No words are needed

http://bop.nppa.org/2006/still_photography/winners/UPS/47971/91357.html

This photo is great because it immediately shows the contrast between nine-year-old Edward, who was born without legs, and other children. The school setting, the expression on Edward's face and the row of tennis shoes all help set a tone for the package, too. Wish I could take photos like that.
Another really cool thing: Paul, the photographer, is one of my former co-workers (and still a friend). I was writing about schools when we worked together and I was always glad to find out he would be my shooting one of my stories.

My photo - Eric

http://bop.nppa.org/2006/still_photography/winners/OPY/61729/119109.html

I especially loved this photo by David Guttenfelder of the Associated Press because it has a wonderful contrast of color from the fading bleak colors in the background of the houses in the alley and then the brightness of the dye that is in the air and on the Indian boy. It really show the action and surprise in this boy's face when he is pelted with dye in celebration of this holy holiday.

Joey's photo

My favorite photo off of the poynter website was a photo from an NFL game that received first place in the Team Sports Action category in 2003. The link can be found at javascript:makewin('http://www.poynterextra.org/NPPA2003pj/sat.htm', 790, 650, 'scrollbars').

I thought it was a great photo because it captivated the intensity of the game being played, and it focused in on the action even after the play had ended.

Good Photo - Lisa

http://bop.nppa.org/2006/thumbnails/512/00009837-OPY-61729/119109.jpg

I liked this photograph because it has a very strong point of entry. The colors of the person and his background combined with the more normal scenery to the left gives a visual surprise to the viewer. The lighting is really good and it is a dominant foreground with an informational background, giving us a sense of place. Finally, it's almost a little graphic with the buildings in the background, and the man and the colors almost flowing perfectly covering up one building.

-Lisa Seaman

Heads up!

What's up guys? Mike, here. The photo I'm writing about was in the "Best Sports Enterprise" section (take a look)

http://bop.nppa.org/2006/still_photography/winners/SPE/61778.html

I think this picture is just great. You probably all heard me laughing out loud in class when I saw it. The photo is great because it really captures the emotion of the moment -- I think most of us can agree we would exhibit similar emotion with a splintered piece of lumber flying at our heads at high speed. Aside from that, the lighting is great, the photo is tight and all of the faces are in focus. My two favorite fans are the old guy in the lower right corner (who would have stood no chance at getting out of the way should the bat have came directly toward him) and the guy in the top left who looks like he really think's he's about to die (he might if he chokes on that big wad of gum).

http://bop.nppa.org/2006/thumbnails/512/00009837-OPY-61729/119109.jpg

This is a picture taken by 1st place winner David Guttenfelder from the Associated Press. It's a picture of an Indian man apart of the Hindu festival of colors in the old city of Dehli on March 26, 2005. I really like this shot, first and foremost, for its use of color. The sharp constrast of the vibrant red and green really makes this photo eye-popping. Also the background image shows a typical image of the city, while the foreground shows an example of a very important ritual to these people. The festival is meant to celebrate fertility and Hindu gods and this picture represents the importance of this event. In this way, it is fascinating for how it looks and what it means.

Adena's Favorite Photo

Hi Everyone!

My favorite photograph from the NPPA: The Best of Photojournalism 2006 can be found by clicking on the following link:

http://bop.nppa.org/2006/still_photography/winners/OPY/61729/119107.html

The photo features an Afghan man washing himself near Kabul. I like this photo for a variety of reasons. First of all, I think that the shot is framed very well, as the man washing himself is found in the lower third on the right side of the photo. Also, I really like the colors in the photo, since it appears that the picture was taken right around sundown.

In terms of content and emotional value, I like this photo because it contrasts most that we see of Afghan subjects. When we usually think of Afghanistan, we consider photos of camouflaged soldiers and fleeing civilians. This photo displays a rare quiet moment in which the countryside appears peaceful. A man is just carrying out his daily routine. In addition, the mountain behind the man is quite striking, adding to the value of the photo.

Have a Good Week!
Adena

Stunning photos

http://bop.nppa.org/2006/still_photography/winners/DPS/68852/136701.html

This photo, taken during the Hurricane Katrina disaster, is an excellent photo for its ability to capture the chaos by simply showing the faces of two extremely different personalities. With gun-in-hand police officers and crying children carried in a moving cart in the background, the photo still directs the viewer's attention to an elderly lady and young child. This lady, aged 105, has this determined face that shows her frustrations, yet she seems able to handle it all. The five-year-old black child is possibly as opposite as possible from the old lady and yet she is holding her hand, leading her to safety, or so it seems. With clarity and color balance, the old lady-young child duo makes for a stunning photo.

Good Photo-Fighting Blaze

Kathy Park-

http://bop.nppa.org/2006/still_photography/winners/UPY/61798/119314.html

This photo is a 1st place winner in the small market category. It shows two firemen working hard to fight a blaze in a residential neighborhood. What's so interesting about this photo is that the next door neighbor is almost oblivious to the event. He is seen leaving his house to walk his dog, while his neighbor's house is burning away!

This event is so unbelievable, that it makes for a good photo. When I first looked at it, I stared at it in disbelief. It's a moment rarely caught on camera. All the basic elements of a good photo is present, but most importantly, it triggers a reaction.

Resume Deadline Pushed Back Due to Snow

Class, please note: Because the university cancelled classes last Wednesday, your Web resumes are due at the start of class on Feb. 21. I also pushed back the date of the midterm by one week. Please see your syllabi for updates:

Undergrads: http://www.jclass.umd.edu/652352/jour352spring07a.htm

Grads: http://www.jclass.umd.edu/652352/jour652spring07.htm

See you tomorrow!
Chris

Web Resumes Due

Class, a reminder that your Web resume pages are due at the start of class on Wednesday, Feb. 14. You save a copy of the resume to the x drive to turn it in. (X is a staging area that I can access.) I will copyedit all your resumes and return them to you the following week, at which point you will put in the changes, and I will move them to the live server. Then I will explain how to find them on the Internet.

Here is a reminder about the requirements for this resume assignment:
It should include subheads, internal (anchor) links, an e-mail address link, at least one external hyperlink, and at least one bulleted list. Your resume should also include a horizontal rule. Background colors are optional, as are changed link colors. Each factual mistake will result in one letter-grade deduction, as will each broken link. Unreadable resumes (because of bad color choices for fonts or backgrounds) will result in an automatic F. Assignments lose a full letter grade for each day that they're late. YOU MUST FOLLOW AP STYLE FOR PRINT THROUGHOUT; this includes for dates and addresses.

Reminders: I recommend you save references on a sheet separate from your resume; I also recommend eliminating "objective" from your resume. That topic is best dealt with in a cover letter.

when do we put the resumes online?

Hey Professor Harvey, I was a little confused because the stuff we did in class isn't actually on the web already is it? And how are we going to transfer the html coding to an actual site that will appear on the Internet for others to view.

Welcome to Our Blog!

Class, throughout the semester I'll be asking you to weigh in with thoughts on published headlines, photos, news sites and more.

This is your space for sharing thoughts.

Please remember that many eyes beyond this class may see this; be respectful even when you're critiquing.

Participation in the blog will count toward your class grade.

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.