News Plunders

A picture perfect goodbye to Polaroid

2008-12-08T17:27:00.000-08:00

It begins with a story lead, bringing the reader in on an emotional level. Then it describes the issue, and finally, it concludes.

The story reported on the final days of the Polaroid camera by Kodak is one of the few stories that are picture-perfect (and I'm not just talking instant snapshots). Not only does reporter Jacque Wilson structure the story almost perfectly, but she peppers the article with quotes to evoke nostalgia in the readers, claiming the Polaroid camera causes memories to form in front of your eyes, or describing the little box as magic.

There aren't words to describe this article, but take a look at it, because if it were a picture, it would definitely be worth a thousand words.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/12/08/polaroid.farewell/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Rating: Hidden Treasure.

And the most important news goes to...

2008-12-05T13:46:00.001-08:00

While Yahoo! may have had it right reporting on Coldplay's plagiarism, they got it all wrong with today's top feature story. When I went to search today's news the feature story on Yahoo! popped up about who the highest paid actress in Hollywood is now. Underneath it, in small print, was a second feature story about the best public high schools in America. Now which one is really more important?

The first article did not even have words, but rather pictures of Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston among others. Even better, they didn't even have the actresses' names. So we're expected to know every famous person in Hollywood? I can't even keep all the members in my family straight.

While this may not exactly be a critique of the article itself, Yahoo! and other media outlets placing more value on celebrities' salaries than the value of education is way too important to pass up. How about an article about how the rest of us, who don't make that much, are going to make it through this seemingly unavoidable recession?

Rating: A scorpion filled box. Throw Yahoo! in.

Coldplay accused of plagiarism

2008-12-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

I applaud yahoo news for covering this story. I think it's a great way to show people that it's not just students plagiarizing in essays; it's the big stars stealing other stars' ideas - or in this case, a song.

Let's be honest, the songs sound so much alike, but only in one part of it. In my opinion however, I would not consider it to be plagiarism because there are some differences.

It's a well covered article and I like how the reporter added at the end that "Further comment from Satriani's attorney, or reaction from Coldplay's management was not immediately available." It's so much better to say that, than to completely leave your readers wondering.

Article link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081205/en_nm/us_coldplay

Coldplay's "Viva La Vida:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvgZkm1xWPE

Joe Satriani's "If I Could Fly:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMcjXo8ZuqE

O.J. : GUILTY..... for once!

2008-12-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

Ok, honestly, how stupid can you be to rob a hotel and then say that you did it just out of sheer stupidity? Whatever.

This article is very well written, journalistically speaking. The only real problem I had with it was that it started off a sentence using the word "But." It was not necessary in the sentence it was used in.

Once again, I'm bashing the Associated Press for grammar errors. Oh well.

Article Link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/oj_simpson

Bambi proves spiteful, malicious

2008-12-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

Hunting accidents have the potential to be a well-read topic in the media. Victims are killed from accidental gunshots, and because this is a tragedy, people will read about what happened.

However, one headline about a hunting incident caught my eye: Deer gets revenge after hunter shoots him. It’s not every day this type of story makes the news because the event is unusual and rare. Sure, people become injured from hunting accidents, but a deer seeking revenge on its attacker is almost unheard of.

While hunting, a hunter shot a large deer, and thinking it was dead, he slowly crept toward it to inspect his prize. All of a sudden, the deer sprang to life, and kicked the hunter. I would think the deer would run away or lay suffering, but revenge was apparently on his mind.

Though this was not an extremely noteworthy piece of journalism, the topic is rare and details are funny, so people would be interested in it. The headline was well written since it immediately caught my attention.

Rating: Rum and wenches

Black eyes caused by Black Friday

2008-12-02T12:53:00.001-08:00

I can't figure out what is more disturbing about this story - what actually happened at this Wal-Mart on Black Friday or that the story doesn't have one single focus. Is it about the death of an employee worker and the injuries of others? Or is it about the lawsuit that is following now?

The story begins to discuss how two customers, a son and his father were trampled in the rush of customers attempting to get inside Wal-Mart right after the doors opened. The two "were 'literally carried from their position outside the store' and are now 'suffering from pain in their neck and their back from being caught in that surge of people' that rushed into the Wal-Mart." The story continues to describe how one Wal-Mart worker was trampled to death by the customers and how police stood by and did nothing. Maybe it's just me, but that seems ridiculous.

While these incidents are discussed in the first few paragraphs, the rest of the story details how Wal-Mart should have used more preventative measures to ensure the safetly of its customers. I say the customers should be smart enough not to trample others. Seriously people?

The rest of the story is almost a jumble about different injuries people sustained and how they are blaming the police. The story ends with a short statement which says there are videos of the stampede. The end doesn't not tie back to the beginning of the story, leaving the reader wondering if what they actually read was about a lawsuit or just the crazy happenings on Black Friday.

If you ask me, this story deserves a Walk the Plank for organization and the Black Spot for the customers' behaviors.

The Dark Side of Black Friday

2008-11-30T11:46:00.000-08:00

Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year. People will crowd and cram into tiny lines like cattle in order to purchase the latest gadgets and gizmos. However, I do not think that this topic should make headline news. When I looked at the newspapers the day after Thanksgiving, there were countless headlines of the trials and tribulations of Black Friday shopping.

However, I looked at the photos that accompanied the stories, and some of these photos depicted the darker sides of Black Friday better than the article could. Parents will drag children out at 3 a.m. to get toys and the latest designer clothes before everything sells out. This photo depicts a child sleeping in the cart while her mother shops for Christmas presents. I understand that giving and buying for others is important during the holiday season, but is it really necessary to bring sleeping children along? To me, the photo depicts irresponsible parents, not thinking of children’s needs and wants.

Photojournalism is quickly advancing into a popular and useful form of new media, and sometimes a picture is worth more in meaning and appreciation rather than an article. In this context, I think a photo showing the darker side of Black Friday is 10 times more effective than an article.

Rating: Escape the Royal Navy

I Hate Headlines

2008-11-28T22:35:00.000-08:00

I’ll admit right up front that this is a ridiculously tiny issue in the grand scope of journalistic issues and/or problem and probably reflects a personal failing on my part. However, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle put a headline on an article that is just so damned empty headed. Rochester-area retailers hope deals attract buyers

Really? Retailers want to attract buyers, eh? I don't believe it. What's all this newfangled hocus pocus about selling things? It's for the birds, I tell you.

A headline of this caliber deserves a promotion. From now on, the editor responsible for the headline will be dubbed Lieutenant Obvious.

While, the headline isn't quite as bad as my all time favorite from USA Today a few months back, recent wolf kills alarm activists, it's still pretty bad.

Now, I'm not that rough on headlines, honestly, and I know for a fact that I'm a terrible headline writer (a quick look at my posts shows that) don't expect the most clever of witticisms on each and every story, but coherency would be nice.

Deserted Piano means...?

2008-11-24T13:48:00.000-08:00

Police found a missing piano in the woods near Harwich, Massachusetts. Fantastic. And this makes headline news because...?

While police have no leads as to why the piano is there, and there might be an interesting story behind it, why such a big deal? Making headline news on cnn.com, you'd think this story had some sort of great piece of American history attached to it. What was attached to this piano was nothing more than a bench. Positioned as if someone intended to play it. Well that's cool. Maybe there is a ghost waiting for this ghost piano...

Rating: Walk the Plank. Kicking this piece off because it lacks relevancy

All Glory to the Jesus Moth out of East Texas

2008-11-20T02:19:00.000-08:00

Not to stay on a religious kick, but here is another older religious themed story, this time from KLTV 7 out of Texas. The image of moth to the right was taken from the guys at KLTV 7.

Here's the deal, a guy finds a moth and the patterns on its back seem to create a face, presumably of Jesus. As it happens, the local media picks up the story a little and throws it up on the Web site.

To her credit, reporter Courtney Lane has a little bit of fun with the short write-up. She mentions the image of Jesus being found on just about one of everything recently, but the best part of the whole thing? Check out the poll asking if the pattern on the moth resembles Jesus or not. Really seems out of place to just ask readers, “hey guys, you think this bug has the holy visage of Jesus on it's back? Yes? No? Somebody who isn't Jesus?

I guess it looks more like Skeletor.

Anyway, props, too, for the interview subjects in not taking the moth too seriously.

No, the story isn't vital in any sense of the word, but the way the story is played shows the reader that right up front.

Rating: Wine and Wenches all around.

Spears straddles the zone

2008-11-18T17:42:00.000-08:00

It’s the same story: Another celebrity promises to clean up his or her act. Who cares? Every day it seems like one celebrity or another is promising to start a clean bill of health. Celebrities promise to no longer drink while driving or do drugs to cope with their stressful, hectic lives. This was one of the big headlines for today on Yahoo! News, and this makes me extremely disappointed.

This article makes bad journalism because it is not newsworthy. Britney Spears claimed that her recent breakdown helped her become stronger. Now she is apparently ready to “get back in the zone.” The writer tries to evoke sympathy for Spears, but this does not work. The article should not have been written because it is only a matter of time before Spears has another crisis. She has had so many already; it is hard for me to believe she really wants to change.

Celebrities continually promise to become better, yet I think their promises are fake. They do not seriously weigh the fact that their consequences have actions, and because they are rich, they are able to buy their way out of jail and therapy. People are facing genocide, war and terrorism, and all the American public cares about is Britney’s newest reform project. Wake up America, there is life outside the celebrities.

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20081118/en_top_eo/69377

Rating: Black Spot (Death!)

Welcome to Post-Apocalyptia

2008-11-13T09:11:00.000-08:00

This one is a bit old, over at AlterNet but I couldn't resist the opportunity to point out a classy example of nutterism. Rather than tell us how crazy the individuals are, the writer allows the members of this “Joel's Army” to say, just for themselves, just how oddball their beliefs are.

It's easy to decry a religious group such as this as being merely ridiculous, especially if the writer is working over the Internet. Casey Sanchez, however, delivers such choice quotes as:

"I believe we're headed to an Elijah/Jezebel showdown on the Earth, not just in America but all over the globe, and the main warriors will be the prophets of Baal versus the prophets of God, and there will be no middle ground," said Engle. He was referring to the Baal of the Old Testament, a pagan idol whose followers were slaughtered under orders from the prophet Elijah.

This quote, and a dozen or so others, allow the reader to evaluate the position held by the group. It gives the article a certain degree of objective ambiguity. Sure, a rational person wont consider moving toward the end of the world as a particularly coherent idea, but the author leaves all interpretation in the readers hands.

Rating: Found a Treasure Map

The AP does it again

2008-11-12T17:20:00.000-08:00

Today I realized that I criticized what is supposed to be one of the highest quality news organizations more than I criticize any other news medium/news source. I thought about it and reviewed my posts that have basically blasted them out of the water and I kind of felt bad that I have bashed on them so much. However, all of my reasons for criticism have been 100 percent, completely legit. So, now I don't feel as bad.

Is it just me, or do other people find numerous things wrong with the AP's reporting? I seem to do it a lot. I do this on a daily basis though. It's not just me purposefully looking for things wrong in their articles. They just make a lot of mistakes. I don't know whether it has to do with sloppy editing because it's online, or what. I just know it's bad.

And, my job is to point this out. So, today I am not critiquing any articles. I guess I am critiquing my own blog posts about other news sources, namely the Associated Press.

The Associated Press can be put out to sea with nothing but a leaky raft and some cheese for sloppy reporting.

Toy companies get the lead out

2008-11-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

To begin with, I'm ashamed of Yahoo news to even have this story advertised on their home page.

It seems to me that toy companies struggle with their toys containing hazardous lead every Christmas season. Why is this? And why does it occur that they ONLY discover this around Christmas season? What are they trying to say? Do they only test for these things around Christmas time?
Well, this article, I'll call it a video-cle because it's a video, talks about toy companies having issues with lead in their toys, however they fail to mention what toy companies. For all the reader knows, it could be any company. They fail to mention that, but they show video footage of different toys. Does that mean that the toys shown in the video are hazardous and represent any company?

This whole article was so vague and completely uninformative, which was the entire intent of the article. They only briefly mentioned what toy companies are doing to prevent lead poisoning. People can find that information anywhere, and the information that they had to offer was next to nothing.
Hello, Associated Press, let's get some names of toy companies up and the toys that people should be cautious of/not buy this holiday season.

Horrible story.

Walk the plank, AP.

Article:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=10645391

Palin acts as valley girl, not professional candidate

2008-11-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

Sarah Palin. Whenever I hear that name mentioned, I become annoyed because she did not know how to carry herself in the way befitting a vice presidential candidate. Recently, Palin mentioned in an article by Yahoo news she would possibly run for the presidency in four years. The thought of this makes me sick to my stomach, and I initially thought the article would be horrible and not worth reading — I was wrong.

Though the subject matter is ridiculous, the article was well written. Though the quotes the author used from Palin are elementary and sound uneducated, he or she did the best with what was available.

This article should have a serious tone, but it came off as hilarious. Whenever the author quoted Palin, I laughed because she sounded like a ditzy, valley girl who did not know how to speak proper English. For example, Palin continually used the word “like.” A person running for office should not say this word, especially more than once in a sentence.

"I'm like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I'm like, don't let me miss the open door," Palin said in an interview with Fox News on Monday.

This idea of the article was worth knowing (so people can start planning not to let Palin run for office), but content was horrible. However, it was not the author’s fault what the subject said; all he or she can do is report the facts, no matter how horrible they are.

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081111/ap_on_re_us/palin;_ylt=AovvJTzEygHw2qF84531Ce7LLJ94

Rating: Stole your rum.

8-year-old boy accused of murdering father

2008-11-08T14:09:00.001-08:00

Death, especially death by murder, can be a sensitive subject. It can be equally sensitive when the murderer is an 8-year-old boy. In Arizona, a child is accused of killing his father and his father’s friend with a gun. Though the circumstances are unique, I thought the article was well written and reported for its serious content matter.

The author investigates all sides as to why the boy would murder his father: abuse, spur-of-the-moment idea or psychological problems. Another good thing the author does is providing examples of similar situations where a child killed a parent or guardian. When children do this, it can be a reaction to abuse or the result of mental problems. In this case, the cause it not yet known.

Additionally, the author tells readers the truth: the law does not know how to prosecute the boy because he is so young and there were not many cases like this before. Just like the outcomes of the act are currently unknown, the author does not tell people what is going to happen; he provides multiple outcomes.

I’m happy to see the reporter does not outright accuse the child of murdering his father and his father’s friend. The reporter is reporting only the facts the police have so far, and this method of reporting the truth leads to a good hard-news story.

Link to article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081108/ap_on_re_us/child_charged;_ylt=ArKSv1xHa_gkTnTonS9HvBms0NUE

Rating: Rum and wenches

End of an Election

2008-11-04T20:04:00.000-08:00

So there it is, two years after the campaigns launched and it's Obama with the win. Fantastic. Now I can get back to my regularly scheduled video game football and general pirating.

Seems pretty dull without the instantaneous controversy. Feels like something is missing. Fingers crossed.

Rice causes baby badness

2008-11-04T17:27:00.001-08:00

Rice may be bad news bears for your baby, states an article posted on Yahoo! news. In some infants, it can cause a severe allergic reaction, causing the infants to be hospitalized. The reason this is so important? Rice is advocated as one of the first foods babies should eat as a solid food.

I have to give props to Amy Norton for reporting on such a serious issue. The article addresses the symptoms and what may be causes, and also lets parents know that it despite problems, it is still a hypoallergenic food.

The article is short and to the point and does not make the issue into something it is not. Norton also uses correct AP style throughout the article. The only thing that should be reconsidered is possibly giving something so serious a less funny-sounding name, because FPIES is kind of hard to say...

Rating: Positive Two
Link: Rice can trigger severe gut reaction in infants

Article or Tabloid? Too much info about Supreme Court Justices

2008-11-04T16:57:00.000-08:00

It's great to think that the people who influence the country, including the president, the supreme court justices and congressmen are all human beings. Articles that shed light on their home lives are sometimes interesting and offer insight to these people who dictate what is and isn't acceptable in our lives. And sometimes, it's in appropriate.

In an article published on MSNBC.com, the Associated Press reports that the supreme court is struggling with the Federal Communications Commission's policy regarding the use of vulgarities on television during daytime hours when children may be watching. While this is an important issue and the supreme court justice's personal lives may influence whether they agree with the bans the FCC wants, the article about the bans explained more about the justices than the ban itself.

There is no explain about how exactly they would ban the vulgarities or what would happen to shows that do not comply or if a celebrity slips up on live television. Instead, the article talks about Chief Justice John Roberts' three young children and Justice Antonio Scalia's more than 20 grandchildren. And wouldn't you know it mentions nothing about the three tight-lipped justices' families. Do they have them? Or are they just inhuman because they don't believe in the ban? We don't know.

Instead of trying to guess how the justices will vote based on the number of children and grandchildren have, maybe the journalists should explore the ban itself and what it would mean for television. Then we'd have an article.

Rating: Marooned on an island
Link: Supreme Court whatttt?

The Online forum pillages AP style...

2008-11-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

Hold on Dallas. I know they may speak differently in the the south, but throwing the conventions of the written English language out the window? That's just unacceptable. I may be being a little too harsh. It's not that they completely butchered the English language, but at least learn to write in AP style. Newspapers may be dying, but that doesn't mean standards of traditional written journalism have to die with them.

Also, I realize this Web site is related to broadcast journalism. The authors on this site probably didn't have AP style hammered into their heads until it was all they breathed, ate and slept. But double-checking dates and the way to cite money isn't too much to ask, is it?

In the second paragraph of the article, the author makes his first mistake. Instead of abbreviating Sept. 29 as it should be, Doug Dunbar writes the whole word "September" out. Quick AP style lesson: The month is only ever written out when it is a month that is never abbreviated, is followed by a year but NOT a day or stands alone.

Second mistake: In a quote from Jeb Hensarling, Dunbar writes out the word "dollars" instead of using the $ sign before the number 200 million. Perhaps he was nervous about altering a quote, but I've got news for you - that doesn't alter a quote. Another quick AP style lesson: Always use a $ sign before a numeric value, unless you are talking about cents, in which case you can write the word out.

In other quotes, Dunbar fails to place in the attribution in the right place, sticking it after a paragraph instead of after the first sentence. Talk about confusing the reader.

Not only is Dunbar also repetitive, but the story lacks transitions and refers to Dunbar in the third person when at times it seems he is writing the article himself. Is he or isn't he?

CBS Dallas, please figure out how to write in AP style before I tie all of your reporters in trunks full of scorpions.

Link to article: Fannie Mae Execs Wine, Dine & Golf After Bailout

Palin made for dressing room, not White House

2008-11-04T11:46:00.001-08:00

In the 2008 presidential election, political cartoon have just as much influence as news articles and television commentaries. Some political cartoons are often vulgar and extremely embarrassing for a candidate, but that is the point, and one cartoon defining the intelligence levels between Sarah Palin and John McCain does this.

The cartoon shows Sarah Palin with bright-red obnoxious lipstick, a red suit and a coif hairdo. She is reading Variety magazine and compliments herself for having a lot of “SNL” ratings. McCain, on the other hand, is in a simple, black suit and is reading the latest poll updates. Cartoon McCain says Palin is not ready for prime time.

The great thing about this cartoon is its reality. Sarah Palin may be the governor of Alaska and the Republican vice presidential candidate, but she does not carry herself as intelligent or serious when it comes to politics. She only cares about fashion and moose hunting; these are qualities that I do not want to see in the White House.

Political cartoons have the ability to provide a simple, artistic way to let voters know about their candidates. Political cartoons also have the ability to be bias as negative television and radio campaign ads. However, the purpose of political cartoon is to provide humor and creativity for audiences.

Rating: Escape the Royal Navy.

Who's to blame?

2008-11-03T20:22:00.001-08:00

John Dickerson writes for MSNBC that if Barack Obama loses tomorrow, Americans will lose faith in the idea of family support. Not only that, but it will be his family's fault that he lost because they didn't provide the necessary support to gain the public's support. Wait, what? Really MSNBC? Talk about a red herring.

No matter what the outcome of the election tomorrow, it will not be based on family support. We may have distanced ourselves from some of the founding principles of this country, but I'd still like to think we haven't totally sold ourselves out on why we elect our presidents. While in this particular election there may be even more outside influences than others because of the make-up of the candidates, ultimately, it comes down to policies.

We have to remember that it's not about who makes history for this election, but what their policies are and what they will mean for the country for the next four years. Dickerson attempts to lead the reader to believe that the majority of people will vote for Obama because of his family values and the way he is portrayed with his family rather than the policies he has developed. This may be true for some people, but Americans still listen to their policies and have had the opportunity through debates to get to know these candidates, not just through their wives' introductions of them.

So what it comes down to is this: If Obama loses, it's not because his family didn't do its job. It's because America didn't think he could do his job.

Rating: Negative three.
Link: http://www.slate.com/id/2203420/?GT1=38001

Gangster grandma lands grandson in JV detention

2008-10-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Really?

Only an 18-year-old would "coax" their 85-year-old senile grandmother into being a character in a homemade rap video where she is threatening to "shoot all the pigs." Really? And it would only happen in Florida.

Michael Alfinez has been charged with elder abuse. Did he post this video online? Not that was reported (And, it's not on youtube). However, the only way the police got a hold of the video was during a routine traffic stop. What was he doing with that video? Was it just chilling on the passenger seat of his car? And, only an ignorant person would record himself and his friends shooting a pistol off in the town where he was caught with this video.

What really could have made this story oh, so much better would have been to interview the senile grandmother. Just because she is senile doesn't mean that she isn't fit to interview. It would have been really interesting to have gotten her side of the story, considering the fact that apparently the family says that the whole thing was one big "misunderstanding." Does that mean the grandmother said this, or was it the kid's parents trying to save him from a criminal record?

Thank you, Daily Star for making the most important part of the article absent. Here's a tip for ya: Interview the victim.

You're fired. Walk the plank.

Article Link:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GANGSTER_GRANDMA?SITE=NYONE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Huffington dishes out presidential blunders

2008-10-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

At times, there is biased in reporting and articles, however, this post by Arianna Huffintgton is exceedingly fair since it represents both sides of the presidential election spectrum. From reading this blog, I cannot tell if Huffington is a Republican or Democrat since she represents the challenges both parties equally face. Though the challenges are different in nature, Huffington tells the problems of McCain and Obama, and she displays how each presidential candidate is trying to deal with the problem.

Huffington says that McCain is not as strong in his political campaign as he should be, so his followers should focus keeping Republicans in both houses, rather than focus on the presidential race. Obama promises change, but if he doesn’t have a Democrat majority in the houses, how would change occur?

The blog is both credible and professional because Huffington portrays challenges from both sides. In no way, shape or form does she tell people whom to vote for, only highlighting problems the candidates face. Because she is fair, readers should be comfortable trusting her opinion and blog.

Link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/obama-should-spill-a-litt_b_138301.html

Rating: Run and wenches

Web thrives as newspapers die

2008-10-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal reported that the circulation of newspapers has decreased dramatically in recent years and continues to spiral downward.

The reporter only mentioned once in the entire article what the reason for the decline has been. And the reason given is the exact reason as to why that reporter has a job: The Web is taking over where newspapers basically left off, since newspapers are slowly becoming a thing of the past. The web is the newspaper of its day, only an electronic version with many more features.

One would think that the article was supposed to be about why exactly newspapers are dying - on the contrary, the article is focused on the huge decline in circulation that has been occurring. The article would have been much better if it had stuck to its original topic and not the after effects of the problem, such as circulation decline and loss of ad revenue.

Poor performance on the WSJ's part this time. Walk the plank.

Article Link:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122507288489970971.html

Related Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiic6CTzQg8

Figurative pirating is cool, theft is bad

2008-10-24T23:37:00.000-07:00

After looking at the police report at the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle I've come to the realization that theft is awful. Especially while staying at a Quality Inn and a Playstation and Star Wars game was stolen.

Sure, other things were stolen from a bunch of other people, but I can't help but empathize with those poor folks lost along a sea of disparity without a Playstation or Star Wars.

Rank: The thieves can line up for the scorpion filled box. Don't mess with Star Wars.

Powell foces McCain to plank, Obama stays on board

2008-10-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

Colin Powell has a strong influence in American society, and his opinions about the presidential campaign can waive people from one candidate to another. In this case, however, Powell favors Sen. Barack Obama over Sen. John McCain.

In this video, Powell blatantly focuses on how McCain’s reaction and future plans for the financial crisis is not up-to-par as Obama’s. Once again, someone is focusing on how bad an opponent is rather than highlighting aspects and qualities that will make his or her favored candidate a great president. If people don’t support McCain, they don’t want to hear why he is a bad choice for president, and instead, they want to be reassured that Obama is the best and only choice for president.

It’s especially disappointing that a man as respected as Powell is contributing to smearing campaigns and advertisements. He should know by know that people want reassurance and proof that Obama will make a better president over McCain. Though Powell may be speaking the truth about McCain, he should focus on the positives of Obama rather than the negatives of McCain. If he doesn’t do this, what is the point even speaking to the American public?

Link: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/20/4812/4188/559/636101
Rating: Walk the plank

God visits American Beer Festival

2008-10-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

The Christian belief that God is everywhere reigned true as the American Beer Festival took place this year.

NewsDay covered the American Beer Festival and how the participants of it were celebrating the origins of beer and how that relates to religion. It's an interesting article. The fun facts hold the reader's attention. The writer humorously added in facts about saints and how they were true inventors and holder of beer.

"....God could be found at last week's Great American Beer Festival — in the crassly commercial, in homage to religion's long history in brewing, in needling faiths that turn a suspect eye on drinking, and (if the prophet of home-brewing is to be believed) at the bottom of every glass."

There is even information in there stating, "... the first brewery in the Americas was founded by Belgium monks in Ecuador in 1534."
The man even quotes the wise words of Ben Franklin.

I feel as if this article is just full of fun facts. Who knew that St. Arnold of Metz was the French saint of brewers and one of many patron saints of the brewing arts?

The criticism of this article that I have is that it went from the American Beer Festival to fun facts about saints and beer, then back to the festival and then it gets scattered all over the place. I couldn't really tell what the point of the article was, once I got to the end of it.

For being unorganized, the writer gets his rum (or beer for that matter) taken away for a week.

Article Link:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-rel-god-and-beer,0,1132885.story

Beware ye folk of nuns

2008-10-14T08:05:00.001-07:00

Typically, nuns are thought to be peaceful, non-violent promoters of faith, hope and love. However, in this century, the nun is apparently now able to hold her own against robbers, burglars and yes, terrorists. Instead of dishing out a cup of hot soup at a local food shelter for the homeless, they can be expected to break and deface government nuclear property. Ridiculous, right? Wrong.

In this article, two nuns were wrongfully accused as suspected terrorists when the were “wrongly listed into state and federal databases that track terrorism suspects.” The nuns must go before a board and have their files reviewed before their names are deleted off the list.

Keep in mind that these nuns were up to mischief, though. In 2002, they broke into a nuclear missile site and defaced the missiles and building by painting cross with their own blood. Maybe the nuns have been watching Whoopi Goldberg’s Sister Act.

Though this grammar was not written in AP style and had grammatical errors, the hilarious content saved the article. This I such an unusual topic because the average person does not expect nuns to cause mischief, but rather remain calm and peaceful. Next time I see a nun, however, I am going to be extremely polite so she will not cover me with a bloody cross or yell curses to me.

Link to article: http://www.ncbuy.com/news/2008-10-13/1016854.html

Rating: Rum and wenches

Destroying wedding dresses for fun and profit

2008-10-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

While casting out a line for dude ranches in a search (I'm not the only one who watched Hey, Dude), I came across this gem of a news article at the Summit Daily News out of Colorado.

Essentially, someone came up with the brilliant idea to photograph people wrecking their wedding dresses. Someone else came up with the idea of building a community blog out of it.

The wrecking is done by rolling around on the beach, getting under the hood of a car, going for a swim and in the case described in the news story, wrestling a pig.

Writer Leslie Brefeld does alright putting the nifty little story together out of the whole thing. What's really interesting is the subject itself. It's pure, crystallized genius smashing through my frontal lobe.

No one's ever going to use the thing again, why not wrestle a pig in the damned thing?

Rating: Promotion to first mate for Brefeld and buried treasure for Trash the Dress

"Blonde sues over brown dye; judge brushes off suit."

2008-10-08T17:34:00.001-07:00

This headline by chron.com is probably one of the best headlines I have ever seen. It's witty and gives a quick peek at what the article is going to be about.

Apparently the Associated Press didn't have enough to write about today, even though there's a huge presidential election going on, we're in the one of the biggest financial crises our country has ever been faced with, we're at war numerous groups of people, but reporting on some dumb blonde's idiocy seemed to be just that important if was posted on their web site at 8:23 a.m. Sounds like breaking news to me.

"L'Oreal Inc. ruined her social life when she accidentally dyed her hair brunette with one of its products."

What really gets me is that this law suit started back in 2005. Yes, it has been going on for three years. Thank God the judge dismissed the case with lack of sufficient evidence against L'Oreal inc. What was this woman thinking she would get out of this? A life's supply of blonde hair dye? And why would she want to broadcast to the world that the color of her hair has ruined her social life and has placed her on antidepressants? The woman has serious problems and for the Associated Press to report on this was although quite humorous, was kind of ridiculous. I feel as if this type of story brings a smile to peoples' faces, but does not belong on the Associated Press' news feed.

Associated Press, you deserve a treasure chest for bringing a smile to my face, however your rum will have to be confiscated for the week due to your lack of newsworthy stories.

Article Link:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/bizarre/6046533.html

Political T-shirts cause mutiny

2008-10-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

After reading the short article about voting for a favorite political T-shirt in The Post Standard, I was extremely disappointed with the message of the article and its ideas. The article states that people should vote for the funniest political T-shirt, and after looking at these T-shirts, I am disgusted people would actually want to wear one and promote silliness.

Some T-shirts say "Obama Says Knock You Out" and "Hop on the McCain Train." This election is extremely controversial, and I feel that this article jokes about the campaigns and the presidential candidates when it should be focusing on the issues and ideas they have to make the United States a better country.

When a person promotes this horrid hilarity in an article, it makes people not focus on the real issues concerning the election, but makes people make fun of the candidates’ background and appearance. Whatever happened to common sense and decency in the media when it comes to presidential elections? This article is just another example how the media does not take issues seriously, but only focuses on hilarious moments for profit and attention.

With the current financial crisis looming of Americans and the constant threat of terrorism, it is time for some American journalists and bloggers to grow up because that is who Americans listen to for news. If we can’t take our sources seriously, then we are headed for a long, difficult four years.

Link to article: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/10/cast_your_vote_political_tshir.html

Link to T-shirt Web site: cafepress.com.

Rating: 5 Black Spot (Death!)

A Sea Chantey to Sing You to Sleep

2008-10-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

It's like finding buried treasure when you find any music review that doesn't go overboard on descriptions and bore readers with non-sensical jargon. But finding a blog that fits that criteria? That is truly a diamond in the rough.

Posted on My Hmphs, this review of Amy Grant's song, "If These Walls Could Speak," engages readers without giving away too much. Instead of using the language of musical masters, the author uses fairly concise language so as not to lose the reader.

In addition to this, the author sticks to A.P. Style, making sure to quote song titles and italicize album titles. While the author does use more complex sentences than necessary at times, they are not so complex that they become confusing.

Even better yet, the author adds personal experience. While all reviews contain some personal experience in the form of opinions, many times it can be overpowering. In this case, the blogpost is bookended by that author's opinion, bringing the article full circle and providing a sound beginning and ending.

All in all, this article deserves to man the fastest ship in the seven seas.

Rating: 5. Hidden Treasure.

Commercials have hidden value

2008-10-05T11:13:00.000-07:00

Commercials promoting a political candidate are just as important as debates and print pieces in newspapers. I think that it is rare to find a commercial that is short, sweet and to the point. When a commercial is like this, it does not frustrate viewers, and that is why Rick Dollinger’s commercial promoting himself for state senate is a well-made commercial.

One thing that viewers will appreciate is that he is actually speaking about issues that concern people with the upcoming election: working rights and pro-choice rights. He says he values what people in the Rochester community value, and that is a good statement to make because he is identifying with people.

Additionally, no where in the commercial did Dollinger point out what his opponents do wrong: He focuses on what he believes in and how he will make a difference, rather than bash opponents people do not care about. People want to know what Dollinger will do for people, and he said this perfectly.

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTH7k2D0uxo

Rating: Escape the Royal Navy

Sal Maiorana is awesome

2008-10-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

Sal Maiorana, staff writer at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, is the man. The guy does a ton of writing over at the paper's sports section. He covers the Buffalo Bills, writes a column and does pre-game match-ups on a pretty frequent basis.

What is unique about him, however, is how bad he is in a stylistic sense.

Just look at his story from the D&C last Monday. First, the lede.

To a man they stood in front of their dressing cubicles Sunday night wearing guarded smiles on their faces and reciting a mantra that you swore must have been on a centrally-located teleprompter somewhere in the locker room.

It's ok, despite hamfisted word choice and a pretty lengthy opening sentence. Who is "they?" Who is this "you?" I suppose it's implied by the headline that I've neglected to include, but he shows such a poor choice of words.

Later, in the same story, is his magnum opus.

But then the wise-beyond-his-years wide receiver caught himself, looked up at a group of reporters huddled around him, and in a moment of clarity when he must have recalled all the hard times the Bills have endured in recent years, he smiled broadly and said “But the finishing is the bottom line and learning how to win games in the end. Everyone kept fighting and we came up with the victory.”

Just soak in that 'graph for a while. It's simply beautiful. Totalling 64 words, the first sentence is a monster of comas, reading like something straight out of a first semester newswriting class.

Despite this, Sal is still the man, and allows me a breathe of relief. He proves that we all have a shot at getting away with being a writer.

For that, Sal's off the charts.

Blog busts Chinese gymnast

2008-10-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

The word has gotten around that the young Chinese gymnasts were legitimately allowed to compete in this year's 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Olympic officials announced that no further investigations will be made to challenge the Chinese's honesty regarding the young girls.

The New York Times covered this story in great detail, bringing to the table the fact that Chinese gymnast Dong Fangxiao, who competed in the 2000 Olympics, winning the bronze metal, in her personal blog said she was only 14 years old. That was eight years ago. Do they expect us to believe that she is now 22 years old? Apparently so, but you have to also consider the fact that when their ages were questioned this year, the Chinese officials "proved" all their ages to be 16 years old.

The New York Times reported both sides of the story, although the reporter sounded quite skeptical toward the Chinese officials claims concerning the ages of the gymnasts. American skepticism definitely shown through this article, but in my opinion was done so with every right.
Although this was a well covered story, I found a typo in it, which makes me wonder how many editors edit online articles before they are posted.

"The A.P. then reported that other gymnasts may be underag, citing documents on the Web."
^ It is supposed to read, "underage."

I give the New York Times a rating of first mate, however, the reporter has to swab the decks for a week for that typo.

Article Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/sports/olympics/02gymnastics.html?hp

Video Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmf5GTALw6o

Palin sinks to bottom

2008-09-30T16:58:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin is not extremely popular among college students, yet instead of continually bashing her beliefs, they do not say what she can do to improve her standing with students. There is something about every candidate that students will not like; however, students will not tell us what they do look for in candidates or positive things about ones they like.

In the Loop video, the interviewee does not tell viewers what she looks for in a candidate — instead, she continually bashes Palin. Instead of giving specific examples of what Palin does wrong, she only comments on her disagreement with her beliefs and criticizes her personality. Everyone knows what Palin believes in, but a majority of students do not know Palin’s actions and history.

After watching the video, I became extremely annoyed with the student because all she does is complain and whine about Palin. I know that this is personal opinion and the student has every right to express it, but it should not be on a college news Web site. This video would be perfect in a blog, but not in a professional setting.

If the video was put in a professional setting, the student should not whine about the candidate, but give solid, concrete examples to back up her opinion. Without these opinions, the video is boring and frustrating.

Link to video: http://rocloop.com/videos/8656-60-second-rant-sarah-palin

Rating: The scorpion-filled chest

Celebrity blogging overboard?

2008-09-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

We all know celebrities get all the attention. But blogging about blogs about celebrities? That's when it's gone too far. To get the root of the story about Jennifer Lopez's participation in a triathlon for charity, you have to search through other blogs. That's not the worst part though - the original blog doesn't focus on what she earns for the charity (only briefly mentioned halfway through the story), but instead focuses on the fact that she finished and just cannot stop smiling.

The story has some value to it, but once again, the journalist needs to figure out what the focus is. It shouldn't be that Jennifer Lopez finished, but rather that she was able to raise $127,000 for the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. Now that is newsworthy.

Overall, I would expect more from a magazine like SELF. It's great to keep in shape, but celebrities have personal trainers so chances are, they will look amazing after having children. Show me a normal mother running a marathon after having twins and able to raise money for a hospital and then I will be intrigued.

Rating: Marooned on an Island

Link to Article: http://www.self.com/livingwell/blogs/celebrity/jennifer_lopez/index.html

LHC is alright with me

2008-09-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

While swashing through Google News today I saw this little gem from The Dallas Morning News.

It's a short post about a helium leak within the Large Hadron Collider, by Andrew Smith detailing the Five W's and linking to a right handy link to a larger story by the AP.

There's nothing particularly objectionable about either one, clearly define and relate the story with none of that end of the world black holes eating the universe shenanigans.

Good on them.

Promoted(s) to first(s) mate(s).

Gay dogs flock to Oregon park

2008-09-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

What is this world coming to? Apparently, this "news" story reveals that the best place for your gay dog is to go to Jamison Square park in Portland, Oregon. Why is this news worthy? It's not.

The author drops the "F-bomb" and talks about his dog getting "down to business." Oh, no. This is just some soft porn for dogs. This is not news at all. The grammar is horrible. The article is just complaining about how his gay dog is not accepted into society in most places, including a gay bar.

I'm sorry, but it's a dog.

An example:
So keep saying how "progressive" Portland is, but until Sparkles can openly frolic with other gay dogs, I ain't buyin' one goddamn word of it. Not until my Sparkles can find some other gay dogs for some pumpin' action in the great, gay dog-friendly outdoors. Then, Sparkles can proudly announce--at his moment of climax, and in his adorable little yips and squeals--"I am queer! I am here! I am Sparkles!"

This is probably one of the worst articles I have ever read in my life. The end.

Rating: Walk the plank - twice over.

Link:
http://www.portlandmercury.com/news/where_are_portland_s_gay_dog_friendly_parks_/Content?oid=31530

Bush bashing takes place as economy crumbles

2008-09-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

So, we are currently in the middle of one of the biggest financial disasters in the history of the United States. President Bush addressed the country tonight with his concerns and plans for the future. One would think that this crisis is a little more important than Clay Aiken coming out of the closet. Yahoo news covered both stories in great detail. However, the difference in the word count for these stories is 395 words.

Now, this seems like a significant difference but when most of the article bashes President Bush with statements such as, "The president turned himself into an economics professor for much of the address," and "Intensive, personal wheeling and dealing is not usually Bush's style as president, unlike some predecessors. He does not often call or meet with individual lawmakers to push a legislative priority," it makes you wonder who wrote this article thinking that the country wants to read about the stupid things President Bush has done. We have too many of those stories as it is. And, this is in no way trying to defend the president and any of his wrong decisions and choices, but a little smack in the face with reality. Give it up. We're tired of hearing about it. With little quips such as those, the focus of the article turns into a presidential bash rather than a news story about how our country is falling apart.

The bottom line is that news stories concerning President Bush never truly end up being about the issues, only his stupidity as a president. Wow, America, that's a great news story. Think again.

Link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/bush_markets

Shark finds candidates as fool's gold

2008-09-23T09:01:00.001-07:00

My mother always said, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Apparently, Joe Biden’s mother did not teach him manners to incorporate in the Presidential election. At his age, you would think that Biden would learn when to keep his mouth shut.

After Biden’s advertisement poked fun at John McCain’s computer illiteracy, Biden received some negative attention of his own.

The author of the article presents how negative campaigning is often used in the election, though the candidates claim they have no idea what is being said. Instead of focusing on only negative republican advertisements, the author provides examples of negative democratic advertisements as well.

Additionally, the author sheds light how the public is picking up on the negative advertising when the candidates should be focusing on issues that Americans. People are beginning to notice the negative campaigns rather than events that matter. One of the author’s sources mentioned to Biden that he knows about the false advertising because he “approves” each media message. Apparently, Biden says he does not know that the negative messages were publicized. Good job to the author for pointing out this piece of information to the public. The author makes me think this: Can I really trust the candidates?

Rating:
Positive 3. Promoted to first mate

Link: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/23/biden-seeks-to-dial-back-from-terrible-comment/

Drop anchor there, Clark

2008-09-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

Columnist Ross Clark dropped an awesome bomb at The Times Online, the web component to the Britain based paper. In his column, Clark attacks what he sees as Britain's inconsistent drug policy.

Particularly in the handling of former Wham! front man George Michael.

Where his argument starts to sail away is right around the point where he compares drug use to child pornography.

Alright, Clark, I got it. Drugs are bad, but come on. Directly proportional to child pornography? That's a bit strong.

Not to mention the lead is more than a little ridiculous.

Ross Clark:
Imagine being a latterday Pontius Pilate presented with two offenders and faced with a dilemma: which to grant a second chance and which to sentence to a long term in jail. Do you free the nervous Jamaican single mum caught at Heathrow with 30 capsules of cocaine in her intestines, having been persuaded to act as a drug mule by a gang promising money to educate her children? Or the multimillionaire pop star caught with crack cocaine in a London public lavatory?

I'm not going to lie, folks going to jail for this sort of thing is terrible. The thing is, we're comparing drug trials to the biblical trial of Christ.

Whoa.

Just going to take the rum.

Magician may need eye patch for blindness?

2008-09-21T17:29:00.000-07:00

This entertainment story could have value - if it actually happened.

The story focuses on the possibility of famous magician David Blaine going blind in his next dangerous stunt, but nothing has actually happened. The story's greatest weakness is that it lacks newsworthiness. David Blaine attempting dangerous feats is nothing new. He's jeopardized his life enough that the public expects it from him.

If the author of this story had focused on the fact that it might "yield valuable data for doctors," as it mentions in the last line, the story could have had some value to the public. Instead, this fact is briefly mentioned and does not detail exactly what data doctors are looking for. In addition to this, the doctors are completely unsure of the side effects and don't even have an estimation of how long Blaine's possible blindness could last.

To improve this story, the author could have spoken to other experts to obtain an estimation or reinforce these ideas. The story lacks substance, but a little more research made have made it slightly worthwhile.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/09/21/david.blaine.ap/index.html

2008-09-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

Dancers leaping across a water fountain are a unique site, and this has the potential to be an interesting story. Typically, dancers dance on a stage inside an auditorium, so when they moved performances outside, it created a new atmosphere for people to enjoy.

However, the style and technique the author of the blog used to describe the fountain dancers was a flat and weak performance. Though the idea and originality of the article was interesting, poor grammar and style weakness outweighed the originality of the piece. This article was written in The Oregonian, a print newspaper, which makes it more disappointing. Reviews and articles should be well written in newspapers, especially a professional one.

What made this piece bad journalism was long, run-on sentences and weird word choices. Though the author described a dance piece, it should have been important to keep the audience in mind. Readers do not want to have to read a sentence three or four times before finally understanding its meaning. Sentences should be simple and to the point. Too much information can lose the reader’s interest, and this piece did deserve to be well written because it was a good topic.

One example of a long sentence with too much information was this: “At first glance, Linda Austin's dance at Lovejoy Fountain was similarly inscrutable, progressing from flocking patterns to pedestrian jogs to agitated shakes, but Austin, like Halprin, is a choreographer deeply attuned to her performance environment, and her ingenious use of drinking cups to stain the fountain's walls in streams of water revealed contours of the space previously unseen.”

After reading the sentence a few times, I got the overall idea of the movement and flow of the dancers, yet the words used to describe it were too big and downright weird such as “inscrutable” and “pedestrian jobs.”

If this piece was written with the target audience in mind and correct AP style, it would have been as enjoyable to read as watching the actual performance.

Link to article:
http://www.oregonlive.com/performance/index.ssf/2008/09/tba_08_the_halprininspired_cit.html

Generic Post to be removed.

2008-09-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

This is one.