Joseph's view of Journalism

Joseph was instructed to post a few thoughts on Journalism, for his FLVS course:

When I first started taking Journalism from FLVS, I understood a Journalist to be someone who reported the news—whether through a news agency, or as an individual. I knew that the purpose of Journalism was to disseminate accurate, unbiased information regarding current events, in an ethical manner. (Opinion writing is fine, as long as it is clearly labeled as “Opinion”)

“Ethical manner”, of course, means providing information in a way which will ultimately honor God.

Now that I’m nearly completed the Journalism course, my view of Journalism has slightly changed. The biggest things the course has done for me, is to help me differentiate between when “fact” and “opinion” are being presented. Often, I note that large news sources (Such as Fox, CNN, and Politico) are biased either for or against something (the Occupy movement, for example) simply because of the adjective they use. Adjectives must be carefully, picked.

(By the way, this is an opinion piece!)

As for my future career, I am sure it will involve Journalism in some way. I’ve always enjoyed writing, and often have contemplated pursuing a career as a news/sports anchor. I believe the career field for aspiring Journalists grows larger with the advent of new technology. Though departments change, the need for unbiased reporters with integrity is still vitally important.

A good Journalist

For Journalism, Joseph was asked to write about a Journalist he admired:

The man I admire as a competent Journalist, is Mr. Marvin Olasky. Shortly after his college career, Marvin Olasky wrote several books. Soon afterwards, (and in the midst of writing his books) he became a journalism professor at the University of Texas and a senior fellow of Acton Institute. Besides his work at the University of Texas and Action Institute, Mr. Olasky has been very active at the World Magazine. In 1990 he joined World Magazine, and four years later he became editor. In 2001, he became Editor in Chief. An Editor in Chief reviews content prior to publication. This covers language, grammar, punctuation, pictures, photo captions, and (possibly) budgetary matters. The integrity and eye for detail required for a job such as this is immense. Evidently, Mr. Olasky has both. Mr. Olasky has a great amount of experience, and is at the top of his career. Through his studies at Acton, King's, and the University of Texas, he has amassed a good deal of knowledge. This is evident through the many insightful books he has written. His decades of service at World Magazine reflect his reliability.

Sources:

Worldmag.com
University of Texas

Thoughts on Writing

For Joseph's Journalism course, he was required to post his thoughts on writing:

Writing has existed for many millennium.  Writing is used to document history, record current events, and many other things.  The written word is vital to me as a Christian.  Having the Bible (God's words) lets me learn many things about God, and about history which I may not have otherwise been able to know.  Without the Bible, I would know so much less about God, and his work in history. 

To me, writing is an essential part of life.  Though I enjoy writing, I also see writing as an opportunity.  Just like speaking—writing can let others know what you think, whether it is a novel, an editorial piece, or a persuasive essay.  Being able to coherently describe why I believe what I believe, is important to me as a Christian.

While writing, I have often come across the question: "Is it possible to write impartially?".  I believe that it is very hard—but possible.  Most credible news organizations pride themselves in impartiality.  Though their reporting is often biased, they at least recognize the importance of an "opinion-less" report.  When one wants to report without bias, it is important to examine adjectives (which often show partiality) and word choice.  Reporters who consider themselves "unbiased" often fail to be so because of poor wording choices.

Journalism: Advertisement effects

My Journalism course instructed me (Joseph) to observe ways in which I was influenced through media messages. As is their nature, advertisements tend to appeal to the feelings of prospective customers. Although I rarely buy things which I had not previously (and meticulously) considered purchasing, I noticed there is one way in which I am severely affected by advertisements.

While at Texas Roadhouse, I was looking over the menu, and I noticed some scrawled wording under the beverage section which read “Slow brewed Sweet Tea”. On the end of the word “Slow”, a cowboy hat was perched. I was leaning towards purchasing sweet tea instead of the considerably less-pricey glass of water.

I naturally like sweet tea and the words “Slow-Brewed” implied that extreme care and effort were put into the creating of the said sweet tea. “Slow-brewed” is much more appealing to me than “Instant”. “Slow-brewed” implies discretion and timing were considered important while this tea was created. The second thing which appealed to me, was the Cowboy hat, located on the scrawled wording. It (along with the theme of Texas Roadhouse) appealed to the inner “southerner” which is engrained in me. Believe me—if that hat had been a flat-brimmed skateboarder’s hat with a NY Yankees logo on it, I would not have bought that sweet tea.

The sweet tea advertisement, though it contained no catchphrases, effectively persuaded me to nearly purchase their product. It did so because it caught my attention through its marketing of sweet tea is distinctly southern, and through creating the impression that time and care were invested in its creation.

Through the observation of this fact, I now know that I am susceptible to advertising which markets itself as something which is “southern”. From now on, I will definitely use discretion when buying things marketed as such.

By the way, the Slow Brewed Sweet Tea tasted great!

Elijah's Poem

Elijah wrote this poem for a reading assignment:

The Place

I went to a place
Where the zebras do race,
But it wasn't a zoo;
It had elephants too,

When I tried to feed one
It was hard to get done.
For what did that silly elephant do?
Instead of the carrot, it sucked on my shoe!