CNN correspondent Frank Sesno was a great speaker--he definitely gave some good quotes and rules to follow about media ethics..
I found it interesting when he was saying how the news world and journalism has gotten to be so incredibly fast-paced and inexpensive these days because of new technologies--and because of this--we are a "fragmented public". In addition, I liked his quote about how the "bottomline pressures affect the byline". Basically, because the world of journalism has become so fast-paced and everything is happening at lightning speed, reporters and journalists are always in a rush to get their stories published or on-air before others. Basically, speed is trumping quality of stories.
I thought his example of the Duke Lacrosse case was a significant and perfect example of not only what he is talking but it also brings up the big question of what do journalists report? Because although an official (like Nifong or other authority figures) may be saying "This is what happened---", it may or may not be true. I think it's an interesting dilemma. A journalist/reporter wants to report what is going on so that the public is informed, but what if what they report is incorrect by no fault of their own.
I found this part of the lecture to be the most interesting because one of my friends who goes to Duke is dating Reade Seligman, one of the Duke lacrosse players charged in the case. It hit very close to home because I know what he and his family and even my friend Brooke (his girlfriend) went through during this case. Although all the journalists out there were merely reporting what Nifong and many other officials believed to be true..it all turned out to be wrong and these young mens' lives were ruined because of false accusations that were broadcasted nationwide.
I think in this case, there really was not much the media could do and it's really a shame. The media was only reporting what police and other officials suspected which is not wrong, but it ended up hurting so many people. In this case, it wasn't really the media's fault...maybe the media should have been more investigative or tried to even out both sides of the story..but it's hard.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
9/11 Anniversary
I cannot believe it has been six years since 9/11. I can still distinctly remember where I was when I heard the news of the first plane being hijacked right before it crashed into the first tower--granted that at the time no one really knew to what extent or how the events on that day would escalate.
I was in a study hall/free period with some friends that morning and when we heard about the first plane being hijacked, I followed a crowd of girls going to watch it on the news on a TV in the school's athletic center. The image of one smoking World Trade Center tower left everyone speechless.
At the time, I lived in Greenwich, Connecticut...30 minutes away from the destruction that was happening in the city that day. Not only that but my dad worked in New York City every day. He was in the city when the first plane hit.
An hour after the first plane hit, all the students were called into the auditorium for a quick assembly and we were told that classes were canceled for the rest of the day. What came next was chaos. There were lines for the phone because many people didn't have cellphones at the time (at least not the way everyone does today.) I tried calling my dad to make sure that he was okay and safe and the response I got was "All circuits are busy. Please try again later." After a few calls with this response, I realized there was no chance I was getting through to him. I can't even begin to describe the fear and confusion that came over me.
I went to an all-girls school and within minutes there were groups of crying girls everywhere...It was total chaos. It seemed like everyone's father or mother worked in NYC and no one could get through to them. My dad worked in Midtown and the Twin Towers were downtown. Unfortunately at the time I was unaware that those two areas were far enough apart for him to not be too close to the towers. One of my friends was crying next to me because both of her parents worked in one of the World Trade Towers. Looking back now, she was extremely lucky because they both got out safely.
The rest of the day was pretty much a blur--I don't remember the times of the events that day--don't remember watching the second tower be hit by another plane..DOn't remember hearing about the planes or anything..
Turns out my dad (and everyone in his building pretty much) left and tried to get out of the city right after the first WT tower was hit. He takes the train in and out of the city every day..so he immediately went straight to Grand Central and got on one heading back to CT. However, about 10 minutes after being on it. It was shutdown and he was sitting in a train tunnnel underground in pitch black darkness for two hours before someone was able to open a hatch in the tunnel and everyone in the train climbed up the ladder on to a street..still in the city unfortunately. He eventually found someone in a car heading back to Greenwich and they gave him a ride..It took him all day (8 hours) to get out of the city that day and it usually only takes 30 minutes. He was very lucky that he was able to get home eventually. Whenever I ask him about that day..he describes sitting in the train underground in darkness with all of the other passengers...none of them knowing if they were ever going to get out of that train or of the city. None of them knowing what was going on on the streets right above their heads or what was going on in the city above them--whether the city was being attacked or bombed or whether they were ever going to get out alive. I'm sure it was the longest two hours of his life.
I can't believe how lucky I am that my father got out alive-one of my classmates father didn't. It was an awful event for the city, for New York, for the families involved and for the nation. On the other hand, I think it made us, as a nation, stronger and more united. That is, if there is something good that can come out of such a horrible event.
I was in a study hall/free period with some friends that morning and when we heard about the first plane being hijacked, I followed a crowd of girls going to watch it on the news on a TV in the school's athletic center. The image of one smoking World Trade Center tower left everyone speechless.
At the time, I lived in Greenwich, Connecticut...30 minutes away from the destruction that was happening in the city that day. Not only that but my dad worked in New York City every day. He was in the city when the first plane hit.
An hour after the first plane hit, all the students were called into the auditorium for a quick assembly and we were told that classes were canceled for the rest of the day. What came next was chaos. There were lines for the phone because many people didn't have cellphones at the time (at least not the way everyone does today.) I tried calling my dad to make sure that he was okay and safe and the response I got was "All circuits are busy. Please try again later." After a few calls with this response, I realized there was no chance I was getting through to him. I can't even begin to describe the fear and confusion that came over me.
I went to an all-girls school and within minutes there were groups of crying girls everywhere...It was total chaos. It seemed like everyone's father or mother worked in NYC and no one could get through to them. My dad worked in Midtown and the Twin Towers were downtown. Unfortunately at the time I was unaware that those two areas were far enough apart for him to not be too close to the towers. One of my friends was crying next to me because both of her parents worked in one of the World Trade Towers. Looking back now, she was extremely lucky because they both got out safely.
The rest of the day was pretty much a blur--I don't remember the times of the events that day--don't remember watching the second tower be hit by another plane..DOn't remember hearing about the planes or anything..
Turns out my dad (and everyone in his building pretty much) left and tried to get out of the city right after the first WT tower was hit. He takes the train in and out of the city every day..so he immediately went straight to Grand Central and got on one heading back to CT. However, about 10 minutes after being on it. It was shutdown and he was sitting in a train tunnnel underground in pitch black darkness for two hours before someone was able to open a hatch in the tunnel and everyone in the train climbed up the ladder on to a street..still in the city unfortunately. He eventually found someone in a car heading back to Greenwich and they gave him a ride..It took him all day (8 hours) to get out of the city that day and it usually only takes 30 minutes. He was very lucky that he was able to get home eventually. Whenever I ask him about that day..he describes sitting in the train underground in darkness with all of the other passengers...none of them knowing if they were ever going to get out of that train or of the city. None of them knowing what was going on on the streets right above their heads or what was going on in the city above them--whether the city was being attacked or bombed or whether they were ever going to get out alive. I'm sure it was the longest two hours of his life.
I can't believe how lucky I am that my father got out alive-one of my classmates father didn't. It was an awful event for the city, for New York, for the families involved and for the nation. On the other hand, I think it made us, as a nation, stronger and more united. That is, if there is something good that can come out of such a horrible event.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
a good blog assignment
I like the blog: newyorkology.com
I lived in New York this summer and this blog helps a New Yorker (whether visitor or resident) with opinions on so many restaurants or places to shop or stay. Basically it talks and provides feedback about anything and everything to do in New York. Plus, it talks about upcoming events and what has happened recently and what is new in New York City. I'm obviously not living in New York right now but I'm still interested in knowing what is going on in that busy city because I visit it a lot. Also, I am very interested in cooking and fashion and the new trends in both of those areas. New York is definitely some type of an epicenter for those two subjects. New York is such a big and important city in the U.S. and so many people travel there yearly that keeping up on what is going on there is just as important as watching the news and knowing what is going on elsewhere in our nation.
On top of these different posts about New York and the goings-on there, many of the posts are tinged with humor. So not only are they informative--some are pretty funny. Also, many people pay more and more attention to what is going on in New York since September 11th. New York is a strong city and many people are paying more and more attention to it because of the terrible things that have happened in the past and how the city has bounced back.
This blog (like many others) is funny--so it's entertaining--but it also gives you opinions and straight opinions and advice from real individuals about what to do and where to go in New York. As many know, most New Yorkers are obsessed with their city so this blog would be of great interest to them as well as the people who can't get back to New York as often as they would like (like me).
I lived in New York this summer and this blog helps a New Yorker (whether visitor or resident) with opinions on so many restaurants or places to shop or stay. Basically it talks and provides feedback about anything and everything to do in New York. Plus, it talks about upcoming events and what has happened recently and what is new in New York City. I'm obviously not living in New York right now but I'm still interested in knowing what is going on in that busy city because I visit it a lot. Also, I am very interested in cooking and fashion and the new trends in both of those areas. New York is definitely some type of an epicenter for those two subjects. New York is such a big and important city in the U.S. and so many people travel there yearly that keeping up on what is going on there is just as important as watching the news and knowing what is going on elsewhere in our nation.
On top of these different posts about New York and the goings-on there, many of the posts are tinged with humor. So not only are they informative--some are pretty funny. Also, many people pay more and more attention to what is going on in New York since September 11th. New York is a strong city and many people are paying more and more attention to it because of the terrible things that have happened in the past and how the city has bounced back.
This blog (like many others) is funny--so it's entertaining--but it also gives you opinions and straight opinions and advice from real individuals about what to do and where to go in New York. As many know, most New Yorkers are obsessed with their city so this blog would be of great interest to them as well as the people who can't get back to New York as often as they would like (like me).
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