CNN

My aunt just got a job at CNN! I am so proud. She will be retiring her weekly column in El Nuevo Herald and will be taking on a new job. Tia Mercy, known as Mercedes Soler to her audience, will be hosting a show in CNN Espanol called Notimujer. I think it is something like a talk show for women. It will be seen nationwide in spanish. She will also have a program on CNN internationally in english. I am confident that after 5 years off the market, she will do wonders. She took a refreshing break and is no ready to return to her motherland of TV. Watch out for her and tell me what you think!

Public Records

We've been learning about PUBLIC RECORDS in class. I find it so facinating how you can just go on a website, type a persons name, and find out information about them. This can be very useful for journalists but also very dangerous if the information fell into the wrong hands. I am a bit worried about the amound of information that is readily available for the world to see. It is an amazing tool for journalists to use when reporting on someone or something. However, I fear that criminals can use it for the wrong thing.

We've been playing around with the sites, so let's see how quickly I learn to navigate through these pages. Let's see who I will find information on!

Till next time...

The Girl in the Window

Wow.......
This is a very emotional story. It made me cry, while simultaneously smiling. Although it is long, it is worth the read. The Girl in the Glass Window is unfortunately, a common case. It just isn't everyday that these mistreated children are found and rescued. 


Bernie and Diane are heroes for saving Danielle's life. The world needs more people like them! And her real mother is a lost cause, a monster, a sick person who NEEDS HELP!


It's long, but definitely worth the read: The Girl in the Glass Window






Photo Courtesy of: http://mythoughtsideasandramblings.com/2008/08/03/the-girl-in-the-window/

Reporting

I must admit, I am nervous about reporting. The deeper we get into the class, the more I realize I am going to have to drop the shy, innocent act and learn how to approach people and be a journalist. I really don't know how to get out of my shell. Hopefully, this class will help me figure that out. I need to learn which questions to ask and which are not appropriate. This is the first class where I've been taught what it takes to be a journalist...if only I could put that into play.

I'll keep everyone posted on my progress!

First Experience...On The Field!

Our first reporting assignment was not as easy as I thought it would be! We were told to interview a STRANGER on either the Islam Center near Ground Zero or what our stranger thought of President Obama. I went to Dolphin Mall (during my lunch break at work) and walked around looking for people who might have an opinion. Many people I spoke with didn't know what I was talking about or didn't have an opinion (there are so many tourists at Dolphin Mall!) 

I finally found someone who had an opinion. His name is Raymond Bordaz and he was a soldier that fought in Kuwait in 1991. His interview was quite interesting...below you'll find my brief Q&A with Raymond:

Q: What do you think if the Islamic Center that is being built by ground zero?

Raymond: I have mixed feelings because of what happened on Sept. 11, 2011. Islamic people are being blamed for what happened and it shouldn’t be that way. Besides, we have Freedom of Religion guaranteed by the Constitution. On the other hand, I sympathize with the New Yorkers who lost their loved ones and changed their lives when this happened.

Q: What do you think should try to be done?

Raymond: For the sake of good relations, I think we should try to compromise and put it another place. There are plenty of spots in NY and in the nation where we could build an Islamic Center. We should put it somewhere else out of respect for both parties.

Q: How do you feel President Obama is dealing with the situation?

Raymond: I think there are more important issues he should be dealing with.

Q: Is this a common belief among your friends?

Raymond: Well I am a Cuban man who fought against these people in Kuwait in 1991.  Neither side wants to give in. It would be wonderful if we could have peace and not have to worry about something like this. We need to find a way to coexist without trying to push our beliefs onto others. I don’t think we should be trying to shove our ideas down their throats because no one wants to feel ask if they are being controlled. I think this is the idea among many people in the nation.

Q: With that being said, do you think this issue goes beyond the Islamic Center?

Raymond: Absolutely. I think we are trying to be the police of the work instead of trying to solve our own problems instead. This is much bigger than just the Islamic Center. It’s about what we think they did on 9/11. We’re just trying someone to blame, yet again. 

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=84515

Don Browne at FIU...Content is Key

    The media must maintain its integrity while giving the consumers what they want, the president of Telemundo told a crowd of Florida International University journalism student on Wednesday.

    Some may be surprised that Browne, President of one of the largest Hispanic networks, does not speak much Spanish. However, he does know the market better than most. 

     Browne, after admitting that he had not prepared a speech for the young journalists, went on to  recite the story of how the market began to grow. 

     “Necessity is the mother of invention,” Browne repeated throughout the lecture. As the minority population in the nation increases and the Hispanic market grows, it is important for the media to adjust accordingly.

      This concept went hand-in-hand with the idea that journalists need to be all things to all people. Whether global or local, the network must cater to the needs of all. The news stations and markets no longer dictate what is "news worthy," rather, they determine what would make the consumers watch more of the station and provide them with that content. 

       Among that many themes in his speech, Browne emphasized on the transformation media has done in the recent decades and the technological transformation on which it is currently embarking.

        He said, “Content is key.” As we continue to evolve, we must open the door for the next generation of talented Hispanics to serve our community with relevant information.

        Browne said, “The media is going through the most amazing technological evolution we’ve ever seen.” Advising journalism students to take advantage of the change because everything is possible today. A market once dominated by English-speaking men is now all-inclusive, not holding any prejudices.

        Referring to Internet, Browne stated that there needed to be a marriage. There needs to be a union between Internet and broadcast. Once broadcast ends, the content can still be found live online. The content that is produced in broadcast media lives on the Internet after broadcast and in turn, the Internet draws people back to broadcast.

       When it came to print media, Browne says it is a dying field. Although it will be necessary for print to join forces with broadcast in order to keep the circle of media going.

       “As a student of a minority class, I felt really empowered when he was talking about the power we have. Although I am not Hispanic, I think the minorities in this nation really do have so much control and power over the market,” said Dawn Ogali, FIU Journalism student.

       Although Browne was very optimistic about the future, he did not have an answer when asked what the future was in store for the Hispanic media market. 

Picture courtesy of: http://www.multichannel.com/article/316829Telemundo_Televisa_Launch_Cable_Net_in_Mexico_City.php

Revised Ledes

Apparently, our ledes were not written properly. Active voice vs. passive voice, the 5 W's? Professor wants us to rewrite them, correctly. Here they are:

1. A last-quarter scoring spree by Connie Hawkins, the newly arrived forward, enabled the Bullets to erase a seemingly insurmountable 22-point halftime lead by the Warriors in a come-from-behind win, 88-87.

Connie Hawkins, the Warriors newly arrived forward, led his team to a come-from-behind victory against the Bullets, 88-87, with his last-quarter scoring spree after an overwhelmingly 22-point advance by the Bullets. 

2. “The defendant’s crime may not have caused physical harm, but the hardship he inflicted on those who trusted him with their savings cannot be ignored,” said District Judge Marvin Hurley yesterday in sentencing Norris Josephson to a minimum of five years in the state penitentiary on a fraudulent investment scheme that bilked local residents of more than a half million dollars.

At yesterday’s trial, Norris Josephson was sentenced to a minimum of five years in prison on charges of fraudulent investment that bilked local residents of more than a half million dollars. 

3. The weather bureau today offered little hope to corn and wheat growers across a wide belt of Minnesota with a prediction of no rain for the next week to relieve the month-long drought that has cut crops by an estimated 5 percent to date.

The weather bureau predicted Minnesota’s month-long drought to carry on throughout the next week, continuing to harm the production of corn and wheat growth. 

4. F.W. Walkenhorst, a university regent, said at a meeting of the regents today that the teaching staff at the state university works an average of fewer than 20 hours a week and that, unless this is remedied by a larger course load, the state legislature could not be expected to approve the university’s current budget request.

A university regent said the state university’s current budget request could be on the brink of rejection unless the university increasing their course load and teaching hours. 

 

5. The Crested Butte Dam burst last night and a wall of water 12 feet high swept through small towns, farms and ranches in eastern Idaho leaving an unknown number of dead and injured and millions of dollars in destruction.

The Crested Butte Dam burst last night, causing millions of dollars in destruction and an unknown number of dead and injured as the 12-foot high wall of water swept through the small town of eastern Idaho.