Sunday, May 25, 2008
Practice Makes Perfect
Just practicing..it can be done..perseverance is what it takes..now it's everyone else's turn..blog away!
Report on Wednesday, May 21 Citizen Journalism Workshop
Blognet
Sergeant Friday on Wednesday
(dramatic Dragnet/Blognet music) The synopsis you are about to read is true. Only the wording was changed to protect the innocent. (cue more music)
......
* This is the Iron Range.
* My name is Charlene Luoma (alias Sergeant Friday).
* I am a community journalism student who was recently shown and obviously influenced by everyblock.com/crime.
* I absolutely came to believe that a local murder had been committed “based on pure speculation and hearsay” sending me out on a fact finding mission. It was my opportunity at good investigative reporting and I was up for the job.
LOG:
* Wednesday May 21, 2008, 8: 50 a.m.: a winded Doug McGill arrived at the Mesabi Community College after suspicious activity surrounding the loss of his briefcase.
* I was taking notes on Ross Williams’ (Blandin Foundation) presentation on a recent axe murder (correction: that would be kAXE.....note to self to “Listen Carefully”) when an assignment came in from the news bureau chief: “Wade into a murky bog” (oh, wait, or was that a quirky blog?) My attention had drifted causing my listening skills to waver.
.......
* A former high school classmate had sat down beside me and we began riffing jokes off of each other. My professional investigative questions kicked in. Why had she taken the class? Her answer peaked my interest. She had been leading what she called “a shallow life” and wanted to return to her serious side. She added that she had once been serious. “Mam, when was that?”, I asked. Kathy replied, “In my thirties. For about six months.” (As students in another time and place, we would have been given detention for being inattentive in class. )
* Unfortunately, we had returned to the “shallow” end of the journalism pool.
.........
* Back to the assignment. Mr. Williams wrote on the cleanest blackboard that Mr. McGill had ever seen: “Quad Cities Community Journal Blog”.
BLOG:
* 9:10 a.m.: Kathy and I were again off task. She asked, “Who has time for that?” I replied, “It must be like a hobby for some people.” 1.) Collaboration began: “You and I could make our own blog: ‘I’drathercarveaduck.com’ “. 2.) Design: click on ‘no comments’ box.
3.) Concept: Kathy and I are the only two allowed to post on the blog. We express our opinions and do not solicit commentary from anyone else. 4.) Clever hitch: There isn’t anything ever on the blog. It’s totally blank because we are off “carving a wooden duck”, raking the yard, baking chocolate chip cookies or just about anything else except blogging! (We definitely decided it was a hobby that ‘some’ choose to participate in while others “carve wooden ducks”). Little did we know that soon we too would be expected to become bloggers! As a captive audience, our hands had been tied and our mere presence in this journalism workshop had implicated us, moved us out of our comfort zone and we found ourselves wading into the murky blog!
..........
LOG:
* I was again back on task to the scene of the crime and proceeded to gather the facts.
* Situation: Technology
* My job: blog. (cue blognet music.)
* I WONDERED. “You assigned something?”
* “Yes, a Quad City Journal Blog”, Ross announced.
* “You got a lead?”, Doug asked.
* There was not much to go on.
* There were only small matters..something about Freedom of the Press, Free Speech, Thomas Jefferson, Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence, First Amendment. etc. How could I get the story with only small details like that to follow up on? Where’s the story? Why would people care?
* Mr. McGill: “Did you write down the two forms of stories?”
* “Yes, I chose the nut graf!”, I replied. (cue the extra dramatic loud music)
..........
LOG:
* 10:22 a.m.: Scott Hall had not yet arrived so I needed to find the next closest source for questioning:
* “Pardon me, sir. Can I talk to you, sir? “
* “Sure. I don’t mind. Who are you?”
* “I am a community journalism student. Just for the record would you state your name and address?”
* “Thomas Jefferson.... Monticello”
* “I want to ask you a few questions. Just the facts.” Mr. McGill said, “nothing but good can come from the facts.”
* “I understand you have said some fairly profound things about freedom of speech. Is that fair to say?”
* Thomas loudly reacted, “It was terrible! We had to declare our independence!”
* “How can I be sure of that, sir?”
* Mr. McGill interjected, “cross reference and recheck your facts!”
* “Yes, sir”, I replied. “I want to get this straight from Mr. Jefferson’s mouth. May I quote you, Thomas? Please help me understand.”
* “Mr. Jefferson, have you ever been picked up on a 903 for instilling unrest in the civic population and empowering the citizens over the government? Just answer yes or no please.”
* “Yes, I proudly plead guilty”, Thomas emphatically responded.
* I proceed carefully with my next line of questioning.
* “We hear there has been a New York Times reporter operating in this vicinity. Can you describe him? We just want to get the facts, sir. Thomas, did you notice anything unusual about him?”
* No”, he said in a rather matter of fact tone. “He was just the run of the mill staff reporter who worked for the New York Times from 1979-1989 and the Bloomberg News Bureau Chief in London and Hong Kong in the 1990’s.”
* Note to self: (McGill, oh yes, I’d seen his kind before: intelligent and experienced, capable of asking and answering all the right questions.) He was a difficult “nut graf” to crack!
.........
LOG:
* 3:05 p.m.: I needed to make the deadline and get my report into Mr. Ross Williams.
* Note: I seemed to have broken the Top 10 Writing Tips of Journalism Rules in addition to Thomas Jefferson’s famous 10 Rules to Live By. Actually, I probably broke every rule in the Communications Act of 1906 because I forgot to Listen Carefully!
* My corrections(far out numbering Mr. MCGill’s career of only 2 corrections in 1,070 N.Y.T. news articles ) were as follows: 1.)The location of the “supposed” murder crime was not in the “Amazon Jungle” and was not to be confused with the frequently mentioned “Amazon.com”! 2.) My assignment was not in a “murky bog” but it was in an “online blog”! 3.) No one had met a “watery death” in a soggy crime site, however, Ross Williams had shown us an aquatic blog site. 4.) There hadn’t been the viewing of an axe murder site, just a kAXE web site viewing. 5.) The supposed murderer had not been “strung up” but we were exposed to a Minnesota stringer! 6.)No victim had been brutally beaten with a brick but I definitely remembered Mr. McGill mentioning something about bricks! 7.) No victim had been smothered with a pillow in his sleep but again, Mr. McGill reminded us about pillows! 8.) No one had attacked anyone else and kicked him to death yet, Mt. McGill repeatedly emphasized kickers! How could I have been so wrong in my reporting? I was so close to the TRUTH!
* My factual errors confused me into “assuming” a crime had been committed. It seemed innocent enough at the moment. (cue the very ominous music at this point)
.......
FINAL LOG REPORT:
* 5:20 p.m.: community journalism class was dismissed.
* On May 22, 2008: Mr. McGill departed for places unknown (actually I think it was Carlton
College).
* Ok, so my facts were a bit off! So, sue me! There really was a crime committed that day. Unfortunately, as it turned out, I was the guilty perpetrator of none other than false journalistic reporting.
......
VERDICT:
* I stand guilty as charged. I committed the unmentionable crimes of A.) deluding myself into thinking that I am a writer and B.) I have been practicing journalism without a degree.
* Unfortunately and ironically, these crimes are punishable by me having to actually write!
* My journalism license was revoked ( oh yeah, that’s right, I never had one and besides, Mr. McGill isn’t certain that journalism degrees are all they’re cracked up to be). :)
* I confess I have now dabbled in risky legal business and produced only entertainment and fluff! This is obviously not the stuff of pure journalism!
* What information did I leave the “j school” class with you might ask? Well, I am older and wiser and I see clearly that I probably at some point will need legal counsel. I am not talking until I first consult my journalism lawyer, Geanne Rosenberg!
.......
LOG OUT:
* 5:30 p.m., I depart for home to recline in a Campeahy chair (research conducted on T. Jefferson’s Monticello home ) to curl up with a couple of good books: Elements of Journalism, 2nd ed. and The Largemouth Journalism Handbook (Doug McGill) “because I can not live without books” (Thomas Jefferson 1815).
* (cue the cheesy music one more time)
* Over and out...I’m off to carve a wooden duck.
Sergeant Friday on Wednesday
(dramatic Dragnet/Blognet music) The synopsis you are about to read is true. Only the wording was changed to protect the innocent. (cue more music)
......
* This is the Iron Range.
* My name is Charlene Luoma (alias Sergeant Friday).
* I am a community journalism student who was recently shown and obviously influenced by everyblock.com/crime.
* I absolutely came to believe that a local murder had been committed “based on pure speculation and hearsay” sending me out on a fact finding mission. It was my opportunity at good investigative reporting and I was up for the job.
LOG:
* Wednesday May 21, 2008, 8: 50 a.m.: a winded Doug McGill arrived at the Mesabi Community College after suspicious activity surrounding the loss of his briefcase.
* I was taking notes on Ross Williams’ (Blandin Foundation) presentation on a recent axe murder (correction: that would be kAXE.....note to self to “Listen Carefully”) when an assignment came in from the news bureau chief: “Wade into a murky bog” (oh, wait, or was that a quirky blog?) My attention had drifted causing my listening skills to waver.
.......
* A former high school classmate had sat down beside me and we began riffing jokes off of each other. My professional investigative questions kicked in. Why had she taken the class? Her answer peaked my interest. She had been leading what she called “a shallow life” and wanted to return to her serious side. She added that she had once been serious. “Mam, when was that?”, I asked. Kathy replied, “In my thirties. For about six months.” (As students in another time and place, we would have been given detention for being inattentive in class. )
* Unfortunately, we had returned to the “shallow” end of the journalism pool.
.........
* Back to the assignment. Mr. Williams wrote on the cleanest blackboard that Mr. McGill had ever seen: “Quad Cities Community Journal Blog”.
BLOG:
* 9:10 a.m.: Kathy and I were again off task. She asked, “Who has time for that?” I replied, “It must be like a hobby for some people.” 1.) Collaboration began: “You and I could make our own blog: ‘I’drathercarveaduck.com’ “. 2.) Design: click on ‘no comments’ box.
3.) Concept: Kathy and I are the only two allowed to post on the blog. We express our opinions and do not solicit commentary from anyone else. 4.) Clever hitch: There isn’t anything ever on the blog. It’s totally blank because we are off “carving a wooden duck”, raking the yard, baking chocolate chip cookies or just about anything else except blogging! (We definitely decided it was a hobby that ‘some’ choose to participate in while others “carve wooden ducks”). Little did we know that soon we too would be expected to become bloggers! As a captive audience, our hands had been tied and our mere presence in this journalism workshop had implicated us, moved us out of our comfort zone and we found ourselves wading into the murky blog!
..........
LOG:
* I was again back on task to the scene of the crime and proceeded to gather the facts.
* Situation: Technology
* My job: blog. (cue blognet music.)
* I WONDERED. “You assigned something?”
* “Yes, a Quad City Journal Blog”, Ross announced.
* “You got a lead?”, Doug asked.
* There was not much to go on.
* There were only small matters..something about Freedom of the Press, Free Speech, Thomas Jefferson, Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence, First Amendment. etc. How could I get the story with only small details like that to follow up on? Where’s the story? Why would people care?
* Mr. McGill: “Did you write down the two forms of stories?”
* “Yes, I chose the nut graf!”, I replied. (cue the extra dramatic loud music)
..........
LOG:
* 10:22 a.m.: Scott Hall had not yet arrived so I needed to find the next closest source for questioning:
* “Pardon me, sir. Can I talk to you, sir? “
* “Sure. I don’t mind. Who are you?”
* “I am a community journalism student. Just for the record would you state your name and address?”
* “Thomas Jefferson.... Monticello”
* “I want to ask you a few questions. Just the facts.” Mr. McGill said, “nothing but good can come from the facts.”
* “I understand you have said some fairly profound things about freedom of speech. Is that fair to say?”
* Thomas loudly reacted, “It was terrible! We had to declare our independence!”
* “How can I be sure of that, sir?”
* Mr. McGill interjected, “cross reference and recheck your facts!”
* “Yes, sir”, I replied. “I want to get this straight from Mr. Jefferson’s mouth. May I quote you, Thomas? Please help me understand.”
* “Mr. Jefferson, have you ever been picked up on a 903 for instilling unrest in the civic population and empowering the citizens over the government? Just answer yes or no please.”
* “Yes, I proudly plead guilty”, Thomas emphatically responded.
* I proceed carefully with my next line of questioning.
* “We hear there has been a New York Times reporter operating in this vicinity. Can you describe him? We just want to get the facts, sir. Thomas, did you notice anything unusual about him?”
* No”, he said in a rather matter of fact tone. “He was just the run of the mill staff reporter who worked for the New York Times from 1979-1989 and the Bloomberg News Bureau Chief in London and Hong Kong in the 1990’s.”
* Note to self: (McGill, oh yes, I’d seen his kind before: intelligent and experienced, capable of asking and answering all the right questions.) He was a difficult “nut graf” to crack!
.........
LOG:
* 3:05 p.m.: I needed to make the deadline and get my report into Mr. Ross Williams.
* Note: I seemed to have broken the Top 10 Writing Tips of Journalism Rules in addition to Thomas Jefferson’s famous 10 Rules to Live By. Actually, I probably broke every rule in the Communications Act of 1906 because I forgot to Listen Carefully!
* My corrections(far out numbering Mr. MCGill’s career of only 2 corrections in 1,070 N.Y.T. news articles ) were as follows: 1.)The location of the “supposed” murder crime was not in the “Amazon Jungle” and was not to be confused with the frequently mentioned “Amazon.com”! 2.) My assignment was not in a “murky bog” but it was in an “online blog”! 3.) No one had met a “watery death” in a soggy crime site, however, Ross Williams had shown us an aquatic blog site. 4.) There hadn’t been the viewing of an axe murder site, just a kAXE web site viewing. 5.) The supposed murderer had not been “strung up” but we were exposed to a Minnesota stringer! 6.)No victim had been brutally beaten with a brick but I definitely remembered Mr. McGill mentioning something about bricks! 7.) No victim had been smothered with a pillow in his sleep but again, Mr. McGill reminded us about pillows! 8.) No one had attacked anyone else and kicked him to death yet, Mt. McGill repeatedly emphasized kickers! How could I have been so wrong in my reporting? I was so close to the TRUTH!
* My factual errors confused me into “assuming” a crime had been committed. It seemed innocent enough at the moment. (cue the very ominous music at this point)
.......
FINAL LOG REPORT:
* 5:20 p.m.: community journalism class was dismissed.
* On May 22, 2008: Mr. McGill departed for places unknown (actually I think it was Carlton
College).
* Ok, so my facts were a bit off! So, sue me! There really was a crime committed that day. Unfortunately, as it turned out, I was the guilty perpetrator of none other than false journalistic reporting.
......
VERDICT:
* I stand guilty as charged. I committed the unmentionable crimes of A.) deluding myself into thinking that I am a writer and B.) I have been practicing journalism without a degree.
* Unfortunately and ironically, these crimes are punishable by me having to actually write!
* My journalism license was revoked ( oh yeah, that’s right, I never had one and besides, Mr. McGill isn’t certain that journalism degrees are all they’re cracked up to be). :)
* I confess I have now dabbled in risky legal business and produced only entertainment and fluff! This is obviously not the stuff of pure journalism!
* What information did I leave the “j school” class with you might ask? Well, I am older and wiser and I see clearly that I probably at some point will need legal counsel. I am not talking until I first consult my journalism lawyer, Geanne Rosenberg!
.......
LOG OUT:
* 5:30 p.m., I depart for home to recline in a Campeahy chair (research conducted on T. Jefferson’s Monticello home ) to curl up with a couple of good books: Elements of Journalism, 2nd ed. and The Largemouth Journalism Handbook (Doug McGill) “because I can not live without books” (Thomas Jefferson 1815).
* (cue the cheesy music one more time)
* Over and out...I’m off to carve a wooden duck.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
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