The principles closest to me.

Picking just three "most important" journalistic standards is a hard thing to do because they are all important to the practice of journalism in all formats. If I had to choose though, I would say that Transparency, protecting sources and accuracy are at the top of my list.

Transparency for me means that my reader knows what knowledge and biases, if any, I come to the table with. It also means I am open about mistakes I make and readily make the truth available to readers. I like the way the book poses the questions a reporter should ask themselves when considering their own transparency:

• How do you know what you know?
• Who are your sources?
• How direct is their knowledge?
• Are there conflicting acounts?
• What don't you know?
• What was this story, photo or name published?
• Why were other words, photos and names withheld from publication?

On the issue of protecting sources, I am growing more aware. I came to my Media Ethics(MCOM-443) class this semester knowing that I should protect sources because they had given me information so it was only fair. But moving through the content of the class, I keep asking myself just how far I would go to protect my source. Would I go to jail? Would I defy an editor? Protecting confidential sources is important because many times critical information comes from the inside of an operation. The source is risking a lot by coming forward--it seems only natural to protect them for helping me.

Accuracy is a very important principle to me because without accuracy, I can never really do honest work. I feel finding accuracy and truth in stories is extremely important because if I have no credibility how can any reader trust me to tell them the truth? Magazines which focus on having the most outragous headline over accuracy concern me because I would never want people to consider this format journalism. Further, I could never write for these magazines because I could never stand behind my work. Accuracy gives me the courage to stand behind my reporting.

Student takes a stance

While on the hunt for an article about Towson's initiatives to "go green," I came across an article printed in the Moday, November 17th issue of The Towerlight which has helped me to narrow my focus down a bit. In Nick DiMarco's article "Students, community protest coal financers" he writes about a protest by the Baltimore Rising Tide. Througout the article he quotes a Towson student, Amanda Duzak, a senior environmental science and studies major. I am interested in writing a profile piece on Duzak because she obviously cares about the environment and the impacts the human race have on the universe.

Advance Information

I do not have much information on Duzak herself, although I have visited the Baltimore Rising Tide website. There I found the Baltimore chapter is just a small part of the global network to conservation and plans of action to make the planet more sustainable. Specifically about the protest, I know a little about the issue behind the protest on November 14th. A few years ago, I wrote a paper for my environmental science class about the appalacian region. In the paper, I wrote about the working conditions in the coal mines. The protest was part of a chain of protests for Bank of America's investment into coal mining.

Potential Sources

• Amanda Duzak- She is a Towson Senior and environmental sciences and studies major. She also participated in the protest.
• Baltimore Rising Tide- The group is working exclusively in the Baltimore area to make the planet greener. They led the protest.
• Heather Kangas- She is a Towson Junior studying political science. She participated in the protest and may know Duzak.

Potential Questions

• What inspires you to become active in saving the planet?
• How important is global conservation to Towson and the surrounding area?
• Do you feel Towson University is doing enough to "go green"?
• What are a few simple things each person can do to help the environment?
• What are your career aspirations?

Photo Possibilities

I would like to take a simple profile shot of Duzak to begin. I would also like to photograph her doing something related to her field. Obviously, I missed the protest, so I probably won't be able get that sort of shot but I would be open to following her to a protest in order to get the action shot. I could also capture her doing something around campus, for example, while she recycles something on the ground.

Audio Possibilities

There are a lot of audio possibilities with Duzak. She has a great deal of enthusiasm for helping the environment so getting her to discuss the importance of this would probably have a lot of emotion for her. I could also get audio of why she got involved with environmental science and conservation efforts. It might also be interesting to have her talk about what her vision of a greener Towson University looks like to her.

Can you hear me now?

One of the most effective ways of giving any story life is to give it sound, or audio. By doing so, readers become listeners and are more likely to understand the message or meaning behind the story. One of my favorite web sites that uses audio is "Living on Earth" (LOE). A non-profit organization affiliated with Harvard University, LOE strives to provide "sound journalism for the planet." What I enjoy most about LOE is how host Steve Curwood uses sources from around the country to get different perspectives on many environmental issues. Recently there have been a few guest hosts to raise good questions.

After listening to quite a few podcasts, I understand how online audio files work to help a web site. One thing journalists can do to make a better podcast would be to make sure there is no background noise to distract the listener such as breathing on the microphone or an ambulance passing nearby. Another way to make audio better for web sites is to not make them too long. Like a long story, a long audio file can cause the audience to tune out instead of in. One thing I will aim to fix in my own audio making is the sound levels of the parties involved. For example, during my own practice using audio with classmate Sabrina Lindsey, I found she was more soft spoken than I had been. During the editing process, I found many parts when she spoke were hard to hear. This was my fault as I should have realized this before and moved the microphone accordingly. I feel moving the microphone closer to Sabrina would have been a simple fix to the problem.

To listen to a podcast of the most recent Living on Earth radio show click here. If you would like to listen to the show as it airs tune into WYPR 88.1 FM on Sunday afternoons from 2-3P.M.

Turning negatives into positives: photography lessons

Cutline: The vibrancy of the Towson University campus can be found even when the clouds are grey and students are waist deep in assignments.

Cutline: The Tiger, the prized mascot of Towson University prowls about campus daring any school to compare to its likeness.

Cutline: Towson student Sabrina Lindsey bundles up in multiple layers for a blustery day on campus.

Notes on photography:

Over the past few years, I have worked very diligently to become a better photographer because I often found myself in situations where I was the reporter and the photographer. Simply put, a bad photo doesn't make the front page...or any page for that matter. Even as the editor, I could not stand to put any photo in just because I needed a photo. Many stories went without unfortunatly because of this reason. Then I met a guy who was a photography major and he helped me out with a few tips. Taking some art classes helped me too. Some things I would like to work on would be getting more dynamic shots. Recently, I have tried different angles and I believe it will come down to trial and error. In the fall is coming photo at the top, I would have liked to get the shot a little more defined by focusing more. I am not sure but this might have been a camera issue. Either way, I still like the shot, but it could have stood to be better. I really like my shot of the Towson Tiger. I feel it is interesting and brings the kitty to life. I also want to work on filling the frame with subjects doing interesting things. For example, in the photo of Sabrina (above) I would have liked to get her doing something interesting instead of simply standing for the photo.

When events turn bazaar.

To give a bit of a background for my multi-media story idea, I want to tell a story. A woman I work with met a man on myspace. He seemed very charming and sent flowers to her at work on numerous occasions. Then one day she came to work and announced she was expecting. No one was happier than this man was of the expectant baby. They set out to build a life together and went in search of the perfect two-bedroom apartment. Then he lost his job. Soon after, his charm disappeared as he became belligerent toward my co-worker and even threw her belongings into the street below their apartment. This was the final straw and she moved back home with her family. She then began to realize she might be a single parent. The man left the apartment to stay with friends and left her with the monthly rent payments. The man who seemed so kind now called her in excess of 100 times a day just to hang up. My co-worker got a lawyer to file a peace order because he was causing her intense stress, which was not good for her now softball sized baby. Time passed and it seemed like the storm was over. The peace ceased when her former lover’s lawyer sent a letter to her explaining the man would petition for full custody of the child after birth, assuming the child is his. My colleague is now due in just a couple of months and is in a full on legal dispute over the child.

The story brings me to my story idea. My pregnant co-worker’s sister organized a shopping bazaar to benefit her sister. The proceeds from the event would help defer the cost of the lawyer. What is important about this bazaar is that the woman’s sister wants to continue this idea to help other women who are facing the same issue. The bazaar was on Sunday, November 2. I attended the event and took a few good shots I believe would compliment my final peace. One shot I took used a mirror to reflect the woman’s face. I plan to interview my co-worker about how confident she feels the bazaar will be in helping her. A question I feel is important to ask is how much she truly needs this money. I want to get more of the emotional experience of her predicament. I also planned to interview the organizer while I was there; however, she was extremely busy and told me that I could call her anytime I needed to for questions. Some questions I would like to ask her include what were the goals, if they were achieved and if she does see a future need for another event like this later. At the event, I asked some of the vendors and customers about their experiences. Many told me they really want to see the whole situation resolved so that all parties can walk away happy and healthy, including baby Tommy.

When Blogging goes Right

As a person in a generation where technology dominates all, blogs have been a part of my daily media consumption for many years. I even had blogs with followers. While most of my posts were saturated with gossip and drama, some actually had content and were based on real news. After reading the chapter on writing for the online world, I realize some of the errors I have made in the past as well as some of the things I was doing right. To organize my discussion on the patterns of a good online story post I will use The Baltimore Sun’s Bay and Environment blog, written by Tim Wheeler.

The point of a blog is to be brief and to expound on an issue that a news story might not have had the opportunity to do. On October 13, Wheeler summarizes his work by using the headline, “Asian Oysters Revisited: a health threat?” The typical pattern for headlines for blogs is to make a play on words or execute some sort of clever word choice. While this does not follow the pattern, I learn a lot from its content. I learn what kind of oysters he will talk about and that the issue is not new. Wheeler grabs my attention by questioning whether or not there lies a health threat if Asian oysters are consumed. Next, I looked at the lead. Coming in at 52 words, Wheeler’s lead is a bit too long for the size of the publication. In the lead reader’s learn that Asian oysters are being used as a method to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. We also learn that the non-native species of oysters may be susceptible to picking up diseases and viruses and passing them along to humans. The lead does a good job in telling readers what is coming in the following paragraphs.

In the body of the blog post, Wheeler uses a handful of paragraphs to give information from sources such as the Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Environmental Impact Statement for Oyster Restoration in Chesapeake Bay published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Norfolk, Virginia. He also gives his own opinion on the current situation in the latter paragraphs. Also in the body, the author uses four links to various sources including the Environmental Impact Statement. The use of the links is important to readers because should they click on them, they are likely to learn more than what Wheeler can teach in eight paragraphs, resulting in a better rounded opinion on the subject.

The blog post by Tim Wheeler is patterned after most posts. In just a few paragraphs, he is able to accomplish the following:

• Grab the reader’s attention in the headline.
• Effectively communicate to the audience in the lead.
• Concisely tell the reader what is going on.
• Give his opinion on the potential health threat of the consumption of Asian oysters, and,
• Provide readers with enough links to supplement the blog post.

You can find this article at: http://tinyurl.com/Bay-Environment

Inverting Wachovia

The story, “Citigroup Buys Banking Operations of Wachovia,” written by Eric Dash and Andrew Ross Sorkin by the New York Times is a very good example of a hard news piece featuring the inverted pyramid and its characteristic qualities. The lead, “Citigroup will acquire the banking operations of the Wachovia Corporation, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said Monday morning, the latest bank to fall victim to the distressed mortgage market,” answers the most important part of the lead’s job: the 5 Ws and H. The next step in hard news is to place only the most important information at the beginning of the story and other information less pertinent or more colorful later. For example, the authors did not articulate how much Wachovia would be sold for until the fifth paragraph into the story. Even further down in paragraph ten, information is disclosed as to how long Wachovia has been hurting financially due in large part to bad mortgage practices. The final piece of information given to readers in the article is the impact the addiction of Wachovia to Citigroup will have on the future of customers and outside clients and investors. The information supplied in the last paragraph is nowhere near as important to readers as the lead. The ending information could easily have been left out of the story. An important aspect of news stories is to put information in chronological order. For example, in the article, information from Monday morning, located in the lead is before information about the negotiations from Sunday (See paragraph eleven). Even this information precedes the news about discussions with major banks Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Banco Santander of Spain last week in paragraph fourteen. The point of the inverted pyramid technique in hard news is two-fold. One goal is to help readers get the most important news without having to analyze entire articles and sort information unnecessarily. The other goal is to help writers and editors cut down articles that are simply too long for the space provided in the layout of the news source.

Check out this story: http://tinyurl.com/Citigroupbuyout