Obama In the Spotlight

Barack Obama spent million of dollars on a 28 minute long tv spot in homes across the country.  At this point in the election you have to wonder how many people actually will be influenced by this ad.  Many Americans have made up there mind already so it was interesting to see what many people thought. 

A photo of Barack Obama courtesy of Google Images

As I watched people come and go from the student center at UALBANY I was wondering how many people would actually sit down and watch.  It seemed like people were doing everything but watching the segment whether it be sleeping, playing ping pong, or watching sportscenter on the other tv. 

When I asked a fellow student that was somewhat paying attention why he was watching he said “I am just waiting for my dad and brother to pick me up so I’m killing time.”  He did make a good point when I asked if he thought it would make an impact by saying “Yea, Mccain isn’t there to disagree and he’s not doing one of these.”

Another student watching while he enjoyed a slice of pizza said “I dont think it was a waste of money but it won’t have a huge impact.”

I feel like it was a good attempt at trying to influence America.  I feel like he did well using examples of everyday Americans to get his point across.  The problem was it is so late in the election that people are just sick of hearing about it.  It may not be true across America but it was true across this college campus. 

It might turn out that this segment on the television had a huge impact on America but I can promise you it won’t have a huge impact on many voters at UALBANY.

Editing

 

As a student of journalism at UALBANY I thought I was finally beginning to figure this whole writing process we call journalism out.  For one of my classes I recently had to read a book about the editing process.  I learned a great deal of information about editing that I never realized 

Telling True Stories is a book all journalism students should read. Picture courtesy of Google Images

The book itself gave me examples of the editing process using real life situations between an editor and writer.  I thought these examples given gave me a realistic look at what life after graduation will be like if I continue into the journalism field.  I think it gave me a sense of what a good editor and writer relationship is.

I never realized how important it was to have such a strong relationship with your editor.  If you work in journalism and want to have a good story then having a good relationship with your editor is vital.  Before I read this I always thought it was the writers job to basically do everything regarding the topic of the story and who to interview.  I thought the only thing the editor really did was made sure the story didnt have any gramatical errors.  I was as far off as anyone could possibly be

I think the most important part of the editor and writer relationship is that they are on the same page.  If the editor wants one thing for a story and the writer wants another then your in for some trouble.  If there is tension between the writer and the editor then you are setting yourself up for chaos.  It is vital that the editor and writer meet various times throughout making the story to make sure they are on the same page.

In the book that I read for class Lisa Pollak explained her relationship with her editor Jan Winburn in regards to writing a story for the Baltimore Sun about political activism.  It took me through the process of seeing Lisa go through the writing process.  She met with Jan numerous times and they both discussed ideas and different approaches to how the story should be written. 

The problem was Lisa was not happy with how the story was shaping up at all and the deadline was approaching.  Jan decided the best thing to do would be to take a day off and freewrite about the subject.  It turned out that the story was changed around a bit and made better because of their decision.  I thought it was a perfect example of an editor and writer working together to make the story better. 

Tom French made a living writing serial narratives. Picture is courtesy of Poynter Online.

Another author that I learned alot from was Tom French.  Tom said the words “to be continued” are the most beautiful words in the english language.  I totally agree with him.  Tom is a writer who writes serialized narratives in the newspaper only one chapter at a time. 

His advice is to transform the stories important events into scenes.  I think that is a great idea because not only does it make it easier to understand but easier to write as well.  He also says that a story is taken in differently by the reader if it isn’t read at one time.  I totally agree with that statement because I believe the reader has more time to reflect if it takes more then one sitting to read the story.

I agree with what both of these writers said and learned a great deal more information after reading the book Telling True Stories.  I think anybody that is thinking about getting into journalism should read it as well.

The Aftermath

Richard Bailey was a senior at The State University of New York at Albany.  As many know he was shot in killed on his way home from watching a football game on October 20th.  A week has gone buy and life is slowly turning back to normal. For many people on campus however, things will never be the same.

A picture of Richard Bailey courtesy of the Times Union.

The death of Richard Bailey has left many questions inside of everyones mind.  There was no motive for the killer.  Nobody has any idea who would do such a terrible thing.  Richard was a very nice kid who was a very good athlete and wanted to be a cop according to his friends.  It makes many stop and wonder why such a terrible thing had to happen to Richard.

The tragedy itself has affected many different people between students, faculty and civilains that live in the Albany area.  Recently I took the time to go on the UALBANY campus as well as through various parts of the city of Albany to see what people had to say about how the tragedy would impact them.

The first girl I came in contact with was a Amy Donovan, a student at the State University of New York at Albany.  Donovan lives off campus nowhere near where Bailey was shot but said it would still affect her.

“I am a commuter student.  I walk to my car by myself at night when I have night class.  Not a day has gone by since the accident where I haven’t thought about it walking to my car.  I catch myself walking fast or looking over my soldier.”

The people who seemed most frightened or threatened by the tragedy are people who lived in the area where Bailey had been shot.  Bailey was just a typical kid walking home from watching a football game remember.  It is not like he was out trying to cause trouble.  It could of happened to anyone.  I got that opinion after talking with Terrence Morn,  a civilian that lives a few blocks from the scene. 

Morn looked very serious talking about the Bailey shooting. It happened just blocks from his apartment. The photo is courtesy of Blaine Drescher

“It scares the crap out of me.  I walk home from bars all the time.  I jog these streets once in a while when I feel like getting a workout in.  I feel like it could happen to me next if I’m unlucky enough.”

For some it may be harder to forget then others.  Each student at UALBANY may feel differently.  Christopher Ramden, a senior at UALBANY is trying his hardest to put the mess behind him.

“I went to the candle ceremony.  It was pretty sad.  I didn’t know the kid but all I heard was good things about him.  It is sad but I feel like students are slowly moving on.  The campus seems a little more lively than it was after the shooting which I think is a good thing in a way.”

The death of Daniel Bailey will always be remembered.  For students and civilians in the Albany area the tragedy leaves behind a great deal of questions that have not been answered.  Some questions may never be answered but the life and death of Daniel Bailey will always be remembered.

The Presidential Election

The two candidates courtesy of Google Images

I am sure all of you know by now but just in case you don’t Election Day is just around the corner.  This years race is a very interesting one because of all that has gone on in the country recently.  Right now we are at a period of time where the stock market is dropping, the housing market is terrible and we are fighting a war that a great deal of Americans think we should not be fighting. 

With all of these current issues the election this year is as popular as ever.  Many young American such as college students and young adults are very interested in the election.  Recently I walked around the community and tried to see how other people felt about the race and what was important about each candidate.  I thought it was very interesting that each person I interviewed thought a different issue was the most important.

Dan Kirchner, a 22 year old Siena College graduate said “I think people realize what a tough time this country is going through and by voting they can do something about it.”  I believe this is one major reason young adults feel it is their duty to get to the polls on election day.

When I talked to Amy Donovan a senior at UALBANY she said “Young kids are dying over in Iraq as we speak.  We need to get out now not wait 10 years.”  She seemed to be very interested in the fact that McCain wants to stay in Iraq and slowly back out.

The other plan that seemed to get a great deal of attention was the Obama tax plan.  When talking to Greg Coonley, a junior in college he said “It teaches people to sit on their butt all day and make the people that work hard get nailed with all the taxes.”  He was obviously fed up with the Obama tax plan. 

It was very interesting speaking with all of these people because it was clear people saw positives and negatives to both candidates.  I think it is going to be a relatively close election.  We will see America’s decision very shortly.

James Hess (Left) and Greg Coonley (right) take a picture after talking about the election at a church picnic in Albany this past weekend.