Posted by: gposty on: October 27, 2008
This 28-year-old case of the brutal murder of a beloved Pennsylvania cop is well past its time. The accused murderer, Donald Eugene Webb, has been on FBI’s most wanted list shortly after the cop’s death and taken off just in 2007. The case is so old, he is “thought” to be dead, as he will already be in his late 70’s.
The author of this article, Michelle Maskaly, brings back painful memories to the cop’s family, friends and former co-workers. Although the cop, Police Chief Gregory Adams, is still in their hearts, it’s a long waited case that should come to a close.
Smith has a chapter called “Compassion, Privacy, and Ordinary Citizens.” I think the reporter for this article disrespects the compassion for those involved. The case is old, and the accused murderer is still not found, but is it necessary to have testimonials of the painful memory brought from the back of their minds? Each person has since moved on and remembers Adams.
The reporter should have focused more on the FBI taking him off the longest running most wanted list instead of the memories of the families. Maybe testimonials from older articles would have been more appropriate.
Posted by: gposty on: November 12, 2008
I found this article really interesting. Mostly because of all the personal information the Burlington Free Press writer, Matt Ryan, gave to the public about Taryn O’Connor. She hasn’t even been charged, and if she gets off on this, her name and reputation is completely ruined.
In Smith’s “Compassion, Privacy, and Ordinary Citizens,” I feel that this leaves none for Taryn. What I think should have happened, is since she is in jail already until her hearing, her information should have been kept private.
This article, just updated to BurlingtonFreePress.com this morning, already has 5 pages of “blog” comments from users. All of these commenters have her address and her full name, for these angry parents/citizens to be able to access.
The writer gives a little too much information to the public.
Posted by: gposty on: November 12, 2008
This article seems like a retaliation from Palin in reference to her and McCain’s loss in the recent election. Immediately, when I look at the picture she looks really pissed. She reminds me of Hilary in that way, a little too angry and bitter.
The article goes over her defensive comments that were made towards her in the election, including why they lost the election. I don’t think these arguments help her because it doesn’t illustrate why she is suitable to run in another election.
In Smith’s section on Deception, it talks about the media both actively and passively “fooling” the public. I find that a lot of the public media “fooled” the public by not making clear of everything that is going on. Before reading this article, I did not know that Palin had $150,000 for clothes which became a controversial issue. Was it hidden as an act to not negatively impact their ballot, or was I not reading the paper enough?
Overall, I think that if Palin plans on running in another Presidential Election she needs not only a wardrobe makeover, but a new marketing campaign for herself as well. Right now, like the economy, she is looking just as bad to the nation. She needs to reach out more to the people outside of religion and gun control.
Posted by: gposty on: October 27, 2008
I could have written this. This very brief article posted on USA Today from the Associated Press. It says, does not discuss, that hate crimes have gone down in the United States and where and what the most prejudiced are. This article gives an introductory to an article that could have more potential.
The statistics are straight and to the point. But I would like to see more statistics on where the hate crimes are coming from, major cities/smaller towns or is it coming from the Mid-West or the South? This can be flipped into a human interest story for young families or couples looking to move somewhere. It would be good to know where your children and/or family can be the safest.
If flipped around, this could have gone Smith’s way and worked with more sources to a really good article. Until then, I’m not impressed.
Posted by: gposty on: October 20, 2008
USAToday.com — Children who have ADHD can strain marriages
I haven’t come across any recent news on whether the divorce rate in the US is still high. I have always been accustomed to a few friends with divorced parents living with either their mom or dad. But what I’m not familiar with is Attention-Defecit Hypertension Disorder (ADHD), my nephew, now 13, was diagnosed with it when he was about 7 or 8. His parents already divorced, his was taking pills to “help” him focus when he only acted like a zombie. He’s been off the pills since and happier.
The article I got from USAToday.com is a case study comparing the higher divorce rates of children with ADHD before the age of 8, as compared to children not diagnosed at all, or before the age of 8. After going over compiled figures and statistics, a doctor suggests parents attend counseling if their child is diagnosed. The stress from ADHD can trigger other common stresses in marriage.
What I first notice after reading the article is the lack of balance. It uses its statistics to generalize the United States while using only 282 families as a base, and those families have children who attended a particular ADHD summer treatment program. I believe that this article goes against the concepts discussed in Smith’s Truth and Objectivity chapter. There are many factors that should be incorporated into this study; for example, income, family size, location, etc.
There was another point in the article that threw me off. In the 7th paragraph, the writer using the ‘term’ actors referencing children who fake ADHD. It’s not clear until the last sentence of the paragaph that says : “The couples argue more and feel their partner is less supportive when they’re with the child who acts as if he has had ADHD.”
This is a really good idea of an article, but a more research would have proved it more affective.
Posted by: gposty on: October 6, 2008
I found the two articles about the rumored MacBook ‘Brick’ to be intriguing. 9 to 5 Mac wrote an article discussing the new manufactoring of the MacBook and how it will create a better looking computer. Maclife.com speculates on the rumors, including the article that 9 to 5 Mac wrote. I could not find an aritlce that did not link back to 9 to 5 Mac, even the ones that had heard different ideas about this “innovation.”
Both the articles had the enthusiasm of a real Mac-fan, which was not just obvious in the web address. What’s different about these articles is the format. 9 to 5 Mac is written professionally with bullet points and focuses more on Steve Job’s new manufactoring process. Although written by a single person, Maclife.com addresses his opinions as a “we” representing the Maclife.com community as a whole.
What’s interesting about these online articles written conversationally or professionaly is how they link to another. Like I said before, I could not find an article about the MacBook ‘Brick’ that did not link to the text created by 9 to 5 Mac. Technology is taking over, and it’s easy for anyone to hop on a computer with internet access is write a blog/article, make it look professional. Make the correct tags or link to the right sources and your opinion may be linked back to as well. Like Manovich says in chapter 3, “Pulling elements from databases and libraries becomes the default; creating them from scratch becomes the exception” (pg. 130).
Posted by: gposty on: October 5, 2008
The movie, Blindness, came out this past Friday, October 3rd. I thought it would be interesting to compare movie reviews for this one and compare/contrast the information that comes from completely different sources. The first article I read, comes from The Village Voice entitled “Blindness Adap Nails the Bleak Before Succumbing to the Sap,” which gives an overview of the story, focusing on the cinematography than an opinion on the story. Simply titled, “Blindness Moview Review,” comes from an online source, called News Blaze. This article gives a less personal feeling, and more informational on the happenings involved in the movie. Although, the Village Voice offers more information that is relevant to wanting to see the movie.
When I was reading the review from the Village Voice, I pictured myself seeing the movie. How the critic described the story, as well as, the scenery really brought me in and made me feel like I was experiencing what he saw. While reading the same information from the News Blaze, it felt more like an essay than a captivating review.
In Chapter 2 of The Language of New Media, Manovich writes “…cinematic ways of seeing the world, of structuring time, of narrating a story, of linking one experience to the next, have become the basic means by which computer users access and interact with all cultural data” (pg 78). the Village Voice illustrated the way of “seeing the world” and what the directer envisioned.
The author of the News Blaze, although for a different audience, seemed to have taken less thought and concentration in writing the movie review with it’s impersonal narration of the story. I wouldn’t be interested in seeing the movie if I had only read that. The Village Voice helps me illustrate the first few scenes and leaves me hanging for what’s to come next…
Posted by: gposty on: September 15, 2008
It’s important for the public to know where the convicted sex offenders are in the area. The National Sex Offender Registry makes it convenient for parents with young children and others concerned for their safety. But it is ethical to post their address, place of work, picture and conviction? Although a very serious crime was committed, it really unfair to post every little detail about a person’s life online. It makes it difficult for them to have a life again, if they even wanted to.
The two articles I got about an 18 year old sex offender, convicted when he was 17, mostly cover the same information, but some more than the other. While WCAX covers the conditions he received in court, Fox44 details more about how his information won’t go on the National Sex Offender Registry, because he was convicted as a juvenile.
Both articles gave out the offenders name, but WCAX was the story that included pictures and video footage of him and his mother. I find it interesting that WCAX found it appropriate to post pictures and video of Dustin Moore, the convicted sex offender, but not go into details about his crimes.
I found that Fox44 was more ethical to respect the privacy of the offender and his family. They also interviewed a parent of the school that Moore was living across the street from, and justified why it was appropriate for Moore to move further away for the school.
On page 10 of Ethics in Journalism, Smith mentions one of the goals for American journalists is “journalists are obliged to gather infortion as best they can and to tell the truth as they find it. They must be undaunted in their pursuit of truth and unhampered by conflicting interests.” To me, that says that Fox44 should have given more information regardless of conflicting interests made my personal morals and the public. He was a juvenile, but this seems to be a serious enough crime in which he could “strike” again. So why not give us all the facts?
