News Post #12: Final Summary

This past week has definitely been the most newsworthy week of 2011. It is also very possible that is the biggest week in news our country's had in years. From the deadliest tornadoes in our nation's history right here in Alabama to the death of Osama bin Laden, "chaos" is quite an understatement in describing this week's news.

Not only has the past week been chaotic, it has also been emotionally draining. Last night when I learned about the death of bin Laden, I honestly did not know how to react. After dealing with all the tornado damage back home and with all my friends in Tuscaloosa, I seriously did not think anything else could come from this week. But it did. And it was the most epic news our country has heard in ten years--since the 9/11 attacks. 

Over the past week, I have felt and actually seen a sense of patriotism like never before. With the April 27th tornadoes being titled as a "federal state of emergency,"I have seen not only our state, but our country come together and unite in the mist of hard times. Our country prides itself on patriotism, but to see that patriotism and unity right here in my own backyard is really incredible. 

Saturday I was fortunate enough to serve as a photographer for the Christian Service Mission. I was sent out into North Birmingham to capture the destruction and work going on in the area. Seeing power trucks from Michigan, Illinois, and North Carolina warmed my heart. To see people from thousands of miles away here in my home state helping out made me so grateful and appreciative. I also had the chance to go home to Walker County to document. Seeing everyone come together to serve put things in a whole new perspective. I can honestly say I have never been more proud of my state and fellow Alabamians. With all the constant battles over football and politics, it was so nice to see us all working together and sacrificing our time and possessions for our neighbors. This week was a perfect depiction on "Sweet Home Alabama."

And last night, I was able to go see my favorite band play at Workplay. Right in the middle of the performance, it was announced that Osama bin Laden was killed. An overwhelming feeling of patriotism swooped through the venue. Immediately afterwards, the sound guy turned Obama's speech on for all to hear. We all ran to the sound booth and crowded around the small television screen. Even the band rushed over, and I got chills as I witnessed a group of Americans crowding around a 12-inch TV screen watching the biggest news in ten years. It was definitely an unforgettable moment. Just like September 11th, 2001, where I found myself watching the news in my 5th grade classroom, complete naive to what was going on. And there I was, ten years later, experiencing the most powerful sense of patriotism after an exhausting and emotional week with my fellow Alabamians. 

While none of that had anything to do with critiquing a newscast or reporter, I will say that if it was not for NBC and all the other news stations, our country would have experienced even more disaster. All of the news teams have kept us up-to-date constantly through the tornado damage via television, internet, and social media. I am so grateful for the the people who dedicate their lives to keeping people informed. 

Throughout this entire semester, especially over the past week, I have attained a new sense of pride and appreciation for my field of studies. I am so happy to say that I will be one of the people actively involved in communicating vital information to my fellow citizens. Contrary to the popular phrase, "Love makes the word go 'round," I honestly believe journalism and mass communication is what REALLY makes it go around. Without the communication, we would all be left uninformed, uneducated, and unheard. Therefore, I am even more thankful for the right to free speech. 

This semester of following NBC13 has not only been interesting but also a learning experience. I have never paid so much attention to the details. But after touring the station, meeting the staff, and following their newscasts, I have seen all the hard work that goes into it. Watching the continuous updates of the tornado damage on NBC13 this week has only made me appreciate them more. I am very glad I chose to  follow a local news station. I will never lose sight of my new sense of gratitude and appreciation for their hard work.

News Post #11

A few days ago, I watched a newscast that really intrigued me. Like the rest of the state, I was happy to hear that the Birmingham Airport is going to be remodeled and improved for travelers.

Being an international airport, our airport has been some what sub par compared to other states'. While there are other smaller airports scattered amongst Alabama, the Birmingham International Airport is the most used and convenient for connecting flights. Countless times I have heard people complaining about the airport's quality. Not only is it outdated, but it does not offer common amenities for the travelers like every other airport.

According to Chris Pollone, Terminal A is being demolished in order to create a new Concourse A. Concourse B and C will also be renovated to make the airport more "modern and passenger friendly."
I was frustrated that the woman interviewed at the airport was not introduced or given a title. While she gave very informative statements regarding the airport, I had no idea who she was or how she was affiliated with the company.

She explained that customers usually have to stop in Dallas or Atlanta to clear customs to fly oversees, but with the expansion of the airport, travelers will be able to clear customs right out of Birmingham. I was very pleased with this fact, because I have traveled to Mexico and Europe quite a few times, and it is very frustrating to go through customs at the larger airports that are also completely off course of my destination.

"We want the entire passenger experience to be a pleasant one. From the parking deck to checking-in to the check point and onto the aircraft," said the mysterious interviewee. Regardless of who she was, I was very pleased with this announcement, and I am very glad that our state is about to reap some great traveling benefits.

News Post #10

This morning, a story about downtown Birmingham caught my attention. Just having recently visited the new Railroad Park, I was excited to hear the news regarding possible renovations being done in the area.

I actually had the opportunity to practice my photography on my sister and one of my best friends in the area just a week before. While the park itself is surprisingly nice and gives Birmingham almost a "Central Park" kind of feel, the area around it is deteriorating and resembles some what of a ghost town.

City leaders are now planning to renovate the old Nabisco building, which is located directly across from the park. The project will cost the Shannon Developing Company $3.8 million, and it will convert two buildings into retail, office, and loft space. Hillary Golston reported the story.

"Some people say that the park is creating a bridge between different groups of people, " she stated. And I can't help but to agree with this statement.  From first hand experience, I have seen many different people groups gathered at the park, which I find fascinating considering Alabama's history of racial discrimination.

Goldston explained that the project will consist of two phases. Phase one will be to move the developer's office to the bottom of the building. Phase two will be building rooms for the retail and office spaces. 

Goldston also interviewed a UAB student, who is studying downtown redevelopment. Danielle Rand stated, "Maybe if we had a more vibrant downtown, even people who didn't live downtown could be drawn towards it and support it. That could just be kind of a gateway into a better Birmingham."

I agree that the city has the potential to be a "better Birmingham." Birmingham already has so much to offer, but this addition will really be a step in the right direction. I am also glad to know that the city is so supportive of this endeavor and is loaning Shannon $1 million to cover expenses.

News Post #9

Recently, the city officials of Pelham have considered replacing one of the infamous skating rinks at the civic complex with a fire fighter museum. These plans have been debated due to the $2 million that has been lost over the past two years. Chris Pollone reported the story.

Pelham's mayor Don Murphy has been flooded with letters and emails petitioning to keep the rink, which is  why he is fighting to save it. Tracey Kerbler, a local hockey coach, was interviewed to express some of the community's emotion on the matter. She explained that losing the rink would also result in a loss of income for the city. Kerbler added that the ice skating sports, such as hockey, provide opportunities to bring in revenue for the city through tournaments and other gatherings.

In the footage, Mayor Don Murphy stated, "I will work with you. I want to work with you. Everything is on the table. I will sit down and listen. . .and do what we need to do as a community." The whole story really illustrated a sense of "community." I was really impressed with the mayor and how he handled this tough situation. He is willing to keep both parties happy by fighting to keep the skating rinks but also trying to find an alternate location for the museum. Murphy seemed to be very diplomatic.

NBC13 did a great job showing images of strikes, interviewing citizens, and attaining footage of the mayor, but I wish they had gone the extra mile of finding one of the city officials to interview. The story would have been less biased by showing representatives of both sides. Other than that, I found this story very interesting, and I definitely plan to follow up on the plans for civic center.

Digital Media Analysis

One of the first sentences of Chapter 9 effectively summarizes today's digital media: "Within the last 30 years, the emergence of the Internet as a media delivery system has transformed the structure and the economics of the media business in the United States and throughout the world." That statement has proven to be completely true as digital media has completely transformed and improved the world's way of communication.

The invention of the Internet forever changed the media business. The Internet connected all the outlets of media and created new media products, as well as, competition. It was created by scientists with the simple motive of sharing more information. The Internet has "evolved in way no one planned or expected," says Roger Fidler. I do not think Fidler could be any more accurate. This idea is true for now and for the future. There is no way to tell what innovations will take place through digital media next.

I found it very interesting to learn how the Internet actually started. Tim Berners-Lee, an Oxford graduate, was the person most responsible for its invention. He created the HTML programming language, which led   to the sharing of information through "links." Berners-Lee is quoted saying, "The original goal was working together with others. The Web was supposed to be a creative tool, an expressive tool." He also created the first browser, which allows people to share documents. Berners-Lee's innovations led others to create search engines, domains, and home pages.

Although the Internet has brought a lot of positive change to communication, it still faces four major challenges: free access, storage capacity, compatible delivery, and consumer privacy. Free access at first sounds like more of a positive than a negative; however, it causes unnecessary spam and viruses to be sent out. It also allows for bad, or wrong, information to be posted on the web. Digital delivery also requires a lot of electronic storage space, which creates problem since there is so much floating around on servers now. However, researchers are working to fix this by developing a process of date compression. The issue of compatible delivery is occurring because of the fast pace of digital media. New ideas and products are created almost every day; therefore, there is no way for the world's population to stay up-to-date with technology due to finances and resources. Lastly, probably the biggest issue digital media users seem to face today is the lack of privacy. Today, there are so many ways to connect and contact each other, which leads to invasion of privacy. Even if one attempts to block off unwanted invaders, there are still people who have learned how to pirate the technology in order to get what they want.

In conclusion, digital media has completely and forever changed the world's way of communication. There are countless ideas being brought to life through new technology, which enables the entire world to connect and communicate more efficiently. However, the broadening of this communication also effects what we think is "private." With the rate things have changed over the past 30 years, it is exciting and almost scary to imagine what will come out next.

Print Response

On Monday, the print group discussed the history, technicality, and future of print journalism. To be quite honest, I have always been turned off by the idea of print journalism, but the presentation pleasantly surprised me. 


One topic I found particularly interesting was the "newsworthy" concept of stories. The group illustrated each component for the class: impact, timeliness, prominence, proximity, conflict, bizarre, and currency. While some aspects, such as, conflict, are quite obvious, I found myself thinking back to recent articles I have read and how they fit into these categories. These ideas made print journalism to be more strategic than I had originally thought.


I also found the discussion of demographics to be very interesting and informative. Once again, the points made by the group proved that print journalism is very strategic. I recently wrote a paper for JMC200, where I had to describe the average reader of a very specific audience-geared magazine. Being the girl that I am, I chose to read Seventeen. I completely dissected the magazine and questioned every motive of the creators. I actually went through the trouble of counting the advertisements and categorized them by product. Out of the forty-seven ads, over twenty were strictly promoting face washes for acne. While I found this amusing, I also realized that it made perfect sense. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the group's analysis of demographics and advertisements. I also think that their points and examples brought about ideas that some of the class had never thought about. 


While the group did present a lot of valid information, I wish they had done more research on the future of print.  I enjoyed the Katie Couric video, which I found to be very interesting and noteworthy; however, I feel like the subject was some what overlooked. The decline of print journalism is all we really hear as journalism students in today's economy. I just wish more information was presented on exactly why the industry is dying and how journalists are trying to compensate. I also would of liked to of seen more optimistic opinions with reasons explaining their stance. This topic is very trivial in today's culture, so I think it would have been appropriate to spend more time on it, along with some class discussion to help the audience form their own opinions. 


However, I am glad the group emphasized the importance of being well-rounded in order to succeed in this field. Numerous times throughout this semester I have been told that to make in today's media-related careers, you have to know "stuff," and being a good writer is a necessity. The group also highlighted the fact that in order to do so, you must be tech-savvy. I appreciated hearing the truth instead of brushing the negativity under the rug. 

News Post #8

Over the past week, one story flooded all of the local news stations. On Sunday, March 20th, a playground in Jasper, AL was set fire around three in the morning.

This story grabbed my attention, because Jasper is my hometown. I also spent two of my summers working at the city pool, where the APEX playground is located. APEX was built in 2007 in hopes of providing a fun, safe environment for disabled children. With its modern design and rubber flooring, this playground has been cherished by our town for the past four years. I also do a lot of volunteer work with the children this playground was created for, so this news really broke my heart.

NBC13's report of the story aired the following morning. I dreaded what I knew was about to appear on my screen. Of course, I was upset about the arson crime, but I was more upset that, yet again, Jasper was portrayed as another "hick" Alabama town. Although there is a large quantity of rednecks, there is an abundance of educated citizens as well. I felt like the reporters intentionally picked out a person off the street wearing a wife-beater and do-rag to, more or less, "dumb" the story down. While vandalism to a playground is not exactly hard hitting news, the story did have value, and interviewing people, who obviously lack an education, does not help the matter.

On the other hand, interviewing someone of a higher social status and intelligence did not necessarily help the story either. Mayor Sonny Posey was interviewed, and although I did not support his candidacy, I think NBC could have done better editing of his footage. I was in complete and utter shock as the fourth word that left his mouth was "bastardly."  Yes, he could have chosen a better choice of words. But as one of the top broadcasting stations in the area, NBC should have used to discretion for the audience. The fact that that term was used in a story regarding a playground makes no sense to me.

If more focus had been placed on interviewing citizens the crime directly effected instead of finding idiotic comments to air, this could have been a better report.