Opinion Story

My opinionated drawing is about the schools taking out all the good treats out of the lunchrooms. There used to be different candys and sodas, but they have decided it is too unhealthy for students. Some would say that students should have there own choice whether to eat healthy, or enjoy what they eat. I will be asking a few students the following questions:

- What is your opinion on schools taking away sweets from the lunchroom?

- Why do you think the disrict decided to take away the unhealthy foods?

- Which snack, if any, would you take back to the lunchroom if you had the choice?

Twins Stadium: News Story

As the 2010 MLB season approaches, the fans of Minnesota get more anxious by the second. Everyone is dying to head out to the new Target Field to catch a few games, which will now be played outside. Some believe it will be a complete 180 degree turn from the Metrodome, which is the Twin's previous indoor stadium. But, there are more changes made to the new stadium other than a complete different look. There will be 4 different hot dogs being sold at the new stadium. They are called the Original Twins Dog, Twins Big Dog, Dugout Dog, and the Dinger Dog. The Original Twins Dog were the same ones that were previously sold at the Metropolitan Stadium, where they played before the Metrodome.

When I asked Joe Gramstad if he agreed with building the new stadium, he said "Yes, because the dome is not very good for baseball, and the new stadium could attract attention for an all-star game and boost the economy". He also believes it could be good for the Twins chance of winning a title, he stated "the new stadium could attract more free agents to the organization". More free agents looking at the Twins as a possible team gives us more talent, and a better chance to win the World Series.

The new stadium should be much more comfortable for the fans watching the games. Each seat has more leg room and wider seats for the fans to enjoy the game more. It has 18,500 infield seats, which will feature some of the closest seating to the playing field in all the league. The stadium will have more rows with less seats in each row for the comfort of the fans. One the field much of the fencing in the outfield is near the same distance as the Metrodome. Center field measures 411 feet, which is a slight increase from the 408 feet at the Dome. There is a slight decrease down both the left and right field lines, but only a few feet difference from the old stadium.

Twin's Stadium

I'm doing my featured news story on the 2010 opening of the MN Twin's stadium. I will be interviewing both Twin's fans, and people who may not agree with a new stadium so I can get both point of views. In the interviews I will find out if they wanted the new stadium or if they think it's a waste of money. And I will ask if they think it will help the team make the playoffs this year.

Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris?

The debate continues. Some say that no one could touch Bruce Lee (Enter the Dragon) when he was in his prime. But, others say that Chuck Norris (Walker Texas Ranger) is the baddest karate cowboy to ever walk the streets. Who would win the fight if they both were in the best shape of their lives?? Let me know what you think

Start Times- News Story

Everyday at school there are students who constantly doze off during class. Some stayed up too late, and others just need more sleep. No matter what the reason the question remains: Are high school start times too early? Experts say that the average teenager needs 7-9 hours of sleep each night, which means they need to go to bed around 11 at night to get enough sleep. We wanted to find out what some of the students around Eastview High School thought, so we surveyed a few people. When I asked Eli Golder, a senior at EVHS what he thought about the start times, he stated that they are way too early. He also mentioned that on average he falls asleep in class about one time everyday. This shows that some of the student at the school believe they need more sleep and could function better through out the day if given more rest. Something as little as an extra thirty minutes of sleep each night could be the difference of a student being motivated the next morning at school. Studies show that teens need more sleep than an elementary aged student, but for some reason elementary schools don’t start until around 9:30 a.m. Many people think this does not make sense for the reason that they do not need nearly as much sleep as teens.

One of the problems of making the start times for high schools later is all the after school activities would be thrown of schedule. All of the gym time would have to be reorganized, and equally distributed once again. The Performing Arts Center would have to be redistributed, and also the lifting schedules would have to be changed. Some believe that the way it is set up now is working perfectly fine, and say we should keep it the same. They like things to stay running the old fashion way since they have been working for so long. When I interviewed Joe Gramstad he stated that his academic performance would not change at all if we were awarded later school start times. And when I asked him if he could choose what the start time would be he said he’d keep it the same, 7:30 a.m. Parents say that it would throw off their entire schedule in the morning. The parents that need to drive their kids to school would have to wait around an extra hour or two before they could go in to work. And it would throw of the schedules of the elementary parents as well. They might not be able to sleep in as much, because they would need to wake up to drive their kid to school. Either way it is looked at sounds like it is a bad idea for the parents. Other parents say that they would love it because they would not have to deal with their cranky, tired kids in the morning. They would most likely be fully rested, and ready to go be good students.

This heated debate still rages on, and I do not know if anything will ever even happen with it. There are positives and negatives for both sides of the debate, so it is almost pointless to change how it is now. Because, even if you are helping out one person you might be making life more difficult for two other people. No matter what happens with this discussion teens will never be able to completely get out of going to school. No matter how hard they try to get that extra hour of sleep, they will still end up sitting in the class taking notes, so it does not even matter.

Interview Questions

Interview #1- Eli Golder:





1. What is your overall opinion of school starting at 7:30 a.m.?


It's way too early


2. Would you rather have it start earlier, the same, or later?


Later


3. Do you feel on an average school night you get enough sleep?


Not at all


4. Do you ever feel sleepy at school, or through out the day?


Yes!


5. How often do you sleep in class on a normal day?


Atleast once a day





Interview #2- Joe Gramstad:





1. Do you believe start times negatively effect your academic performance?


No, because kids would be just as tired


2. How many times per week are you tardy to 1st hour?


3-4 days per week


3. Would you have more motivation towards school if you got more sleep each night?


No, it would stay the same


4. Since teens need more sleep than younger kids, do you believe we should be the ones starting school later?


No, because high schoolers can handle it better


5. What time would school start if you could choose?


7:30 a.m., the default time.

15 Questions

-What is your opinion of school starting at 7:30 a.m.?
-Would you rather have it be earlier, later, or the same time?
-On an average school night do you get enough sleep?
-Do you often feel sleepy at school, or throughout the day?
-How often do you fall asleep in class?

-Do you believe school starting early effects your academic performance?
-Are you ever tardy to your first hour class?
-Do you think you would have more motivation if you got more rest each night?
-Since teens need more sleep than elementary students, don't you think high schools should start later?
-What time would school start if you could choose?

-Have you ever missed the bus because you woke up late?
-Have you gotten a detention for tardies to first hour?
-Do you often feel tired during the day?
-Do you ever skip breakfast because you are running late?
-Can you ever not wake up in the morning for school?

Scool start times

My topic is school start times, and I believe high school students should be given more time in the morning. My angle is the elementary schools start after us, but truely it should be the high schools getting more time in the morning for various reasons.

Writing a good news story

Writing a News Story

1. What can I write about? What is news?

On the surface, defining news is a simple task. News is an account of what is happening around us. It may involve current events, new initiatives or ongoing projects or issues. But a newspaper does not only print news of the day. It also prints background analysis, opinions, and human interest stories.

Choosing what's news can be harder.

The reporter chooses stories from the flood of information and events happening in the world and in their community. Stories are normally selected because of their importance, emotion, impact, timeliness and interest. Note: all these factors do NOT have to coincide in each and every story!

2. Identify what kind of a story it is

Hard news (+/- 600 words): This is how journalists refer to news of the day. It is a chronicle of current events/incidents and is the most common news style on the front page of your typical newspaper.

It starts with a summary lead. What happened? Where? When? To/by whom? Why? (The journalist's 5 W's). It must be kept brief and simple, because the purpose of the rest of the story will be to elaborate on this lead.

Keep the writing clean and uncluttered. Most important, give the readers the information they need. If the federal government announced a new major youth initiative yesterday, that's today's hard news.

Soft news (+/-600 words): This is a term for all the news that isn't time-sensitive. Soft news includes profiles of people, programs or organizations. As we discussed earlier, the "lead" is more literary. Most of YPP's news content is soft news.

Feature (+/-1500 words): A news feature takes one step back from the headlines. It explores an issue. News features are less time-sensitive than hard news but no less newsworthy. They can be an effective way to write about complex issues too large for the terse style of a hard news item. Street kids are a perfect example. The stories of their individual lives are full of complexities which can be reflected in a longer piece.

Features are journalism's shopping center. They're full of interesting people, ideas, color, lights, action and energy. Storytelling at its height! A good feature is about the people in your community and their struggles, victories and defeats. A feature takes a certain angle (i.e. Black youth returning to church) and explores it by interviewing the people involved and drawing conclusions from that information. The writer takes an important issue of the day and explains it to the reader through comments from people involved in the story.

Hint: Remember to "balance" your story. Present the opinions of people on both sides of an issue and let the readers make their own decision on who to believe. No personal opinions are allowed. The quotes from the people you interview make up the story. You are the narrator.

Editorial: The editorial expresses an opinion. The editorial page of the newspaper lets the writer comment on issues in the news. All editorials are personal but the topics must still be relevant to the reader.

Young People's Press publishes two types of editorials:

Youthbeat (+/- 700 words): Youthbeat's are YPP's editorial bread and butter. It's your story, from your point of view. Tell it like it is. Youthbeats usually (but not always) combine personal experience(s) with opinion/analysis. Essentially, you establish your credibility by speaking from experience.

My Word! (+/-600 words): An opinion piece. Short, sweet and to the point. Not as likely to be a personal narrative. Christmas "spirit" bugs you? Say why. Had an encounter with a cop that left you sour? Same deal. Be strong. If you don't like something, don't beat around the bush. This is a space for you to rant and roll with as much emotive power as possible.

3. Structure for your article

The structure of a news story (hard & soft news & features) is simple: a lead and the body.

The lead
One of the most important elements of news writing is the opening paragraph or two of the story. Journalists refer to this as the "lead," and its function is to summarize the story and/or to draw the reader in (depending on whether it is a "hard" or "soft" news story - See below for the difference between these two genres of news stories).

In a hard news story, the lead should be a full summary of what is to follow. It should incorporate as many of the 5 "W's" of journalism (who, what, where, when and why) as possible. (e.g. "Homeless youth marched down Yonge St. in downtown Toronto Wednesday afternoon demanding the municipal government provide emergency shelter during the winter months." - Can you identify the 5 W's in this lead?)

In a soft news story, the lead should present the subject of the story by allusion. This type of opening is somewhat literary. Like a novelist, the role of the writer is to grab the attention of the reader. (e.g. "Until four years ago, Jason W. slept in alleyways...") Once the reader is drawn in, the 5 "W's" should be incorporated into the body of the story, but not necessarily at the very top.

The body
The body of the story involves combining the opinions of the people you interview, some factual data, and a narrative which helps the story flow. A word of caution, however. In this style of writing, you are not allowed to "editorialize" (state your own opinion) in any way.

Remember:

The role of a reporter is to find out what people are thinking of an issue and to report the opinions of different stakeholders of an issue. These comments make up the bulk of the story. The narrative helps to weave the comments into a coherent whole. Hint: Stick to one particular theme throughout the story. You can put in different details but they all have to relate to the original idea of the piece. (e.g. If your story is about black youth and their relationship with the police you DO NOT want to go into details about the life of any one particular youth).

As a reporter, you are the eyes and ears for the readers. You should try to provide some visual details to bring the story to life (this is difficult if you have conducted only phone interviews, which is why face-to-face is best). You should also try to get a feel for the story. Having a feel means getting some understanding of the emotional background of the piece and the people involved in it. Try to get a sense of the characters involved and why they feel the way they do.

Okay, got it? Let's look at two examples as a way of summarizing the essentials:

Youth are banding together to start an organization. You want to show why are they doing that and the changes are they trying to make in the world. You want to say who they are and the strategies they are using.

An artist is having her first show. Why? What is it that she believes about her art? Is her artistic process rational or from the soul? What does the work look like?

4. Further tips for news writing

Finding story ideas

• Keep your eyes and ears open; listen to what your friends are talking about.
  
  
  
• Read everything you can get your hands on; get story ideas from other newspapers and magazines.
  
  
  
• Think of a youth angle to a current news story.
  
  
  
• Research a subject that interests you ask yourself what you would like to know more about.
  
  
  
• Talk to people in a specific field to find out what is important to them.

Newsgathering

• Begin collecting articles on your subject.
  
  
  
• Talk to friends and associates about the subject.
  
  
  
• Contact any agencies or associations with interest or professional knowledge in the area.
  
  
  
• Create a list of people you want to interview; cover both sides of the story by interviewing people on both sides of the issue.
  
  
  
• Collect government statistics and reports on the subject get old press releases or reports to use as background.

Interviewing do's and don'ts

• Be polite.
  
  
  
• Explain the ground rules of the interview to people unfamiliar with how the media works - this means that you tell them the information they give you can and will be published. If they do not want any part of what they say published, they need to tell you it is "off the record."
  
  
  
• Tape the interview (so if anyone comes back at you, you have the proof of what was said).
  
  
  
• Build a relationship with the person being interviewed.
  
  
  
• Start with easy questions; end with difficult questions.
  
  
  
• Read the body language of the person you're interviewing and if they get defensive, back away from the question you are asking and return later.
  
  
  
• Don't attack the source.
  
  
  
• Keep control of the interview; don't let the subject ramble or stray from the subject.
  
  
  
• On the other hand, don't let your "opinion" of what the story should be colour the interview. Always remember that the person you are talking with knows more about the subject than you do.

Organizing the information

• Gather your notes, interviews and research into a file.
  
  
  
• Review your notes.
  
  
  
• Look for a common theme.
  
  
  
• Search your notes for good quotes or interesting facts.
  
  
  
• Develop a focus.
  
  
  
• Write the focus of the article down in two or three sentences.

Writing and editing

• Remember you are the narrator, the story teller.
  
  
  
• Don't be afraid to rewrite.
  
  
  
• Be as clear and concise in the writing as possible.
  
  
  
• Avoid run-on sentences.
  
  
  
• Be direct.
  
  
  
• Tell a good story.
  
  
  
• Tell the reader what you think they want to know.
  
  
  
• Always ask yourself what the story is about.
  
  
  
• Read the story out loud; listen carefully.

1. Find a topic
2. Find an angle
3. Collect information
4. Gather interviews
5. Write the story
6. Edit

Gravitron

First Amendment: Press, religion, speech, assembly, and petition


Tinker Standard: Student speech cannot be censored as long as it does not "mentally disrupt class work or involve substantial disorder or invasion of the rights of others."


Fraser Standard: Can censor student speech that is vulgar or indecent, even if it does not cause a "material or substantial disruption."


Hazelwood Standard: Censorship of school-sponsored student expression is permissible when school officials can show that it is "reasonably related to legitimate teaching concerns."

Frederick Standard?: Teens unveil banner on the sidewalk that says "bong hits 4 Jesus". They were suspended for 10 days from their school.

Libel: Published to at least one other person that is a false statement of fact (opinions are not libel) libel is written while slander is spoken.

What is the company? Playstation

Who is the target audience: Gamers (teens)

What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? Humor

How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? Graphics

What is the slogan/message for the company? live in your world, play in ours

Was the message effective? Why or why not? Yes, made me want to play the game





What is the company? Budweiser

Who is the target audience: 21-above (sports fans)

What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? Humor

How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? Used the replay

What is the slogan/message for the company? Not for the commercial

Was the message effective? Why or why not? Yes, it got peoples attention





What is the company? Chrysler

Who is the target audience: Female drivers

What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? Celebrity

How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? Made car look sleek

What is the slogan/message for the company? Drive & Love

Was the message effective? Why or why not? No, didn't make sense to me





What is the company? Pepsi

Who is the target audience: Soda drinkers

What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? Humor/ celebrity

How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? Edited to make shots look real

What is the slogan/message for the company? It's a twist on a great thing

Was the message effective? Why or why not? Yes, because i want to drink it now





What is the company? Dodge

Who is the target audience: Male drivers

What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? Humor

How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? Showed the truck driving fast

What is the slogan/message for the company? Grab life by the horns

Was the message effective? Why or why not? Yes, looked cool





What is the company? Gatorade

Who is the target audience: Sport players

What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? Celebrity

How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? Showed MJ when he was younger

What is the slogan/message for the company? Is it in you?

Was the message effective? Why or why not? Yes, was a neat commercial





What is the company? ESPN

Who is the target audience: Sports fans

What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? Humor and celebrity

How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? Action shots

What is the slogan/message for the company? This is sportscenter

Was the message effective? Why or why not? Yes, it was really funny





What is the company? H&R Block

Who is the target audience: Adults

What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? Humor/ celebrity

How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? good angles

What is the slogan/message for the company? Don't get bad advice

Was the message effective? Why or why not? Yes, made me laugh





What is the company? Bud Light

Who is the target audience: Adult drinkers

What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? Humor

How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? Shot the parade

What is the slogan/message for the company? Make it a bud light

Was the message effective? Why or why not? Yes, made it look good





What is the company? Visa

Who is the target audience: basketball fans

What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? humor/ celebrity

How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? showed how tall Yao is

What is the slogan/message for the company? Its everywhere you want to be

Was the message effective? Why or why not? Yes, it was funny

Define “Journalism” in 1-3 sentences.
The telling of current events that are newsworthy via Internet, radio, television, magazine, or newspaper.


List and describe the six criteria of newsworthiness.

TITLE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
1. Timeliness: Care about things that are happening now. Ex: Haiti, weather, etc...

2. Significance: The more people impacted by event, the more significant. Ex: 9/11, Katrina, etc...

3. Unusualness: People enjoy stories that are out of the ordinary. Ex: Man bites dog

4. Prominence: Important, or famous people make news interesting. Ex: Brittany Spears shaves head

5. Proximity: We care about things that are close to home. Ex: Local sports, crime, etc...

6. Human Interest Stories: Feel good stories that are meant to show something positive. Ex: New born whale, dream come true, etc...




What are the advantages of print journalism?
1. Control over what stories you learn about

2. Don't have to wait for news to come on

3. Newspaper can go much more into detail


What are the advantages of broadcast journalism?

1. Can get video and sound clips

2. Will show live updates

3. A professional explains story for you


Why has online journalism (convergent media) become so popular?

It is a mixture of both broadcast journalism and print journalism. If you would like to read the story it will allow that, or if you want to watch a video on the story they offer that as well. It is the best of both worlds.

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enjoy my page everyone!