So, I know we did this in class a few times ago, where all of us were supposed to say how we interacted with the web in a new way. This time though, I've done it for real, and it's one of those moments that I'm proud of because I don't get out of my comfort zone that often. As some of you may know, KOMU has launched a new show called U_News@4 w/ Sarah Hill. During the show, Sarah interacts with people, and we share what "U" the viewer is talking about on the web. I say "we" because I'm a small portion of the show. I'm one of the social media anchors who grabs people's comments from Facebook and Twitter. We even built a new studio for the social media anchors...maybe we're more than just a small portion.
Monica Ayala-Talavera, Sarah, and I at the social media desk
One of the challenges we've faced early on as social media anchors is tracking people's comments on Twitter. On KOMU's Facebook page, which blows up with comments by the way, it's easy to follow a person's comment on the issue because it just goes under the topic you post. On our Twitter page, it's much harder to follow topics because they get lost if multiple people comment on the same issue. Have no fear though, the interactive social media anchors have a plan, and we're already starting to act.
During the second week of the show, I was shown a social media site called Storify by another social media anchor, Emily Spain. It's the perfect website to use to track Twitter comments because you can actually type in a search term on Storify, and it will actually look for the comments on Twitter. Then, you can pull the comments you like and put them on your own page, and they will stay there, so you don't lose them! By pulling them out, a person can focus on one particular part of an issue, and you can narrow the conversation down. I hate complicating things. That's why I like Storify.
An example of a Storify document
For instance today, I 'storified' a story on Education Nation, a week long series NBC News is doing on the problems of education. I tried to narrow down the topic to what some politicians said on the issue. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley thinks that education has suffered because of budget shortfalls over the past couple of years. I highlighted that by using two different people who paraphrased what O'Malley said. We then post the link to our KOMU.com page, so people can see the Twitter reactions if they missed the show at 4 pm. Man, I've learned a lot about social media in a short amount of time!
story I did on U_News@4 w/ Sarah Hill using Storify
Anybody else used Storify? What do you think of the website? Leave me a comment!
On Friday, September 23, I got a taste of a different type
of journalism, a type that probably doesn’t get a lot of credit for being
journalism. Reality television producers Linda Blue, Jim Berger, Lance Heflin,
and Jonathan Murray came to the Reynolds Journalism Institute Friday. They
talked about their jobs and how they are different from a conventional ‘TV news
producer.’ Reality television is not something much talked about at the MU
School of Journalism. There was a lot of interesting conversation about
portrayals that some of the reality TV shows give off with the people that are
in them.
So, if you want to talk about a reality television show that
gets a lot of ‘bad press,’ the one that obviously comes to mind is ‘Jersey Shore.’
Obviously one of the more popular TV shows out right now, ‘the Shore’ is about northeastern young adults who live the ‘surreal life.’ They’re paid to
party, drink, and have fun, something so many Americans wish they could do. Are
these kids stars, or are they enormously famous for bad reasons?
Pauly D and Vinny doing 'the fist pump.'
One of the questions asked was whether some of the reality
TV shows today give specific nationalities bad images. To that, they basically said,
of course some of these reality TV shows make some races look bad. What
most critics say about these series are true, but is it really the producer’s
fault they look bad? To this, I would say no. Just like any other situation,
it’s not the journalist’s fault a person’s looks bad on TV. If the ‘Jersey
Shore’ cast really didn’t want to look bad on TV, they probably wouldn’t do
half the crazy stuff they do. They also however…wouldn’t be getting paid.
That’s probably the biggest reason why the creators of the
show shouldn’t be blamed for the bad press. It doesn’t seem to bother
‘Snooki,’ ‘Deena,’ ‘Pauly D,’ or ‘The Situation,’ that they portray Italian-Americans in what seem think is a bad light.
They’re making $100,000 a show. Look at their ratings. ‘Jersey Shore’ still
earned a 3.5 rating last week in the 18-49 demo. Why in the world would MTV
ever cut off a show like that? It might be the dumbest business decision ever
made.
While the reality TV producers who spoke to us Friday may not know how to solve the world’s
debt crisis, they know how to get into a person’s mind. They know how to get
people to keep coming back. That’s a skill that most people do not have, and a
person who can do it is an asset to your team. So, do the producers deserve
criticism for portraying sectors of the population in a bad way? No, because
even though they’re not the ones doing it. Plus, they're very intelligent people who are still
laughing all the way to the bank.
$$$
So what do you think? Am I right or wrong about the
producers? Leave me a comment.
Before the weekend came to a close, we were reminded of the day 10 years ago yesterday, when many American lives forever changed, a day that will never be forgotten. It seems so crazy. It's already been 10 years since the day America was attacked. It doesn't seem that long to me, but day by day and as time moves on, the healing process for thousands of Americans- gets just a little bit easier.
As a nation, we came together after 9/11. We rallied around one another for support, we grieved together, we cried together, but most importantly, we helped one another out. For the rest of that day, for the rest of that month, and many months forward...many people needed our help. The pain was so severe from the attacks that you couldn't help but get emotional, whether you were a firefighter at ground zero, or a teacher across the country. The nation truly came together.
One way people coped...is through sporting events. Little did we know that a baseball game in New York or a football game in Washington D.C. would help so many Americans get their minds off their problems. Of course sports were shut down for a solid week, but by the time they came back, America was ready to get back to a sense of normalcy. The New York Mets played their first game after the 9/11 break at home against the Atlanta Braves, and boy was it an emotional night. I can remember ESPN cutting in and showing the pre game ceremonies. I remember tears in player's eyes as they went to the middle of the infield and started hugging one another. It was a very eerie feeling. Btw, if you want a quick synapse of that game, click here.
But if you were a New York Met fan, the defining moment in that game was when catcher Mike Piazza hit a two-run home run with the Mets down 2-1. Piazza corked a fast ball deep into left center field over the wall, and the Mets went onto win 3-2. Former teammate John Franco said the home run sent chills up and down his spine. Even though, the Mets would not make it to the World Series like they did the year before, there were two other baseball moments New York had later on that fall...which would also lift some people's spirits.
Watch a video from MLB.com on the game from September 21, 2011.
Fast forward to October 31, 2001. Across town in the Bronx, the Yankees were making a play for their fourth World Series title in a row. They were facing the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. The D-Backs had a commanding two games to one lead in game four of the World Series at the 'old Yankee Stadium.' With two outs and a runner on first in the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees trailing 3-1, up walks Tino Martinez to the plate for the Yankees. On the first pitch, he hits a blast over the center field wall to tie it at three, and the game goes into extra innings.
Then, you all knows what happens in extra innings. At midnight...November 1, 2001, up walks Mr. November to the plate, Derek Jeter, the Yankee captain. On a full count to #2 in the bottom of the 10th, Jeter takes a slider and slices it down the right field line. The crowd waited to see whether it was going to land fair or foul, but it stayed fair down the line and cleared the wall for a home run. Yanks take game number four 4-3.
See the bottom of the ninth and tenth of game four of the 2001 World Series. October 31, 2001.
Need I say more? Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the ninth the next night, Scott Brosius hit a two run shot to left field to tie the game, and the Yankees would go on to win that one in extra innings. Was it a coincidence that both these things happened in 'the city that never sleeps,' after it suffered its worst day ever? I think not. Unfortunately for New York, the Yankees would blow a ninth inning lead in game seven of the World Series and ultimately loose. However, it's moments like these that brought the city together.
Chilling. The next night. November 1, 2001.
Everyone's story is different...as to how people coped through 9-11. Some used friends, some used family, but for many people, some even used sports. After all, for many Americans, it's what they know how to do best. Did sports fully heal the country after 9/11? No, but it became a place where people could take their minds off the brothers, sisters, and friends they lost on that fateful day. Watching the 9/11 tributes before all of the NFL games yesterday gave me chills while I sat down. It's one of those moments in life...that makes you proud to be an American.
Do sports make you feel the same way? Send me an email.
It's the end of Memorial Day weekend, and I'm writing from Kansas City, Mo. It's my hometown, and I'm just about to head back to Columbia, Mo. I came home for the long weekend because I hadn't seen my family sine late July. It was good to see everybody because I miss them a lot. It always seems like I never have enough time for family. Hopefully I don't regret that in the next couple of years.
I say that because I'm sure I'll be working full time, and then I really won't have any time to see my family. It's sometimes rough working at KOMU when you're so young. The station's always looking for students to fill in at different times, and if you're not careful, you can overwhelm yourself. You often look good filling in and trying to make yourself known at the station, but I also think you'll have many opportunities to 'step up' and take on an extra shift once you get out into the real workforce.
This conversation brings me back to February of this year when Mid-Missouri got 20 inches of snow. Of course that entire week, we had chances to go cover different parts of the area that got pelted with snow. I already had a couple of responsibilities that week with KOMU, but I decided not to take advantage of the extra live opportunities. I regret that in a way, but I also knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep at all Wednesday of that week. During the winter and spring of 2011, I reported on Wednesday nights and live reported Thursday mornings. I thought that was enough as it was.
There are so many opportunities to 'step up' at times when KOMU needs extra reporters. However, I've also been told that you can't take every opportunity. Why? Because if you do, you won't have time for the other things in life that are important. Too often in this business, I've been told that people regret not spending more time with their family. This business can suck the life out of you if you're not careful. As much as I care about telling a compelling story, it cannot be my entire life.
I'm all about 'giving it your all' when it comes to your job, but then again...it is only your job. Money is not everything. When a person is at a low point in their life, often times the only person there to help...is a family member. Your family should always be in the back of your mind, no matter what kind of situation you're in. That gets lost in the midst of trying to cover a big story sometimes. If I may quote my old professor Greeley Kyle, "Sometimes, you just have to say no."
Reporters and producers give up a lot to do their jobs sometimes. I'm glad I know that going in because I somewhat know what that's like already. Working nights for many years doesn't allow you to see your kids or see your husband/wife. Those things will weigh fairly heavily when I start looking for my first job. At the same time though, I'm young, and since I'm not married, I'm not committed to a family of my own yet. That might mean if there's a big story I can take advantage of in the near future, now is the time to do it...not later. Sound condescending? I've got a lot of decisions to make.
Does this ring a bell to anybody?
This is one of the stories I did that week. One of my favorites...
My oldest brother Jason and youngest brother LJ at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City this summer.
