26 Aug 2009 [ Prev | Next ]

Clark & Scanlon 287-294

The building blocks of journalism. Use Tuesday's Tribune-Review to find specific examples of two or three general points that Scanlon mentioned.

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17 Comments

On A1, the "PLANES" story by Tom Fontaine leads (Clark & Scanlan 291) with a question, and answers it in such a way that we understand immediately that the article will explain how the situation is more complex now than it used to be. The question is not just a cutesy way to introduce a topic, it's an integral part of the structure of the article.

I love the specific collected information (Clark & Scanlan 291) of the cigar clamped in Sunseri's mouth (G-20 summit article, A1). What is the brand of the cigar?

In the D1 article on texting teens, Gormly approached the issue from a specific angle, though I'm not sure this story goes far enough into the reasons why teens find texting so attractive. So, this might be an example of a reporter who doesn't delve deeply enough into a story idea. (Clark & Scanlan 290). It's not a bad story idea, but where do we see balance? What if the headline were "Teen Culture Drives Communication Revolution"?

Josie Rush said:

In "Some Girls Just Want to Rock," by Rege Behe (D1), there are many quotes that express basically the same thing: men's dominance in rock music. Some examples are "I think there is a double standard between genders.", "Guys dominate the music industry", "They expect guys to control everything." I think this may be a case of the writer not selecting the best material (Clark & Scanlan 292). Although one or two of those quotes supports the lead, the reader understands the female band member's opinion after that.
On A5, "Robbers Shown Little Mercy," I thought the writer took advantage of narrative opportunities (Clark and Scanlan 294), by informing the reader of some biographical information concerning the robbers. Instead of ending the story with the sentencing (25 years), the writer kept the story balanced by mentioning the volunteer work the men took part in, thus painting the men in a more human light, and revealing the other side of the story.

Angela Palumbo said:

If the internet doesn't stop going down...(growls in frustration)

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/AngelaPalumbo/2009/08/clark_and_scanlan_contribute_t.html

Katie Vann said:

Bright points and nut graphs

Jeanine O'Neal said:

I would like to point out two quotes from Clark and Scanlan's Chapter 10 that need a bit of criticism. They take on a particularly negative view of newswriting which I find a confusing tactic to use when writing a chapter for a book entitled 'America's Best Newspaper Writing'.

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JeanineONeal/2009/08/may_i_make_a_point.html

April Minerd said:
Richelle Dodaro said:

On the front page of the Tribune Review, I wanted to point out that behind the title, there was a picture that goes with the story on how teenagers are texting too much. I thought that showed that the front page is not only for grabbing the readers' attention with the most shocking, or unsual, news, but also to interest readers into reading more inside the newspaper.

On the top story of this issue, on Planes, it was interesting how the first sentence started out with a question. The actual words were "Pop quiz:..." and then asked a question as to what way of transportation involves less travelers. I thought this broke the rules slightly, or went slightly against the typical standards of starting off a news article, because it asked a question first rather than stating the news first, which Clark and Scanlon discussed in the reading. This kind of question is a good thing because it interests the readers through posting a question that challenges a reader's knowledge or understanding. Instantly, I wanted to read more to see if I was right or not.

Wendy Scott said:

Importance? "Dropping off"- The Postal Service's blue collection boxes are becoming as rare as handwritten letters.
I found this interesting but relevant to the reading because it is on the front page at the bottom so maybe not all of the people may want to read about a postal box. I mean hello they have been around for like ever, but that is besides the fact. The picture is on the front with a blue postal box to grab the readers attention giving the reader a follow up page to anaylze the importance and gather the information. The article starts off at the top of the page with a quote to follow, " A decline in the use of public mail is behind most of the cutback." I found this article to fall more into the Process of Writing that we read about in the text and the overall info that was put in it. The reader is gathering the information that is being published in the reference to writing letters is a far less form of communication. Though the other forms such as texting which an article was also published on the front page of D. Has allowed for apart of this decrease. I thought this story had shape for in the relation to ecnomic turmoil that some think were in but really we are in is a major factor. This article relates to the money and distribution factors of the shortage of the boxes and the reasoning of their rare apperance. "If you ever noticed that Seton Hill in 2008 had a Blue Postal Box. Now in 2009 they have done away with it." This thought made me put the information to use and evalutate it. I beleive it all ties together.It shows importance and good feedback. I found it interesting as we read about the process of writing and to learn that even small things these days in the form of script such as letters and mail aren't being seen as much in the writing feild. Its becoming electronic e-mail!

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