The Roots to play at UMaine

For release February 19:

Orono ME- After several months of student petitioning the University of Maine Student government is pleased to announce that on March 20 critically acclaimed Hip Hop group The Roots will perform at the UMaine Field House. The concert can be traced to a Facebook group created by student Andrew Downey called “Bring The Roots to UMaine.” The Facebook group eventually gained over 2,000 followers and led to creation of this on campus concert event.

With the success of the “Bring The Roots to UMaine” facebook group several other groups have been started to make local groups and artists the opening acts for the show. Maine rapper Spose and local band Grant Street Orchestra are just a few of the many groups trying to gain local and student support. However at this time no announcement has been made as to who will be the opening act for the show.

The Roots are a Grammy award winning Hip Hop group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania started in 1991. Their combination of instrumental performances combined with rap lyrics have earned them a worldwide following. To date the group has released twelve albums and have worked with artists such as Nas, Common, and Jay-Z. They are renowned for their live performances and were even named “One of the twenty greatest live acts in the world” by Rolling Stone magazine. The group has also appeared in such media as the film Dave Chappelle’s Block Party and television show Yo Gabba Gabba. They can currently be seen as the house band on the television show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through Umainetix.com. The tickets are priced $15 dollars for students and $20 dollars for the general public. The show will be held March 20 at 7pm in the UMaine Field House.

Profile

The hollow ringing of ping pong balls grazing solo cups echoed through an ordinary student apartment. The phrase “We’re all gentlemen here. Aren’t we?” as a reminder from one pong team to another to adjust a cup or fix some other rules infraction. As I found myself standing at the end of the table I looked around and experienced a moment of complete ease. “We’re all gentlemen, right?” The comment from the opposite end of the table brought my attention to the moment at hand, in particular one of my opponents at the end of the table. There stood Timothy Labrie in all his charismatic glory.

You may be reading this and thinking, “This is a story about a college kid.” Well in theory you are correct, however Tim Labrie is no average college student. His appearance may be unassuming appearance does not lend itself to the unforgettable personality he possesses. Simply bringing up his name among friends will undoubtedly cause instantaneous smirks and chuckles. Among his group his friends the stories attached to him are the stuff of legend. From creating a chant at a middle school basketball game so offensive it resulted in countless calls to the Acton Middle School’s principal’s office from “concerned parents.” To finding the end of a rainbow in a Hannaford’s shopping lot.

These are just a sampling of the stories that are attached to him, but his appeal goes far beyond that. Those who know him personally are aware that his sense of humor is an ever present part of him. Tim always see’s the humor in life and never passes up an opportunity to make use of any comedic situation. From the juvenile fart joke, to the ability to crack up a group of people with a dumb smile during the most awkward of silences.

So as I look back at him across the table acknowledging his question “Am I a gentleman?” with a smirk and a knowing nod I realize one thing. A sense of humor is a great personality trait, and the ability to bring this sense of humor into all aspects of ones life is what makes Tim such an unforgettable character.

Television Newscasts

When presenting the news especially in a format such as television, there is a priority on the clearness and organization through which you present each piece of information. There is no time to bury the leads in your story and it is essential that what is written can be easily communicated to the audience by the newscaster. There is a necessity to be clear and concise in the order that you initially present the information. The introduction to each story should include an initial hook that will gain the audiences attention easily. The easiest way to do that is to include phrases that will instantly gain that audience attention. In the first sentence of each story there was a use of phrases such as “meth lab,” “domestic abuse,” and “budget cuts.” These quick phrases immediately catch the viewer’s attention and allow them to gain the initial attention necessary to present the full story.

What was also noticeable when watching the news was the organization that each news story seemed to have. There were the introductory sentences that used phrase to gain the audiences attention. Then that sentence was expanded upon with such information as what occurred, who was involved, and what were the consequences or after affects of these occurrences. Stories involving criminal activity were always spoken about in the past tense, while stories involving government programs were always in the present. However there was often a change in tense used by the newscaster to talk about past crimes and upcoming criminal investigations, along with other news stories requiring this change in tense. This is necessary in that the news needs to be conveyed as an ongoing series of events to the viewer. The newscasters are not simply reporting the news; they are conveying a story and trying to keep the viewers involved.

The difference between print and televised news coverage is that there needs to be and immediate hook to draw in the viewer’s attention with televised news coverage. Despite the being a competitiveness to print journalism, television is even more competitive. Viewers only have to change a channel in order to switch from one program to another, and with well over 300 cable channels available the choices are many. That is why televised news seems to use the “If it bleeds, it leads” mantra of news reporting more than print journalists. The more sensational a story, the more likely a viewer is to pay attention to the new station.

Consolidation and Convergence

Since the dawn of the media age, there has been an ongoing homogenization of the information that we receive and the means that we receive it. This media consolidation has brought forth the rise of media conglomerates and turned news from publicly shared information to a commodity that can be sold to the public. Along with this rise in consolidation is the advancement of technologies that place information literally at a persons fingertips.
Although the notion of someone controlling the news has been around since the days of William Randolph Hearst, the current state of media consolidation has made independently owned media outlets an endangered species. The rise of media conglomerates such as News Corp., Viacom, and Clear Channel has allowed only a handful of corporations to control most of the information being released to the public. Along with this is the standardization that comes with information being presented by each corporation. These corporations are at their cores, businesses. Therefore making profit their main operating goal and not unbiased journalism or diverse programming. In order to maintain such a large portfolio of corporate holdings many of these corporations operate under a business model that many of their companies follow. This is done to draw in and maintain a consistent customer base that share the beliefs that these corporations espouse upon.
Next are the ongoing technological developments that has removed the emphasis from radio and print media and replaced these sources with online and mobile content. Smart phones in particular IPhones, Blackberrys, and Google Android phones have made phones not only calling devices, but web browsers and email servers. In order to receive breaking news updates on the go, a person does not need to rely on text messages and phone calls from friends and family. They can use mobile web browsers to find out detailed information to breaking news themselves. The age of print newspapers being the main source of news is long gone with online and mobile content has since replacing it.
Some would say that this type of media consolidation and convergence is a good thing, in that it has made news more accessible and up to date. However these new developments are far from positive. There is too much homogenization of the news with news stations such as Fox and CNN becoming brand names and not independent thinking news sources. Along with this is the creation of online and mobile web sources which place the premium on headline news stories which can be easily accessed and read. This constant convergence and consolidation will create a where the focus will not be on fair and consistent journalism seeking to educate the public, but on easily accessible content marketed for its audience.

Critique

Initially after the earthquake that occurred in Haiti, destroying most of its capital, Port-au-Prince, many of the news articles written were about covering the widespread devastation and loss of life. However as we move a week away from the initial tragedy, secondary stories are being told involving the island nation. For example is it still ethical to view Haiti, at this moment in its history as a vacation destination? A. Pawlowski of CNN.com tackled this issue in their article about Royal Caribbean cruise lines decision to continue to use their private beach resort in Labadee, Haiti less than a week after the earthquake.

The story itself is a successful news article because it is a definite human interest story. The facts of what is occurring in Haiti are well documented, and people’s reactions to the stories and images coming from there are emotional. With this type of human emotional attachment to a story, there are bound to be strong reactions, both negative and positive. By placing the idea that people may be enjoying themselves on vacation while 100 miles away people are dying in the streets, there will initially be comments condemning what is occurring. Pawlowski acknowledges this with both direct quotes from a woman who will be going on one of these cruises, and her wariness to continue on with her families planned vacation. To quotes from online comments posted to CNN.com from outraged readers who are shocked and appalled that people would consider vacationing during a time like this.

On the opposite end of the debate, the CEO of Royal Caribbean defends his company’s decision to send ships to Haiti. He states that by vacationing elsewhere, much needed money will be diverted away from Haiti. However as the piece moves on Pawlowski, uses quotes from noted experts on Ethics and their opinions that back up the CEO’s claims that despite the initial hesitancy to want to vacation in Haiti, that it is not unethical to continue on with their planned vacations. And that it would be of no use to Haiti for people to avoid the country and use their vacation dollars elsewhere.

The article itself is brief and puts forth all of these facts in one page of text. And while the article may be leaning towards putting forth the notion that it is ethical to continue vacationing in Haiti, it does so in a way that is sensitive to those involved in the situation. There is no definitive answer given, just a collection of facts that allows the reader to make up their mind as to what side of the debate they are on. It is with those facts that allow A. Pawlowski to tell a complete and fair account of the situation.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/01/21/haiti.tourism.ethics/index.html?hpt=C2

Ethics in obituary writing

In terms of journalism nothing seems to gain readers attention more than death. From everyday people to those in the public eye, readers are instantly transfixed by these people’s stories. Obituaries are an essential part of any newspaper and with its inclusion in newspapers comes the responsibility to accurately tell their life’s story. However there is also the seeming responsibility to record these facts in a style devoid of malice or contempt. That can be difficult when the subject of an obituary is a polarizing person whom many hold high disdain for.

This happens to be the case for Robert McNamara, after his death on July 6, 2009. McNamara was viewed by many as the behind the scenes man orchestrating the Vietnam War. To few he was viewed as a political advisor, while many others viewed him simply as a war criminal. The obituary that was written for him by Joseph L. Galloway of McClatchley Newspapers was one which made no attempt at trying to hide the authors disdain for McNamara. For example the opening line of the obituary read

“Well, the aptly named Robert Strange McNamara has finally

shuffled off to join LBJ and Dick Nixon in the 7th level of Hell.”

Throughout the obituary Galloway makes reference to personal experiences he had with McNamara. At one point even discussing an exchange he had with a friend about which one of them hated McNamara more. The obituary ends as some do with an anecdote. However this anecdote retold the story of how McNamara was almost thrown off of a ferry leaving Martha’s Vineyard by an enraged fellow passenger.

This would leave many out there wondering whether or not this was the most appropriate way to remember someone’s life, even if they were known for notorious reasons. The argument can be made that despite a widespread dislike, even hatred, for a person at least one individual will be affected by their passing. This can argued several ways. First no matter what an obituary is no place to mention a person’s mistakes, character flaws, or past misgivings. Or secondly if someone is made famous or notorious for their deeds their reputation was made from these actions making their notoriety forever the same in the public record. The only right answer is one which can be ascertained by the journalist themselves. There needs to be a happy medium where it is understood that most mistakes in life will be forgotten and your life will be celebrated upon your passing. While if your notoriety was based solely on your nefarious reputation, than those facts will undoubtedly need to be included in any retelling of your life’s story.

Galloway, J. L. (2009, July 6). Commentary: Galloway on McNamara: Reading an obit with great pleasure. McClatchly Newspapers. Retrieved January 15, 2010, from http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/71328.html

McBride, L. H. (2009, July 7). McNamara, Vietnam, the Baby Boom and the ethics of unkind obits. Retrieved January 15, 2010, from http://www.examiner.com/x-2134-DC-Ethical-Issues-Examiner~y2009m7d7-McNamara-Vietnam-the-Baby-Boom-and-the-ethics-of-unkind-obits

First post

To begin simply enough, my name is Adam Morrissey. I am a fourth year English major with a concentration in Technical writing. I took this course at the suggestion of my advisor, when creating a minor. I also feel being proficient in other forms of writing outside of simple technical writing will be a marketable skill when I begin searching for work after college. After experiencing the first week, I would have to say that this course will undoubtedly be good for me. Especially doing the grammar exercises and finding out just how poor my retention of basic grammar was, I would have to say that my goal is without a doubt to just become more focused as a writer. I already have the ability to write well, this course will simply help me refine my writing.