(Anchor speaking over video of Lauren Brown. Cut to shot of Atlas Building)
Lauren Brown, a University of Colorado advertising student is no stranger to technology. Brown has already produced a full-fledged marketing campaign for Boulder-based Evol Burritos using graphic and software skills she has aced through her minor in the Technology, Arts and Media program. Brown is one of 118 journalism students who are giving their degree a technological edge through Atlas's Technology, Arts, and Media program.
(cut to video quote of Lauren Brown)
I think that with emerging digital media being so present in advertising and journalism, you have to have these skills to be a marketable candidate.
(Anchor speaking over shot of the Armory)
University of Colorado officials agree that a merger between the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and ATLAS makes sense both academically and financially and a task force has already started exploring the idea of a greater School of Information.
(Video quote of Paul Voakes)
We've got a faculty that is definitely aware and studying these changes. In terms of all of the cutting-edge technical aspects, we see a wonderful opportunity with ATLAS.
(on site video on campus)
Currently, the journalism school needs to trim 7.7 percent of its $3.9 million yearly budget and
ATLAS needs to cut its $1.16 million general fund annual budget by 10 percent and a merger may be one way to do so. Not everyone is sold on the idea yet, including CU regent Joe Neguse, who says he would like to hear more about the topic.
(Video quote of Joe Neguse)
I'd like to hear from the students and the faculty.
(Anchor speaking)
Hopefully students will not be affected by the budget cuts, but budget documents have revealed that such a merger could mean the loss of at least one job.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Hard News Leads
1. Three to four children die every day in the United States from child abuse or neglect according to a survey released yesterday by the Child Abuse Prevention Center in Baltimore.
2. Yesterday nearly 150 of the anti-abortion protesters were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct as they demonstrated outside an abortion clinic in Milwaukee.
3. A delivery driver for The Great Wall of China restaurant was robbed at gunpoint yesterday at the apartment complex at 718 S.W. Western Ave.
4. A fire at the 2300 block of Main Street caused $45,000 in damages and left homeowner Kathy Mahoney with minor burns before firefighters were able to put out the blaze.
5. Murders in Colorado are up 53 percent and violent crime increased by 2 percent according to a report released yesterday by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
6. The increasing damage to the ozone layer could lead to a 10 percent increase in skin cancer according to a report released yesterday by the United Nations Environment Program.
7. A Santa Ana woman was charged with attempted murder yesterday after she doused her wheelchair-bound husband with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire.
8. According to Neilson/NetRatings, more people now use broadband than dial-up, as 53 percent of residential users have now made the switch to broadband.
9. This school year, Princeton University put a cap on the number of A’s which can be awarded in order to stem down grade inflation.
10. According to the National Sleep Foundation, as many as 47 million adults may be putting themselves at risk for injury, because they aren't meeting their minimum sleep need in order to be fully alert the next day.
2. Yesterday nearly 150 of the anti-abortion protesters were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct as they demonstrated outside an abortion clinic in Milwaukee.
3. A delivery driver for The Great Wall of China restaurant was robbed at gunpoint yesterday at the apartment complex at 718 S.W. Western Ave.
4. A fire at the 2300 block of Main Street caused $45,000 in damages and left homeowner Kathy Mahoney with minor burns before firefighters were able to put out the blaze.
5. Murders in Colorado are up 53 percent and violent crime increased by 2 percent according to a report released yesterday by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
6. The increasing damage to the ozone layer could lead to a 10 percent increase in skin cancer according to a report released yesterday by the United Nations Environment Program.
7. A Santa Ana woman was charged with attempted murder yesterday after she doused her wheelchair-bound husband with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire.
8. According to Neilson/NetRatings, more people now use broadband than dial-up, as 53 percent of residential users have now made the switch to broadband.
9. This school year, Princeton University put a cap on the number of A’s which can be awarded in order to stem down grade inflation.
10. According to the National Sleep Foundation, as many as 47 million adults may be putting themselves at risk for injury, because they aren't meeting their minimum sleep need in order to be fully alert the next day.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
In-Class Editing
PANORA, Iowa. – This small town welcomed home one of its soldiers Friday, but instead of jubilant well-wishers, there were 525 mourners who packed every corner of the United Methodist Church. Instead of a parade down Main Street, there was a stream of cars that stretched from the church to the West Cemetery outside of town.
There were flags at half-staff; there were red, white, and blue ribbons tied to flower sprays around the altar, and there were tears – of grief, not joy.
Army Spc. Michael Mills was one of 28 people killed Feb. 25 when an Iraqi suicide bomb exploded. To the rest of the country, he was one of 191 Americans killed in the war, but to the 1,100 people in Panora, Mike Mills was the 23-year-old hometown boy who carried on a family tradition by joining the Army.
His funeral Friday provided a somber contrast to the joyous reunions held for returning troops throughout the country.
There were flags at half-staff; there were red, white, and blue ribbons tied to flower sprays around the altar, and there were tears – of grief, not joy.
Army Spc. Michael Mills was one of 28 people killed Feb. 25 when an Iraqi suicide bomb exploded. To the rest of the country, he was one of 191 Americans killed in the war, but to the 1,100 people in Panora, Mike Mills was the 23-year-old hometown boy who carried on a family tradition by joining the Army.
His funeral Friday provided a somber contrast to the joyous reunions held for returning troops throughout the country.
O’Neill’s imagery magic provides an alternate look at the ordinary
“I begin films not really knowing how I am going to finish them,” said the soft-spoken filmmaker as he introduced himself to the audience.
Monday night, Pat O’Neill showed his films Water and Power, and Horizontal Boundaries as part of the University of Colorado’s International Film Series. After each piece, O’Neill fielded questions from members of the audience and described the processes and motivations behind his film production.
“When I run across things around me that I think have a different meaning, I like to use them again,” said O’Neill. “I like to work on many projects at once and allow them to influence each other.”
Water and Power, which presents an abstract portrayal of Los Angeles and its energy exchange, and has been added to the National Film Registry, proved to be the crowd favorite.
Once the applause subsided, O’Neill explained that he did not craft the film as a geo-political statement, but wanted to record what he observed and felt about a situation as an artist.
Pat O’Neill, a specialist in visual and special effects, even helping George Lucas in the making of The Empire Strikes Back, said his next project will be on paper as it makes more economic sense. He plans to take listing photos that people have posted on ebay, arrange them in multi-image photographs and release them as a book.
Monday night, Pat O’Neill showed his films Water and Power, and Horizontal Boundaries as part of the University of Colorado’s International Film Series. After each piece, O’Neill fielded questions from members of the audience and described the processes and motivations behind his film production.
“When I run across things around me that I think have a different meaning, I like to use them again,” said O’Neill. “I like to work on many projects at once and allow them to influence each other.”
Water and Power, which presents an abstract portrayal of Los Angeles and its energy exchange, and has been added to the National Film Registry, proved to be the crowd favorite.
Once the applause subsided, O’Neill explained that he did not craft the film as a geo-political statement, but wanted to record what he observed and felt about a situation as an artist.
Pat O’Neill, a specialist in visual and special effects, even helping George Lucas in the making of The Empire Strikes Back, said his next project will be on paper as it makes more economic sense. He plans to take listing photos that people have posted on ebay, arrange them in multi-image photographs and release them as a book.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Blogging a Scene
The alley stretched a mere 25 feet yet instilled more fear than the most menacing mile. To the west towered a massive hotel, square in its design and dressed in bricks of varying earth tones. The east side of the alley hosts an array of apartment buildings, each standing about three stories high, replete with enough windows to light a castle. The valley that lay between the structures was absent of motion and scent. Silence blanketed most of the block, broken momentarily by the voices of tenants shouting requests from the top of the buildings.
“Enough is enough,” yelled a resident of one of the louder and brightly lit dens.
On any summer night, a pass through the alley might last but a minute, yet tonight the mirrors of ice that crunch beneath my feet render the block nearly impassable.
“Enough is enough,” yelled a resident of one of the louder and brightly lit dens.
On any summer night, a pass through the alley might last but a minute, yet tonight the mirrors of ice that crunch beneath my feet render the block nearly impassable.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Story Ideas for Karl Rove vs. Howard Dean
Having Attended Debate
- How speaking points made by Karl Rove compare and contrast with stances he has taken in the past.
-A review of the questions posed by students, and in which direction they led the debate. What topics are people interested in having discussed?
- Because the two come from opposing sides of the political spectrum, many people expected a very lively debate. Did the debate live up to the expectations? Describe the mood and atmosphere of debate.
Not Attended
-Background information explaining what led to the debate, how the two decided or came to do a debate tour.
-An article reporting on reactions and opinions of students on campus who attended debate.
- How speaking points made by Karl Rove compare and contrast with stances he has taken in the past.
-A review of the questions posed by students, and in which direction they led the debate. What topics are people interested in having discussed?
- Because the two come from opposing sides of the political spectrum, many people expected a very lively debate. Did the debate live up to the expectations? Describe the mood and atmosphere of debate.
Not Attended
-Background information explaining what led to the debate, how the two decided or came to do a debate tour.
-An article reporting on reactions and opinions of students on campus who attended debate.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Study Shows Left-Handed More Accident Prone
A study conducted last year to determine why fewer left-handed people are among the elderly population, was published in today's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine comparing the death and accident rates of left- and right-handed people.
Diane Halpern, a psychology professor at California State University at San Bernardino, and Stanley Coren, a researcher at the University of British Columbia, studied death certificates of 987 people in two Southern California counties and queried relatives of the subjects by mail about the subject's dominant hand.
The researchers found that left-handed people represent only 10 percent of the population and were four times more likely to die from injuries while driving than right-handed people, and six times more likely to die from accidents of all kinds. The average age of death for right-handed people was 75 while the average for left-handed people was 66, with right-handed females tending to live six years longer than left-handed females, and right-handed males living 11 years longer than left-handed males.
"The results are striking in their magnitude," said Halpern, a right-hander herself.
Diane Halpern, a psychology professor at California State University at San Bernardino, and Stanley Coren, a researcher at the University of British Columbia, studied death certificates of 987 people in two Southern California counties and queried relatives of the subjects by mail about the subject's dominant hand.
The researchers found that left-handed people represent only 10 percent of the population and were four times more likely to die from injuries while driving than right-handed people, and six times more likely to die from accidents of all kinds. The average age of death for right-handed people was 75 while the average for left-handed people was 66, with right-handed females tending to live six years longer than left-handed females, and right-handed males living 11 years longer than left-handed males.
"The results are striking in their magnitude," said Halpern, a right-hander herself.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Research Methods Pt. 2
1. Based on the 2009 census, there are 5,024,748 people living in the state of Colorado. Of these there are 99,834 Asians and Native Pacific Islanders.
2. This site links sex offender registries in the U.S.
http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/PublicRegistrySites.aspx
There are four sex offenders in the immediate vicinity of my house on the 900 block of 11th avenue. David BaldEagle Dakota of 973 5th st was convicted of attempted 2nd degree rape in 1995. Patrick Leo Green of 1600 Hillside road apartment 4 was convicted of a felony sex offense. Andrew Robert Doel of 1137 Pleasant Street. apartment 5 was convicted of a felony sex offense. Christopher Edward Lucero, a homeless man, was convicted with attempted 2nd degree sexual assault.
You can find the interactive map for sex offenders in Maryland at http://www.socem.info/. On this map you can find the names, addresses, charges, offender categories and the occasional picture of sex offenders in the area.
3. The University of Colorado Police Department and the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education break the campus crime statistics up into different criteria however the statistics are very similar. Of the major offense listed there is only a discrepancy concerning the number of arsons with one source reporting 7 in 2008 and the other reporting 6 cases of arson, and the number of burglaries. The Colorado Police Department's statistics show 44 burglaries on campus in 2008 while the U.S. Department of Education's stats show 59 burglaries.
There were 7 forcible sex offenses on campus in 2008.
4. The latest totals show that Senator Michael F. Bennett received $3,661,380 and Senator Mark Udall received $12,015,829.
5. In the latest campaign, our governor received $4,365,457 in contributions. The limit on personal contributions to a campaign in Colorado is $525 for a gubernatorial candidate, $525 for other statewide candidates and $200 for a legislative candidate.
6. The average tuition, fees, room and board at four-year public institutions in 2008 was $13,424. The average tuition, fees, room and board at private four-year institutions in 2008 was $30,393.
7. http://www.colorado.gov/
8. http://ci.boulder.co.us/
2. This site links sex offender registries in the U.S.
http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/PublicRegistrySites.aspx
There are four sex offenders in the immediate vicinity of my house on the 900 block of 11th avenue. David BaldEagle Dakota of 973 5th st was convicted of attempted 2nd degree rape in 1995. Patrick Leo Green of 1600 Hillside road apartment 4 was convicted of a felony sex offense. Andrew Robert Doel of 1137 Pleasant Street. apartment 5 was convicted of a felony sex offense. Christopher Edward Lucero, a homeless man, was convicted with attempted 2nd degree sexual assault.
You can find the interactive map for sex offenders in Maryland at http://www.socem.info/. On this map you can find the names, addresses, charges, offender categories and the occasional picture of sex offenders in the area.
3. The University of Colorado Police Department and the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education break the campus crime statistics up into different criteria however the statistics are very similar. Of the major offense listed there is only a discrepancy concerning the number of arsons with one source reporting 7 in 2008 and the other reporting 6 cases of arson, and the number of burglaries. The Colorado Police Department's statistics show 44 burglaries on campus in 2008 while the U.S. Department of Education's stats show 59 burglaries.
There were 7 forcible sex offenses on campus in 2008.
4. The latest totals show that Senator Michael F. Bennett received $3,661,380 and Senator Mark Udall received $12,015,829.
5. In the latest campaign, our governor received $4,365,457 in contributions. The limit on personal contributions to a campaign in Colorado is $525 for a gubernatorial candidate, $525 for other statewide candidates and $200 for a legislative candidate.
6. The average tuition, fees, room and board at four-year public institutions in 2008 was $13,424. The average tuition, fees, room and board at private four-year institutions in 2008 was $30,393.
7. http://www.colorado.gov/
8. http://ci.boulder.co.us/
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Research Methods Pt. 1
List of U.S. Hurricanes 1851-2005
-http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/ushurrlist.htm
The costliest hurricane to occur in the U.S. since 1900 was Katrina, which made its first land fall on the 25th of August in Hallendale Florida. From there Katrina continued on into the Gulf of Mexico, gained strength, and eventually caused extensive damage in Louisiana, Mississippi and surrounding areas. The total damage amounted to an estimated $89.6 billion. (Hurricane damage is measured in property damage. Including other damages, which can be difficult to calculate, the total would undoubtedly be higher.)
How to Prepare for an Earthquake
- http://earthquake.usgs.gov/prepare/
Plane Crashes in Colorado
During 2009 there were four fatal airplane crashes in Colorado and thirty-five non-fatal crashes. In the last two years there have been three fatal crashes involving a Cessna 182, however each of the models have been slightly different.
In 2000, the NTSB conducted a major investigation involving the crash of an SCHD Alaska Airlines Inc. flight which killed 88 people.
In 2006 there was a crash in Lexington, Kentucky which killed 49 people.
-http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/ushurrlist.htm
The costliest hurricane to occur in the U.S. since 1900 was Katrina, which made its first land fall on the 25th of August in Hallendale Florida. From there Katrina continued on into the Gulf of Mexico, gained strength, and eventually caused extensive damage in Louisiana, Mississippi and surrounding areas. The total damage amounted to an estimated $89.6 billion. (Hurricane damage is measured in property damage. Including other damages, which can be difficult to calculate, the total would undoubtedly be higher.)
How to Prepare for an Earthquake
- http://earthquake.usgs.gov/prepare/
Plane Crashes in Colorado
During 2009 there were four fatal airplane crashes in Colorado and thirty-five non-fatal crashes. In the last two years there have been three fatal crashes involving a Cessna 182, however each of the models have been slightly different.
In 2000, the NTSB conducted a major investigation involving the crash of an SCHD Alaska Airlines Inc. flight which killed 88 people.
In 2006 there was a crash in Lexington, Kentucky which killed 49 people.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Rathergate
In September of 2004, CBS and Dan Rather ran a 60 Minutes Wednesday broadcast which featured memos known as the Killian documents. These documents, supposedly written by President George W. Bush's superior Jerry B. Killian, were critical of Bush's service in the Texas Army National Guard and suggested that Bush may have received preferential treatment. Without definite confirmation that the memos were not forgeries, CBS decided to run the controversial segment just two months prior to the upcoming election.
Chaos ensued during the weeks following the broadcast, and the both CBS and the memos in question fell under heavy scrutiny, especially in the blogosphere. While CBS continued to vehemently defend their position a review panel was convened, and reported serious defects in the September 8th segment of 60 Minutes Wednesday. While many experts continued to assert that the documents were forgeries, the absence of the original memos prevented a definitive answer from forensic examiners on the credibility of the Killian memos. Regardless, CBS eventually issued an apology for the mistakes made during the research and production of the segment, and many top executives within CBS were terminated or resigned.
As a journalism student I can understand the excitement of such a story and why CBS wanted to air its findings, however their timing offends me both as a consumer of the news and a voter. Surely CBS understood the enormity of their story and the implications it could bring once aired. It seems too obvious to me that when dealing with such a story, you would go to every length necessary to ensure that the facts you are about to present are absolutely true, for without a doubt your reporting will draw critics who will comb through every detail of your report. After spending years in research for the story (as CBS did), I see no reason to jeopardize the entire story by rushing to air it without proper vetting of facts other than the hope to influence political opinions.
Why not take the time to get a forensics expert to verify without a doubt that the memos are real and air the story in 6 months, or a year? I believe that Mary Mapes and other executives that were new to CBS, were more interested in making their presence known and producing a story with a huge political impact, than delivering what was most useful for the public.
As a voter and consumer of the news the fact that a news outlet may have a political agenda irks me the most. If there is one reason that I would make a point of following a CBS news broadcast or any other major media outlet over an individual's blog, it would be that in following a major media broadcast I have the assurance that I am receiving information that is both factual and completely fair. When slip-ups such as this are made, I have a hard time convincing myself that there is any source of news completely free of a calculated agenda.
Even if we give CBS the benefit of the doubt, and decide that their timing was coincidental and the story was aired because those researching it were absolutely certain that their facts were checked and could just not wait to get the story out to the masses. Even assuming all of this, why the aggressive defense of the story without further research? Why not give any merit to those who raise questions about your findings? Why not allow an independent team to do the follow up researching and news reports instead of assigning those attached to it in the first place? All of this makes it extremely difficult to assume that the utmost goal of CBS is to provide a fair account of the story. The ignorant defense offered by Dan Rather and those associated with the segment only contributes to the feeling that information is being forced upon us as fact.
Without a doubt, hubris played a role in the stubbornness shown by Rather and his associates after the story came under fire, however I cannot attribute all of the blame to their egos. Those in charge of researching and producing the show were determined to break a story with a severe political impact, and in their ambition to do so, overlooked basic journalistic principals and deceived their audience.
Even though CBS did some house cleaning and promised to avoid similar errors in the future, the damage is done and you cannot help but wonder just how deep political ideals are rooted in our major media outlets, CBS or otherwise.
Chaos ensued during the weeks following the broadcast, and the both CBS and the memos in question fell under heavy scrutiny, especially in the blogosphere. While CBS continued to vehemently defend their position a review panel was convened, and reported serious defects in the September 8th segment of 60 Minutes Wednesday. While many experts continued to assert that the documents were forgeries, the absence of the original memos prevented a definitive answer from forensic examiners on the credibility of the Killian memos. Regardless, CBS eventually issued an apology for the mistakes made during the research and production of the segment, and many top executives within CBS were terminated or resigned.
As a journalism student I can understand the excitement of such a story and why CBS wanted to air its findings, however their timing offends me both as a consumer of the news and a voter. Surely CBS understood the enormity of their story and the implications it could bring once aired. It seems too obvious to me that when dealing with such a story, you would go to every length necessary to ensure that the facts you are about to present are absolutely true, for without a doubt your reporting will draw critics who will comb through every detail of your report. After spending years in research for the story (as CBS did), I see no reason to jeopardize the entire story by rushing to air it without proper vetting of facts other than the hope to influence political opinions.
Why not take the time to get a forensics expert to verify without a doubt that the memos are real and air the story in 6 months, or a year? I believe that Mary Mapes and other executives that were new to CBS, were more interested in making their presence known and producing a story with a huge political impact, than delivering what was most useful for the public.
As a voter and consumer of the news the fact that a news outlet may have a political agenda irks me the most. If there is one reason that I would make a point of following a CBS news broadcast or any other major media outlet over an individual's blog, it would be that in following a major media broadcast I have the assurance that I am receiving information that is both factual and completely fair. When slip-ups such as this are made, I have a hard time convincing myself that there is any source of news completely free of a calculated agenda.
Even if we give CBS the benefit of the doubt, and decide that their timing was coincidental and the story was aired because those researching it were absolutely certain that their facts were checked and could just not wait to get the story out to the masses. Even assuming all of this, why the aggressive defense of the story without further research? Why not give any merit to those who raise questions about your findings? Why not allow an independent team to do the follow up researching and news reports instead of assigning those attached to it in the first place? All of this makes it extremely difficult to assume that the utmost goal of CBS is to provide a fair account of the story. The ignorant defense offered by Dan Rather and those associated with the segment only contributes to the feeling that information is being forced upon us as fact.
Without a doubt, hubris played a role in the stubbornness shown by Rather and his associates after the story came under fire, however I cannot attribute all of the blame to their egos. Those in charge of researching and producing the show were determined to break a story with a severe political impact, and in their ambition to do so, overlooked basic journalistic principals and deceived their audience.
Even though CBS did some house cleaning and promised to avoid similar errors in the future, the damage is done and you cannot help but wonder just how deep political ideals are rooted in our major media outlets, CBS or otherwise.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
ateanytasteofthesublime.blogspot.com
I chose to review ateanytasteofthesublime.blogspot.com, an easy-spirited blog by tea enthusiast Michael Trimboli. On his blog, Trimboli features personal reviews of a variety of teas and tea products, as well as posting stories, facts, recipes and the like on everything tea related. Trimboli pulls his content from a wide spectrum of sites ranging from a tea company's home page to overseas news publications. He does a great job of varying his content as some posts are entirely his own, some are just a copy of news stories, and some still are a medley of both, containing quotes from outside sources coupled with a bit of his own language. I particularly like the way that Trimboli links many of his more current blog posts back to previous ones which contain related content.
The author of this blog is a communications major who hopes to land a job with a major network, and for this reason I believe he writes his blog to stay current with new media practices and for personal satisfaction. In addition, Trimboli authors his blog to provide a hub of information for any one else with a penchant for tea. He must hope to serve only a small demographic, as the blog does not feature anything not related to tea. This however should come as no surprise ( given the blog address) and it provides a very interesting and comprehensive source of information for tea lovers.
One thing that Michael Trimboli does exceptionally well with this blog is match the appearance of the page with the overall tone of his blog. He uses various soft green colors for the background and subtle white titles for his posts that reflect the colors of tea as well as the relaxation one might enjoy while drinking one of the teas featured on the blog. The layout is simple and free of chaos, allowing his audience to peruse freely and without distraction through the content he has offered.
While I thought the blog was successful in serving its intended purpose, I would have trouble writing such a blog due to its narrow focus. I feel that i would find blogging about only tea related products or any other subject with such a select audience to become monotonous given time, and I would prefer to blog about a variety of topics, drawing attention from people with varied interests.
All in all, I found this blog to be mildly entertaining, even for someone with zero interest in tea. Should you be a fan of tea however, I suggest cruising around the page, as you may find this blog to be a gold mine for tea ideas.
The author of this blog is a communications major who hopes to land a job with a major network, and for this reason I believe he writes his blog to stay current with new media practices and for personal satisfaction. In addition, Trimboli authors his blog to provide a hub of information for any one else with a penchant for tea. He must hope to serve only a small demographic, as the blog does not feature anything not related to tea. This however should come as no surprise ( given the blog address) and it provides a very interesting and comprehensive source of information for tea lovers.
One thing that Michael Trimboli does exceptionally well with this blog is match the appearance of the page with the overall tone of his blog. He uses various soft green colors for the background and subtle white titles for his posts that reflect the colors of tea as well as the relaxation one might enjoy while drinking one of the teas featured on the blog. The layout is simple and free of chaos, allowing his audience to peruse freely and without distraction through the content he has offered.
While I thought the blog was successful in serving its intended purpose, I would have trouble writing such a blog due to its narrow focus. I feel that i would find blogging about only tea related products or any other subject with such a select audience to become monotonous given time, and I would prefer to blog about a variety of topics, drawing attention from people with varied interests.
All in all, I found this blog to be mildly entertaining, even for someone with zero interest in tea. Should you be a fan of tea however, I suggest cruising around the page, as you may find this blog to be a gold mine for tea ideas.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Assignment 1. Walter Lippman Quote
After a first reading of Walter Lippman’s quote, I am grabbed by his choice of words in the final sentence, specifically his describing the task journalists face as priestly. I do not intend to be overly cynical of the catholic church and some of the scandals of late, however upon the mention of journalists as priests, I could not help but draw a couple of parallels between the two. In 1920, when Liberty and the News was published, both journalists and priests found themselves on relatively secure platforms, that is what was reported or dictated by both was generally believed and not heavily scrutinized. Priests delivered the words of the Lord and it was assumed that someone of this stature was wholly good and free of error. Journalists were for the most part the only source of news, as many of the mediums we rely on today did not exist, and for this reason they were heavily trusted and and their work did not endure the extensive questioning that it does today. The part that I find ironic, which would not have occurred to Lippman as he penned the quote in 1920, is that in choosing the word “priestly” to describe journalists in an effort to describe the mighty and revered task they are presented with, he linked two professions which have since suffered numerous scandals and find themselves under the most watchful of eyes from society at large. While I may be exaggerating the public opinion of priests a bit, there can be no doubt that some people do not view priests in the same way they had prior to any of the abuse scandals. There are also with out a doubt, people who are more than skeptical of journalists following the cases of Stephen Glass, Jayson Blair and the like. Though I am fairly sure that Lippman did not have these scandals in mind when he chose to use the word priestly, I find his choice a bit humorous and quite fitting as I observe the evolution and public opinion of each profession.
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