Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Media Blog of Comparing Different Candian Newspapers


In the United States there are thousands of different newspaper publications to choose from that give us the news. When exploring outside the United States we are able to find different branches of journalism and find out what is going on around the world. Today I will be comparing three different Canadian newspaper publications and point out both their differences and similarities. I will mostly be sticking to the A section (front page) of each paper. All three of these publications take place in the providence of Alberta, Canada.

The first of the three publications is called The Airdrie City View. The Airdrie City View is a very small community paper that publishes once a week and is free to those who live in the surrounding cities. Their front page is actually quite confusing. Usually publications stick to what they see as their most popular subject, use a picture to catch the reader’s eye and then write the story underneath it. The Aridrie City View does things a little differently. Their front page of this week’s paper has a large picture of what looks like a funeral with two soldiers side by side. Typically the front-page picture is followed up by a story describing the image; instead it was a story about how the council approves new commuter buses. This can be very confusing to readers as the story regarding the picture wasn’t even until the next page.
 

The next publication, The Airdrie Echo did things a bit more normal comparing to The Airdrie City View. The Airdrie Echo is also a free publication that is run entirely through advertisements throughout their page. Their top story was also about how the council gives the green light to purchase new city buses. The story was much more appealing as they posted a picture of what the new city buses were going to look like. As both publications stuck to the same topic it can be realized that city buses are an important part of the Canadian transportation in this small town of Airdrie, Alberta where the papers are published.
 

Comparing these two small town newspapers to a larger publication like The Calgary Herald things are quite different in ways but are also very similar. The Calgary Herald is a much superior newspaper then the two other small town publications. As the front page was focused on money issues and sports that were going on throughout the providence they also used some strategies to catch the readers eye the other publications did not. Changing the style of their fonts to tell the difference between stories, putting a large picture in the center of the publication, and also a very large variety of stories listed in a table of contents. This particular publication reminded me more of what an American newspaper would look like.
 

After comparing the three publications, the similarities and differences throughout the Alberta, Canada publications were both minor and major differences.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Bureau Reporting Reflection


Through the process of coming up with a quick story on how students pay for college I was able to learn how to participate in writing a detailed story in less then an hour. While moving quotes from a phone to a computer screen I was astonished how quick yet affective the process really was. In using text messages the team was able to communicate very well and we were able to promptly put the quotes that were sent to us straight into the story without having to leave our seat or answer a phone call. Overall I was able to learn how the process of deadline really works under the shortest time period. This kind of practice will help me in the future when jumping into the work world. I have also learned that communicating through text messages is a simple way to get quotes from one person to the next without any type of hassle. When trying to meet a deadline I have learned that every bit of my attention should remain in what needs to be done otherwise the process will become much more difficult. I enjoyed every bit of this project and was satisfied with our team accomplishments.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Muslims In the Military

THIS IS A CLASS EXERCISE.


If I were to put myself in the shoes of a Muslim in the military right now after seeing what happened in Fort Bragg I would have mixed emotions. I would feel as if people would think of me differently and not give me the respect I deserve. As the constitution says we are all created equal and we are also entitled to our own opinion. I believe as someone int he army this should not change. What a fellow Muslim does has nothing to do with my thoughts or actions towards others. I can see that things will be different for me for the next few weeks around the base but once this story boils over the air will be clear again and I will be able to go on business as usual as long as I stay myself and let others be aware that I am not someone to express my emotions in a violent way. 
 I will never be ashamed to what I believe in and I wont let others discourage me despite what they decide to do.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Media Blog Online vs. Print


http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu
The difference between the print version of The New York Times and the online edition is diverse in several ways but is also very related. The print version is straight to the point of stories and has them all together on the same front page according to their importance. When you first log into The New York Times online edition you are hit with many different opportunities to choose from. Main differences include: international news, politics, nation wide news, local New York news, ex. The sources used in each article have no real difference at all for both use the same style of writing throughout their articles.  As the front page of page of The New York Times, uses many different techniques to catch the eye of the reader the online version uses the same basic headline to catch your eye. The print version uses different kinds of fonts, sizes, and styles of text on each story in order for them to remain separated and their own stories. It also uses one or two subtitles in order to lure the reader in. The online version sticks to one simple way to catch the reader’s eye, which is large bold blue font. This is used on every story throughout the online version. There are also subtopics on the bottom of each link that you can click on to see more pictures, more related articles, and at times more on the writer of the story. The main difference of the two as a title point is that the print gets creative, while the online version stays simple but has many more options and allows you to go deeper into the story.
These days as people enjoy visual pictures or video to go along with the news stories they are interested in the online version is obviously dominating this area. With exclusive video clips, interviews, and a wide range of photos the online version of the news is the place to go. Not only does it provide these immense products, all of them at least for The New York Times, are free. As we have to pay for the print edition it has limits to updated news and pictures in order to fit more stories in the mix. On the front page there are only a few pictures in order to again lure the reader in. Some stories have no picture at all and often get looked over by the reader. I have figured this out by realizing it when I read the front page of the newspaper. When this happens I can miss many important stories that have made the front page.

Last but not least is the comparison of the overall selection of what edition is best print or online. Basically it is on own personal preference but what I have come to find out is that each has their own specific strength’s and weaknesses. The online version is obviously getting updated every second of the day no mater what time it is. Every section gets updated when something new happens so people always have access to the latest of news. The print noticeably can’t change once it’s printed yet, as I should mention with today’s technology, but there is one thing that print versions do that the online version can’t. It is always available to you no matter where you are in the world without having to worry about Internet connection. Once the print version is printed it’s there for you to have. That is what I think is the coolest part about having the print version. Not only the feel between my fingers but the fact that it is unchanging which makes it feel more personal.

Overall the difference between the two versions of The New York Times is again different but similar since all of the stories are the same but the online news has faster updates.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Time for Jesus?

As we go through our every day lives at a Christian University sometimes things may seem just a little to perfect. Although Jesus is all around us we can still loose our faith towards him. Getting distracted with homework, friends, sports, or a job can cause us move at 100MPH not even realizing that we are not spending time with the One who died for us. Yea we may do homework straight from the Bible but it is astonishing to see how many people I am around that really don't seem to be growing in their faith. I for one am struggling in this area and I have realized that once I get caught up in the social world, coming out of it is the hardest part.

Take this video for an example of how Satan can deceive us to thinking that everything is alright but in reality it is only getting worse.





Bobby Taylor says it perfect here. 

Jesus was never too busy to pray or spend time with his father, and examples are flourished here.  

As I work every weekend including Sundays finding the time to go to Church is very important. HERE 

Finding time for Jesus in our busy lives may be difficult


As described in the video Satan loves to fill our time with vanities, so finding time to pray can also be trouble to some. 


There are many indications in the Bible that Jesus is looking for the time to spend with us. 


Don't let Satan corrupt your mind.













Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Evaluation of Today's Class

In today's Foundations of Journalism class I was able to learn how to go deep through the search engines and find out quality information of certain topics. As there are so many different view points and arguments, if there was someone searching for a reason to switch or choose a side they probably wouldn't get very far with all the different view points.

 

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Championship Series







www.mlb.com


It is October which could mean many different things for those sports fanatics. Football season is right in it's prime, Hockey is heating up, basketball begins, and most of all playoffs for major league baseball.


This year's pennant race has seen nothing but thrillers including 3 walk off games and extra inning extravaganzas. As the favored Yankees and hopeful Angels battle out from coast to coast the Yankees seemed t
o have the upper hand after winning two games at home in the cold new Yankee Stadium. Weather was indeed a factor as temperatures got all the way down to 40 degrees with pouring rain. As the Yankees didn't seem to be bothered by the weather at all, the Angels who are used to sunny southern California made 5 errors in two games including one key error that lost them the second game in extra innings.

After winning a thriller in New York the Yankees came to Anaheim, California hoping to come home with a birth into the world series, their first since the year 2000. As they came out swinging hitting 4 solo home runs the Angels never let down as they came from behind and walked off with a 5 to 4 win in extra innings. Now as the series really gets going Angels hope to even up the series tonight while the Yankees are looking for another step forward into the World Series.www.mlb.com

As if the American League Championship series isn't thrilling enough the Nation League Championship series is just as intense. The Philadelphia Phillies have done nothing but swing their bats as they have a commanding 3 games to 1 lead over the Los Angelas Dodgers. The defending World Series champions are looking to make their second straight trip to the series and the first back to back series champions since the Yankees won four straight in the late 90's.

Last night going into the bottom of the 9th the Dodgers looked as if they were going to walk away with the series tied two games to two as they had a 4 to 3 lead. With their hard throwing closer on the mound all Dodger fans were hoping for another clean save. The Phillies had other plans after a walk and a hits batsman put two runners on base, Jimmy Rollins the well known Phillie shortstop turned on a 99 mile per hour fast ball sailing it into the gap which scored both runners giving the Phillies a dramatic walk off win in the bottom of the 9th.
www.mlb.com

As Major League Baseball isn't even to the World Series yet, things are still begging to stir as two intense Championship series are
underway. The Phillies can wrap things up tonight with a win over the Dodgers and the Angels can take the series back to New York after a win tonight over the Yankees.