All's Well That Ends Well

Well everyone, the end is drawing near. As the semester ends for our COMMS class, so will most of the posting and commentary on this blog. Thanks to all of you who participated and made this an enjoyable experience. It really has been grand. In honor of the two men who inspired this blog, I've decided to do a story that will do both of these icons justice. Enjoy! And in the words of the famed Walter Cronkite, "And that's the way it is Wednesday, December 2, 2009."

• For Seacrest: Tiger Woods apologizes after alleged affairs arose. Tiger Woods has issued an apology for his actions, but has requested that these matters remain private. Sponsors like Gatorade, Gillete, and Nike say that they will continue to support Woods. CBS News, CNN, and ABC News all had stories.
• For Cronkite: President Obama has just released a plan that will send additional troops to Afghanistan in 2010 and have them out in 2011. The strategy has three objectives: 1) Deny al Qaeda a safe haven. 2) Reverse the Taliban's momentum and deny it the ability to overthrow Afghanistan's government. 3) Strengthen Afghanistan's security forces and government. CBS News, CNN, and ABC News also had stories.
  

Farewell Oprah!

Oprah Winfrey announced on a special episode of her TV talk show this week that in 2011 the show will be ending. After 25 years of celebrity interviews, Oprah's book club, the coolest gadgets, and much more, Oprah feels that it is the perfect time to put a stop to her show. Her ratings have gone down this past year but that is not the reason she has made this decision. E!new portrays Oprah's announcement in an entirely emotional way. Their whole article covers how Oprah feels about it and what led to the decision. On the contrary, Newsweek covers the story entirely different. They discuss how this will effect her in the future and what this means to the world. So this brings to mind the question yet again of which form of news is more important? Is it better to present hard core facts or appeal to the reader and their emotions? Maybe a combination of both? Take a look and tell us what you think!

E!news

Newsweek

"Palinpalooza?"

When your name is in the news as often as Sarah Palin's, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is sure to pick up on it and spin things their way. But how does it compare with CNN's coverage?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Daily Show: The Rogue Warrior
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

THE SKY IS FALLING

Lastnight, November 17, 2009, residents of Utah, and several surrounding states were eyewitness to an incredible display of nature's uncanny occurances. Just after midnight the sky light up across the state as a remnant of the previous days meteor shower entered the earth's atmosphere. Traveling at unordinarily fast speeds the meteor hit the atmosphere with such great force that the leading edge literally exploded, displaying a phenominal show of intense light. The light was so bright that it light up the entire sky brighter than the sun.

If you follow the link, KSL has several different videos from various sources. It is interesting to note which types of organizations, amateur or professional obtained the best footage of the meteor.

KSL

U.S. Plans to Convict and Execute 9/11 Terrorists

Here's some news that would be prevalent in Cronkite's day: President Obama is standing by Attorney General Holder's decision to convict 5 suspect 9/11 terrorists in a civilian court. Many citizens might be offended that these alleged terrorists are receiving civilian treatment instead of being tried in a military tribunal, but CBS News reports that, "Mr. Obama said those offended by the legal privileges given to Mohammed won't find it 'offensive at all when he's convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him.'" President Obama was hasty to add that he wasn't prejudging the outcome. In my opinion, this is the kind of news that should be on the front page of prominent news papers and on the home page of prominent news sites. Instead we have links popping up on the news sites telling us who the "Sexiest Man Alive" is. Who cares? I want to know about politics and what's going on in the world and I think Cronkite would be inclined to agree with me. All the news that's fit to print sure means something different today than it did 30 years ago....

• MSNBC
• CBS News

Facebook's 'unfriend' is Word of the Year

New Oxford American Dictionary announces its “Word of the Year.” For 2009, that word is a verb, one with which we in our social network-obsessed culture should be very familiar: “Unfriend: To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.”As in, “I decided to unfriend my roommate on Facebook after we had a fight”. This is crazy! Facebook has made history! MSNBC reports this story along with CNN talking about the issue of Facebook and politicians . At first I thought this was a joke. But boy was I wrong. Check it out and let us know if you this is as crazy as I did!

All the Hype That's Fit to Post: Twilight

Twilight has been causing quite a social frenzy since the release of the first movie in 2008. With the release of the next movie in the trilogy this month, all anyone can talk about is Twilight. From updates with Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson's "relationship" on E! News to notices of how the stars are doing on their Euro tour on Cronkite's own CBS News, Twilight is all over the news. But is this social frenzy newsworthy? In my opinion, this is more media than this movie needs. Twilight is the worst film I've seen this side of the century. No offense to those avid Twilight fans but couldn't you be doing something better with your time than obsessing over bad acting and fake "relationships?" I will be overjoyed when all of the mania dies down after New Moon gets old. Twilight will then leave the news until the next premier. Thank goodness.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Everybody Enjoys A Good Party, Right?

They call it "the country's backyard." Since when has tailgating become such an event? When does a pregame party become too much? The following stories about the technique of tailgating were listed as the top story on CNN.com.  It must be news then if there are reporters writing on it, for one, and it must be entertaining or interesting if it is termed as a top story, for another.  But really, is this news or just "infotainment?"  What do you think?  They are pretty interesting.  I never realized how much went into tailgating these days.  Anywhere from formals to just a plain grill and a hot dog.  Really interesting how involved they have gotten in the past years.  Also, note how dedicated some of the people featured in the stories are to tailgating and pregame parties.  I'd sure like to be an invitee.

• "'Commissioner of Tailgating' offers pregame tips"
• "Tailgating as good as the game"
  

News For All The Wrong Reasons!

Often times in the news today we will see people who get the most publicity when they do something that is horrible and uncalled for. Why do you think that is so? Why not cover stories on people who are doing amazing things for the world and are very accomplished? That is where the live between "infotainment" and news is very hazy. Here is a good example in college sports. This past week BYU played New Mexico in woman's soccer. A certain girl on the New Mexico team portrayed many instances of unsportsmanlike conduct against girls on the BYU team. In your opinion is this really credible news and do we really care? Why is it so popular?

MSNBC

YouTube

Rampage at Fort Hood

12 dead and 31 wounded from the shooting rampage of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. Erroneously reported to have been killed, Maj. Hasan is in custody and in stable condition. To get the info on stories of this magnitude and seriousness, mainstream news is the place to go seeing how the material is obviously too sensitive to be used simply for entertainment. ABCNews reports the story as well as MSNBC.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Sesame Street: Growing Up

Talk about a generation gap!

Sesame Street's 40th Anniversary is on November 10.  I remember watching all of my favorite Sesame Street characters dance and sing the ABC's and teach me to count.  Then what?  I asked my nieces and nephews if they watched Sesame Street...resounding no! What? How can this be? After 40 years of wonderful learning and kids today don't get to experience it.

After reading the article on CNN's website, it was shocking to realize how much has changed.  Note the sections that talk about Cookie Monster hallucinating, or even the dingy turning to "power washing."  Growing up, I never realized all the things that weren't exactly "P.C." on the show. I'm equally as stunned as the author of the article with the release of the DVD with a warning that says 
"These early 'Sesame Street' episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today's preschool child."  WHOA! These certainly are changing times.

I've been searching for other recent stories on Sesame Street, but I had to dig and find some that aren't so recent.  Not only that, I found an add for adult t-shirts sporting Sesame Street characters. Where's the kids' stuff?

Example of a t-shirt for sale

Well, from my point of view, I'm feeling a bit outdated. Case and point for this blog: "old" news vs. "new" news.  I guess I'm part of the "old" kids shows and not so hip on the new generation's entertainment.

What do you think about the changing times and shows for today's generation of kids and the learning shows?  Are they outdated? Do we still need The Count to help kids count? Or what about Big Bird, Ernie, Grover, and the other fun, lovable characters? Check out "Jimmy Kimmel Live" tonight and "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" on November 9 to see some of the characters stop by for interviews.

• jconline.com
  
• CNN.com
• The Baltimore Sun

Check out these videos. Connan O'Brian did a parody on the actual Sesame Street clip with First Lady Obama.

Here's the original:


Here's the parody (on the Bill O'Reilly show, no less):

Gubernatorial Elections of 2009

Well folks, the results are in and it seems like the Republicans have taken Virginia! The governor elections for both Virginia and New Jersey were today and the clear-cut winner in Virginia was McDonnell, a Republican (the New Jersey election is too close to call). What does this election have to do with Obama's Presidency? Well Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele believes that the victory is a "blow to President Obama and the Democrat Party. It sends a clear signal that voters have had enough of the president's liberal agenda." (see stories below) I'll let you decide for yourself what this all means, but one thing is clear: This is the kind of news that would be prominent in Cronkite's day. Sorry "infotainment" stories. You're going to have to take a back seat to the hard-hitting news for tonight.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

• Fox News


• MSNBC


• CNN
  

Speidi Wrote a Book?!

Spencer and Heidi Montag, infamous for their rolls on MTV's The Hills, have written a book providing advice on how to become famous. The title alone, “How to Be Famous: Our Guide to Looking the Part, Playing the Press and Becoming a Tabloid Fixture” tells what kind of people they are. Making millions, "looking good" and creating drama on one of the most popular television shows. Not many people have nice things to say about these two, their lives have become so fixated upon their image and their social status. Check out what MSNBC and MTV has to say about this duo! What do you think? Was it a good idea to write a book? Who even cares about Speidi?

Speaking of Ryan Seacrest.......

This week our own blog inspired celebrity hit relatively top story news. A stranger to Seacrest has been stalking him and insisting he has had business with him. He once pulled a knife on Seacrest's body guard and again attempted to talk to him with another knife. Seacrest has never seen this man before and has been severely frightened by him. Even though the story is not the most interesting or important, I would like to point out the different ways the news media portray this story. E! news of course displays the story with grave emphasis on the peril of Seacrest and what he is going through. But the interesting part is how the so-called "serious news" stations such as MSNBC reported the same story. There was little distinction between the entertainment news story and the regular news story. To me, this shows that the distinct line between "infotainment" and news is fading. What do you think? Do you think it is a problem in our world today? Maybe a slight foreshadow?

Does Adam Lambert's cover push the envelope?

Adam Lambert's new album cover has been receiving quite the scrutiny. Phrases like "an homage to Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince" and "Xanadu" have been thrown around by authors of articles analyzing Lambert's album cover. I personally think that this album cover is way over the top and in light of the recent photos he did for Details magazine, Lambert is not someone for teens to be idolizing or looking up to. There's no way that this short of sensationalism would have been on the nightly news report during Cronkite's era. Lambert's response to all of the uproar.... "For those that don't get it: Oh well.... glad to have gotten your attention." He also tweeted "Glam is back!" in a link to his cover. For more see stories below.

• ABC News


• MSNBC (this story is quite comical)


• CNN


• E! News

American Health Care

Of the many issues the 2008 Presedential campaign focused on, Health Care has proven to be the most difficult issue to address, reform, and resolve. From fears of a socialistic system, to fighting for a chance for all Americans to receive necessary health care, this issue has sparked controversy throughout the American populous. Consequently, the Health Care issue has been on the "front page" of nearly every news source. Here are a few video clips from traditional news sources as well as more "infotainment" news sources. They each highlight certain aspects of this issue. Which aspects are more appealing to you?

Saturday Night Live

C-SPAN

The Legend Continues...

Michael Jackson. A legend? An icon? A disgrace? Although he has passed away, there is still no shortage of news relating to Michael Jackson. With a new movie coming out, it is difficult to fathom what a "legacy" this man had. So much publicity and news coverage has been centered around his death and family. Now that much of it has passed away, new focuses are being made about Michael Jackson's movie "This Is It". Jackson's "This Is It" album has sold thousands and retailers and hoping the album will be a best seller throughout the holidays. What does everyone think? Does Michael deserve this? Check out what the media is saying... CNN, MTV News, and People.

Obama vs. The big scary Fox!

According to the White House, Fox news is very different from all of the other so-called "mainstream media." They are suggesting that Fox is subjective to the Republican party only and ignores any other party. The white house has on occasion even refused news coverage to only Fox news. Read CBS new's report on the matter and compare it to the above comical political cartoons presented by MSNBC.com and townhall.com. In your opinion, which one is a more entertaining and/or accurate way to portray this story.

Balloon Boy a Hoax!

You can rest at ease. The boy carrying balloon story that captured the attention of people across the country turned out to be a hoax. Take a look at these news clips and how each reports the story differently. Which do you prefer? Let us know!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Intro - Balloon Boy Is Safe
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

From Cronkite to Seacrest: The Changing Face of News

I decided to do something a little different with my post today. After searching the news sites that I usually look at to find stories I realized that there were few stories that were being covered on multiple sites. I really had no way of showing the differing ways news is reported because there wasn't one single story that was being largely covered on any of the same sites! So I've decided to post the top stories that multiple sites had on their home pages. These are the stories that you see when you first activate the site.

• CNN's top story read "Car Czar 'shocked' by Detroit management."
• Fox News' largest story was that the FDA might be misleading consumers with food labels.
• Yahoo! News had the story "Dems go after antitrust exemption for insurers."
• The New York Times' top story was "Food Experts Worry as Population Grows."
• CBS News (Walter Cronkite's old station) reported on multiple stories including "Pay cuts coming for bail ed out executives" and "Exclusive: Mexican Drug Cartels in Atlanta."
• RyanSeacrest.com reported on Rihanna's new album, the New Moon Premier, Lady Gaga's new single, and Timbaland's new song.
• Associated Press's top story was that AP artist had made up the story about Obama poster.

All of these sites reported their news as "breaking news" and yet none of the stories correlated with stories on other sites. How can this be? I personally think that it shows how our world has transformed into a tech-savvy global market when the biggest story is what will "sell" and get the most views. It also shows how news sites cater to their readers and post stories that they feel will attract the most traffic. My how things have changed since the Cronkite Era when the stories were the same across the top 3 broadcast networks. As for the stories of today, I'll let you be the judge of what is news and what is not. Comments welcome!

Observations of Obama

Since the beginning of Obama's campaign he has become a focal poiont of media by reason of his office, speaking abilities, and political promises. One of the most interesting and notable aspects of how the media has covered the election and months since has been the array of news sources that have taken interest and reported upon President Obama. This was most notably exemplified by the Tina Fey impersinations of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live. Although such media sources as Saturday Night Live have been thought of as merely comical and non relevant entertainment programs, many are questioning the influence which such media sources have. Here are several videos of Obama's speeches, SNL's skits about Obama, and even CNN's response to SNL's skit. Apparently CNN is having to compete with SNL...

C-SPAN

Saturday Night Live

CNN

Will H1N1 Vaccine Shortage Lead to More Deaths?

Will the lack of Swine Flu vaccine lead to more deaths in children and adults? Sites such as MSNBC.com, FoxNews.com, and ABCnew.com have emphasized the great scare of the lack of H1N1 vaccine. The rise in death rates, especially in children, due to the swine flu epidemic is crucial in the world today. In addition to all of the other early season illnesses developing this season, the swine flu has contributed significantly to many of the increasing deaths. The scare across the nation continues as the vaccine for the H1N1 virus has been delayed. Doctors are troubled by the promise from federal health officials that there will be enough vaccine to go around. People are demanding they get their shot when there isn't even enough vaccine to make it to the end of October. Should we be scared of what this might do to the nation? MSNBC, FoxNews, and ABCnews have chosen different aspects of the lack of the vaccine to emphasize. Which one do you think pertains most to today's society and is most effectively portrayed as a reliable source of news?

Gay Rights Protest Coverage (or lack thereof)

Thousands of protestors met at the Nation's capital to demand equal rights for gays and lesbians. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart covers the issue and also raises questions about the lack of coverage it got from the different news agencies around the country. Is their a reason behind why some stations gave the protest little to no attention such as FOXnews? (unfortunately, the video of their coverage is unavailable on their website) I wonder why..... MSNBC was one of the few stations to give extensive coverage to the story while other stations like ABCNEWS let the people do the talking. To cover the rally, CNN used an "ireporter" to get the story and opinions of the demonstrators taking part. What do you think of the way this story was covered? Which kind of news do you prefer to watch? Let us know!

Dow Closes Above 10,000

It's been over a year since the Dow closed above 10,000. Consequently, cheers went up as the Dow closed at 10,015.86 today, thanks to the help of JPMorgan Chase and Co. and Intel Corp. I feel like The LA Times had the best story. Short, sweet, and too the point. None of the politics. Yahoo! News and ABC News both had the Associated Press story, which means no inside commentary. The New York Times would have been my second choice, their story was pretty short too. Fox News, on the other hand, was incredibly long and lost my interest very quickly. I also think that Obama might get some credit for this change in the stock market. Politics aside, let's hope that this is a sign that the economy is picking up from what has been called the worst recession since the Great Depression. Comments welcomed!

Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize

Many were shocked to find out that President Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize but others were pleased. The same basic story is presented in different ways with different viewpoints. Fox News and Townhall.com both give a conservative side of the story, stating that the Nobel Committee was just making a political statement. The Associated Press presents a fairly unbiased version of the story on Citizen-Times.com. CNN provides a complete story, but only highlights the positive comments given about Obama receiving the award. What about countries overseas? BBC seems to agree with CNN that Obama has done something to deserve the award. Which story do you agree with?

What's going on with Letterman?

With all of the stories in the news concerning David Letterman, which one can be trusted to give the most complete and truthful story? Yahoo! News and CNN seem to be taking the side of Robert Halderman. Fox News and CBS News (the company that both Dave and Robert work for) place Dave in the "good guy"position. While ABC News offers a fairly unbiased story and E! News frankly says, "Who cares?" So which story is the best? Which one gives the information needed to understand the story?

The Olympics!

2016 heralds the new Olympic games! Check out the upset--Chicago gets beat out by the winner Rio de Janeiro. What about the opinions? Yahoo, reported the news with Chicago depressed. CNN has more of a reporter view, maybe? How did this story get your attention?  Check out these sites and see which one is most appealing to you!

CNN
Yahoo
MSNBC


Not only that, but how does this news affect the news and approval of President Obama worldwide and locally? Maybe some news stories will come from this too.

Jon Gets In On It

 

TONIGHT: Jon Gosselin

Larry King, from Larry King Live, is going to host Jon Gosselin tonight on the Larry King Live show.  It will be interesting to see the way this interview goes.  Let's look at how Larry King adds to this story.

Jon and Kate Plus 8- Not Great

NYdailynews.com

The breakup of the famous couple, Jon and Kate Gosselin has struck media sources everywhere. TLC announced on September 29 that the future of "Jon and Kate Plus 8" is now on the shoulders of just Kate. The show will be relaunched as "Kate Plus 8" and will feature Kate's life as a single mother. This story is not only featured on entertainment news sites such as E! News, but also on prominent news coverage sites such as msnbc, CNN*, LA Times, ABCNews, and CBSNews.

After viewing the different stories from the above sites, which story was the most entertaining? Which one carried the most accurate information? Which story had the best presentation? Was there one news site that seemed to be more biased than the rest? Is there even a difference in the way that the same story is being presented?

*On the CNN website, click on Entertainment on the left side of the page and the video should be on the top row under the title, "Jon Fired From 'Kate Plus 8'."

The Beginning

Our mission is to inform you of the different ways one story can be portrayed. We want to see how different reporters report the same news story. We pledge to post a new story at least once a week. Read, comment, and join us as we explore how the news changes from station to station and from the years past to now.