7.00 Reporter's Notebook

 Before I started this course, I thought journalism was exactly like it was projected in the movies. Those annoying people who ask questions and stand by the paparazzi waiting for the latest story or quote from their source. In the movies, reporters are projected as unethical and emotionless people who couldn't care less about their source's beliefs or emotions. The first movie that comes to mind is The Great Gatsby, but this stands correct for most movies. I never paid attention to opinion writing; I've always preferred impartial reporting, but never differentiated the two. I was interested in journalism as a career but it wasn't my plan A.

I can tell now that the movies have a melodramatic point of view. Journalists are there to collect information, and put it together in an order that makes sense to read and share with society. It's their job to assist society with our right to know what's going on and why. It's not that they don't have ethics, it's that theirs may be a little different from ours. This is the same as what I knew before, but this time I mean that in a sincere way instead of the lateral. I knew there was a difference between impartial and opinion writing in some sense, but now I'm aware of the differences. I'm interested in journalism as a career, just as I was before but now I have a better understanding and respect for journalists. It isn't easy for them and they have to sacrifice so much time to do a good job. I don't know if I could ever develop the stamina to be a journalist, however my lazy nature could have to do with my age. It's definitely an option now because I was going to major in communications in the first place. But, I do have other career choices that involve a degree in communications that may suit me better. The future is bright for journalism because of society's desire to learn more about their surroundings.

6.00 Reporter's Notebook

Anderson Cooper

Anderson Hays Cooper is the first person that came to mind for this assignment when asked which journalist I admire the most. Cooper is currently a broadcast journalist, author, talk show host, and game show host. He started his career in 1990 and is still active today. During college, he spent two summers as an intern at the CIA. He had no journalistic education but he decided to follow a career in journalism. Cooper graduated from Yale University and tried to get a job at ABC answering telephones but failed. He worked at Channel One, a small company at the time, as a fact checker but longed to be an on-air reporter. This is what drove him to make a fake press pass (press pass: grants some type of special privilege to journalists.) He entered Myanmar (Burma) with his fake press pass, met with students fighting the Burmese government, and was able to sell his 'home-made news segment' to Channel One.

Cooper's decision to make a fake press pass wasn't entirely ethical, but the decision opened the gates to a bright future in on-air (broadcast) journalism. Since then, he's been a co-host on ABC, a host on a reality show "The Mole", provided reports for 20/20 and World News Now, and a prime-time anchor at CNN. He had his own day time talk show, Anderson Live, which ended in 2013 but continues Anderson Cooper 360, another talk show he has had since 2003. He published a New York Times bestselling book in May 2006 about his life and work in Africa, Iraq, and Louisiana called Dispatches from the Edge. It seems Cooper's had multiple jobs at the same time in his life almost always.

 He's a hard worker, still very active in his career, and has won 11 awards so far ranging from Emmy Awards to GLAAD Media Awards for feature stories and coverages of breaking news. There is no top of his career because he's been around for so many years working with so many different groups and organizations; he will always be at the top. He's recently had emergency surgery for appendicitus on December 2nd, 2014 and was mysteriously absent from an episode of Anderson Cooper 360, but in telling his fans what had happened, he also mentioned that he would be back on air the very next day. To be someone like him, one would have to be really determined and love what they do. This is why I admire Anderson Cooper the most out of every news anchor or journalist that I could ever think of.

Sources:
"Anderson Cooper." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 8 Jan. 2015.
 Steiner, Amanda. "Why Was Anderson Cooper Absent from 360º on Monday?" PEOPLE.com. 2 Dec. 2014. Web. 8 Jan. 2015.

5.00 Reporter's Notebook

Writing is a creative way of expressing my opinion. This has been said by probably every writer whether front page, editorial, sports, etc., but it's true. I can write about absolutely anything and still express my opinion. When writing impartially, I can do the same. It's a process that takes practice and won't be understood easily, but I'll try my best to explain it here. 

The lesson states in bold that the news story may not include opinion. But, if I decided to write about a problem in my school for the module lesson, I would be expressing my opinion. Here's how this works: I know that if what I think about the subject is completely right, I can make anyone see eye-to-eye with me (with the right word choice).  I'd take the subject and write about it: "Our Private School Does Not Meet Public School Guidelines", for instance. If the title is a fact and can be proven in the story, it does not express opinion, and yet it does. This title would be expressing my honest opinion about my school but the truth couldn't get me in trouble. Fact and opinion aren't so distinguished after all. 

I think all writing is about making someone else see eye-to-eye with you. Whether it's shedding some light on a subject or coming up with a main character for a story. The information is just taken differently for every person. With the right wording and a dash of truth, the majority of us will think cooking is messy or that the heroine of the story has a sad life. And that's all that matters; you've gotten your point across. A reporter can remain impartial in their work, but the truth in their opinion still shines.

4.03 Ethos and Credibility

"Gay Colorado couple sues bakery for allegedly refusing them wedding cake"

"No right to refuse gay couple's wedding cake"

"Can’t Have Your Cake, Gays Are Told, and a Rights Battle Rises"

 Many of us know the story, but now it's time to check the facts. For those who don't know the story, here's a brief explanation: A bakery owner in Colorado (who claims to be a Christian) refused to make a cake for a gay couple's wedding and the couple, along with the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), filed a complaint which turned into lawsuit. This story came out in June of 2013 and since then has become something bigger. Now there are mentionings of a rights battle arising. We're already facing a rights battle with racism in the Ferguson case,but now we might also be seeing one with sexuality, religion, and beliefs.

There are many reports of the story, but for this assignment my main focus is Fox News' post because it was one of the first: "Gay Colorado couple sues bakery for allegedly refusing them wedding cake" posted on June 7th, 2013. Fox News is owned by Fox Entertainment Group (21st Century Fox). They are usually on the lists of reliable news sources including my school's list (FLVS). Fox News is broadcasted worldwide, so you can understand their strive to be credible. Their slogan is "Fair & Balanced". Fox News has faced many accusations of biased reporting and promoting 'conservative politician positions'. The company had also been accused of misrepresentation of facts and got into trouble with the Obama administration at one point for remarks made by commentators over Obama's health-care proposal.I'd like to stick up for them for the last part because there is a reason as to why they call them "commentators", however I can't find what was said.

 The reporter who posted the story isn't listed on the post. In place of that area is written "Associated Press". This tells me that if the post gets a complaint, the whole company will be taking the blame. The reporter who wrote this used unbiased and fair language. No opinion was expressed on their side, but they collected many comments from the people involved. The sources were dug up by this reporter and companies/organizations were named as well as people.

In the end, I consider this source to be credible. It meets credibility guidelines and all the facts are correct. In the sources I will list two more posts by other organizations. Both posts have the same basic facts, even the opinionated one. The post from the New York Times is recent and involves the rights battle. I consider the New York Times to be another credible source, but I wouldn't say the Denver Post story is considering it is on the "Opinion" page. But, they do have the same facts.

Sources:

• "Gay Colorado Couple Sues Bakery for Allegedly Refusing Them Wedding Cake." Fox News. FOX News Network, 7 June 2013. Web. 5 Jan. 2015.

  "No Right to Refuse Gay Couple's Wedding Cake." - The Denver Post. 9 Dec. 2013. Web. 5 Jan. 2015.

  Paulson, Michael. "Can’t Have Your Cake, Gays Are Told, and a Rights Battle Rises." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 5 Jan. 2015.

  "Fox News Channel." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 5 Jan. 2015.

4.02 Logic and Fallacies

I've encountered a logical fallacy a few times in my life. The most memorable one was a false dilemma proposed to me by a friend. My friend and I were discussing sexual orientations. He told me a person is either heterosexual or homosexual. There is no other option and if the person is questioning, they are probably homosexual. I didn't know there were other types of orientations, but I started to question his logic and decided to look it up.

The research process quickly brought up about nine different sexual orientations. Four main ones, are the most known throughout society. The other five don't involve gender and focus on qualities such as a person's personality. This brought me to the conclusion that was I was told was a lie. Logical fallacies are the product of racism, discrimination, or just people who are misinformed about a topic. This type of logical fallacy, false dilemma, is usually based on a person's opinion. You could probably tell it was a false dilemma when the person said that the only choices were either A or B.

My first conclusion was that my friend was discriminatory towards homosexuals. I, of course, did some more testing to come to a sensible conclusion. I asked him questions and dug deeper into his thought process. What I found is that he was actually homophobic. This friend frequently tried to prove his heterosexuality and pushed away the options of being homosexual. He hissed at the thought of it (not literally of course). My final conclusion was that homophobic people were probably not the most reliable source when talking about sexual orientations.

4.01 Pathos in Journalistic Writing

"What is wrong with you? Are you crazy?!", the homeroom teacher yells in front of everyone in the class causing everyone to stare.
"I was just playing in the rain", Ashley replies.
"We don't 'play in the rain' at this school. It's not allowed. Get back to work", Mrs. Harleigh spits as she begins to walk away.
"But it was lunchtime! I can play in the rain during lunchtime, can't I? We have lunch outside anyway. I just took a few steps outside of the shade", Ashley argued back. All of her classmates just stared at them. Her two friends Harmony and Layla looked like they wanted to back her up but were too scared of Mrs. Harleigh to say anything. In the corner of her eye, Ashley noticed Harmony mouthing the word "sorry" and she looked the teacher back in the eye.
"Oh yes. I forgot I'm speaking to the kid who came from the psych ward. You have a mental disorder or something, right? That's probably why you're like this", her teacher says looking her back in the eye and smiling slightly.
No one else was supposed to know that... that was private information.
Ashley runs out of the classroom crying silently, giving the teacher a real reason to write her up.

Bullying in our country is a quandary that is starting to get national attention. But when people think of bullying, they think of plain student-on-student bullying. No one would ever guess that educators abuse the students too. This type of bullying, maybe not physical, has just as much impact to a student's emotional state, behavior, and reputation. It's worse when it comes from a teacher because there isn't a big chance that the student's parents would take their side (until they saw evidence). When a student arrives at school each day, the educators are in charge; it doesn't matter whether they are right or wrong. Teacher bullying has a lack of data compared to student vs. student, but that's mostly because it is hard to address and correct. It's also hard to distinguish a boundary between being disciplinary and being verbally abusive. What's worse is that in this situation, the child is vulnerable and can't fight back. If the child were to fight back, the school would put it on record and bring it up in it's defense. It's imperative that our nation takes every type of bullying into account when fighting it.

Sources:

• Kelmon, Jessica. "When the Teacher Is the Bully." GreatSchools. Web. 5 Jan. 2015.
• Personal experience.

3.04 Slander and Libel

Case 3: A high school prints a monthly bulletin for students and parents. In it the administrators post the license plates of vehicles they contend have been speeding in the school zone. Several parents sue, stating that they have been unjustly identified.

I find this high school to be at fault for a libel. A libel is a false statement that is written and published about a person that will expose them to: hatred, shame, ridicule, etc. This statement could injure the person's reputation and/or cause the person trouble in their occupation. A libel is false by definition; in this case, there is no evidence to prove that the statements are true. If the statement was proven true, it could not be libelous. This statement is published meaning it is communicated to someone/ or a group of people other than the person being accused. I believe the school should be fined and pay a certain amount to every owner of the cars involved. I also believe they should be charged with unauthorized release of personal information. License plates are easy to look up and are used to find a person's name, family, address, telephone number, etc. The school is absolutely in the wrong to be releasing that information whether the statement was true or not.

Source(s):
 Rogers, Tony. "What You Need to Know About Libel and Libel Law." About News. About.com, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.