I almost chose got2begreen for its content but the name is so obnoxious, I couldn’t stand to look at it, much less take the time to make a link.

Talking Points Memo

This blog has a lot of information. The layout makes it feel more like two blogs side-by-side, and there are plenty of links and pictures.

The day in 100 seconds sums of the blog: it shows all the news the writer, Josh Marshal, feels is notable for the day. It contains segments about all the flashy news stories. Today’s included video of the Obama girls at an Easter event and about the Somali pirate story. The 100 second segment jumps around a lot and in parts only shows a couple seconds of each clip. It does show the highlights, and maybe serves best as entertainment for a person that has already seen or heard the stories.

My favorite entry in the blog was this:

GUILTY
Phil Spector convicted of second-degree murder.
–David Kurtz

As a whole, it reads more like a short note to a friend, or a headline. Kurtz assumes viewers have already heard the Spector story.

Generacion Y

The content of this blog is fascinating. It is written by a Cuban woman, Yoani Sánchez, who has a degree in Hispanic philology. Instead of working in her field, Sánchez found that she was more apt to make ends meet as a blogger and Web master.
This blog, she claims, is her cowardly outlet to say what she can’t say in “civic action.”

Most poignant entry, about Americans visiting Cuba:

People have nicknamed these early visitors “the brave ones”; I don’t know if it’s for the risk they’ve assumed in the face of the laws of their country or because of their audacity in coming to an Island where, according to the official version, they’re “the enemy.”

The photographs and writing Sánchez includes are phenomenal.

Synthesis

This blog had everything a basically good blog should have. It is updated fairly frequently, had thought-provoking ideas, plenty of links and pictures and is clean and easy to read.

From Shafeen Charania’s March 24 entry, I gather he conducted an experiment with advertising space on his blog. Like the title, Charania earned $18.69 but advertiser, Google, refuses to pay.

I found this blog after conducting a search for “indie movie blog,” and chose it because of a title for one entry, “Have indie films become too strong for their own good?” The entry made a lot of good points and was written in a sarcastic style that caught my attention.

I found the first line particularly amusing: “It’s independents day on Tuesday — start feeling the excitement. Or at least the ironic, pseudo-detached mild enthusiasm.”

The site is clear and easy to read, is updated frequently, has good content and is easy to search. It also has plenty of photos and multimedia and ridiculously extensive links to related information and categories menu.

The Independent Eye

The Independent Eye is a head’s up on upcoming films. It is not updated every day, but includes plenty of fun information. It is decidedly straightforward.

Before much looking around, the main entries are straight up reviews. Perfect, if that’s what you’re looking for.
The only negative aspect I found was that viewers can’t search the blog without searching the whole IFC Web site. IFC.com does have three other blogs, but this one is the easiest to follow that is related to film material.

Movie City Indie

Movie City Indie is a fun site with plenty of video- an appropriate amount for a blog about film. It covers film industry news as well as trailers/teasers, short films, reviews and randomness.

It is easy to navigate and contains unique information.

Movie City Indie is written by Ray Pride. According to his other blog, he is a writer, filmmaker and photographer. According to my Google search, he writes reviews for a countless number of publications and sites, like Film in Focus and Cinema Scope.

Once I started watching the video clips, I couldn’t stop. This blog is definitely my favorite of the three.

“Being a film critic was the ultimate good job,” said Bob Ross, film critic. Ross worked at the Tampa Tribune from 1985 until April 2007, after a reporting position in Bradenton and a job in a video shop. “I loved it so much that I haven’t looked that hard for something else.”

Ross began his journalistic adventure proofreading at night, then critiquing rock concerts. He accepted the position as a reporter in Bradenton to gain experience with non-opinion material, even though he thinks the two jobs are not all that different.

“To me, fact and opinion are all the same because [in a review] you need the background historical material,” he said.

Ross definitely has a background for movies. He said he watched a lot of movies while working at the video shop and recommends movies from the 1930s for their artistic value. He says they address the same issues as modern films, such as crime and infidelity, but their style is different. He likes that they show culture from an anthropological approach.

He is now working on a project with Channel 28, as a film critic for a weekend show.

Ross’s said he “want[s] to write a review that people will read from beginning to end, even if they don’t have the intention of seeing the movie.”

He said he wants to write reviews that are not “cookie cutter,” that have something different. Reviews should include fact and point of view- enough information that readers can make up their own minds.

The most striking topic Ross addressed was that independent films are suffering because so many film critic positions have been trimmed. He said indie films rely on reviews much more than commercial films because they do not have the budget to advertise as heavily. As a result, a lot of independent films go straight to dvd or the internet for download. (You know, the Tampa Theatre only has one film planned so far for the rest of the year, the one that Ross recommended.)

I find this to be frightening because commercial movies tend to recycle plots within each genre. I think independent films are important to introduce new ideas.

Ross stressed that reporters and critics write for readers but that bloggers write for themselves. Although this is true, I question the value and long-term viability of a self-important blog. A blog that I would compare to journalistic writing would have to appeal to a wide audience and contain truthful information that is worth a readers’ time.

Mears graduated from Middlebury College and worked at the Washington bureau of the AP for 46 years and was the chief political writer, covering 11 presidential campaigns.

He described the AP as a news cooperative that takes an entrepreneurial approach to finding new markets and revenues, a “creature of the American news industry.”

The AP now sells to non-traditional news sources like Google and Yahoo. Where the AP’s system is so far working where other systems are suffering, Mears said that the problem with newspaper publishers is they pretend the problem of the Internet does not exist.

“It is a great loss, the of the fall of the newspaper industry, because space it limited and valuable. There’s a need to get down to the essentials,” he said.

He said that the loss of the traditional news organization is the loss of the umpire. A lot of news is argument rather than fact because of the entertainment factor.

“There used to be an assumption: If reporters tell the story people will want to read it,” he said. “Sometimes people don’t want to know because it requires thinking.”

He said that over the span of his career, what should be on a news wire has changed. He said that before television and radio, newspapers used to include play-by-play coverage of the World Series.

Mears said that because newspapers have had to cut back their foreign bureaus, the AP is the last line of defense for international news. Also, because newspapers are suffering, the AP is suffering.

As other news organizations shrink, the AP fills the gap to provide international news. Mears said that it is important to get this type of news for a democracy.

Mears’ advice for journalism students was “get into the business, get the information as straight as you can and don’t do it to persuade, do it to inform.”

“The highest calling of journalism is to inform people how to run the democracy,” he said.

Political writing tips from Walter Mears

The entire New York Times Web site is very clear and easy to navigate. I read some of their blogs regularly, but just found this one.

The benefit of being the New York Times, in terms of blogging, is that you have plenty of professional reporters and writers. There are plenty of links, video and navigation tools on the site that make learning about a topic easy.

It goes without saying that a news organization like the Times would have plenty of credible information to write about on the site. This blog would be an excellent source to supplement newspaper reading. The site is updated multiple times a day and has the benefit of multimedia.

The Daily Dish

This blog is fun to read because many of the posts are direct quotes, videos or pictures from elsewhere. It is updated a ridiculous number of times per day and mixes light-hearted information with politics, commentary and pop culture.

It is clear and easy to read and navigate.

My favorite of the posts for today (March 11) is a chart showing the scope of all the major economic recessions since the great depression. The chart shows very plainly that, currently, our economic recession ranks among other economic recessions and nowhere near a depression.

I would consider the information to be mainly conversation starters. If I became interested in a subject, I would go back to the original source (by using his link). His commentary and fun material is entertaining.

Gawker

This blog appealed to me out of shear volume and variety of information. The topics range from pop culture to politics to business and include pictures and links for everything.

I would definitely cross check the facts, but the site includes plenty of links.

It reads a lot like a multimedia magazine. There are different sections with pictures, links and headings for each one.

One of the negative aspects of this site is the terribly distracting ads. Although the eye-catching pictures and graphics are included in the content, the pictures in the ads are much bigger and flashier and compete for viewers’ attention.

Martin Fennelly has worked at the Tampa Tribune for 18 years. He is a sports writer.

“Taking people to task can be fun,” he said, “but it’s not my strength.”

During his time speaking to the class, Fennelly discussed many different books about writers and journalists. He seems to love everything about the job.

Fennelly said he went to a high school where it was easy for him to hide out and get lost in the crowd. He wrote for a literary criticism magazine (that didn’t require writers names’ to be published) and loved it. That’s when he decided to be a writer.

Because he loves his job, Fennelly is excited and interesting. He had a lot of fun stories to tell. He even kept the attention of students with a predisposition against him because he is a sports writer.

Fennelly said good writing is about people. He said it s worth it if, as a writer, you can touch one person. He became emotional when he told the story of an obit he wrote about a young basketball player. He looked as though he might shed a tear. They way he told the story, anyone could tell he’s a good writer. He knew the subject well enough to be emotional about it and he cared.

Fennelly also stressed the importance of detail.

“Details are everything. It’s what brings history home to me,” he said.

He said details can personalize a story and give readers a window into the subject of the story.

Although Fennelly was laid back while speaking to the class, he tackled a difficult subject: death.

He had been working on a story about former football players that were lost at sea and said that he didn’t want to go meet the parents of the men that were lost.

“I have seen six people die while I was working. I always think ‘what the hell am I going to do?’” he said. “But you end up doing what you were trained to do: your job.”

He later pointed out that most people will have their names printed in the paper only twice: once when they are born and they other when they die.

“I sure as hell want to spell everyone’s names right,” he said. “It makes you want to do a good job.”

Fennelly’s Columns at tbo

According to professor Thelen, Troxler is the best columnist in the area.

Thelen began by asking Troxler a few questions, to which Troxler responded with answers typical of an editorial or column writer: I want to be worth the readers’ time and make the issue accessible to the reader.

Soon after Troxler began speaking, however, his animated personality revealed how passionate he was about his job and the issues he writes about.

“I like to be a contrarian, “ he said as he stood up and began pacing in the short aisle, “The column can be really angry, but you can’t just spew.”

Troxler became increasingly interesting to watch as he gave logical advice about column writing. He paced in the aisle, then around the whole room, them he remembered his arms and they adopted wild gestures that matched his expressions.

And he still made eye contact.

Troxler said that columnists can’t just sit around being clever. There has to be some reporting involved. Without it, columnists will never be clever enough.

He does impersonations.

“It is much more effective with political people to make fun rather than criticize. They are criticized all the time, but can’t stand to be made fun of,” he said.

He said that the highest ideal of writing a column is to change readers’ minds.

My notes include a lot of simple advice, but I will not forget how Troxler’s passion shows through in his personality.

Troxler’s columns are just as interesting to read as he is to watch. His recent column, LOOK! UP IN THE SKY! IT’S JEFF KOTTKAMP!, illustrates that Kottkamp needlessly wasted taxpayer money in a way that is both humorous and easy to understand. It is accessible to the reader.

He even stayed after class to speak to each student that remained in the room.

“So I thought, here’s my chance to be different,” he said. “I just want to create a little unease in the façade.”

Goudreau said that the most important part of an editorial is that the writer has something to say. She said that a good editorial either moves people to action or gets them thinking. She said that it “illuminates.” Goudreau also said that a good editorial is full of facts and information but not limited to it.

She means that editorials most importantly contact an opinion. The opinion should be informed and back up by facts, but that a clearly stated explicit take on an issue is the most important part. If the writer has something to say, the opinion should be supported with hard facts in a way that is logical and convincing.

Goudreau said that “People do not like to be told what to think.” They must be convinced.

She said that if an editorial has an informed opinion and is convincing, people can read it and decide whether they agree or not.

She gave general tips, such as that writers should be smart and look into issues that interest them, a little bit of humor always helps and writers can write a hypothesis first sentence if they are having trouble.

One of the most helpful tips Goudreau gave was how to find story ideas. She was very clear, and said that a good starting point for an editorial writer is to choose a topic about which he or she has something to say. In this way, the writer is already passionate about the subject. The writer will not have to struggle to choose a side or find it difficult to fill the page.

The point Goudreau made that I found most interesting was that opinion writing is good for the community. The ideas expressed in it can show people what is going on and suggest what they should think about it.

Because Goudreau says editorials should leave people feeling something, they are also good for the community because the articles can help people to be passionate and interested in what is going on in their own towns and communities.

It is because editorials make informed citizens that Goudreau said that editorials help to connect people to their communities.

The most important information I took away from Goudreau’s visit is to start with something to say.

After listening to three editorial writers/editors discuss their trade, it is quite clear that they all have the same idea about what makes a good editorial and what their goal in writing one is.

The points all three have made should be what stands out to me as a listener: be clear, keep a single focus, write about issues you care about. But while listening to this speaker, I just can’t help thinking that he even speaks like a writer: in short declarative sentences.

St. Petersburg Times editorial editor Tim Nickens knows what it takes to make a good editorial.

“The point has to be crystal clear,” he said.  “The worst kind of editorial is where you don’t know if it’s for or against an issue.”

When Nickens suggests following a formula for writing editorials, you get the idea that he’s the kind of person that follows a formula for a lot of things.

In the first sentence or paragraph, tell the readers exactly what the opinion is: “Really hammer the point home”, he said.

After presenting the point clearly, provide supporting information and details. In the final paragraph, “hit them again.”

As Nickens is speaking, I realize that all three speak like they write. This is really fascinating to me because while I have always drawn a connection between reading and writing (to improve writing skills), I don’t often think about speaking. 

I’ve always liked writing because it is easy to revise as if there were never any mistakes.

Nickens does have something to add to the three writers’ editorial advice.

Although he agreed that the goal of an editorial writer is to provoke thought, he said that the writer is not searching for a knee-jerk reaction.

Writers don’t want their readers to all have the same reaction and be convinced on every opinion.

“You want there to be disagreement,” he said.

Nickens also mentioned that sometimes the writer’s audience is a single authority figure. Perhaps the writer wants to convince the mayor.

I can’t believe I’ve never thought of this. Nickens is so convincing when he makes his point clearly and follows his own formula.

In all these points, it is important to have factual support.

“Facts are what distinguish an editorial from the anonymous blogger,” he said.

Some of her information was very basic, although important, such as to challenge your opinion, explore all aspects of the issue and pick a side.

My idea of what an editorial is and how to write one is clearer after listening to Chachere.

Her point that stood out most in my mind is that not only does she like to read the Pullitzer Prize-winning editorials, but more important, that she said the best editorials are the most meticulously reported ones.

It makes a lot of sense that a strong factual foundation will make for a stronger and clearer argument, as is true in any writing.

For an inexperienced editorial writer, this is very important information to keep in mind. Supporting facts are not always as obvious and explicit in an editorial as in a straight news story. Straight news has direct quotes and directly attributed information and although the facts are present in an editorial, they are the foundation for other information, the editorializing.

Her reminder for reporters and editors alike to do their own reporting emphasized the necessity of solid facts. Even if the editorial is based on an idea from a news story or another article, first-hand reporting is very important and may even turn over contradictory information, which would make the editorial even more interesting.

Chachere’s other advice I found to be relevant to writing of any kind. She pointed out repeatedly the importance of having a specific, single focus for an editorial. It was obvious that many members of the class needed this reminder, including me. I tend to look at broad ideas and it is important to remember to be highly specific in order to be able to cover one whole idea and do so clearly.

She also pointed out that although there are specific rules to follow in any kind of journalistic writing about whether it is appropriate to include personal perspective or opinion, the value of the reporter is that he or she has seen the subject first hand, experienced it or at least received the information from the closest source available.

The reporter is the closest to the information. It is important to maintain an unbiased story for articles that are not opinion writing, but it is also important to remember as a writer that it is okay to include personal perspective or information that the reporter gathered by observation if these elements will strengthen the story. Including these types of details will probably produce better, more interesting writing because relevant and interesting details will keep readers interested.

Other pointers that Chachere shared were to intersperse ideas and supporting information throughout the editorial, use factual information as transition and use issues that inspire stronger reactions to write an effective, interesting editorial.