal website not only sells your character, but also shows prospective employers that you are comfortable working on the Internet. The more platforms and media that you can incorporate in to a professional matter, the better.

2. Revise Your LinkedIn
Unlike Facebook and Twitter, most of us aren’t keeping up with our LinkedIn accounts daily. Think back through the school year and connect with classmates or professionals that you’ve met. Make sure you have the latest edition of your resume uploaded. Tweak your account so that it better reflects your current experience, as well as your future ambitions.

3. Catch Up With Old Connections
When we think of networking, we often think of opportunities that will allow us to get out there and meet new people. One of the most important things you can do is keep in touch with people that you’ve already become acquainted with throughout your education and job search. Pass on a recent sample of your writing or other work to someone you’ve previously been in contact with. This way, when you need to call on them, they’ll remember your name.

4. Get Ahead on Credit Hours
After walking out of that last final, the feeling of freedom can be overwhelming. No more nagging assignments waiting for your attention–for the next few months at least. For this reason, it can be hard to give summer courses a second thought. The truth is, summer courses are a great way to get non-major classes and prerequisites out of the way. Whether you choose to do online or on-campus classes, they are usually a more manageable, alternative than packing them into your fall quarter schedule.

5.  Follow Your Favorite Writers
Whether it’s your local paper, The New York Times, or a favorite blog, following a preferred writer is a great way to keep your style in tune over the break. We tend to idolize or even relate to our favorite journalists, so following them can spark great ideas for your own work. Though this is a habit that can be applied throughout the school year as well, summer’s extra down time will give the chance to keep up daily or even find new writers to follow.

Alabama students get local test in breaking news

Story // Nicole Spears, Reporter

On April 27^th a mile-wide tornado ripped through the Southern region of the United States, killing hundreds across the states of Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

Students at the University of Alabama were dismayed as the tornado destroyed their college town of Tuscaloosa just days before the beginning of their summer break. Though the campus was left unscathed, many students’ houses were ripped away.

The Crimson White, University of Alabama’s student-run newspaper, has since published over 100 stories covering this crisis. Just after the storm hit, while power was down and communication within Tuscaloosa was next to impossible, Crimson White staffers were already at work producing online content.

Katherine Martin, a junior journalism student at UA and news editor for The Crimson White, said they had no idea how bad it truly was.

“Ten or fifteen of us were in the student media building when it hit. We were worried about getting the current paper out until someone on the staff realized their house was gone,” Martin said.

Though the tornado did not physically affect the campus, it did hit areas like 15^th Street and Midtown Village, where many UA upperclassmen live. At one point, there were nearly 500 people unaccounted for. Needless to say, this storm quickly evolved into a disaster, giving UA journalism students a crisis-reporting lesson that struck very close to home.

Dr. Jennifer Greer, Chair of the Department of Journalism at UA, was very impressed by her students’ coverage of the crisis. Though you can never truly be prepared for such a tragedy, she believes that a combination of strong leadership and professional guidance really pulled the Crimson White team together.

“The thing what was amazing to me was that it was the last week of publication [for the semester], and they were on the ground working as soon as the storm hit,” Greer said.

Their commitment paid off. The next day, Crimson White staffers were being contacted by USA Today, The New York Times, and CBS, among other major news organizations. Although they are a student-run newspaper, they were producing content before Tuscaloosa’s professional news sources.

Martin reports that one of the biggest problems was clearing facts with media relations, while still maintaining a fast production cycle. Despite these difficulties, Dr. Greer credits the Crimson White for accurate reporting, while avoiding the many rumors that were circulating post-storm.

The Crimson White, which customarily prints four days a week, started producing much more content online, and using social media to supplement their stories. This shift helped to publish more stories at a faster rate and also allowed for more multimedia attributes.

“This experience taught me how to go cover a story, get it done, without having much time to go back and work on it,” Martin said.

At one point, the Crimson White was even running a service to help find those unaccounted for on campus. While communications were down, the staff was doing their best to help friends and family contact loved ones through phone calls and email.

The Crimson White staff faced this challenge only weeks after their executive board elections. Victor Luckerson was chosen as editor-in-chief for his second year in a row.  Dr. Greer believes his prior experience gave this team a great advantage. The new team of editors, a group of her former students, has had the benefit of working together for years.

Around the country many condolences are going out to the region affected by this storm. Yet, under the burden of this calamity, the Crimson White staff proved their talent, as well as they’re commitment, to their craft.

“These events have been terrible,” Greer said, “but as journalists, it’s the time that we matter the most.”

Columnist’s oversight leads to disregard of honest work

Column // Matt Rancourt, Contributing Writer

I am nothing if not original.

For whatever reason, my brain doesn’t seem to function on the same wavelength as everyone else’s.

I’ve come to terms with this fact. The questioning looks I receive from others whenever I do or say something do not come as a surprise anymore.

Like that look I get whenever I scratch my nose with my knuckles.

Or the one I got when I put hot sauce on ice cream in the dining hall, just so I could find out what hot and cold tasted like together. (I wouldn’t recommend that flavor combo to anyone else, by the way.)

And when it comes to my columns, I always try to be as unique as possible. Usually, I accomplish this by just writing down whatever nonsense pops into my head.

For example, Dane Cook is on Comedy Central right now. He’s overrated: lots of profanity and adult material, very little in the way of being actually funny. And, oh yeah, his movies were garbage.

See?

I had an opinion, so I wrote it down. Column writing is really a lot easier than you might think.

This is why I always take notice when someone finds a way to screw it up.

Today, that someone is nationally syndicated columnist Cal Thomas.

Now before I begin, let me preface this by saying that Thomas has been writing columns since before I was born. He is obviously very, very good at what he does – hence the “nationally syndicated columnist” title. But recently, a newspaper editor in Texas decided not to publish one of his columns, citing a problem with it.

The problem she cited was, well, failure to cite.

Apparently, a portion of Thomas’ column was rather similar to a story that ran in The New York Times eight days prior. According to the editor, Carroll Wilson of the Temple Daily Telegram, it was “essentially plagiarized.” Here are the sections in question, courtesy of Jim Romenesko and Poynter:

New York Times, Feb. 16
“The Environmental Protection Agency set the value of a life at $9.1 million last year in proposing tighter restrictions on air pollution. The agency used numbers as low as $6.8 million during the George W. Bush administration.

The Food and Drug Administration declared that life was worth $7.9 million last year, up from $5 million in 2008, in proposing warning labels on cigarette packages featuring images of cancer victims.

The Transportation Department has used values of around $6 million to justify recent decisions to impose regulations that the Bush administration had rejected as too expensive, like requiring stronger roofs on cars.”

Cal Thomas, Feb. 24
“The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set the value of a human life at $9.1 million. It reached this determination while proposing tighter restrictions on air pollution. During the Bush administration, EPA calculated our value at $6.8 million. Was the difference in price caused by inflation? The EPA didn’t say.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) arrived at its own figure for the value of an American life. It says each life is worth $7.9 million. That, too, is an increase from the $5 million value FDA had assigned each human American life in 2008. The agency calculated our value while proposing new and tougher warning labels on cigarettes that include pictures of cancer victims.

The Transportation Department — yes, Transportation — put our worth at $6 million while seeking to justify recent decisions to impose regulations the Bush administration had rejected as too costly, such as stronger roofs on cars.”

Yeah, there might be a few similarities there.

Tribune Media Services later released a statement, which said that Thomas “did not feel that a citation was necessary given that the passages largely contained government figures that are available elsewhere.” However, he later would acknowledge that “The New York Times story should have been cited as the source for a column conveying his own opinions on the issue.”

Personally, I think that if you’re using the same “government figures” as a preexisting story, then they had better not be presented in the exact same order and with very similar supporting details.

Regardless of whether it occurred in this instance, plagiarism is the one thing you absolutely cannot do as a columnist, journalist or writer.

While you are supposed to give an opinion, it has to belong to you. In other words, it has to be your own intellectual property.

If your employer wanted to know what Bob in Cleveland thinks about an issue, then they’d pay him to write the column and you’d be sitting at home eating Doritos.

Sure, occasionally what you write may be kind of similar to what someone else wrote – it’s called accidental plagiarism. But for the most part, plagiarism only occurs when the writer means for it to occur, especially in regard to column writing.

So my advice to aspiring columnists is to write whatever pops into your head. It’s fine to look to the work of others for topics to write about (which is what I did here — thanks again, Poynter), but when it comes time to actually write, everything you need is located in your own head.

I’m sure you will have your own beliefs, feelings and opinions on whatever it is you choose to write about.

Just don’t expect everyone else to agree with them.