Random News Stories

So I've been searching the internet for stories that I think are interesting or different. Surprise, surprise, there are MILLIONS and BILLIONS of them. The following are just a few. I'll try to keep this as up-to-date as possible.

In Dallas, Texas, a 9-year-old bride by the name of Jayla Cooper marries her 7-year-old friend Jose Griggs. The vowed eternal friendship. Jayla's last wish before her death--she's had leukemia for the last two years--was to get married. However, I think it's sad how some people can change the angle of the Wedding to even mention the word "sex." Is marriage simply sex?

The next story directly pertains to students. It consists of student expectations in the classroom and grades. However, the story is a perfect example of the decline of appreciation for education.

Finally, I'm sure everyone has heard of the 13-year-old father, Alfie,--whom in fact, looks only eight--in Britain. His 15-year-old girlfriend gave birth to a little girl named Massie. I can comprehend the mention of sex in this article yet, it only lightly touches on the subject.

Sometimes, I just don't understand this world. (I take that back...I hardly EVER understand this world!)

And just to make sure that I've mentioned Mexico's drug cartel wars, well...they're ongoing and might get out of control soon. The violence associated with Mexican drug-trafficking is starting to emerge in the border cities, especially those in Texas.

Stay tuned! More to come soon...

Sibley Day Workshop

A Day of Thinking

So Sibley Day was originally called “A Day of Thinking.” Ironic, I know. Do we not think every other day of our lives? Anyway, so I really didn’t feel like waking up before 12—yes, I love to sleep now that I have mastered the art of it and no longer suffer from insomnia—and was in a dilemma. At certain hours, I wanted to attend two or three events, whereas other hours I found nothing particularly interesting.

The Converged Classroom

As a communication major, I felt it my duty to attend the ONLY communication workshop that was available. Dude Lively, a Communication and media professor here at LU, presented the uses of blogs, wiki’s, and podcast’s in the classroom. To get more information on this presentation, visit Dr-Dude.com.

I almost laughed when he said the presentation was originally for professors that are behind in media advancements. Before this class, I didn’t have a blog that I regularly used for writing and before this presentation, I had no idea that wiki’s, besides Wikipedia, were popular for both professors and family interaction through distance and that podcasts would be an excellent tool for watching tutorials.

Ignorance is not something I boast about, but in this case I have to make sure you understand my point. I am from Generation Y and yet, do not know this vital information. This vital information that could possibly provide a career or land me at a job. I also found it interesting that the presentation was quick-paced...would that have anything to do with our short attention spans and fear of a lost interest in the subject?

My Proposals

Ironically, I have an opportunity to try my luck with a wiki. Since high school, a few friends of mine have been trying to stay in touch. We miss the conversations about random or controversial topics that high school girls rarely talk about. My friend suggested we start a shared blog, but I suggested a Wiki. That’s exactly what I’m doing through Wetpaint. We’ve checked it out and now we feel confident that we can at least get through the process.

I also want to check out the Quick Capture tool on YouTube. As soon as I find time of course.

Other Workshops

Other workshops were either very interesting and popular, like the Poverty Simulation Workshop and Fashion Design- Building Simple Accessories, or very boring—and I won’t name those because well, that’s a bit uncalled for.

I Should Have Studied Medicine

Journalism is the career I want and I always had a feeling I would be poor as an adult. With all the new media and technology that is used for communication, I really feel that my subconscious is going to be correct after all.

To find a job that is unrelated to medicine, law, or education is difficult. Now that I think of it, I should have listened to my parents when they said “medicine is where the money is at.” I should have studied medicine. But it’s not my passion and probably never will be.

To type—because face it, does anyone ever actually WRITE in a journal anymore—is soothing for me. Yet, writing is universal; communication is essential; progress is inevitable. New forms of media and citizen journalism have just completely altered my job.

Citizen journalism, the term we were asked to research, is every person’s ability to communicate news information through the same mediums that many journalists use. This includes the use of blogs and social networking sites like Facebook. However, the main idea behind citizen journalism is that it presents information from a point of view that only certain people have been able to experience and therefore, can report accurately. I believe this is a very accurate point, but wouldn’t that mean that citizens could misconstrue information because of the angle or perspective the journalists uses to communicate the facts?

The Citizen Journalism Academy, directed by the Society of Professional Journalists, is aimed at helping people learn how to communicate news information the way a journalist does. These people receive training in journalistic ethics, the basics of media law, access to records, standard journalistic practices, and the use of technology in journalism.

Ironic, isn’t it? Journalists are giving others the tools to do the very jobs they have strived to perfect, but I assume that this way is more responsible. What would happen if citizen journalism took over the media and these journalists reported exactly the way they wanted? Just through objectivity out the window. Because, let’s face it, we’re all biased! And in more ways than one.

However, citizen journalism will probably become as popular as Wikipedia. Just as Wikipedia is an online source of virtually any subject that could possibly ever want to be researched, citizen journalism will become just as common, acceptable and at times encouraged. Don’t get me wrong; I use Wikipedia just as much as the next person because it’s fast and easy—a weakness of mine—but, just as Wikipedia can be altered to relate incorrect information, citizen journalism can communicate false “facts.”

On the other hand, I have to say, that this person who coined the term “citizen journalism” and pushed for its increase is brilliant. A true Gatejumper I would say. Forget newspapers that take 24 hours to publish stories. We want info NOW!!!

Yes, citizen journalism means we can all contribute to the gathering and distribution of news, but where lies the art of the pen? Well, I’m out of a job…and I haven’t even finished my B.A. yet.

McLuhan: Extensions of our Insights?

Get it “Insights”?

Marshall McLuhan is a name that despite his contribution to the world of media, especially the widespread technological media, I was not familiar with—like the majority of the class. He coined the popular phrases “the medium is the message” as well as the idea of a “global village.”

The idea of a “global village” is, quite frankly, all I have ever known. The world is connected through technology almost infinitely and it’s a wonder when and how the world ever once seemed like a universe instead of a pueblo—village. “Global theatre” seems to be a more precise term though. “All the world’s a stage.”

The debate between good and bad will exist until…well, eternally. Yet, McLuhan described the growth of electric media as inescapable and as neither good nor bad. The question he focused on however, was whether people would understand and adapt to this new media.

McLuhan believed this would be the ultimate dilemma considering we are “always one step behind in our view of the world.” I found this interesting because I grew up listening to my parents talk about their past. The advantages of living in the 21st century are immense, they frequently told me. Yet, they always tied their stories to the media of the past. The internet was the scariest technological advancement for them: sex predators, cyber-stalking, chat rooms, and even curse words. The Internet was surely the work of the Devil himself! Eventually I was able to convince them that the Internet would help me get all the information I needed for homework and school projects.

Although this media is beneficial, the dangers it poses are numerous. As McLuhan explained it: these technological extensions of our bodies and capacities also comes with its pair. This pair is otherwise known as an amputation! “The telephone extends the voice, but also amputates the art of penmanship gained through regular correspondence.” Society praises the extensions, while ignoring the amputations. The extensions of media allow people to do things more rapid and effectively, therefore, the amputations must not be as important.

If you want to read more about McLuhan’s media theories, check out the beginning of his book, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man.

PR Pros: Adapting to Media Influx

Who are the true reporters? In a world where technology allows people to take pictures or videos of extraordinary events and publicize them for global viewing within minutes, we are all reporters of some sort. This constant and endless cycle of news is streamed through so many mediums that it may almost seem trivial to hear the responses of Public Relations Professionals because the specifics have already been explained and debated.

I chose to write about the article “In Hudson River Landing, PR Pros Were Not First Responders” because it illustrates the epitome of 21st century communication. Everything is quick. For Janis Krums, taking a picture on his mobile phone of the crash landing of Flight 1549 and uploading it to his Twitter was like a text message conversation. Brief and immediate. Even more rapid was the response to the picture. “…the good journalist will abide by her congenital need for speed, and source any information she can unearth among user-generated content...and ask the company official to merely fill in the blanks later.”

Public Relations Professionals therefore, respond to these events after the information has been given, debated and finally altered. There is no alternative for this rush of fast communication but to adapt. Initially, a Public Relations Professional would give breaking news about a significant event or new policy pertaining to a company; now, he needs to sort out all the correct information from misconstrued details. On the other hand, this enhancement of technological gadgets as journalistic aid allows communication to build upon itself. The details of the story are slowly—though not meticulously—put together in order to write the complete and accurate story.

Public Relations Professionals however, face a dilemma. Though the influx of information is studied and researched for accuracy, their response time lags therefore, they find themselves “losing message control.” Neither the message— nor the medium in which the message is delivered—is chosen by these professionals. People, not professionals, have taken news to the next level.

Public Relations Professionals will adapt because it is in our nature as part of the information age. However, by the time these professionals adapt in one or two years, communication methods will have adapted as well. It could be said that communication professionals are falling behind. Cmmnctn hppns fst so dnt gt lft bhind!

Freedom of the Press Abroad

We were asked to search for “Freedom of the Press.” In the United States, Freedom of the Press is synonymous with the First Amendment. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assembly, and freedom of the press. To American journalists, freedom of the press allows them to write and publish controversial stories. To journalists around the world, it means being attacked for reporting about a social issue.

Free will is a difficult and intricate concept to even understand. It is much less a topic to discuss objectively. Because of the differences in perspectives and values that encompass distinct societies, free will is practiced differently. Though the average blue-collar worker seems to have minimal encounters with law enforcement, the common mugger or thief has adapted to these encounters almost with perfection. They are sneaky and speedy and have learned the art of living “freely.”

Freedom of the press shares the same basic concept as these two distinct groups of people. The first believes that truth should prevail and that journalists are responsible for communicating the truth. However, the second believes that the truth only in matters that do not pertain to specific groups of people. This second group follows the notion that freedom of the press can only be practiced if certain organizations—both legal and illegal—are kept out of negative publicity.

In global terms, journalists are threatened because of stories they’ve written that expose government flaws, incredulous crime activity, and other such topics. The most surprising element of these threatened journalists is where they practice their art. Not all of these journalists are found in countries like China, North Korea, and Cuba, where Freedom of the Press is actually a right they are still waiting to practice. In fact, many are found in countries where tension between government, crime, and society is immense.

In Valencia, Venezuela, a journalist by the name of Ores Sambrano was on his way to a video store. Sambrano is known for his work reporting drug trafficking and corruption. “With chilling calm, the killer dismounted from the motorbike, pulled out his gun and shot Ores Sambrano through the head as if it were the most natural thing in the world.”

China and Cuba are the leading countries in imprisoned journalists. Mexico is the most dangerous country to practice journalism in the Americas. Colombia continues to suffer from pressure wanting biased reporting for either the guerrilla of the paramilitary groups. When Yemen newspapers reprinted Mohammed—the prophet of Islam—cartoons, journalists were arrested and newspapers were shut down. Even France, ranked 35th, witnessed their share of searches and physical attacks on journalists.

These occurrences are ridiculous. Freedom of the Press and the journalists that expose faults (that people would rather keep hidden) pose a threat. Though these threats are legitimate—these faults indeed exist—the truth does not surface because others have decided that particular news stories are not of their concern.

ExPress Freedom from the InterPress Service is dedicated to stories pertaining to global journalism and the difficulties they face with Freedom of the Press.

"Medio Colombiano": Columbian Media

I interviewed Juan Gomez, a student from Ibagué, Colombia. He is on a bowling scholarship. He first came to the United States three years ago to both bowl and study English. He mentioned various aspects of media in Colombia.

Entertainment
Although he believes that many of the television programs watched in America are quite dim-witted reality television shows, he does have to admit that other than reality television, American programs are entertaining. However, in Colombia, like many countries around the world, they have their own versions of shows like American Idol and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
The worst perception he probably had of American university life was the one portrayed in American Pie. He also believed that because in American movies, transportation is a constant, that transportation would be infinite in every city and town. American movies always show taxi’s, buses, and subways as most common aspects of American life. “Also, here in America, Hollywood movies are endless. In Colombia, I watch many more Novelas (soap operas) and documentaries.”

Radio
Just as American radio stations are divided by genre or content, Colombian radio stations are divided the same way. One of Juan’s favorite radio stations is La Mega.
The greatest difference between American and Colombian entertainment media is probably the music. He says that the few artists he listens to both in Colombia and America are international artists such as Maroon 5 and Colombian artist Shakira.

News
In Colombia, they focus more on international news than American news. “The United States deals constantly with issues that pertain directly to the United States, whereas in Colombia, both national and international news are given an equal amount of time and importance in television.”
The RCN is a television news program that is both available in Spanish and English. It is produced in Colombia and is watched via the internet daily by American citizens.




Colombian newspapers have many opinion columns, but the newspapers are impartial to certain political parties, unlike American newspapers where some written media focuses on certain political organizations and policies. The most popular of these newspapers is found online at El Tiempo.

Free Press
Though Colombia may be a dangerous place for journalists compared to the United States, the media is still protected by Freedom of the Press. Neither government parties nor officials have the power to decide what is allowed in the news. In fact, government officials have their chance to speak about certain laws and policies going into effect, before the news begins. Afterwards, a priest blesses the people and says a few words of grace before the top of the hour news begins.

When Juan was speaking about the differences between American and Columbian media, I realized that these were the same observations I made when I compared American and Mexican media. Though I am not technically labeled as an International student, I am frequently mistaken for one. My culture is entirely Mexican-based. I listen to more music in Spanish than in English; I watch the news in Spanish; my mother and I watch Novelas as well as La Academia, which is the Mexican version of American Idol.

Journalists in Mexico are probably the worst off in Latin America; journalists are murdered because of stories they’ve written about certain political groups, law enforcement groups, and especially organized crime groups, particularly drug traffickers. Freedom of the Press exists in Mexico, yet lately, crime has deterred journalists from completing their stories and even their lives.

"Grasshopper Minds"

The Millennial generation, otherwise known as Generation Y, is described in—let’s face it—harsh terms. However exaggerated or severe this view of Generation Y is, I believe we were unmasked. Maybe some of our generation doesn’t agree with it because it wasn’t spoken, or should I say, written in our language. The short and vowel-less letters we take for words written in messages and received on a little device we always have accessible: our all powerful mobile phones.

I found the example of the piano teacher especially funny. Generation X was expected to practice the piano every day and yet Generation Y assumes that practicing enough to get by guarantees success. The work ethic is completely distinct. My father started working at the age of 13 and he continued to go to school at the same time. He received his high school diploma and later took some college courses after two years in the Marine Corps while he worked. My father told me that I would not work during high school because my first priority in this stage of my life was to study. Before I turned 16, the legal age to work, I was fully prepared to have a part-time job and go to school simultaneously; but when I actually turned 16, my priorities changed. I realized that being able to say “I’m going over to Elizabeth’s house” or “I’m gonna go eat with some friends” without having to check a work schedule was more important than making money that I figured my parents would give me anyway.

The “safety diaper” is something I am VERY aware of. Brownsville, Texas—my hometown—is a community largely populated by Mexican-American students; our greatest problem is getting high school graduates to leave home and attend college somewhere else. Much of the college experience is learning independence and yet, most of our high school graduates have one of two problems. The first group believes that leaving home would sever ties to everything they have ever known; they are fearful of change—especially the possibility that this change might be difficult. The second group actually does leave home for the first semester or year; then, they find that success actually takes dedication and work. Home is just a click of their heels away after all. Of the 500+ students in my graduating class, only 4 of us left the state. Of the six high schools—roughly about 3000 high school graduates—less than fifteen of us left Texas. I don’t even want to know how many actually remain in Brownsville.

Yes we will continue to adapt and switch and try new things, but is that because of the incredibly short attention span we’ve developed? And if so, is that why reading novels has become a pastime for Generation X during those airplane rides and listening to iPods has become a routine for Generation Y as long as the battery doesn’t die out? Our new media allows us to accomplish what no other Generation before us has done, yet so much time is spent on Facebook and Myspace, Youtube and Blogger, AIM and MSN Messenger, etc. that hobbies become necessities.

I’ve been a good student since Pre-Kinder and ever since I can remember I was told that I could do whatever I felt most passionate about. I was coddled and reminded of my unique character every day and I “never asked why.” Yes, we are the future of the world and the economy. Yes, we do possess extraordinary technological skills. Yes, technological gadgets seem an extension of our bodies and we multi-task. Am I special because I have these resources? Or am I special because I use them relentlessly and simultaneously for my slanted priorities?