washingtonpost.com Tour

Don't forget we're meeting today at washingtonpost.com in Arlington, Va. For details, see our class syllabus.

More on Blogs -- Class Favorites

All of the blogs that I asked you to look at in the last assignment were written by professional journalists or former journalists -- including the very personal postings from Jessica Shyu, who graduated from our college not too long ago and is now working as a teacher in New Mexico in the Teach for America program.

But, as many of you noted in your comments, many blogs are not by professional writers--but are still interesting, due to the quality of the comments from the main author and other contributors.

Here are a few other blogs that you and your classmates say you look at - some more regularly than others. Some are written by journalists, while others are not:

• Wonkette, the D.C. Gossip, at www.wonkette.com
• Pink is the New Blog
• www.livemusicblog.com (devoted to indie/jamband music)
• www.blogmaverick.com (the Mark Cuban Weblog)
• http://surfinglist.com/cblog/ (a surfer's blog)
• www.lostremote.com (a television and media blog)
• www.marclamonthill.com/mlhblog/ (a professor who blogs)
• http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/ (on the Washington Capitals)
• http://dc.metblogs.com/ (on D.C.-area topics, from politics to Metro)
• http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/ (by the Dilbert cartoonist)
• http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/ (on the Redskins)

To find more, try the search tool www.technorati.com; news sites such as www.washingtonpost.com, www.chron.com and www.usatoday.com and (which often host reporters as bloggers); and blogging tools, such as www.blogger.com.

Class Blog Assignment

Before you start, please read my blog notes below.

THEN:

Please check out the following five sites, plus one of your own choosing. For each, BRIEFLY answer the following three questions:

1. Is this a blog? If so, why? If not, why not? (Explain concisely, considering the following: Is it updated regularly, and from the top down? Does it link to reader comments and questions (making it participatory)? Does it link to other stories on the topic? Is it creating a geographic or nongeographic community? Is it written with attitude and edge?)

2. Would you look at this site again if you didn’t have to?

3. How could it be improved?

Please type up your answers in a Word doc and e-mail them to me by Friday, Nov. 24, at 1 p.m.

http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/

http://www.buzzmachine.com/

http://www.newmediamusings.com/

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=31

http://jbshyu.typepad.com/ OR http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/jshyu/

PLUS a sixth blog of your choosing.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Citizen Journalism and Blogs

What exactly is a Web log?


There are various definitions, including these given a few years back by blogger-journalists participating in a national Online News Association conference in Berkeley, Calif.:

• “It’s a template with dynamic content, updated frequently, with links. It doesn’t have to be commentary.”—Denise Polverine, editor in chief of www.Cleveland.com, which started several Weblogs in spring 2003
• “It’s a new form of journalism. It’s irreverent, it’s not in the authoritarian male voice…and transparency is important.” --Sheila Lennon, who writes a blog on www.projo.com
• “Blogging is a conversation…” –Jeff Jarvis, president and creative director of Advance.net
• “Call it participatory journalism or journalism from the edges. Simply put, it refers to individuals playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, sorting, analyzing and disseminating news and information—a task once reserved almost exclusively to the news media”; and “an emerging new media ecosystem—a network of ideas.”-- J.D. Lasica, senior editor of OJR, writing in the fall 2003 Nieman Reports
• “It should be obvious that Weblogs aren’t competing with the work of the professional journalism establishment, but rather complementing it.”—Managing Editor Scott Rosenberg writing in Salon in 2002.
  
  Many would agree: blogs are updated often, from the top down; they include reader comments and questions; they include links to documents or stories; they can build a non-geographic or a geographic community; they can be written with attitude and edge.
  
  Who’s doing it?
  
  Leslie Walker, who until late-summer 2006 wrote a dot.com column for The Washington Post, reported that free blogging tools have been available since 1999, but they didn’t catch on in a big way until the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. She quoted Evan Williams, chief executive of one of the earliest tools—blogger.com—saying that site had more than a million registered users in early 2003.
  
  Technorati, which allows users to search for blogs (www.technoratic.com), was tracking 60 million sites as of late November 2006.
  
  Teens are turning to blogging in a big way: A November 2005 Pew Internet & American Life Project study reported that 4 million youths between the ages of 12 and 17 had made a Web log--or 19 percent of teen Internet users.
  
  But Web logs have also played an important role in emerging democracies.
  
  Jeff Jarvis estimated that in 2003 there were about 100,000 Weblogs in Iran. He said: “Countries without free speech are finding free speech in Weblogs.”

Are there negatives to blogging?

Tom Regan, associate editor of csmonitor.com, wrote in the fall 2003 Nieman Reports: “In the eyes of many journalists, blogs are poorly written, self-absorbed, hyper-opinionated, and done by amateurs.”

Some have called the citizen writing on them a threat to the gatekeeper role that news organizations have held.

On the flip side, supporters have argued: “They introduce fresh voices into the national discourse on various topics and help build communities of interest through their collection of links.”—Walter Mossberg writing in the Wall Street Journal in March 2003.

On a personal note: They are a good way to stay in touch with friends and family, while traveling or studying abroad.

And, of course, lots of political stories have been influenced by bloggers:

• Then-Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott’s comments in 2002 about how the country would have been better off had they elected segregationist presidential candidate Sen. Strom Thurmond in 1948 eventually cost him his leadership post. Initially, the mainstream media ignored the comments, which Lott made at a birthday party for Thurmond. But bloggers kept the story alive, and Lott stepped down as minority leader.
• During the last presidential election, bloggers questioned the credibility of CBS News Anchor Dan Rather’s September 2004 piece, which alleged President Bush had used influence to evade the draft and join the Texas National Guard. Bloggers raised the possibility that the documents Rather and his producers built the story around had been forged; Rather later resigned the anchor job.

In addition, citizen reporters and bloggers helped the Times Picayune in New Orleans to report on the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in fall of 2005.

Commonly used blogger publishing tools:

• www.blogger.com
• www.wordpress.org
• www.typepad.com (has free 30-day trials; don’t need own server; powered by Movable Type engine)
• www.xanga.com
• www.livejournal.com (for blogging and social networking)
• www.MySpace.com (for blogging and social networking)

Sites to check out:
Washingtonpost.com’s Best Blogs Politics and Elections page, based on readers’ picks for 2004: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-adv/marketing/blog/. Among the blogs picked are Wonkette (http://http://www.wonkette.com/) and National Review’s The Corner (http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/corner.asp).

Also check out: Jeff Jarvis’ www.BuzzMachine.com, Andrew Sullivan’s “The Daily Dish” at www.andrewsullivan.com, Glenn Harlan Reynolds’ www.instapundit.com and
E-Media Tidbits, http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=31, with postings by a gaggle of new-media experts.

And, of course, go to www.Technorati.com to find out who’s linking to whom in the Weblog universe, and to search by topic.

headlines

Bad: Suspect in Bank Holdup Returns for Another Go, Police Say

I don't like the attribution in the headline. It i s a waste of space, and we can pretty much assume that this is coming from a police source.

Good: N. Korea Agrees to Return to Nuclear Talks

This is simple and to the point. There are no extra words and it is fairly easy to understand after one quick read-through.

Good and Bad Headlines

Good Headline:

1 BR, Fully Loaded
from the Washingtonpost.com:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/31/AR2006103101406.html

I like this headline because it draws the reader in. At first you're like... "BR?" Then it says "Fully Loaded," and you think, "Hmm, what's that all about." Or at least I did. As I read on, I discovered that the article is about New York housing. Rather how with the housing market hype plateauing, bedrooms and apartments come with different luxory gimmicks to bring buyers in.

Bad Headline:

Rappers get real as gaming, music firms partner
from YahooNews: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061101/tc_nm/media_videogames_dc

This headline just does not make sense to me. Is it rapping gets just as real as gaming? No. That doesn't make sense. The story is about the partnering of the music industry, specifically rap and hip-hop, and the gaming industry. The headline is wordy and the first part doesn't make complete sense. Not to mention that there are no specific references to rappers.... they aren't an integral part of the story, so they shouldn't be in the headling. A better headline would be: Def Jam Records firms partiner with gaming industry.

Good/Bad Headlines

Bad: Man arrested for fires http://www.washingtonpost.com/

I was hoping for an article about a man arrested for the current Cali fire since the story was next to a video about the death of a fifth firefighters in the most recent blaze. Instead, this article was about a man arrested for arson in connection to fires that occurred in the summer.

Good: Heil-o'ween http://www.nypost.com/

A story about "A student at a Brooklyn high school named for a prominent Jewish educator faced a blitzkrieg of trouble yesterday when he arrived dressed as Adolph Hitler." Goes with a picture of a kid dressed as Hitler with his hand in the air.

headlines

"Dreamliner designed so fliers can breathe easy"
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2006-10-30-boeing-air-usat_x.htm
I think this is an example of a good headline. I like the way it incorporates that a new plane is being designed with the needs of passengers without giving away too much of the story.

"College Halloweens lean toward sexy"
http://www.diamondbackonline.com/media/storage/paper873/news/2006/10/31/News/College.Halloweens.Lean.Toward.Sexy-2411136.shtml?norewrite200611011241&sourcedomain=www.diamondbackonline.com
I think this is an example of a bad headline. I guess they are talking about people wearing sexy costumes, but it is just not a strong headline.

Good and Not-so -Adept Headlines

Good Headline

The Door, a Lone Window on the Past
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/31/AR2006103101529.html

I think this is a good headline because it leaves something to the imagination and it prompts the reader to look past the headline and into the body of the story. The headline is a great metaphor of how an everyday item can be a connection between the past, present, and the future. I believe the headline conveys many of the feelings that the subject is experiencing in realtion to her childhood home being demolished.

Not-So-Adept Headline

Student driver fails drivers test
http://www.jamestownsun.com/articles/index.cfm?id=42271§ion=news&freebie_check&CFID=4359171&CFTOKEN=85238449&jsessionid=883079ac9eb629733551

This headline could use some work because it is too general and it does not get to the heart of the story. Once you read the article you find out that the student driver failed the test because she ran into the side of the motor vehicle administration building. This headline does not highlight the uniqueness of the story. It should include something alluding to why the student driver failed her test. The headline for this story is just too general and does not draw the reader into the body of the story.

headlines - nick sohr

Good headline-
Kerry, Kerry, Quite Contrary
The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_4582464
The headline is catchy, clever and and fits the article well. The article blasts Kerry's remarks about Iraq, admonishing him for either making fun of students, or the president, or both. And while the headline contains information that I need to know before deciding whether to click the link or not, it does create a certain air of mystery that leaves me wanting to read more.

Bad headline-
Passion for soccer drives Cirovski
The (Baltimore) Sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/bal-sp.cirovski01nov01,0,2551592.story?coll=bal-sports-headlines
This is a profile piece about UMD soccer coach Sasho Cirovski. This headline tells me nothing new about him and doesn't make me want to look at the piece. Clearly, a long-time and highly successful coach has a passion for his sport. This is just obvious and boring. Even if you don't know who Cirovski is, the headline doesn't spark any interest in the story.

Headlines: Good and Bad

The Clever Headline:

Probe Scares off Ex-Monster Boss

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10312006/business/probe_scares_off_ex_monster_boss_business_holly_m__sanders.htm

Founder of Monster Worldwide, the internet jobs Web site, quits instead of attending an inquiry on a possible stock scandal. Since the story appeared on Halloween, the play on words is clever. The caption under the picture is also witty: "Doing the Monster Dash."

Not-so-good Headline:

Millions aimed at easing loneliness

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/23/agencies.bequeathed.ap/index.html

The story is about a woman who donates millions to agencies serving the elderly. But the headline puts a double meaning on the word "Millions." It can be interpreted as millions of people, things, etc. The word is too vague and gives an incomplete meaning to the story.

good and not-so-good headlines

I thought that the headline "A Preemptive Strike Is Launched Against Meth" that I found on Washingtonpost.com (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701789.html) was really clever. The headline was describing a story about an anti-methamphetamine campaign in Northern Virginia. Unlike my not-so-good choice, this headline is creative yet can be clearly understood by readers. It grabs the attention of readers and makes want to read the story.

good and not-so-good headlines

I thought that the headline "A Preemptive Strike Is Launched Against Meth" that I found on Washingtonpost.com (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701789.html) was really clever. The headline was describing a story about an anti-methamphetamine campaign in Northern Virginia. Unlike my not-so-good choice, this headline is creative yet can be clearly understood by readers. It grabs the attention of readers and makes want to read the story.

good and not-so-good headlines

I thought that the headline "Resort scares up ghostly gatherings" that I found on the Delmarvanow.com website (http://www.delmarvanow.com/mdbeachcomber/stories/20061027/2342828.html) was confusing to readers. The headline refers to a story discussing the local Halloween bar celebrations throughout Ocean City. I do not think the headline describes that at all. If anything, the headline makes me think more of haunted houses or hayrides. In addition, it just does not make sense. The resort can not "scare up" something and Halloween themed nights at the bar are hardly ghostly gatherings. I think that in trying to be clever, the writer ended up just confusing readers with a headline that does not make any logical sense.

Headlines

Here is a bad headline: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/31/AR2006103100957.html

The headline here is not so confusing, but the link to it reads: "Hezbollah Says in Talks on Israel Prisoner Swap." This is a confusing headline. "Hezbollah says in talks"? This phrase is difficult to handle on the first read.

Another one that I wasn't too sure about: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/31/AR2006103100225.html

The problem here is that the most important fact - that the U.S. followed the order - only appears in the deck headline.

A good headline: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/31/AR2006103100936.html

The headline clarifies exactly the point of the article in a concise manner and is not confusing.

Good and bad headlines

Not so good headline:
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20061024/a_contractors24.art.htm

“Crooked builders hit storm victims”

I think the wording in this headline is awkward and conveys little meaning. This story is about unlicensed contractors who are using Katrina victims by collecting down payments for home repairs and then fleeing. Do the builders make crooked homes? Do these crooked homes fall and hit the victims? Do the criminal builders physically hit the victims? After reading the headline the reader doesn’t know what the story is about. I think a word besides “crooked” would be better suited to describe an illegitimate worker. And the word “hit” often times has a physical connotation.

Good headline:

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20061027/a_earlyvoting27.art.htm

“More voters aren’t waiting for Election Day”

This headline is concise and meaningful. The gist of the story is clearly stated—more people intend to vote before the actual election day of Nov.7. It also makes the reader curious of why there is a jump in early voting.

Headline Analysis

Good: In Baghdad, a Sudden Chance to Play
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701635.html

Not only is this headline clear and concise, but it also generates curiosity. The headline suggests that people in Baghdad actually found time to relax and have fun. How could this happen in a place where people are afraid to leave their homes? Readers want to know the answer, so they read the article. The story explains how the end of Ramadan brought several quiet days to the violent city. The headline indicates that the story will be about Baghdad’s recent decline in violence, and the article delivers.


Not-so-good: Transgender MP in toilet fracas
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6094782.stm

This headline makes you say “Huh?” While the headline is concise, it’s not clear enough to accurately describe the story. What is a toilet fight? The story describes the controversy in Italy over which restroom a transgender named Vladimir Luxuria should use. This headline also tries to lure the reader through curiosity, but it’s not as clearly written as the Baghdad headline.

Spring 2007 new-media courses

Friends, in case any of you are interested in taking additional new-media courses in the spring session, here's a link to info on courses attached to the online bureau semester (working for Maryland Newsline):

http://www.newsline.umd.edu/bureauflierfall2006.htm

good and not so good headlines

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/10/26/germany.skull.reut/index.html
"Germany orders troops skull probe"
-The story is about Germany ordering an investigation into photos that show soldiers desecrating a skull in Afghanistan. But the wording is awkward. Try reading it out loud. The headline is confusing...the skull of one of the troops? The troops' skull? They have a skull? What? The headline pops, but the wording could have been a little better to avoid complete confusion. Drawing the reader in is one thing, but confusion is just frustrating.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/25/AR2006102500174.html
"N.J. Ruling Mandates Rights for Gay Unions"
-Clear, to the point. The reader can easily understand that N.J. has made a ruling that's a victory for homosexuals. Let's read more for the details.

Bad Headline: DNA Testing A Mixed Bag For Immigrants (The Washington Post - 10/25/06)

This hed is confusing because it mixes a commonly serious issue - immigration - with a strange non sequitor - mixed bag. When you read the story, you understand how immigrants are using DNA testing to prove family ties but if the hed doesnt get you into the story what good is it.

Good Headline: For SpongeBob, 3-year-old sacrifices freedom (at least temporarily) (USA Today - 10/25/06)

Somehow this hed works with the same methods that caused the immigration hed to fail. There is a sense of danger in this hed and combined with the Spongebob part, this draws you in to find out what happened.

good and bad headlines

Good Headline: Study Finds Flu Shots are Safe for Kids (Washington Post 10.25.06)

I think this headline is good because even without reading the article you get a little piece of news. You can glance at it, for example and learn that it’s fine to give your child a flu shot. It’s concise and clear and practical.

Bad Headline: Chewing Food With Her Legs (USA Today 10.24.06)

This is for an article about how crabs chew their food with their legs but it sounds really strange on first glance and they could have made it more clear to the reader.

Headline Comparisons

Class, please find a good and not-so-adept headline on one or more news Web sites, and explain why you think so here. Please be sure to give the full URL and headline for each. Please don't write anything you don't want the world to see.

A "not-so-adept" headline

Here's one I found on MSNBC.com's homepage: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/
"Whites pursued Katrina settlements more than blacks"

...Once the link is clicked, however, it's more appropriate:
"Whites challenged Katrina settlements more: Minorities, poor didn't know about resources available to help settle claims"

The first headline made it seem like black people just didn't care enough to pursue them. The second headline gives a better explanation.

Elizabeth's picture

Feature Story Picture:
http://www.nppa.org/competitions/best_of_still_photojournalism/2004/winners/still/MFS/1st_2772_mental

or

http://www.nppa.org/competitions/best_of_still_photojournalism/2004/winners/still/index.cfm?category=MFS&place=1st&image=3

Photographer: John Stanmeyer, VII for Time Magazine

The bright red and green colors first caught my eye for this image. I thought it looked like a photo for an upbeat story. However, when I looked more carefully, it showed a deep sadness.

The skewed angle of the shot suggests madness, imbalance. The little child curled in the corner further expresses the desolation of this place. Then there were the dark shadows of two other children. The image speaks to me of innocent children in a mean, dark abyss.

According to the caption, it is a mental hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Little boys live there, seemingly abandoned by the outside world. They don't even have shoes or beds.

REACTION TO PHOTO

http://www.poynterextra.org/NPPA2003PJ/pictures/First-PIC.jpg
This photograph grabbed by attention immediately when it appeared on the page. The boldness of the colors and details of the checker board are striking and give the photo a lot of character. The man's hand is a focal point of the picture and contrasts well with the colors of the checker board. The historical figures featured on the board, along with the age of the board and the hand of the man, give the picture character and a sense of history. This picture tells not only the history of the checker board and its player, but also the photographic advances since the time the board made.

Chelsea

Good Photo

http://www.poynterextra.org/NPPA2003PJ/pictures/DON-HM.jpg

I like this photo because the two women probably have never met before and yet the one is trying to comfort the other. I wish I knew what they were saying.

Shot from NPAA's best of photojournalism

My favorite picture from the NPAA's best of photojournalism 2003 was a still by the Dallas Morning News' Barbara Davidson that came in third place for international news. The photograph majestically captures the anguish of its subjects -- desparing prisoners of war in one of Afghanistan's most isloated and desolate camps. The dirty hands on iron prison bars and the expression on the man's face capture and communicate the misery of the men there.

Mother and her children

This picture http://chnm.gmu.edu/digitalhistory/digitizing/5.php from "Digital History, A Guide to Gathering, Preserving and Presenting the Past on the Web," by Daniel J. Cohen and Roy Rosenzweig is really touching. The picture is really clear and you can see the worry on the mother's face and understand that she is trying to be strong for her children. I like that it is in black and white because it really makes you focus on the emotion in the picture instead of other aspects of it.

photojournalism - cat vacuum

http://www.poynterextra.org/NPPA2003PJ/pictures/FEA-THIRD.jpg

The first thing that struck me about this picture was how funny and bizarre it was. I couldn't believe it was real. But after reading the caption and looking back, seeing how intent the kid was on doing his job, it's really very well done. There is an air of mystery at first glance - it's really hard to tell what's going on, but it makes you want to learn more about it.