Meeting the Reporters

During Monday's discussion with the young reporters from Pensacola News Journal and a young, professional blogger, it was apparent that immediate preparation is key to obtaining any job in the field. A bit of work experience and training will go a long way in getting a job.

The guests spoke about searching for jobs, and from what they've gone through... the earlier, the better. Query letters are a must as a reporter and a professional blogger, or a writer in general. Rejection is something to be prepared for as with any job search. Take any opportunity to get that foot in the door, even if its just as a clerk in a newsroom.

The stories of their experiences on the job were far from boring. That's what I love about journalism. Every day is an adventure. Some days aren't as exciting as others, but just to be able to have the opportunity to meet so many different characters and cover a diverse demographic through real stories excites me. The discussion helped me better understand all the facets of jumping into journalism.

Journalism is something that you definitely have to be passionate about in order to pursue it as a profession. There's a lot of groundwork to cover before diving into what you actually want to do. All you have to do is be willing to work.

Going into journalism, as a profession, is still something that I'm contemplating, but my mind is set on one thing: writing.

Cain and the media: duking it out

From the beginning of his campaign, Herman Cain won the support of many conservatives until he grabbed attention with his awkward campaign ads, one airing a tasteless video on the 9/11 attacks. The ad may have meant well, but it did not garner much support from the public.


Onward, I think his campaign has just gradually declined in the GOP polls, especially with the sexual harassment allegations from a number of women who worked for Cain while he led the National Restaurant Association. As Jame Peterson states, Cain is just an "awkward black man." This scandal has led the media into a frenzy and shed more light on the GOP presidential race.


In his own right, Cain has the freedom to address his views through his presidential campaign, but I think his format only hurts his platform. To call the media's handling of the sexual harassment allegations a "high-tech lynching" is to go as far as taking Donald Trump's attempt seriously in his decision to run for presidency in 2012. 


Eric Deggan writes a post on "lynching" being used for political scandals. Deggan says that it's a poor choice of language. I agree. Deggan describes it best by determining the big difference between the two situations. In technical terms, lynching is "when black people were hung, shot, stabbed, beaten and maimed by white mobs, their body parts taken as souvenirs and their deaths made an ugly, brutal carnival." The term has no connotation in a political scandal that pertains to sexual harassment allegations.


The media is taking into consideration all aspects of the scandal that has risen from women's accusations, from covering Cain's perspective and current performance in the polls to examining how the mainstream media is taking the political scandal into account. One of the cons in looking through the articles and posts highlighting Cain's performance since the beginning of the allegations is the accuracy in information. I found two sources that don't quite verify the facts in the polls. The blog post in the New York Times says that Cain has garnered more support from women while Politico (the website that sparked the ordeal) tells of a different account, that support for Cain has dropped dramatically.

Sources:

"Awkward Black Man" by James Peterson (blog post on Huffington Post)
New Cain campaign ad accuses media of 'high-tech lynching' (Poynter)
Eric Deggan's take on conservatives and 'high-tech lynching' (TampaBay.com)
"Media Distrust May Shield Cain From the Right’s Critiques" by Nate Silver (blog post on NYTimes)
Post-allegations, the Cain drain (Politico)

Verification of Truth for War

My understanding at the start of the Iraqi war was that the declaration had something to do with the attack on 9/11. While that was certainly highlighted in the media as a connection to Al Qaeda, the attacks on that day were not at all considered to be the kick-starter for the Iraqi war.

As the war unfolded, the press took to many different angles in their stories of war. Most of the press focused on just what the American government officials were saying. This is not an effective way of rousing the truth and reason as a journalist. For the most part, there was no verification of the facts behind the Iraqiwar. Only reports of hearsay by the government, disguised as reports of actual events, were taken into consideration as the straight facts.

The New York Times article from September 8, 2002 gave voice to the government and what they had to say about the war. The story focused on Saddam Hussein and his nuclear weapons program. This article from the New York Times swayed from giving the whole truth. It only sought the reality that government officials wanted to create for the American public. By reading the story, not one American citizen would have foreseen the declaration of war in 2003.

Knight Ridder took a different approach to reports from government officials. They took the reports and used a method of verification to interpret the information and make sure that the information presented was factual. Sure, the story was presented with a bit of skepticism from the government and the press, but looking back at journalism at the start of was. There were rarely any sources that were clear in understanding the declaration behind the Iraqi War. Knight Ridder went back to the journalist’s standard of ethical reporting. This paved way for a more verified truth in the news they published.

An Analysis of Lee Kent's Disappearance

The story of Lee Kent’s disappearance is a bit mind-boggling to say the least. The confusion deepens even more as the media coverage of the event comes to fault with the ever-changing facts.  

How can a “37-foot Boston Whaler” shrink after four days? The statements published in the articles are vague. The coverage of the story would benefit the public far more if the facts were precise and detailed.

The Mexican newspaper that found the alleged boat of Kent was never credited in the Sept. 4 article from the PNJ. Whether the launching location was Orange Beach, Al. or Little Sabine Bay off of Pensacola Beach, it was unclear at first until a correction was published. The progression of the first article from Aug. 31 to the obituary fails to be accurate for the most part.

There is so much left unsaid. Holes exist where statements could have been mentioned that were made by the rest of his family or by possible witnesses. Linking and tying the evidence chronologically would have helped the reader grasp a “truth” about the events. On the other hand, it can be difficult to search for the “truth” about an event when all you can rely on is what has been said.

Journalists cannot always expect to see every incident firsthand. They must find the “truth” by doing investigative research and through hearsay under such circumstances. The voice of critics and readers can sometimes aid in keeping the facts straight once the articles are published.

State of the Media Response

In accordance with the state of media, audiences have been leaning towards technology when searching for news. As society becomes more in tune with the digital world, advertising is a key component to survival for most news organizations. Major trends mostly deal with the reliance on advertising and the progress of the media with new technology. The three following components within the two articles provided are what I found to be most pertinent:

-As news organizations take to a digitalized era, more confusion has risen in measuring the demographic they reach

-News organizations with specific audiences tend to attract more elite advertising companies, thus maintaining their status quo

-Local news has remained unchanging and continues to rise in revenue, exceeding its own expectations

These components all affect those who foresee themselves down the path of journalism. Adaptation of new technology will garner an attraction for employers. Elite advertising gives career projection in a field of journalism more stability. Local news being constant provides students a leeway to learning more about the industry without jeopardizing their career path.

How do you like them news pegs?

At 7:00AM every morning, I wake up to "Good Morning America" on the tube and turn to my Droid to get my daily dose of Twitter feeds from The New York Times, CNN, Wall Street Journal, and Huffington Post.

I've been with journalism since my days at Escambia High, having worked on the first circulation of the Gator Gazette. My freshman year at UWF, I was fully committed to journalism, but we went on a break for a year and a half when I decided to explore other options. The option being legal studies. After that brief stint, I came crawling right back. Now, I'm writing for The Voyager. My relationship with Journalism has always been rocky, but the press has always intrigued me.

The press is an interesting topic to discuss. I've had my fair share of being on both sides of the spectrum, the subject and the interrogator. What I love about journalism and the news media overall is the fact that the industry is ever-changing. This progress can also be a downside to the industry due to the lack of career projection. I suppose that's why I'm not really set on a definitive career path. For now, I'm satisfied and content with knowing I'm sticking with journalism.