Dear Comm 160

Dear Comm 160,

                Here is the one thing you should know to do well in this course, be prepared for a lot of reading and writing! When Professor Young assigns you chapter readings, make sure you do them. It may seem like common sense grammar but there is so much more to it than you may think. Also make sure you take advantage of the handouts given to you in class. Professor Young is kind enough to print out basic steps and hints to making your writing better, read them and your writing will improve as well as your grade in the class. Even though this is a one credit course, it is still a newswriting course which means you won’t get an A without trying. Make sure to keep up with all your assignments because they are all meant to help you in the end! Good luck to you all!

Objectivity

Objectivity is one of the biggest things a journalist should be aware of. It is the action of keeping yourself and your opinions out of a news story. When writing my article on the Behrend Vigil, it was extremely difficult for me to keep myself out of the story. Along with everyone else, I have my own opinion of the Scandal that Penn State is involved in, so writing a story on the issue was hard because I knew I had to state only facts and keep my personal thoughts out. Not only was it difficult for that assignment but it becomes a problem in almost every article, for almost every journalist. Opinions are different with everyone but one must remember that it is not an opinion article it is a news article of facts and details. Objectivity can appear in an article by simply using one wrong word, then the whole piece becomes and opinion. Objectivity is important in journalism because a writer must be fair when stating facts. Everyone has different thoughts on certain matters, and writers must be aware of that and not choose specific sides when writing. No matter their opinions, they must refrain from letting readers know. Objectivity in my opinion, is probably the most difficult factor that journalists must consider when writing a piece of news.

5 types of Leads

ANECDOTAL LEAD –  Creaky cliches throw ‘Wheels’ off track (USA TODAY): Like a runaway train plowing into a station, Hell on Wheels is all noise and flash and blood and guts – and never mind surviving the ride, let alone enjoying it.

-          - This lead is describing the movie Hell on Wheels, and how it is action packed and gory. It can be considered anecdotal because it is painting a picture of a scene while describing the movie.

SUMMARY LEAD – Cantaloupe Listeria is one for Books (USA TODAY): With 29 people confirmed dead, the listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupes from one Colorado farm is officially the deadliest food-borne illness outbreak in the United States since 1924, according to the centers for disease control and prevention.

-          - This lead is explaining the consequences people are facing from the food-borne illness listeria that can be found in many different foods. This lead falls into the category of a summary lead because it give enough information to answer the 5 W’s of the story.

THE ROUND-UP LEAD – Timely ‘Heist’ can’t quite pull it off (USA TODAY): Tower Heist feigns being an Ocean’s Eleven for schmucks, but it plays like a long-outdated 48 Hours.

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-  This lead is using comparison to describe the movie Tower Heist. It is a Round-Up lead because it uses different examples to explain the movie.

SIGNIFICANT DETAIL LEAD – For Bills’ Quarterback, Losing (Wedding Ring) Is Not Option (THE NEW YORK TIMES): Ryan Fitzpatrick, married for nearly five and a half years, says he never removes his wedding band.

-        - The lead for this article is a simple detail that plays into the story of Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and how he finds no reason to ever take off his wedding ring.

ANALYSIS LEAD – Jury Hears a Final Round of Finger-Pointing in the Trial of Michael Jackson’s Doctor (THE NEW YORK TIMES): Michael Jackson’s death was caused by a doctor who was more concerned with making money and protecting himself than caring for his patient, prosecutors said in closing arguments on Thursday in the trial of the man who served as the pop singer’s private physician in the final months of his life and is now charged with man slaughter.

-         - This lead is an analysis lead because it goes deep into the information that the writer will base his story on. It talks about how after all the time spent investigating Michael Jackson’s death, authorities have finally come to a conclusion that all fault is on his doctor who took very little interest in caring for the pop singer.

Copy Edit the Campus

The Beacon
Error: “During halftime when they had the people from each school go out they announced which campuses were present,” James saaid.  
Correction: “During halftime when they had the people from each school go out, they announced which campuses were present,” James said.  

The Dungeon of Doom Flyer
Error: Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday 7:30-11:30PM Halloween til 12AM
Correction: Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday 7:30-11:30 p.m. Halloween until 12a.m.

Class Assignment Sheet
Error: Sometimes it is best to stop, look, and listen for at least five minutes.
Correction: Sometimes it is best to stop, look and listen for at least five minutes.

Homeless Man Charged for Breaking in

Homeless Man Charged for Breaking in

A man was caught by the cops yesterday night after Erie police said he kicked his way into an east-side home, late on Monday night.

Police are charging 66-year-old Gerald T. Kornacki, who is listed as homeless, of forcing his way into a residence on the 1800^th block of East Seventh Street. Officers were called to the crime scene around 11:30 PM to investigate the burglary. They found Kornacki on the couch inside.

A neighbor told police that the residents of the dwelling had recently been evicted. Kornacki told police that his friend used to live there and he occasionally stayed there.

Kornacki was taken into custody and was arraigned before Erie 6^th Ward District Judge, Dominick DiPaolo. He was charged with burglary, criminal trespass and false identification charge and was placed in the Erie Country Prison on $10,000 bond.

Police are continuing to investigate.

Beacon Revision

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Verbs

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904491704576575233025971542.html

This article titled "Get 'Em While They Last: 'Daily Deal' Sites Dying Fast" by Shayndi Raice, caught my attention because on of my roommates is obsessed with these types of websites that offer different deals. She recently told me about Groupon, a website that offers deals based on specific individuals likes and dislikes and she ended up persuading me to join. This article explains how many of these websites might eventually be shutting down due to high competition. When reading this article, I was definitely looking for verbs that stood out to me but I quickly realized I didn't even have too look hard. Raice used a variety of strong verbs to make her article appealing to readers. She starts off opening the article using the verb "spurred" in the very first sentence! As the readers continue through the article, there are different verbs such as "capitalize" and "soared". One other verb that stood out to me while reading Raice's story was "skyrocketed". In my opinion, the authors use of these vibrant verbs definitely added to the story to make it all the more interesting.

Six Words to Describe a Life

Pain-Gain, Up's-Downs, Love-Loss.