News is a device for the public to stay informed. News is a collection of data which is interpreted into information and presented to the public. What is being reported in the news depends on the medium greatly also. This is because some mediums are better suited to certain news stories. For example, sports work well with television because of the visuals while politics are more appreciated in the print media (except all those cable news network’s which give me seizures). Once you identify your audience and the medium you can make decisions on what news t cover, in this case on the baltimoresun.com I was able to find stories that are definitively news worthy.
This story is definitively news worthy to anyone living in Maryland……]
A short term fix for a long term problem is what the Maryland state government has in mind for its budget issue. Officials voted for the first time in 20 years to increase the limit on the state’s debt by 1 billion dollars. The story most definitively has a large impact on the people who live in Maryland. Governor O’Malley’s administration has said without the increase the state would have to stop 800 million dollars of projects planned for two next 2 years. This makes it a prominent issue with the governor and comptroller Peter Franchot calling his offices a “sobering window” of Maryland’s economy according to the article. This article is unusual because officials haven’t voted to change the debt limit in two decades. It also is a recurring issue, the budget and debt that is. There is a sense of conflict because it seems that because the state office tax collection hasn’t stood up to the plan this is a desperate move to cover their ass. Not a very honest move in the eyes of the voters. Also the Republicans in Maryland are adding this to the list of over spending by the O’Malley administration. The Stories is also brand new only published on the site today the 9th. The audience also directly pertains to the Maryland area because this means increased taxes for them in the future.
Another Article I found that directly pertains to the Baltimore area is the finalized plans for the Michael Phelps homecoming. News-worthy for many reasons, most importantly because he is the greatest Olympic athlete to ever compete. Winning every event he competed in and along with his previous medals becoming the most decorated swimmer ever in Olympic history is more than news its history…….So guess what? They are having a parade!!!
That’s right a parade from To
wson to Rogers forge with events following at fort McHenry. So this article is making the public aware that the most prominent figure in sports right now in the world will be rolling by our little college on October 4th. This even lacks conflict and currency but its unusualness and prominence blow it away. I will be proud to go watch Phelps roll by and wave, if I was form Maryland or even better Towson it would be one of the proudest moments of my young life.
The third article I found another big time sporting news event. Tom Brady, Americas golden boy or most hated depending on your zip code has gone down and it’s not looking good. After a hit to the knees that the NFL has ruled legal he’s sustained major damage to his k
nee and will require surgery and several months of rehab. That’s right within the first hour of the first Sunday of football the entire landscape changed, a newsworthy feat at least. Tom Brady is of course the reigning MVP of the league so there is no player more prominent. Its impact affects all fans especially here in Baltimore because this increases the raven’s chances of getting a playoff spot. This article is very recent because Brady was only injured 2 days ago.
In the end what makes news is more the subjective act of the journalist to focus on certain things, They can’t cater to their entire audience (especially in print) but journalists do have the power to make issues known and stir up some dust to gain attention. Information is one of the most powerful things on the planet, just ask a victim of identity theft.
Photos provided by
wikitravel.org/http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/photo/2004-09/14206835.jpg (Phelps homecoming 04)
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/sep/07/tom-brady-goes-down-1/ (Brady injury)
1 comment:
Matt, your blog looks great! I love the way you positioned your photos. When you include links though, be sure to have the title of the web page with a link attached to it, instead of having the URL in your post.
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