Jumping the Gun

In what should have been a major headline in every paper across the country, Georgia's Rockdale Citizen newspaper appears to have almost committed a crime. The paper placed Obama's accomplishment of winning the election below the fold and with what seems to be smallest head count on the entire front page.

In response to the criticism the paper has received in blogs and from the public, the Rockdale responds, "When our readers went to bed Tuesday night, they knew that Obama had been elected their next president. What they did not know was who had been elected commission chairman [...] elected sheriff [...] elected to the board of education [...] elected clerk of courts and [...] elected to the board of commissioners. Our responsibility is to serve our readers, and those stories comprised the news package that led our front page."

What's surprising is that the editorial continues on to explain that none of the blogs commenting on the issue bothered to call the paper and ask why they formatted the front page as they did.

Had readers known the paper's focus to begin with, maybe there would not have been as much criticism as there currently is. I find this disheartening. It's an instance where as much as bloggers want to be thought of credible journalists, they received wind of a story and ran to publish it. Or maybe I'm being harsh, because it's the blogs that are criticizing the paper. Either way, a majority of us are quick to judge and some favor newspaper journalism over blogging.

Research suggests link between teen pregnancy and racy sitcoms

A study released Monday suggests a link between teens that watch sexually explicit TV shows and pregnancy.

To be more specific, these teens were twice as likely as those who had limited exposure to these shows.

Published by the nonpartisan, nonprofit RAND Corp., researchers are quick to point out that factors may lead to pregnancy, and TV may be one of them.

“We were surprised to find this link,” said behavioral scientist Anita Chandra, the study’s lead author.

While yes, TV may be a factor, I don't think it should come as a surprise. What should come as a surprise is that this study is supposedly one of the first of its kind. Also, I'm not sure I believe there is as much of a likelihood as the findings suggest. Too many factors contribute to pregnancy for the cause to be narrowed to one, two, or even three reasons.

If a teen or adolescent is going to engage in sexual behaviors, he or she will. Sometimes the media is given too much credit, and this is one of them. While TV does contain racy sitcoms, should they feel responsible for the way teenagers behave? No. Some may say media educates, but parents ultimately need to be the ones to educate their children about sex and the consequence of that behavior.

70 percent of Americans believe journalists want Obama to win

I've been thinking of the media's current represention of both candidates and how the media is viewed liberal.

Just how many people believe the media is biased towards to the candidates?

According to the Pew Research Center, "By a margin of 70%-9%, Americans say most journalists want to see Obama, not John McCain, win on Nov. 4."

Eight percent of Americans say there isn't favoritism among journalists, and thirteen percent say they don't know which candidate most reporters support.

What's so surprising about this poll is that the margin is significantly higher than in previous elections. As compared to the 2004 election, the margin was 50%-22%, democrat to republican.

I think the media is doing a decent job at representing both candidates. Yes, sometimes there is the occasional misrepresentation, but that opinion can go either way.

If you read a recent column by Slate's “nonliberal” Jack Schafer, you’ll discover his view of working in the liberally dominated profession and why he’s not complaining. While a majority of reporters and editors are liberal, Schafer, a political minority at Slate, points that conservatives fill the commentariat in the way liberals fill mainstream reporting.

In Schafer's "The Liberal Media and How to Stop it," he writes, “The best press criticism isn't a column or a moan of disgust into a TV camera. It's writing a better story.”

If conservatives think there is a media bias towards liberal candidates and ideas, then they need to be writing the stories as well. Maybe then the American view of journalists will decrease that 61 percent candidate difference.

Journalism classes should be more than an elective

Due to changing graduation requirements, journalism classes are becoming an elective and threatening school newspapers, according to a recent article posted on poynter.org.

I admit, the thought of being part of my high school newspaper didn't cross my mind. Our newspaper consisted of a paper pamphlet with random articles. I didn't think highly of it. Look at me now- I'm a journalism major.

But with schools that take their paper seriously, enrollment numbers are down, worrying some teacher and students. This is disappointing. There are three reasons why a journalism class should be required. First, no matter the type of newspaper, writing is an important tool to learn in high school that carries into college; I often find myself thinking my research papers are written as news article.

Second, not only can a journalism class improve writing, but learning how to upload and design graphics are beneficial. These are desired skills in today's society. It makes you more marketable, and it gives you a jumpstart in college when working with media tools.

Finally, journalism affects our lives. When Americans pay attention to the news, they receive it from journalists! Knowing how reporters report may just make society a little less judgmental of the media.

Saying goodbye to the AP

The New York Tribune Company is the first major newspaper to announce the cancellation of business with the Associated Press.

As part of the contract, the drop will occur in two years. Other papers that have given the two-year notice include The Star Tribune of Minneapolis, The Bakersfield Californian, The Post Register of Idaho Falls, and several other smaller newspapers.

The cancellation, which will officially begin in two years, arose out of new rates in which the AP will charge. The AP announced the new rate system in 2007. Currently, the AP charges newspapers for a news package typically based on the buyer's location and circulation. The new structure features offering all worldwide breaking news. For an additional cost, papers can by the premium package that included non-breaking news. In 2009, the new structure will go into effect.

I had no idea the AP decided to change their rate structure. Obviously, some newspapers across the country are unhappy with the decision.

According to editorsweblog.org, "The Post Register's (in Idaho Falls) editor and publisher Roger Plothow refers to the new fee structure as 'too rigid' and 'too expensive,' pointing out that the AP hasn't adapted too well to the changing newspaper industry."

It is unfortunate the AP has decided to change what they'll offer. From what I read in newspapers, a majority of stories are written by AP reporters. Also, a majority of news headlines aren't breaking ones. Yet, the AP will be charging extra for those stories. With the current financial situation in the newspaper industry, newspapers don't want to pay extra.

What's going to happen to the newspapers that have cancelled their AP subscription? Hyperlocalism is going to saturate those newspapers.

To be a blogger!

According to a recent Slate.com article last week, there are various amounts of income a blogger can make.

Bloggers, such as LOLcat Empire, Perez Hilton, Jason Kottke, can rake in over $5,000 a month, leading the blogger's average income to be around $75,000.

The more hits a blog receives, the more it’s wanted for advertising purposes. In return, companies, such as Amazon.com and Google, hope to receive “clicks” on their ads and are willing to pay for advertisements on highly trafficked blogs.

Apparently, if you’re a good blogger, you can make a decent salary because of the number of visitors that look or read your blog. Furthermore, I had no idea some bloggers had made more than $200,000. The most significant conclusion I derive from this article is how blogs have impacted the Web’s readers.

I’m skeptical of blogs. My experience with blogs has been that they are mostly opinion based, and they appear to be more editorial, if anything else. The only difference, for me, between an editorial and a blog is that the reader can comment on a blog. If I want to read news, I’ll go to a news source. If I want commentary, I’ll read a blog.

Also, it’s become more difficult to conduct research on the Web. Search aggregators bring up blogs with the topic I’m looking for, and I don’t want a blog. Instead, I’m beginning to search the Simpson library’s databases to research, but I can only access those sources if I’m logged onto a network computer. If I weren’t a student, I’d have to pay for the databases. In order to make users pay more to use the Internet, will users eventually be forced to pay for credible information and be left with social, biased commentary?

On a side note, is there a blogging school where I can apply?  

"Teaching" youth

Supporters of both parties are going to become a little more intense as each day brings us closer to the election.

In a recent FoxNews.com article, Republican Virginia teachers are upset by a mass e-mail sent out by the state's teacher union to its members in support of Democratic nominee Obama. The e-mail asked teachers to dress in blue this past Tuesday in representation of their support for Obama.

While "Obama Blue Day" may have been a good suggestion at the time to the union, Republican teachers view it as a way to influence students' views.

At the same time, New York teacher unions have been scrutinized for distributing thousands of Obama buttons to its members.

Ann Forte, New York Department of Education spokeswoman, said, "Schools are not a place for politics and not a place for staff to wear political buttons."

I agree.

While I find these actions unacceptable, I cannot argue that they are not protected under the first amendment. But do I believe it's a form of propaganda? Yes, I do. Schools are institutions where youth should not be influenced, particularly by their educators. The media frenzy of who to support is not an appropriate setting where youths are easily persuaded. Students should not have to worry about theirs and their teachers' political beliefs juxtaposing.

Teachers should respect their students by not intentionally bringing personal views into the classroom. I find these union members' actions extremely disrespectful, and I'm disappointed in the fact that they are intentionally influencing America's youth. Education is about providing the individual with necessary tools to learn and form their own opinions.