Caroline's 491 Media Blog

VJ3! Finally done. This piece covers the controversy of caffeine...

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:02:48 -0500

VJ3! Finally done. This piece covers the controversy of caffeine found in alcoholic beverages and the FDA’s response and actions taken. I will post more when I am done traveling later!

Newsweek and Daily Beast

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:04:47 -0500

In a recent New York Times article, David Carr comments on the combining of Newsweek and the Daily Beast, and says the two properties that have almost nothing in common other than the fact that they both lose lots of money. I found it amusing, but more importantly an interesting nuptial for a online-only news site.

Nature montage

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 23:52:27 -0500

Nature montage

More digital books! This is the Kno and it seems spectacular,...

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:52:13 -0500

More digital books! This is the Kno and it seems spectacular, but I still don’t think I can get used to not holding a collection of papers and such. (This article introduced it in June.) It is an e-reader and a tablet - so sort of like the iPad meets the Kindle, and its relatively inexpensive for something of the sort.

Regardless, the Kno comes from the same guy that started up Chegg, the text book renting service. He is looking out for us college folk! So all in all, while the world is becoming so digital… I am wondering if we are keeping up? Or falling behind? Are be succumbing to purchasing these products, or are we sticking to our tangible, heavy text books?

Photo Gallery Assignment; Our Cancer Year. The event itself was...

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:10:00 -0500

Photo Gallery Assignment; Our Cancer Year.

The event itself was the speech given by Brabner and Stack but there was also a photo gallery in Stewart Center (disclaimer: I was NOT able to go inside the gallery to take photos due to copyrights).

I spent last Thursday evening in Stewart Center shooting students and residents coming to hear the speakers, as well as the outside of the gallery where people browsed through to look at the images from the graphic novel, “Our Cancer Year”, which details the late Harvey Pekar’s battle with lymphoma. I took photos inside the Eliza Fowler Hall, as well to give a better sense of where the event took place and tried to get reactions from attendees, but a lot of people actually fell asleep and didn’t find it as interesting as I.

Midterm Elections

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 22:19:00 -0400

Though I mostly find myself getting news from print on most occasions (the Expo, JandC), there is only so much you can get out of one newspaper. So I browse the internet, and my favorite midterm election site ended up being CNN. But as the member of a very conservative household I always tend to read from both sides and from there draw upon my own conclusions. This year CNN had frequent updates, and kept me in the loop as much as I needed to be.

One of those other sites I used during this year’s elections was the Drudge Report (my dad had made this my homepage a while back). Although very conservative and not like my normal CNN, Drudge’s entire page is full of links to other sites giving updates from sites like Fox News and The Washington Times. These link to election results, what I spend most of my time paying attention to.

Of course to tie into the course, another way I tracked the election was by The Daily Beast, one of the online-only newspapers we are looking at for our case study in group two. On the Cheat Sheet tonight there is an an article that mentions that the Senate races in Alaska and Washington are still undecided, and that there is a net loss in the total number of women in Congress this year, for the first time in thirty years! That just shows me that The Daily Beast is bringing up other relevant news that maybe not all sites cover. So altogether, I think I have some pretty superb ways to get my election coverage efficiently and quickly.

Headcount

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:56:00 -0400

One way I have been keeping up with the Midterm Elections is through Headcount. They register voters at concerts and make civic participation part of the live music experience. Bands have helped Headcount register over 160,000 voters by welcoming them at their concerts, pointing to their tables from stage and appearing in public service announcement campaigns.

This is how I registered to vote at a festival in New York in 2008 and think it is simply great that musicians and their fans believe they can be leaders of the worldwide social movement.

One of the tabs is called issues and has links to websites regarding these issues. One issue is farm and food policy and to follow is a list of links that are credible, professional sources like such:

FarmFoody.org– A social network connecting individuals to farms and gardens.
FoodPolitics.com – A popular blog maintained by a New York University professor.
NinaPlankc.com – News updated by a best-selling author.
AgriFeeds.org – Aggregated news and events on agriculture.
Ers.USDA.gov/publications – The Economic Research Service is a primary source of economic information and research in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ERS conducts a research program to inform public and private decision making on economic and policy issues involving food, farming, natural resources and rural development.

I went to vote yesterday while I was home (in South Bend) at the City Building.

Thoughts on VJ2

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:30:00 -0400

My second VJ piece went a lot smoother- I decided to use a different camera, with no tape so uploading and importing went 100% smoother than with the first piece (in Hicks). Also, I did a voice over - which I ended up loving; one reason being the fact that you just get to hear yourself talk, and another because it made my piece flow so much better than the Purdue Rifle and Pistol Club piece.

One issue I ran into was combining both pieces of audio. The audio from my interviews, which was recorded in the video itself, couldn’t be added because I couldn’t have both- it seemed like I had to choose one or the other throughout the whole piece, something I will work on for the next VJ piece.

The topic I chose was perfect for the season, and the idea of ritual, and loved trying out all the aspects of video journalism and what I have been learning so far, and will continue to learn. I have to say that all the hands on, in depth work that we have been doing is AWESOME and a great learning experience thus far.

This is my second video journalism piece on the ritual of...

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 10:37:03 -0400

This is my second video journalism piece on the ritual of pumpkin carving during the autumn season, where it came from, and how people partake in rituals today.

I used the Flip camera to create my video, Garageband for my voice over (which I learned to love during the podcast project) and put my video together to be short and sweet and to the point.

Newspaper: falling circulation - though the rate of decline has slowed (and for some increased)

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:43:00 -0400

Figures released by the A udit Bureau of Circulations showed that overall weekday circulation at 635 newspapers declined 5 percent from circulation in the same six months last year. The decline last year was at more than twice that rate, which is good ‘news’ for now!

And! actually the newspaper reporting the highest weekday circulation was The Wall Street Journal at just over 2 million, though that number includes 450,000 electronic subscriptions. The number of individually paid printed copies the journal distributes each weekday averaged 1.4 million. Over all, The Journal’s circulation was up almost 2 percent — one of only two major newspapers to report an increase. The other was The Dallas Morning News, randomly.

This article can be found from the NYTimes.

This just in

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 10:27:00 -0400

I was checking my Facebook, and C-SPAN just posted a video on social media used in political campaigns. Since we talk about C-SPAN and social media utilization practically everyday, I figured this would be interesting for all.

They talk about the impact of media on the campaign,and speakers include Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at GWU and former CNN Washington Bureau chief Ben Smith, POLITICO, moderator Mindy Finn, EngageDC Adam Conner, Facebook Sam Arora, Democrat for Delegate (MD) Philip de Vellis, Murphy Putnam Media Matthew Hindman, The George Washington University.

In regards to my last C-SPAN video, I just wanted to share this...

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:00:06 -0400

In regards to my last C-SPAN video, I just wanted to share this with anyone who may be interested. No it has nothing to do with the Phelps-Snyder case, but has everything to do with the heroes we have in our country. The first soldier talking is my cousin, Eric Lawson of the 101st Airborne Division. This video I uploaded from YouTube, but is from NATO channelTV.com.

The video includes Afghan and US troops whom are involved in a major operation to drive the Taliban out of districts surrounding Kandahar. Taking place in Zahri, an area north of the city this piece shows the working relationship between Afghan and US troops, and truly shows progress!

Likewise

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 12:08:43 -0400

Witch! Marxist! The taunts flew in Christine O’Donnell’s debate with Chris Coons in the Delaware Senate race. Will her down-to-earth showing get her back in the game? Samuel P. Jacobs reports for Group 2’s online-only news site The Daily Beast.

The debate article also includes two C-SPAN videos with interviews of O’Donnell, very interesting.

Social Media and Christine O' Donnell

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 11:52:00 -0400

Krystal Ball, a Democratic Congressional candidate from Virginia, has blamed her opponent, Republican Rob Wittman, for posting scandalous photos of her on a Republican blog last week. Ball said the photos were taken when she was just out of college and had not considered entering politics.

But alas, that is one thing we must always worry about.

It is our requirement, with nothing being private on the internet, to protect ourselves from this sort of thing from happening. Although we may not have complete control, we should always keep in mind that at any given moment, something in our past may become public information. Although these sorts of photos, found on social media sites aren’t looked at as a resume or official document of a person, they are still looked at as a resemblance of a person, and that should be taken into serious consideration. This could and does happen to anyone, so being aware and coming off as a normal human that makes mistakes is probably one of the best ways of getting through this sort of debacle. By addressing the issue, Ball has made the appropriate response.

Dee Dee Myers

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:46:33 -0400

In response to Maura’s post on the White House Gaggle - Dee Dee Myers holds the distinction of being the first woman to serve as White House Press Secretary from January 20, 1993 to December 22, 1994 during Clinton’s term as President.

With two cousins as active members in the U.S. military, the...

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 22:25:07 -0400

With two cousins as active members in the U.S. military, the Snyder-Phelps case is one I hold dear to my heart. If either of them were killed during action, the least you would expect would be an honorable funeral service, regardless of either’s sexuality.

This video is a discussion centered on First Amendment rights and public protests at military funerals between lawyers and nine justices of the Supreme Court. In particular, Justice Stephen Breyer who talks about the circumstances of broadcasting private individuals on television into Justice Sonia Sotomayor on the intrusion of the privacy on funerals.

At issue was whether a church had the legal right to stage anti-gay protests at U.S. military funerals to promote its claim that God is angry at America for tolerance toward homosexuals. Albert Snyder, the father of a Marine killed in Iraq in 2006, appealed to the Supreme Court after the family’s funeral service drew unwanted and disrespectful protesters of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas.

Thankfully, The Supreme Court interprets the extent of the protection afforded to these rights granted to citizens in the first amendment. The Supreme Court requires the government to provide substantial justification for the interference with the right of free speech where it attempts to regulate the content of the speech.

Hey- Group 2! A shift in the media world, from print to pixels.

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:01:00 -0400

Howard Kurtz, a three-decade veteran of The Washington Post who came to embody insider Washington media reporting with his weekly column and CNN television show, is leaving The Post for Tina Brown’s news and commentary Web site, The Daily Beast- a online- only news site we have decided (I believe) to cover for our group project.

You can read Kurtz’s own article here or the New York Time’s article here.

Creating Video Footage

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:30:00 -0400

This project was fun, until the final steps - importing and editing. I definitely enjoyed being behind the camera, but wish that editing was given more coverage in class.

Having to use Windows Live Movie Maker was very amateurish and did not help me meet my standards I set for myself. There is no voice over option, so no narration (in Windows 7). The video quality also diminished when transferring to Youtube.

When I had planned to go to the DLC, after reserving a computer with iMovie, the importing device was not working correctly, causing extra grief. The workers in the DLC sent me over to a Dell and helped the uploading process from there. I cant blame anyone or anything for this except for computers and technology. But either way I have a finished product and can not wait to begin the next one, which I am determined to use iMovie or Final Cut Pro to make a masterpiece!

The Purdue Rifle and Pistol Club is geared towards the safe...

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:11:00 -0400

The Purdue Rifle and Pistol Club is geared towards the safe handling of guns, as well as the appropriate and effective utilization of pistols and rifles. This video was done in Windows Live Movie Maker, with no voice-over or narration option. I used a Canon camcorder I rented at the DLC, as well the Sony Tripod (which was broken).

I learned a lot from this project, but am definitely going to learn more with my next VJ.

The Social Network That Gets Down to Business

Sun, 03 Oct 2010 14:02:44 -0400

While all forms of social media are different, the NyTimes posted this article, praising the networking tool LinkedIn. LinkedIn is actually more than just a place for job seekers to post a résumé and definitely more than just a place for users to post status updates and pictures of their weekend shenanigans. Some people like Ms. Wiseberg (in the NyTimes article) has realized the importance of LinkedIn and being able to climb the corporate ladder and network with 75 million people who use it, in large part, to find jobs or to recruit candidates for jobs.