Broadcast v. Print October 30, 2007

Two programs that reach the audience with similar news are surprisingly different in structure and format.

With broadcast the anchor only gets one opportunity to get the information across, in the print industry the information is avaiable to be reread as often as needed. With broadcast you only get one chance to get it right.

Page style with print is generally single spaced, with broadcast the anchor needs to be able to clearly read from one line to the next so the copies tend to be double or even triple spaced.

Numbers are similar to print in that AP style is applied – write out numbers one through nine and with 10 through 999 write out the numeral version of the number.

Symbols are not used in broadcast copy, because the anchor needs to be able to easily interpret and read what needs to be said and certain symbols, suchas the $ sign, are said in a different spot then where they are typed.

What was really interesting to me was the sentence structure for broadcast copy. Sentences need to be kept as short as possible for breathing purposes. I had never thought of that before, but it makes sense. You don’t want the anchor to take breaths in the middle of a sentence, so keep them short.

Those are the fundamental differences between print journalism and broadcast journalism.

Tricky Trademark October 26, 2007

In my law class we have been talking a lot about trademark and what goes along with that.

Trademark Infringement and Unfair Competition laws protect the commercial value of names, words, symbols and personal identities. Some examples of this are Dumpster, Xerox and Kleenex – all used to describe the actual product instead of the name brand.

These laws are created through adoption and use. You create your mark and you want to protect it against other marks. Registration lasts 10 years and then needs to be renewed.

That is the tricky world of the trademark all summed up.

The Law and Me October 23, 2007

Let’s talk about copyright.

 Copyright is a subject that can come up quite frequently in journalism, so to start off with we need to know that copyright is one of three categories under intellectual property. By definition copyright is a right granted by statute to the author or originator of certain literary or artisitc productions. So the person has the exclusive privelege of multiplying, publishing and selling works created.

Copyright has a life term plus 70 years, this number has continued to rise with each limitation on one Mr. Mickey Mouse. Disney petitions to lengthen the amount of years after life everytime their time is about to run out, and thus far it has worked.

Copyright protection can extend to original works, based on the U.S. Copyright legislation and the Comprehensive revisions to the law in 1909 and 1976.

‘Tis the Season October 21, 2007

I love the season’s — the change in color on the trees and the contrast of the weather from season to season. With photography the change in season means a change in setting on the camera. When trying to capture the seasons you can’t just look at the center of interest, you have to look at the surrounding areas. For instance, when it’s winter try and capture some icicles or snow falling or gathered. In the fall, try capturing some red and yellow leaves in the foreground. Then look to your center of interest, do they look bundled up in the winter, or are they eating a snow cone in the summer. You have to capture as much as possible in the one photograph, you only have one chance, so get it right the first time.

Find the Facts October 9, 2007

I am taking Fact Finding right now and before this course I had never realized the information that you can find on the internet.

Most information, even social security numbers can be found on-line. Some tips for internet searches are important when trying to find the facts, or when you want to be a very detailed stalker.

First, it’s important to know the different search engines. Then choose the keywords carefully.

Next, don’t be afraid to guess – at first. When giving up is feeling good, don’t, keep trying. If it is necessary change the lower or upper casings of the key words. And sometimes it is necessary to let the feet do the walking, meaning, get out of the house.

For computer-assisted reporting there are some basics to know, it helps analyze large amounts of data, not just numbers. It also requires critical thinking.

Computer-assisted reporting can be used for sports: statistics and salaries, campaign finance tracking and government agency budgets.

Investigative Journalism October 7, 2007

I have recently been working on how to be an investigative journalist. I started looking for sources in hard copy, or books, a word that is not uttered often enough in our culture. I soon found that finding information by looking through books is much more time consuming and results in far less information than if you were to look up source information off the internet. So thus my search began. I found that looking up article archives is pretty easy when you go to a newspapers Website and that you can just type in the information you want and then it comes back to you. In a book you have several pages and pages of information that are completely useless to the subject you are researching but you must prevail or else the grade will sting. I am not a tech nut, but for a paper on investigative journalism the internet has proved quite helpful.

Henri Cartier-Bresson October 4, 2007

That’s right, he is a French man. Cartier-Bresson is a world-class photojournalist who had the most amazing perspectives when taking photos. He has inspired generations with his unique style of taking pictures. He is known most for his pictures that feature “the decisive moment,” which is a combination of a unique moment and has a touch of geometric patterns and shape with each piece.  

            Another part of Cartier-Bresson’s fame deals with his being a “street photographer.” He would candidly shoot the picture and walk away, a lot of the time not even getting a name, just capturing everyday people just doing their thing. His style influenced others all around the world and can be seen most with deep, great depth of field, foreground and background composition, lines and angles, as well as light and shadow using human forms. During his time Cartier-Bresson traveled the world and was a founder of the Magnum photography agency. He passed away in 2004 but not before making a huge impact on the world of photojournalism.