The Future Of News

Newspapers have been drying up and blowing away. Both large and small magazines are folding, even newsmagazines are in trouble. The main cause is that advertisers won't pay for ad space any longer: inexpensive or free advertising can be obtained immediately on the internet today.

Newspapers can't compete with those rates. In order to stay in business and make a profit, there has to be a paying benefactor. Consumers cannot make up the difference even though most print readers are baby-boomers and make up a huge percent of the population.

So what happens now? What's to become of cub reporters, "old hand" editors and the freelance bloggers of the world? Invisible Inkling website writer Ryan Sholin, graduate student of San Jose State University, reveals the harsh reality of the news business today with some general tips for all in his article 10 obvious things about the future of newspapers you need to get through your head.

Sholin states that the future of the news is here and there will be no more whining about it. It's not Google or Craigslist's fault. Local papers need to run local features. Journalists have to be multi-taskers: they should be able to shoot AP quality photos, use software like In Design and edit their own work. They should incorporate major media delivery carriers like Twitter and RSS feeds as soon as they become available to the press. Online news delivery, archived article and photos should always be free to view. Journalism school professors need to stay updated with the latest media technology and be teaching the same to their students. Those who protest new media methods face the other option: being cut from the force.

Sholin is not alone in his theory: journalism instructor Mindy McAdams also suggests similar types of work strategies for journalists in her blog Teaching Online Journalism.

It's a "sink or swim" scenario, and only the strongest and fittest news publications will survive. According to Sholin, adding online content like the Washington Post and the San Jose Mercury News have done is necessary for making news available to both internet viewers and print readers. This business model has proven itself to be popular.

No, these general tips do not solve the issues of obtaining additional revenue for news publications or magazines. Nor do they win the bloggers' battle for equality in the journalism world.

Yet, it's a start. Since the news will always be a valuable commodity, it will eventually have its rightful place be it on paper, plastic or in cyberspace. There will always be news and a need for someone to report it.

JOUR 61A - AP Style Exercise (M-R)

1) He hopes to make $1 billion dollars by the time he's forty. Already he figures his net worth is between $2
million and $3 million, depending on current stock prices. (3)

2) Lt. Cmdr. John Carpenter was a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the 7th Fleet. (4 pts)

3) Twenty-one winners were named two days after the third annual procrastination awards ceremony. (3)

4) It was a one-sided game, and he was a poor loser. After losing the playoff when his ball went out of bounds, he made an off-color remark that could be heard in the stands. (4)

5) Hundreds of people attended Sunday's race to watch 75 top bicyclists pedal across the finish line. (3)

6) Every winter, the Joneses and the Kinneys pore over travel brochures, planning their summer trip together. This year they're hoping to go to Panama City, Panama. (3)

Copy Edit the World-Set #2: 2/21 - 4/4

1) From the Feb. 22, 2009 print copy of the San Jose Mercury News above there is a typo in the article above: the author used the word onionskin instead of two words onion skin. The electronic copy is correct. (2 points)
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Two more errors from a Feb. 21, 2009 Mercury News website article below:

2)In paragraph three, the word should be Foothill Boulevard, not Foohill Boulevard. (2 points)

3) In paragraph seven, the word should be Strobridge Avenue, not Strobridge Avenuye. (2 points)

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11756765?source=rss

I-580 freeway shooting injures driver, sheriff's deputy

By Sharon Noguchi

Mercury News

Posted: 02/21/2009 03:53:20 PM PST

By Sharon Noguchi

Mercury News

A driver who had been traveling on Interstate 580 near Castro Valley and an Alameda County sheriff's deputy who had been standing near an adjacent street underwent surgery early this morning after both were struck by bullets fired from another car driving on the freeway.

The driver was in serious condition and the deputy in fair condition at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. The Alameda County Sheriff's Department did not release any identities in the bizarre incident, in which the deputy apparently was randomly shot. A passenger in the car suffered a minor gunshot wound. Deputies have made no arrests.

Sgt. J.D. Nelson gave this account:

Sometime before 1 a.m., a westbound car on Interstate 580 fired shots toward a dark blue Ford Explorer, also traveling westbound. The driver of the Explorer was struck in the head, and the car careened from the slow lane off the freeway, though a fence and across adjacent Foohill Boulevard. The car ended up in a business parking lot near 164th Avenue.

One of the bullets struck the sheriff's deputy, who coincidentally with another officer was standing on the sidewalk along Foothill Boulevard near 164th Avenue questioning a pedestrian. The deputy was struck in the leg or foot.

The car of the assailants did not stop, and no description of it or its occupants was available.

Officers from several jurisdictions, firefighters and paramedics converged

on the scene. Initially, "it was a little chaotic," said Nelson, as the deputies could not make sense of what was happening. They heard gunshots, then a car came crashing off the freeway toward them and one officer was hit by a bullet, he said.

One round of shots struck a house on the hill above Foothill. The occupants, who were not injured, heard the noise of the impact and called police.

In the ensuing investigation, the California Highway Patrol shut down all four lanes of westbound I-580, diverting traffic at Strobridge
Avenuye and rerouting it to 150th Avenue near San Leandro. The freeway reopened at 6:20 a.m. Investigators also blocked off Foothill Boulevard until early morning.

The driver, a passenger and the injured deputy were transported to Eden Hospital. The driver sustained serious head injuries, and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The deputy is in fair condition and expected to recover, Nelson said. A third passenger was uninjured.

Anyone with information about the incident may call the Alameda County Sheriff's Department at 510 667 7721.

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Two errors from the Spartan Daily website article below:

4) In paragraph 3, the word should be said, not daid. (2 points)

5) In paragraph 6, the word "from" should be inserted between words "his" and "mix". (2 points)


SPARTAN DAILY Home > News Award-winning poet discusses expressions of grief and love at reading

http://media.www.thespartandaily.com/media/storage/paper852/news/2009/02/26/News/AwardWinning.Poet.Discusses.Expressions.Of.Grief.And.Love.At.Reading-3647298.shtml

Stephanie Vallejo Issue date: 2/26/09 Section: News Page 1 of 2

Poetry expressing simple life experiences and a story of how a person grieved for a lover who died of AIDS, captured the attention of more than 150 people at the King Library Tuesday.

The Center for Literary Arts invited Mark Doty, a 2008 National Book Award winner, to SJSU to read some of his works to students, staff and visitors.

Erica Wilkerson, a sophomore biology major who daid she only attended the event for extra credit, ended up enjoying herself.

"I have this thing where I fall asleep while people are talking," she said. "But I didn't fall asleep the whole time."

Doty started the night with a poem titled, "The House of Beauty," about a time he saw a beauty shop being burned.

The nine poems he read were a mix [ ] his published works, poems and prose...
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An error from the Journalism 61 - News Story 5: Runaway Truck assignment in the third paragraph should be from, not form:

6) Maples was able to grab his hand and, with some help form Police Chief Scott Kirkland and Detective Ken Zinc, he was able to pull the driver to safety. (4 points)

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An error from the Journalism 61 - Reporting with Numbers assignment in the second exercise should be median, not media:

7) *Calculate the media prison term for people of aggravated assault. (4 points)

Total To Date, Set #2: 2+2+2+2+2+4+4
=18 points

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News Story #4-The Carjacker

San Mateo, CA - Local police reported a just-married couple was almost carjacked at a Taco Bell on East Fourth Avenue on the way to their honeymoon night at the Embassy Suites Hotel.

Still in his tuxedo, the 21-year-old groom left his bride, 22, in his running 2003 Nissan Altima to grab a quick snack before heading to the hotel. A young man, later identified as Alan Ticas-Soto, ran up to the idling car and hopped into the driver's seat.

As Ticas-Soto, 21, tried to put the vehicle in reverse, the bride screamed and attempted to escape. Hearing her cries, the groom returned to help her. Finally freed, she fell from the car. Ticas-Soto found first gear and smashed head-on into the Taco Bell sign facing him.

Clearly stuck, the would-be carjacker got out and ran off. Police officer Brendan Boyle spotted him headed south on South Delaware Street and Ninth Avenue. The young man was quickly arrested and admitted using amphetamines for the past three days. He is in being held in San Mateo County Jail on drug and carjacking charges.

News Story #3-Gas Line Break

San Francisco - In the city's South of Market area a 2-inch underground gas line was ruptured by a private construction crew's backhoe just after noon yesterday. At least 100 local residents, business owners and customers were quickly evacuated from their premises in the surrounding four-block area.

On main thoroughfares Folsom and 11th streets, traffic came to a halt. As PG&E worked to fix the gas break, the same corner's restaurant the Wa-Ha-Ka lost at least $500 of business that afternoon, said owner Samantha Feldman.

When asked about the situation, Crocker's Lockers manager Carlann Lauria stated that her customers were irate. Not to be outdone by an emergency, the self-storage employees located their customers within the waiting crowd and accepted check payments on the spot.

PG&E reported that the gas was turned on again at 5:09 p.m.

JOUR 61-AP Style #3 (I-L)

1. The last time she played soccer, she suffered a serious injury to her knee. Sometimes it's hard to understand why she keeps playing. (2)
   

   
   

2. He was indicted on an assault charge, but his lawyer said the case against him is circumstantial and she is sure that the inquiry will exonerate him. (2)
   

   
   

3. He knows it isn't kosher, but green Jell-O is his favorite dessert. This admission has prompted his friends to question both his taste and his judgment. (3)
   

   
   

4. Now that he has DSL, he finds it much easier to go online to check his e-mail and download files. (3)

Feature Lead #1: An Alarming Event

TULSA, OK – At 95 years old, Mabel McCullough still has strapping young men rushing to "save her". Twenty-four of them, to be exact, to protect her from her own birthday cake. When she blew out the 95 candles on a carrot cake made by the First United Methodist Church women's group, a sizable exhaust cloud was created that set off a nearby smoke alarm. Fire engines raced to the birthday party. Partygoer Eddi Carlin stated, "By the time we had them all lit, it looked like a torch." With danger dowsed, the firefighters had their picture taken with Ms. McCullough before returning to their stations. Fire Chief Lonnie Lamb said this was first time he'd ever seen a birthday cake trigger a smoke alarm. The troublesome cake was listed in good condition and ready to be eaten by the birthday revelers.

Top News Story of the Week #4

Facebook users protest retention of information

Facebook, a social website, recently disclosed that [it] could forever retain any personal information, written work and visual media that anyone chooses to publish on their personal Facebook page.

There are tens, maybe hundreds of sites like Facebook that are probably doing the same…they just haven't admitted it yet. Internet dating sites are notorious for using past clients' pictures to attract new ones. Cookies have to be accepted to use some websites, and many use tracking software like "Beacon". A device temporarily employed by Facebook in 2007, "Beacon" was used to detect and then broadcast users' web activities.

It's long known that credit card companies, large retailers like Amazon and even grocery chains like Safeway track everything we buy. The results are used to determine our credit worthiness, the likelihood of future purchases and web activities. The "big brothers" of consumerism have been carefully watching and collecting our information, but now also want the rights to any media that is published on their public sites.

Be careful what you post on the web; you might be giving it away forever!

News Values:

Timeliness: Consumer rights advocates from Consumerist.com just shared this quietly updated policy with the world on Sunday.

Proximity: Affects all public website consumers: Facebook is used globally.

Impact: The legalities of all web published content will become a chief issue in private and public sectors alike. New court rulings can be expected to determine the types of media that different entities can legally take possession.

Prominence: Facebook is quoted as having 175 million users and thus is a well-known website.

Currency: Like digital journalism, social networking websites are major players of the internet: conflicts concerning electronic publishing is an immediate issue.

News Story #2-Cathederal Robbery

An international couple touring San Francisco was robbed at gunpoint in St. Mary's Cathedral lower parking lot this morning, said San Francisco Police Sgt. Lawrence Price.

Temporarily separated from their tour group to take photos, victims WeiMing Chen, 28, and Li Lu, 30, were approached by man of about 18 wearing a black hat and jacket, stated Chen. The teen brandished a handgun and demanded their cash.

According to Chen, he offered the mugger about $100 in cash. The thief accepted but demanded more: he took Chen's Visa card, their passports, airline tickets and camera before running off.

Sgt. Price said the police are still searching for the assailant. He said it was unknown if Chen and Lu were able catch their 1:00 pm flight back to Taipei with the rest of their tour group.

All 30 visitors in the tour group were Taiwanese airline employees.

News Story #1-Firefighters

A San Jose man was pulled from his burning home by local firefighters yesterday afternoon.

Robert Kent, 50, received second and third degree burns on 50 percent of his body. A nursing supervisor at Valley Medical Center stated that the retiree's condition was grave.

San Jose Fire Captain Rob Piper said the fire in Kent's home on Annapolis Way was reported at 3:00 pm. The fire spread from the kitchen to the attic and smoke had filled the house. A smoke detector had not been installed in the home.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Top News of the Week #3

General News - U.S. judges admit to jailing children for money

The year 2009 will probably be remembered informally as the "Year of the Busts": even two US judges have been caught profiting from extensive juvenile imprisonments.

In Philadelphia, P.A. an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 adolescents, too young to be tried in adult court, have been sent to sister juvenile detention centers with harsh sentences for minor law infractions. Some crimes were as trivial as schoolyard fighting and as serious as shoplifting, yet they all were punished severely. Few if any of the minors consulted with attorneys beforehand because the probation department suggested their crimes were too insignificant to need legal representation.

Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan were paid over 2.6 million dollars between 2003 and 2006 for sending troubled children to PA Childcare and Western PA Childcare. Both illegal incomes were hidden by falsified records and money laundering. Meanwhile, the PA juvenile detention centers profited by receiving additional government funds for each child detained at the facilities.

Both judges were removed from their positions and criminally charged. Marsha Levick, chief counsel for the Juvenile Law Center, stated the center is also seeking financial compensation for victims by suing both the judges and detention centers.

After the judges are sentenced lightly and financial retribution quietly paid to the families of the children, what of the juveniles who are now approaching adulthood? They have been victimized by the legal system; have extensive incarceration records and painful experiences that could prevent them from attending college or becoming gainfully employed. A bad start in life and distrust for authority will forever haunt them. It is very likely most will return to the only life they know: prison.

News Values:

Timeliness: Federal investigation into illegal and abusive activities by businesses is at all time high-now even the legal system has been caught abusing the taxpayer's dime.

Proximity: This case could have happened in any large US city where the law is allegedly respected and used fairly in all criminal and civil cases.

Prominence: Judges are selected by the public from a pool of qualified, fair and law-abiding attorneys: they are expected to be the more upstanding citizens in every community.

Impact: All citizens now know that they too could become victims of a dirty legal system that is not supposed to exist in America.

JOUR 61-AP Style #2 (E-H)

1. His new book, on elections and the Electoral College, is titled "Does Your Vote Count?" (4)

2. Brianna looked so sad that he wanted to envelop her in his arms and give her a big hug, but he was afraid the attention might faze her. (2)

3. They were so impressed by her flair for decorating that they offered lavish praise and agreed to distribute her promotional flier. (3)

4. He suspected his neighbor was selling drugs, so he called the FBI. His neighbor, however, cried foul at the accusation. (2)

5. The boys' stories didn't jibe, so their father threw down the gauntlet and demanded the truth. (2)

6. My great-grandfather is a real gourmet, so I always let him pick the wine whenever we have dinner. (2)

JOUR 61-AP Style #1 (A-D), Revised

1) Mayor Richard Wrigley expressed confidence that the gubernatorial debate, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will have a positive effect on his candidacy. He added, "Governor Red Davidson is a master of dirty politics, but I won't take any of his baloney." (4)

2) For her birthday, the 9-year-old girl invited five good friends over for ice cream and cake. The chocolate cake was so tasty that any one of the children could have eaten it all, yet they carefully divided it among themselves. (4)

3) Convinced of the bill's importance, members of the Democratic and Republican parties came together on Capitol Hill to support anti-terrorism legislation, despite their differences on other issues. (4)

4) ROME - All around the world, Roman Catholics today listened as the pope delivered his homily. (3)

Lead #3, Revised

Today's website) Three northbound Conrail trains struck Amtrak train "The Colonial" after running a stop sign at a switch station near Chase, Md. at 1:30 p.m.

Amtrak spokesman Larry Chase stated that all four trains were traveling northbound at the time.

Tomorrow's paper) Amtrak train "The Colonial" was rammed by three other northbound Conrail trains yesterday at a switch station near Chase, Md.

Amtrak representative Larry Chase stated that the Conrail trains failed to yield at a stop sign, causing the four train collision.

Lead Exercise 5

Immediate Lead 1#: Pipefitter Duane La Chance was badly burned by an electrified power source while installing new pipelines at the Springfield Municipal Power Plant today.

Delayed Lead 1#: A 55-year-old pipefitter was badly injured after being accidently shocked at the Springfield Municipal Power Plant yesterday afternoon. Project manager Henry Rosen reported the incident.

Immediate Lead 2#: A head-on collision between two local drivers on U.S. 63 in Springfield resulted in at least one hospitalization. The second driver's condition is still unknown.

Delayed Lead 2#: Local residents James W. Cunning, 20, and Wayne Clay, 19, collided head-on on U.S. 63 in Springfield just before noon. While Cunning is listed as stable at Springfield Hospital, Clay's condition has not been released.

Lead Exercises 3 and 4

Lead #3) Amtrak train "The Colonial" crashed into three more northbound trains at a switch station near Chase, Neb. at 1:30 this afternoon. Amtrak spokesman Larry Chase stated that all three diesel fueled Conrail trains ran a stop sign, causing the four train collision.

Lead #4A) All 40 passengers from Northwest Airlines Flight 428 were evacuated after arriving at the Municipal Airport in Lacrosse, Wis.

Upon landing, an air traffic controller noted smoke near the wheels of the plane from Minneapolis, Minn. The airliner was quickly cleared of all personnel.

Lead #4B) After three years, a missing boy from Brick Township, N.J. was recognized and reported as seen by a neighbor watching a television show about kidnapped children.

The 7-year-old's photo was posted after the movie "Adam: The Song Continues" aired Thursday night. Police located the child with his non-custodial mother Ellen Lynn Conner, 27, who now faces kidnapping and custody interference charges.

JOUR 61-AP Style #1 (A-D)

1) Mayor Richard Wrigley expressed confidence that the gubernatorial debate, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will have a positive effect on his candidacy. He added, "Governor Red Davidson is a master of dirty politics, but I won't take any of his baloney." (4)

2) For her birthday, the 9-year-old girl invited five good friends over for ice cream and cake. The chocolate cake was so tasty that any one of the children could have eaten it all, yet they carefully divided it amongst themselves. (4)

3) Convinced of the bill's importance, members of the Democratic and Republican Parties came together on Capitol Hill to support anti-terrorism legislation, despite their differences on other issues. (4)

4) ROME, Italy - All around the world, Roman Catholics listened as the Pope delivered his homily today. (3)

Top News of the Week #2

San Jose State University plans to increase tuition 10 percent, reduce enrollment next fall

For California Bay Area students, state university enrollment is becoming even more difficult to obtain.

San Jose State University declared that tuition costs are expected to rise 10 percent or more this fall. Salaries for both faculty and staff will likely be frozen and fewer part-time instructors hired.

SJSU will be reducing its student body by 3,000 by only accepting freshman who applied before Nov. 20, 2008. Of the applicants who missed the first deadline, only county residents who applied before Nov. 30 will be accepted. All remaining applicants must either "wait" for acceptance or apply to another university. Not even graduate students can escape the state budget crunch; almost 25 percent fewer applicants will be accepted this fall.

Seniors who have been attending more than five years due to work and other responsibilities will be encouraged to finish their coursework, even though the SJSU 2008-2010 catalog states that every undergraduate has 10 years to complete his or her degree and every graduate student has seven (463). And though each CSU campus has different graduation requirements; all SJSU students have to complete an additional 12 units of SJSU studies in order to graduate. This additional semester compounds the amount of time every student needs to be enrolled.

In response to these serious issues, President Jon Whitmore suggested in his public address today that faculty and staff layoffs will be avoided and possibly some degree requirements be waived for seniors.

Is it fair? Yes, because students who are actually both ready and residents are still being enrolled into the CSU system.

And every person deserves the chance to attend a university in his or her home state.

News Values:

Impact: Affects all potential California college students: both local and international.

Timeliness: College administrative plans stated today in a public forum.

Prominence: College education today is an enormous business and has a huge affect on the economy: both state and nationwide.

Proximity: Local paper discusses the local state university's plans to overcome the state budget crunch.

Conflict: College budget: there is great difficulty in deciding who can be enrolled, what the costs will be, how many faculty members will be full-time, part-time, and much more.