I watched a segment of 20/20 on a story of the rape and murder of the morning news anchorwoman, Anna Pressly, of Little Rock, Ark. This was a two party story, the first revealing the crime and then the achievements the police had made in the case. The second segment was of another woman, Kristen Edwards, who was also sexually assaulted by the same suspect but unlike Pressly, she was not murdered. This segment reveals how the police were able to catch the suspect even without witnesses.
This story was well edited. It showed visuals of what the reporter was talking about. The reporter wrote to the script well and addressed things on the screen, saying, “this house,” when the house of the killer was on screen. Another thing I thought was good that the story did was b-roll the bites (when someone was talking, the camera would be on the person for a few seconds and cut away to whatever it was they were talking about). The reporter also included reaction shots which were good and provided variety.
An improvement that can be made would be to include action shots. There were a lot of still photographs of houses, or grocery stores, but not a lot of shots of people doing things. This is essential because action shots are what cause people to pay attention and what viewers are most interested in seeing.
The reporter sometimes included himself when he asked the interviewee questions and then showed that person’s response. I think this worked out well, but a reporter has to pay attention to how many times he or she does this because otherwise the story will start to look like it is about the reporter, and not the interviewee.
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Monday, December 8, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Individual Blog Post 4
Tonight’s newscast I analyzed was KRON 4 at 8 p.m. This was the first time I had ever watched this station’s news program. Another difference between these analyses was that I examined areas that I usually do not pay attention to, which included the weather report. The 8 p.m. news show had a women meteorologist, which I found rare because this profession is predominantly male. Evelyn Taft, the meteorologist, I found was almost irritating. Her tone was not conversational and she was too wordy in what she said. She took breaths at awkward moments so her speech was broken up in places where it should have flowed. Usually I do not notice how meteorologists have to ad lib for five minutes, but this news segment was obvious that she was making it up as she went because of her awkward delivery. I hope to see another of her newscasts and witness improvement, or another female meteorologist who can execute it better.
Another person who I felt did not execute his job as well as he could have was Sports Director, Gary Radnich. His comments were completely subjective. I have not seen this show before so I was unsure if his segment was an opinion piece where he said how he felt instead of reporting the news. Regardless, he made comments that I believed were extremely subjective and would be completely inappropriate for a strictly "news" segment.
Something I admired on this show was that they included what was happening on their website at that exact moment in time. They also had information flash on the bottom of the screen, the latest stories, stock market information, and the latest weather details in different areas in the Bay Area. This information is a great addition to a newscast because it provides relevant information and the viewer does not have to wait until a particular story or weather report is on to learn more.
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Another person who I felt did not execute his job as well as he could have was Sports Director, Gary Radnich. His comments were completely subjective. I have not seen this show before so I was unsure if his segment was an opinion piece where he said how he felt instead of reporting the news. Regardless, he made comments that I believed were extremely subjective and would be completely inappropriate for a strictly "news" segment.
Something I admired on this show was that they included what was happening on their website at that exact moment in time. They also had information flash on the bottom of the screen, the latest stories, stock market information, and the latest weather details in different areas in the Bay Area. This information is a great addition to a newscast because it provides relevant information and the viewer does not have to wait until a particular story or weather report is on to learn more.
(321)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Individual Blog Post 3
I watched the ten o’clock news on channel 2, KTVU. Most news packages wrote to the video, especially a story that was about gas prices. This one included action shots, people were moving on screen, pumping gas, doing things. Action shots provide better footage than static ones, and they are more interesting. This package had lots of different shots, which furthered the story. It also had different angles of shots. There was one of a freeway from high above so the viewer could see down on the freeway. This angle of looking down provided more variety.
KTVU also mentioned to look on their website for information about traffic updates and other things that viewers would be interested to know. I thought it was a clever way to get viewers to visit their site.
All of the anchor introductions to stories were well written. One news story an anchor read, however, should have had footage. He read the teleprompter for too long. A “talking head,” is not good in news and it is always better for action. I thought this piece could have been improved if he spoke for a couple sentences and then pictures showed of what he was talking about.
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KTVU also mentioned to look on their website for information about traffic updates and other things that viewers would be interested to know. I thought it was a clever way to get viewers to visit their site.
All of the anchor introductions to stories were well written. One news story an anchor read, however, should have had footage. He read the teleprompter for too long. A “talking head,” is not good in news and it is always better for action. I thought this piece could have been improved if he spoke for a couple sentences and then pictures showed of what he was talking about.
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Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Individual Blog Post 2
I watched KTVU Channel 2 News Tuesday night at 10p.m. The newscast had strengths and weaknesses. The show provided a variety and mixed types of stories, packages, vo/sots and live shots. Anchors also shared equal talking time taking turns on reporting the stories. Over the shoulder boxes were used on all stories, which I thought made the introductions more interesting because it was nice to see a visual as the anchor was speaking.
The top story was about the large amount of public drunkenness is San Jose and that Latinos made up 30 percent of those people receiving citations. I did not think this story should have been the first one because there were other stories that I felt were more important, like the fire in Montecito.
There was a news package about a 93-year-old woman that died in a fire in San Francisco and I felt it incorporated great soundbites. The soundbites showed the emotion that was present. There was another package about the budget that I thought did not do as well. This was because the b-roll shots we’re too long and didn’t move the story along. If they had been shorter and more shots I believe the story would have been better and the shots would have moved the story forward. In this package the reporter did not write to the b-video. They could have mentioned things that were on screen, but instead the reporters spoke of other things.
The teases right before the commercial breaks were well written. They definitely kept me wanting to see what was to come. The majority of the stories also had very interesting content and I wanted to hear about them.
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The top story was about the large amount of public drunkenness is San Jose and that Latinos made up 30 percent of those people receiving citations. I did not think this story should have been the first one because there were other stories that I felt were more important, like the fire in Montecito.
There was a news package about a 93-year-old woman that died in a fire in San Francisco and I felt it incorporated great soundbites. The soundbites showed the emotion that was present. There was another package about the budget that I thought did not do as well. This was because the b-roll shots we’re too long and didn’t move the story along. If they had been shorter and more shots I believe the story would have been better and the shots would have moved the story forward. In this package the reporter did not write to the b-video. They could have mentioned things that were on screen, but instead the reporters spoke of other things.
The teases right before the commercial breaks were well written. They definitely kept me wanting to see what was to come. The majority of the stories also had very interesting content and I wanted to hear about them.
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Individual Blog Post 1
The medium I used for election coverage was news television. I watched NBC because it is a national station. I chose to receive my information on the election on television because it was immediate and continuously updated its information as soon as new news was discovered. I also liked the live footage the news station provided, places around the nation where events and people gathered such as polls and election parties. The results were shared as soon as the polls were in. There was a large map of the U.S. and each state would be painted either red or blue depending on which candidate won that state.
Throughout the program, both democratic and republican representatives were brought on and discussed what was going on at that time. Also, they had projected winners of the states that had the polls still open. There was video footage of voters in action at their polling places. Soundbites from these voters were also included. These people said standing in line for hours was worth it because they were making history. I felt like it was a well-rounded and balanced news coverage that showed what was going on.
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Throughout the program, both democratic and republican representatives were brought on and discussed what was going on at that time. Also, they had projected winners of the states that had the polls still open. There was video footage of voters in action at their polling places. Soundbites from these voters were also included. These people said standing in line for hours was worth it because they were making history. I felt like it was a well-rounded and balanced news coverage that showed what was going on.
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Sunday, October 26, 2008
Word of the Week #8
Irrespective
Source: Scholarly journal, Effects of housing system (outdoor vs. cages) and age laying hens on egg characteristics by H. Van Den Brand, H.K. Parmentier and B. Kemp.
How it was used: Irrespective of age eggs from outdoor layers were relatively broader than eggs from caged layers.
Definition: Not taking something into account; regardless of
Sentence: After the suspect was convicted he was sentenced to pay restitution irrespective of his income level.
Adjective
Source: Scholarly journal, Effects of housing system (outdoor vs. cages) and age laying hens on egg characteristics by H. Van Den Brand, H.K. Parmentier and B. Kemp.
How it was used: Irrespective of age eggs from outdoor layers were relatively broader than eggs from caged layers.
Definition: Not taking something into account; regardless of
Sentence: After the suspect was convicted he was sentenced to pay restitution irrespective of his income level.
Adjective
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
NPR Radio Interview Analysis
I listened to Terry Gross interview novelist, Curtis Sittenfeld, on Fresh Air, from October 13, 2008. Gross interviewed Sittenfeld, about her new best seller, “American Wife.” This book is about a woman who marries a man who later becomes president, and is based off of the life of Laura Bush. Gross was very knowledgeable about Sittenfeld’s novel. From the interview, the listener can conclude that Gross did in fact read the book and is well informed on the material. Gross also spoke about Sittenfeld’s previous novel, “Prep.” Mentioning specific details and incidents that took place in the book, Gross asked questions pertaining to the information.
Gross referred to the book a lot asking questions that caused Sittenfeld to explain certain excerpts. These questions revealed how Sittenfeld felt about them and as to why she included the material or if she felt after the book was published, there were any repercussions from what she included in her novel. Gross asked all open-ended questions that left room for Sittenfeld to answer. Sittenfeld was very talkative and thoroughly answered all the questions she was presented with in detail. Some questions Gross asked caused Sittenfeld to look through other peoples’ point of view. For example, would the reader make assumptions and believe the fictitious novel to be true about Bush’s life, and whether or not the line between reality and fiction was blurry in this novel.
Gross asked questions based off ones she asked previously therefore demonstrating good follow up and getting answers to new information that provided new insight. Her first questions were not as hard to answer, until they got further into the interview. Gross did a good job of establishing trust and a calm environment to ask heavier questions. She wanted Sittenfeld’s opinion on the book and why she included certain information. Gross also pried to see if Sittenfeld included information based off of her own life. There was no apparent previous relationship before the interview between Gross and Sittenfeld. They were professional through the interview’s entirety.
From this interview I learned the importance of asking direct, specific questions. If the question is vague, the answer will not be what I was looking for. For future interviews I will make sure to ask open-ended, specific questions.
Gross referred to the book a lot asking questions that caused Sittenfeld to explain certain excerpts. These questions revealed how Sittenfeld felt about them and as to why she included the material or if she felt after the book was published, there were any repercussions from what she included in her novel. Gross asked all open-ended questions that left room for Sittenfeld to answer. Sittenfeld was very talkative and thoroughly answered all the questions she was presented with in detail. Some questions Gross asked caused Sittenfeld to look through other peoples’ point of view. For example, would the reader make assumptions and believe the fictitious novel to be true about Bush’s life, and whether or not the line between reality and fiction was blurry in this novel.
Gross asked questions based off ones she asked previously therefore demonstrating good follow up and getting answers to new information that provided new insight. Her first questions were not as hard to answer, until they got further into the interview. Gross did a good job of establishing trust and a calm environment to ask heavier questions. She wanted Sittenfeld’s opinion on the book and why she included certain information. Gross also pried to see if Sittenfeld included information based off of her own life. There was no apparent previous relationship before the interview between Gross and Sittenfeld. They were professional through the interview’s entirety.
From this interview I learned the importance of asking direct, specific questions. If the question is vague, the answer will not be what I was looking for. For future interviews I will make sure to ask open-ended, specific questions.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Word of the Week #7
Egregious
Source: Advancing the Story by Debora Halpern Wenger and Deborah Potter
How it was used: However, one word will always protect you from this egregious of journalism’s sin: attribution.
Definition: 1. Distinguished 2. conspicuously bad
-Adjective
Sentence: The sentencing the judge gave the suspect was not proportional to the egregious acts he committed.
Source: Advancing the Story by Debora Halpern Wenger and Deborah Potter
How it was used: However, one word will always protect you from this egregious of journalism’s sin: attribution.
Definition: 1. Distinguished 2. conspicuously bad
-Adjective
Sentence: The sentencing the judge gave the suspect was not proportional to the egregious acts he committed.
Word of the Week #6
Brusque
Source: Advancing the Story by Debora Halpern Wenger and Deborah Potter
How it was used: It is time that we put behind us the days of circling the wagons against claims of error; time to cease those brusque I-haven’t-got-time telephone cutoffs or we-stand-by-our story letters of response.
Definition: 1. Markedly short and abrupt 2. Blunt in manner of speech often to the point of ungracious harshness
-Adjective
Sentence: When I asked for a clarification on my instructions, my manager gave me a brusque reply.
Source: Advancing the Story by Debora Halpern Wenger and Deborah Potter
How it was used: It is time that we put behind us the days of circling the wagons against claims of error; time to cease those brusque I-haven’t-got-time telephone cutoffs or we-stand-by-our story letters of response.
Definition: 1. Markedly short and abrupt 2. Blunt in manner of speech often to the point of ungracious harshness
-Adjective
Sentence: When I asked for a clarification on my instructions, my manager gave me a brusque reply.
Mystery Character
The 44-year-old always keeps her brown, straight hair neatly pulled back away from her face with only her bangs sweeping across her forehead. She decorates her face with glasses and wears earrings. Approximately 5'5," she presents herself in professional attire and she is always caught wearing high heels. She wears a huge smile from ear to ear showcasing her pearly whites that contrast against her lips that are plastered with lipstick. When she speaks, her twangy accent is prominent yet has an authoritative, informative voice. She is commonly known for her overly friendly manner and constantly winking. She is eager, confident and is notorious for being evasive at times.
Who is she?
Who is she?
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Word of the Week #5
Disparate
Source: Mapping the Deep by Robert Kunzig
How it was used: By 1960, when Hess wrote his seminal paper (later published as “History of Ocean Basins”) there were a number of disparate observations that needed putting together.
Definition: 1. To separate 2. Containing or made up fundamentally different and often incongruous elements 3. Markedly distinct in quality or character
-Adjective
Sentence: Anne cooked a tasty meal using a mixture of disparate ingredients.
Source: Mapping the Deep by Robert Kunzig
How it was used: By 1960, when Hess wrote his seminal paper (later published as “History of Ocean Basins”) there were a number of disparate observations that needed putting together.
Definition: 1. To separate 2. Containing or made up fundamentally different and often incongruous elements 3. Markedly distinct in quality or character
-Adjective
Sentence: Anne cooked a tasty meal using a mixture of disparate ingredients.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Media Audiences
News coverage is different with every source of media. Through examining the same national story in different media, I was able to compare the news coverage. I focused on the story of John McCain postponing the first presidential debate to focus on the bailout plan.
The first article I read was in the San Jose Mercury News. The article was 24 paragraphs long spanning over the cover page and another page. There were 12 sources quoted throughout the entire article. This article was the only one, accompanied by a tight shot of both candidates and another picture of people setting up for the debate. In this article is focused on the fact that McCain would not be present and his campaigning would also stop. Sources quoted involved political parties from both sides, but mostly Republicans and McCain’s campaign.
The next news story was a broadcast on KTVU. This segment was 2 minutes long and four sources were quoted. This story elaborated more on why McCain postponed the debate and it also included what his terms were for coming back to the scheduled debate. He mentioned that he would only return if an agreement were made for the bailout deal. This story included both McCain and Obama speaking publicly on the issue and also other senators who had opinions of the candidates’ motives. In this form of media viewers could actually see the candidates speaking about the issues instead of simply reading what they had said.
Lastly, an online article on Yahoo news was viewed. This article is 855 words. It had 15 sources and was more like print coverage. All the information mentioned in this article is current and includes everything that was mentioned in both the television broadcast and newspaper article. It also included information that was not mentioned in either of the other two. It mentioned Sarah Palin’s visit to the memorials of those killed in September 11, 2001. This article however, does not include as much political strategy the candidates’ might be doing as the other media outlets did. The online article offered more news coverage than the other two because it included more information on the issue overall. Also on the website were related videos, links to election sights and other political articles.
Articles for broadcast give you a summary of the story, and include the most important parts. Print media goes into more detail and provide more information about the story. Online media offers other information that is related to the story, such as, related videos, political links, and links to other election news as well as graphics. As discovered, depending on what news media outlet I am examining, different coverage will be highlighted.
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The first article I read was in the San Jose Mercury News. The article was 24 paragraphs long spanning over the cover page and another page. There were 12 sources quoted throughout the entire article. This article was the only one, accompanied by a tight shot of both candidates and another picture of people setting up for the debate. In this article is focused on the fact that McCain would not be present and his campaigning would also stop. Sources quoted involved political parties from both sides, but mostly Republicans and McCain’s campaign.
The next news story was a broadcast on KTVU. This segment was 2 minutes long and four sources were quoted. This story elaborated more on why McCain postponed the debate and it also included what his terms were for coming back to the scheduled debate. He mentioned that he would only return if an agreement were made for the bailout deal. This story included both McCain and Obama speaking publicly on the issue and also other senators who had opinions of the candidates’ motives. In this form of media viewers could actually see the candidates speaking about the issues instead of simply reading what they had said.
Lastly, an online article on Yahoo news was viewed. This article is 855 words. It had 15 sources and was more like print coverage. All the information mentioned in this article is current and includes everything that was mentioned in both the television broadcast and newspaper article. It also included information that was not mentioned in either of the other two. It mentioned Sarah Palin’s visit to the memorials of those killed in September 11, 2001. This article however, does not include as much political strategy the candidates’ might be doing as the other media outlets did. The online article offered more news coverage than the other two because it included more information on the issue overall. Also on the website were related videos, links to election sights and other political articles.
Articles for broadcast give you a summary of the story, and include the most important parts. Print media goes into more detail and provide more information about the story. Online media offers other information that is related to the story, such as, related videos, political links, and links to other election news as well as graphics. As discovered, depending on what news media outlet I am examining, different coverage will be highlighted.
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Sunday, September 21, 2008
Word of the Week #4
Furor
Source: San Jose Mercury News website
How it was used: EPA decision on perchlorate sparks furor.
Definition: 1. An angry or maniacal fit 2. A fashionable craze 3. Furious or hectic activity 4. An outburst of public excitement or indignation
-Noun
Sentence: The pop quiz raised a furor among students.
Source: San Jose Mercury News website
How it was used: EPA decision on perchlorate sparks furor.
Definition: 1. An angry or maniacal fit 2. A fashionable craze 3. Furious or hectic activity 4. An outburst of public excitement or indignation
-Noun
Sentence: The pop quiz raised a furor among students.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Telling Details
Entering the quiet, serene doctor’s office, I left the noisy, bustling city at the door. Approaching the cold, marble counter, I was fervently greeted by the receptionist. After checking-in, I retreated to the sofa and let my body sink into the cushions. Playing in the background was jazz music; at a volume so low it could have gone unnoticed. The air conditioning was on and the cool air moved through the room swaying my hair across my back. Every brochure, piece of paper, booklet, and product was placed with such purposeful organization. The immaculate office smelled of sterility, as if it had just been cleaned. Breaking the tranquil silence, another patient tromped into the office. Practically bellowing her complaint that her shoes were too loud, everyone in the room became vigilant of her. Plummeting next to me, she adjusted her black high heels. With grace, the doctor noiselessly opened the waiting room door, and then delightedly called my name for my appointment.
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Word of the Week #3
Fervor
Source: TIME magazine
How it was used: People arrived to hear him out of fervor or mere curiosity, and they stayed for the sense of possibility.
Definition: 1. Intense heat 2. Intensity of feeling or expression
-Noun
Sentence: After September 11 2001, the people of the United States had patriotic fervor.
Source: TIME magazine
How it was used: People arrived to hear him out of fervor or mere curiosity, and they stayed for the sense of possibility.
Definition: 1. Intense heat 2. Intensity of feeling or expression
-Noun
Sentence: After September 11 2001, the people of the United States had patriotic fervor.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Word of the Week #2
Pithy
Source: How to Write Television News, by Garth Kant
How it was used: “One is the sort of prose that verges on poetry-something pithy and witty that captures the essence and just says it all."
Definition: 1. Consisting of or abounding in pith 2. Having substance and point: tersely cogent
-Adjective
Sentence: Senator Obama recited a pithy speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Source: How to Write Television News, by Garth Kant
How it was used: “One is the sort of prose that verges on poetry-something pithy and witty that captures the essence and just says it all."
Definition: 1. Consisting of or abounding in pith 2. Having substance and point: tersely cogent
-Adjective
Sentence: Senator Obama recited a pithy speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Word of the Week #1
Scintillating
Source: How to Write Television News, by Garth Kant
How it was used: The lead isn't scintillating.
Definition: brilliantly lively, stimulating, or witty
-Adjective
Sentence: Julia's mom gave her scintillating advice about boys.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
My Favorite Writing
"What other words, we may almost always ask, are memorable and worthy to be repeated than those which love has inspired? It is wonderful that they were ever uttered. They are few and rare indeed, but, like a strain of music, they are incessantly repeated and modulated by memory. All the other words crumble off with the stucco which overlies the heart. We should not dare to repeat these now aloud. We are not competent to hear them at all times."
My favorite piece of writing is this quote from Henry David Thoreau. I stumbled across it while online searching for a quotes for a project. I think this is a good piece of writing because of the language he uses, it is incredible beautiful. He is very articulate in addressing his point as well as extremely eloquent. I found this excerpt to be very true. If we say loving things repeatedly, they will loose their meaning and will no longer be as powerful as they were the first time they were expressed. These words are too magnificent to loose their meaning, so it is important we are conscious of when we say them.
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008
All About Me
My name is Raquel and I am a Broadcast Journalism student at San Jose State. I am a junior and this will be my second semester at SJSU. I originally attended San Diego State but transferred because they did not offer broadcasting within the Journalism major. I would like to become a news anchorwoman after I graduate college.
I was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California. I enjoy going to school in San Jose because it is so close to home and the commute is quick. I love the beach and staying active outside. This summer I went on a trip to Yosemite where I hiked gorgeous areas and relaxed in the beautiful outdoors.
A passion of mine is traveling. I absolutely love learning about new cultures and different ways of life. It is so fascinating to me. My dream would be to incorporate traveling within my career. At some point in my life I would like to become an international reporter. I also think it would be an amazing job to write for a travel magazine that required traveling in order to write the pieces. After I retire from broadcast news I think this is something I would really enjoy doing. I have traveled throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, England, and Belize. I am planning to study abroad in Greece next academic school year and backpack throughout Europe. Thailand and Spain are also two other places I would love to visit.
Through taking 100w I hope to become a better writer and learn to write well under deadlines. I am looking forward to learning useful writing tools and techniques that I will be able to use throughout my career.
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