JBANEWSPM

The Content of a Review

2011-04-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

The first thing that jumped out at me during both “How Smart Are Computers Really?” And “Helena Rubinstein vs. L’Oreal” was the way in which Gladwell and Gopnik organized their reviews around a central theme. The beginning of both reviews read more like a story than a cut-and-dry review of a book. The descriptions are elaborate, the language is rich, and it is not until the reader is in to the meat of the story that they realize the authors are, in fact, highlighting aspects of different books.

In Gladwell’s piece, it is interesting how he takes two notorious names in the beauty industry and interweaves them with other individuals in history to their personalities, businesses, and entrepreneurial spirit. He begins with the book review, and then the piece develops into a story. What begins as a review of Ruth Brandon’s Ugly Beauty invariably turns into an expose of business owners who have toed the line of moral obligation during political turmoil. I enjoyed how the article doubled as a review of the content of Brandon’s book and a piece of narrative journalism on entrepreneurs of the past.

Gopnik, however, seems to begin by exploring a topic and uses reviews of books written on the topic to support and add to his claims. He uses the different books to explore different aspects of his overall theme of artificial intelligence; again, making it much more journalistic than a simple book review. Both articles share qualities that highlight the depth of the content the authors explored and not simply accounting for “The new book _____ by ______ is about” like other publications’ reviews.

Computer vs. Man

2011-04-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

I loved the critique of the three books by Gopnik on the topic of computer intelligence more so than the review by Gladwell. The style they took was different also with one taking only one book and detailing it out while the other, Gopnik, manages to talk about severals books on the same topic.

I would be more inclined to read the computer intelligence books probably. It is fascinating to me to think about how far computers have come in just the last two decades. They are light-years more advanced than they were in the beginning of the 1990s. This is great, yet also kind of scary. I liked when he was talking about the computer Watson but tend to agree that these are only programs drawing from coding and situations that have already been loaded by us....humans. I'm not too worried about artificial intelligence, yet. Time will tell over the next 20 years as to what will happen.

The Color of Money was interesting also just learning about the upstart careers of two people from the same time period that started with nothing. I liked the details and especially the stories about Madame Rubinstein in her everyday life. The story about the thieves was amusing. That mindset has seemed to changed over the last century in my opinion. The one where you start a business on innovation and provide useful change to society. Now it seems to be what can I do get rich instead of move society forward while getting paid in the process.

Man vs. (Wo)Man versus Man vs. Computer

2011-04-12T07:31:00.000-07:00

While both book reviews; Helena Rubinstein vs. L'Oreal and How smart are computers really?, were interesting reads, I think I would be more inclined to read Ugly Beauty than any of the three books mentioned by Gopnik. From the beginning of the computer age there has been a fascination (and fear) in pop culture with the concept of artificial intelligence and the eventuality of man battling a superior machine. From the artificially intelligent HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey to The Terminator the message is: Humans beware! eventually the machines will take over.

While the fact that a computer can win at Jeopardy is interesting, it's not nearly as fascinating as why Eugene Schuellar collaborated with the Nazis or why Helena Rubinstein would defy gun-toting thieves in her New York apartment at the age of ninety-one. What motivates humans is infinitely more interesting than whether or not a computer can carry on a conversation. After all, would not conversing with a computer be like talking to an encyclopedia? A lot of knowledge but no insight. And this is the essence of good narrative journalism. It goes beyond the facts and delves into the "why". Which to me makes for a much more interesting read. Real people.

Hattiesburg Latino Population Highlight

2011-04-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

As I was working as statistician (secretary) today, I stumbled across the article in the Hattiesburg American about their Latino community. I thought it was really interesting, and might help us to look at this angle as well. Here is the link: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20110313/NEWS01/103130327/1046/Northrop-Grumman-4Q-profit-falls-9-percent/Fast-growing-population-Hispanic-leaders-seek-more-acceptance?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Book reviews: Gopnik and Gladwell

2011-04-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

For this week, we were assigned to read two book review articles from The New Yorker, "Get Smart” by Adam Gopnik and "The Color of Money" by Malcolm Gladwell. Adam Gopnik's article focused on the topic of artificial intelligence and several books that addressed that topic. Malcolm Gladwell’s piece was a review of one book about two cosmetics moguls.

Gopnik’s article was interesting to me because I had never read a book review written in that way. He centered his piece around one idea and then reviewed three different books that had similar topics. I enjoyed reading this article because he successfully explained the topic of artificial intelligence while weaving in reviews of multiple books. I did not feel like he gave me too much information on any one book. I think his way of reviewing books leaves the reader wanting more and also makes the reader curious about the books in his article.

Gladwell used a more straightforward approach in writing his book review. He focused on one book and gave a thorough description and analysis of it. I recognized his style and felt comfortable reading his article. Yet although his review was informative and easy to read, I think he gave away too much information. By the end of his piece, I felt like I had already read the whole book. Where Gopnik’s review left me wondering, Gladwell’s gave me everything. I think that Gladwell accomplished that task of providing a complete book review, but he should have left out a bit of the detail so that the reader did not get the whole story.

Save the Summary

2011-04-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

To me, the purpose of a book review, no mater where it is published, is to get an audience interested in the subject that book pertains to so that the audience will not only read the book being profiled, but other books on the same subject. Going from this assumption, Adam Gopnik's "Get Smart" review succeeds in this purpose more so than Malcolm Gladwell's "The Color of Money."

Gopnik spends most of his time in the article explaining artificial intelligence, rather than on the two books he is reviewing on the subject. He incorporates popular culture references such as Watson on Jeopardy and online poker games so that the audience does not feel alienated from this potentially dense subject matter. Once his article is done, I felt like Gopnik had delivered a great teaser for this subject, providing some of the highlights of the books without giving the whole point away. He weaves together the information in a way that is not only understandable and interesting, but makes for great trivia fodder for talking with friends.

On the other hand, Gladwell provides a well-written summary and conceptualization of the book "Ugly Beauty" but he really doesn't give the reader a reason to go pick up the book. Gladwell gives away the whole story, explains the juxtaposition of the two major characters and explains why the author does this, leaving the reader with nothing to discover for themselves. It doesn't make for a bad review, indeed the writing is good and the book sounds very interesting, but now I'll never have to read "Ugly Beauty," since Malcolm Gladwell has done it for me.

Hard-Boiled Detective Story

2011-04-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

Tampa Confidential reminds me of noir detective fiction of the 40's and 50's which is appropriate for the time period of the story. It is especially effective how the story begins, where the time frame of the narrative is not readily apparent. It could be a contemporary story, but there are clues that its from a different era. The fact that Ford is a "veteran of two wars" forces the reader to start questioning when this is occurring. Once he slips on his "well-worn fedora" it becomes clear that this story reaches back into time.

As is the case in most good narrative writing, the attention to detail really transports the reader to a different time and place. For readers who live in present-day Tampa it does a good job of visually painting a picture of the landscape of the city that existed more than forty years ago.

The story is almost a police procedural piece. It gives the reader a glimpse of how cases were investigated in an era before the use of scientific methods of crime scene investigation. Tampa Confidential draws the reader into the old gumshoe method of detection. And like much of noir fiction, it ends with a good deal of ambiguity and loose ends that aren't neatly tied up.

I think it was Colonel Mustard, in the library, with the wrench.

2011-04-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Tampa Confidential was extremely entertaining to read. Ace Atkins did a great job of telling a factual story in a fictional way. He created strong characters by providing lots of quirky details about each person. He effectively described the character’s appearances and mannerisms to the point where I could picture them and see them interacting with each other.

I was a little worried when I noticed so many different people entering the story, but Atkins did not lose me. I appreciated how he updated the reader and gave a summary of the characters at the beginning and end of each part in the story. I also felt that he did a great job of immersing the reader into the time period he was writing about. His descriptions of Tampa in the 1950s set the scene and led me to imagine the place where Eddyth Parkhill lived and died.

I also liked the writing style used in this series. The short sentences and paragraphs Atkins used seemed to help me to focus on the important actions and statements in the story. I didn't have time to become uninterested or lost because the story moved quickly and there were no long or drawn out paragraphs.

Overall, I felt like I was watching an old murder mystery movie the whole time I was reading and I loved it.

Who did it?

2011-04-05T22:13:00.001-07:00

The story that Ace puts together is this series is written beautifully. After reading the first three parts I completed changed my perception about who did it, and was flip-flopping all the way until the end. I still don't really know who I think did the crime, if any body. I've kind of come to the conclusion that she might have fallen after reading the end notes from the recent study.

The way the story was weaved together was well done I thought. With so many names and so many details Ace did a nice job of keeping important details fresh in the reader's mind. He would recall certain things through the writing style, but not to the point were it was repetitive. The detail that went into the narrative writing was also immense. He painted a picture in almost every scene by describing such things and walls, floors, and cigarettes just to name a few. I liked when he would remind the reader that Tampa back in the 50s was a very different place than it is today. It was a nice addition to the heavy case reading at times when he talked about the city and how it had changed so much of the last 50 years. Overall a very well written piece and leaves one wanting to know more and more so, who did it?

Filling in the Details

2011-04-05T11:39:00.001-07:00

Ace Atkins’ “Tampa Confidential” series was incredible to read as a journalist. Not only did the events he was able to capture seem hard to believe, but his style and the way in which he depicted these events, most of which had happened many many years ago, was remarkable journalism. The way he was able to gain information and account for people who were no longer available to be interviewed, or account a scene from history, but make it seem like he was in the middle of the action to observe the details he chose to include, is an excellent example of narrative journalism.

Atkins has an interesting way of showing the reader the people involved in the event. He portrays them much like characters, and develops them fully as a main player in his story without making them seem one-dimensional (again, since he wasn’t able to talk with many of them). The details he chose to show to the reader at times seem odd, but by the end of each of his pieces, wove together not only an image but a personality of each person involved. His style of writing is also worth noting in that he often uses short, choppy sentences that get right to the point. Intermingled throughout the story there may be a lengthy, descriptive sentence, but for the most part, Atkins focuses on the action. Which, again, makes it even more remarkable that his characters are as developed as they seem at the end of each piece, and even more interesting that the events took place in the past. As a journalist that is aware of the in-depth work that supported this piece, I was floored while reading the series.

When fact is better than fiction.

2011-04-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

Ace Atkins' "Tampa Confidential" series is one that is hard to believe actually happened. It reads like a film noir; characters drinking whiskey late at nights at old bars, men in fedoras, women perfectly coiffed. But yet, we are reminded that these people actually lived and died, and perhaps their crimes and shortcomings died with them.

One of the things that struck me was the detail that Atkins includes. This has been a common detail in the stories we've looked at but the difference in Tampa confidential was that Atkins was describing a scene that happened fifty years ago, most of the people who were involved had died, and the mircofiche where he found his information was well-worn. He still somehow fills in the holes and adds his descriptions of glowing, orange Pall Malls, precise times and the unusually small teeth of one of the detectives.

The other aspect that made this a story was the characters. They were all archetypes: the beauty queen victim, her successful society husband, the down-on-their luck best friends, the seasoned detectives. And yet Atkins includes the details and idiosyncrasies to avoid making the story a cliche.

My favorite part of the story by far was the ending. Atkins started at the beginning showing how so much of the time period in which his story takes place had vanished. I really liked those details and that he brought it back. The line "about the only piece of Edy's life that the future can't take..." was so great and the ending image of her grave was so dramatic. A perfect end to a thrilling story.

Project Update and Outline

2011-03-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

Multi-media material for today's class to view:

-- Interview (video) with Hosea

--- Interview (video) with Tommy Rosser

-- Audio of Penny Sisson

-- Oxford School District ESL teacher (video)

Upcoming interviews:

- Bulmajero (that may not be how you spell his name)

- Patty Orama

- Lena Wiley and Susan Wilkin

- Denise (Hosea’s brother)- possibly

- Bill Chandler (Director of MIRA): next Monday at 1:30

- Ole Miss Motel -- possibly

- Amy Huwe (ELL teacher for Oxford School District)

- Jennifer sent the Munoz brothers a letter to see if they would have an interview with us.

- Photos:

St. Peters

Ole Miss Motel

Soccer fields

Restaurants around town

OUTLINE:

Over-Arching project theme: Who Are We?

- The Oxford Hispanic Community is their own community. They reside in Oxford and take part in many aspects of community life, but they aren’t "part of" the Oxford community. There are little bridges everywhere, but they aren’t the same. This project will reflect the many different aspects of the Oxford Hispanic Community in terms of who they are: church community, success stories, hardships, their culture (food, etc), legalities, etc.

Website:

1. Overarching theme with multi-media on the homepage

2. Quick facts page- statistics, facts, pictures, etc

3. One page for each team member's narrative, with pictures, interviews, and media

4. Video features and maybe an overarching community- small, short videos

We need to go over guidelines on how long the written narratives should be?

CNN Story

2011-03-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,
While sitting at home being sick and bored today, I came across this story about the growing Hispanic population in America on CNN.com. I thought you guys might want to check it out because of its relevance to our project. It touches on the large number of illegal aliens that are coming into the country and the new immigration law in Arizona. There are also some good statistics in there. Here is the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/24/census.hispanics/index.html

Descriptive Styles

2011-03-08T21:52:00.001-08:00

In the readings for this week, I found myself acutely paying attention to the different ways in which the writers described the complex topics of their pieces. “Vermin of the Sky”, by Tad Friend, really caught my attention in terms of its style. This topic, with all its technology, lingo, and background information, could have easily lost the entertainment aspect of good narrative journalism if not broken down correctly. When one of the main points of long written pieces is to keep the reader’s attention, the entertainment level is an important aspect. Friend does a magnificent job of explaining the complex issues of the piece in layman’s terms. Using phrases like “it won’t be long before a big rock smashes into us”, he is able to explain a scientific and government issue in a way that the average reader can grab not only completely, but rather easily as well. It’s also interesting to note the imagery he uses to describe NASA’s Neo unit, portraying a “dinosaur” image, and how magnificently he describes the Neo’s themselves. As a reader, one of the reasons I will stick with a story until the end is if the complexities are revealed to me in a way I can easily understand; this is the reason I enjoyed this piece despite my previous lack of interest in anything concerning the topic.

Furthermore, “On the Square” by Wendell Steavenson was an excellent use of artistic description. The way in which Wendell uses imagery to paint a scene that will be unfamiliar to most American readers allows it to unfold with details that would not have been noticed in other types of journalism. At some points during the piece, I found myself re-reading descriptive sentences thinking “Oh, that was good”. The two photos that were showcased along with the piece helped to supplement the story as well, instead of distracting the reader or simply filling space. “A Free Woman” alternatively took another approach, as Joshua Hammer used a more traditional form of reporting to piece together his information and scenes. However, it kept my attention because of the portrait the piece paints of Aung San Suu Kyi, and the relation I was able to make to the documentary we viewed on the matter. As such a complex and interesting person, overly descriptive and artistic statements may have taken away from the significance of her history and accomplishments that spoke for themselves.

Thoughts on Stories

2011-03-08T21:28:00.000-08:00

I think Hammer did a good job talking about a lot of the background information on Myanmar and how it relates. The normal reader isn't going to know much about the state of affairs for a country like that and I found it interesting. I found it also interesting that she was educated at Oxford. This was something the documentary we watched didn't mention. I thought it was very telling how Hammer talked about some of the mistakes the opposition and Suu Kyi made in their first uprising. That was something I didn't expect in the story.

I thought the story Steavenson wrote, On the Square, was great. He would have to be crazy in the first place to even be out amongst the protestors and actually succeeded in writing a great story. The most fascinating part to me was him talking about the different groups that were either pro Mubarak or anti Mubarak getting together in the square and clashing. It was a throwback to centuries before with people hurling stones and such. I thought he did a great job describing the types of tools they were using like street signs, stones, or metal fencing. He did a really good job of painting the story. He also brought in emotion well giving conversations between soliders and the civilians. That showed what the temperament of the square was like between the two sides.

Friends article on Vermin in the Sky was a pretty interesting read also. He talks about how the job of saving the Earth from an asteroid is more or less an orphan in the science community. The budget for NASA only allocated .03% of their funds for the study of asteroids and finding asteroids that might hit the Earth. I thought that part of the story put into perspective actually how hard, or not hard, the US is worried about something like this happening. I was glad he went over the actual ways to deflect or destroy and asteroid headed for Earth because I'd never heard an actual way to do this; either by deflection or blowing it up into pieces small enough not to harm anyone. The story alarms me somewhat that NASA and the government don't seem worried about this at all but I found the end of the story funny when he said once an asteroid is close it will focus us real quick.

Revolution and Chicken Little by Keith Havins

2011-03-08T16:37:00.000-08:00

Of the three articles: A Free Woman, On the Square and Vermin of the Sky, I found Wendell Steavenson's On the Square the best example of narrative journalism. His use of Sherif Omar, the first-aid dispensing pharmacist, as a sort of every-man protagonist, through which the story of the events in Tahrir Square are told, is very effective. Steavenson takes the global impact of Tahrir and humanizes it through Sherif. This is a technique that those who want to write narrative journalism should embrace. His piece also contains many strong visual elements as he paints word pictures that describe the dynamics of unfolding events in the square. Referring to tanks as "tamed beasts" with protesters sleeping under their turrets speaks volumes as to the relationship between the protesters and the military.

Although there is no certainty as to what will ultimately result in Egypt, the article leaves an impression of optimism for the Egyptian people. The same cannot be said of A Free Woman by Joshua Hammer. The article employs more straight journalism techniques to chronicle the history of Burma's (now Myanmar) military regimes and the struggle for democracy. What is interesting is that the democratic opposition, the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, has been around for so long that it has become a sort of establishment entity in itself. One that, along with Aung San Suu Kyi, appears to be out-of-touch with a younger more tech-savy protest movement. Hammer shows the reader this by her response to being asked what had changed during her last period of house arrest. Hand phones and video cameras were now everywhere and as she stated, she was "the only one without a satellite dish". Without actually saying as much, Hammer seems to paint a portrait of an opposition leader who has become very comfortable in her role, perhaps to the point that she prefers the comfort of the status quo.

According to Tad Friend in Vermin of the Sky, the status quo may bring about the extinction of us all as we are sitting targets for a perhaps inevitable rendezvous with a doomsday NEO (near-Earth object). Friend takes a rather esoteric subject and does a good job of presenting the various personalities and points-of-view surrounding the potential for ultimate disaster.

My Thoughts: "A Free Woman", "On the Square" & "Vermin of the Sky"

2011-03-08T11:44:00.000-08:00

I found both of these stories, A Free Woman and On the Square, to be very easy to read and follow. I expected to enjoy A Free Woman more because it was about Aung San Suu Kyi, who we learned about in the documentary we watched in class, but I actually liked On the Square more. The stories had some similarities, for example, both authors included themselves in their stories. Also, both authors provided great descriptions of the places they were visiting. But I felt a more personal touch in On the Square, which made me want the story to continue so I could learn about the people involved.

In A Free Woman, Hammer gives us a look into Myanmar and more specifically, into Aung San Suu Kyi’s fight to change Myanmar’s government. I think he did a great job of informing the reader of Myanmar’s past without slowing the story down. He went back and forth between the informative paragraphs about Myanmar and the personal sections about Kyi’s life very well. I really enjoyed the parts of the story where Hammer provided information about Kyi’s parents and her family life. By giving the reader a look into her family and home life, he made her a real person with a past, not just a political figure. The only criticism I have is that I felt Hammer lost momentum at the end of the story. I was waiting for a good and solid conclusion but I did not really feel satisfied at the end.

In On the Square, Steavenson tells us about the protests in Tahrir Square in Egypt. He did a great job of making the story feel alive and real by providing so many quotes from a variety of people. I liked how he came back to Sherif multiple times in the story. Sherif provided a kind of “behind the scenes” look because he was so involved in the protests and he gave Steavenson a lot of information about his life. I think Sherif and also Alaa Al Aswany, who Steavenson highlighted more than once, gave the story something special by helping the reader to relate to real people. I also felt that Steavenson did a great job of giving the history of Egypt and providing the facts without losing his reader’s interest. Also, endings of stories are very important to me, and I feel like Steavenson really provided a satisfying ending with his final quote. It brought the story to a close with a powerful final thought.

***I mistakenly thought we only had to read two stories, so I'm just going to insert my thoughts on "Vermin of the Sky" now. Sorry!***

Vermin of the Sky told readers about the possibility of an asteriod crashing into and destroying the earth. The author, Tad Friend, took a somewhat difficult topic to understand and made it easy to comprehend. He could have just used all NASA jargon that would have been hard to follow, but instead he used some NASA terms and mixed them in with words and phrases that "regular people" could understand. He never lost me in the terminology or the science in this story because he wrote in a conversational way. He also caught and kept my attention with his humor. I liked when he referenced David Bowie's "Major Tom" and also his question about the asteroid as big as Texas, "What did Ceres ever do to us?" He told his story like he was talking to a friend, which made it enjoyable to read.

First Person in Current Events Stories

2011-03-04T10:10:00.000-08:00

By Rachel Johnson

I found that "On the Square" and "A Free Woman" actually had very similar writing styles, which makes sense since both articles were dealing with similar subject matter. The authors, Wendell Steavenson("Square") and Joshua Hammer ("Woman") both wove personal reflections into their stories, making th stories feel more intimate and personal than a normal international current affairs story.

Steavenson did not shy away at all from using the first person in his story about the Tahrir Square demonstrations. He added little details about anything from his hotel concierge, sitting in cafes, and his interpreter, which made the story feel like the reader was really there along with Steavenson. I liked how he focused on Sherif to put a human face on the demonstrators, it was clear Steavenson spent a lot of time with Sherif and really got to know him. In any current events story, the author has to include some background about the history and politics regarding the situation. Steavenson does include this information, but it never feels like it weighs down the story because he fits it in during points in the story without much action. My favorite of the story was his ending, "Many people celebrating said that there could never be another dictator now that the public had found its political voice. 'We know the way to Tahrir Square,' one told me." It was the perfect quote and Steavenson came back to his opening in a really neat way.

Hammer, on the other hand, had to balance Myanmar's past with its present while telling Aung San Suu Kyi's story. His personal reflections about Myanmar were really interesting, and made the story seem less foreign and more personal. He managed to get some very interesting details about Aung San Suu Kyi's life but there was one inclusion I didn't really like. Near the end of the story, he wrote two or three paragraphs about times when she became annoyed or "petulant" about certain topics. Throughout the story, and at the conclusion, Hammer portrays her as this very monk-like leader, and it would have been more effective to weave in these observations than to hit the reader with them all at once. Clearly, Aung San Suu Kyi is human like anyone else, but it was almost a let down to hear so many negative portrayals of her at once.

While both stories were really interesting and informative, quite an accomplishment for a current events story, I really liked the Steavenson story more. His style was better developed, and his ending just overshadowed Hammer's work.

Update

2011-03-01T06:57:00.000-08:00

A few updates on our story thus far:

Both groups from the class have merged to work on the Oxford/Latino community story together. This added manpower gives us additional scope to work within. Therefore, we have added a few more background attempts to help us further decide what sort of profiles we will decide on for production:
-Knox is going to get some information from the school district for us on the Latino children in school.
-Jennifer is doing her best to track down the contact information for the owner of the Mi Pueblo mexican restaurant chain to give us a different angle for a success story.
- A few of the group members attended the Spanish language service this past Sunday night to immerse themselves in the community.
- Douglas is going to try and attend and play in the soccer matches that a large portion of this community participates in at the intramural fields.
- Ainsley is still working with Patty Lewis to set aside time for an informal interview to discuss the Latino women in the Oxford community.
- Keith is working to speak with Tommy Rosser on the actual legislation surrounding the current immigration issue in Mississippi.

So there you have it- the group members are working diligently to formulate a design of profiles and stories to put together in a multimedia website, much like the one we viewed in class last Wednesday.

Radio stories on Emmett Till and a Choctaw Indian Man from MPR's Sandra Knispel

2011-02-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

Check out Mississippi Public Radio's Sandra Knispel's stories about Emmett Till and a story called the Choctaw Medicine Man that I just sent you via e-mail. I've been having trouble linking those to the blog, so you'll have to go to your e-mail to hear them. Be prepared to discuss these in class on Wednesday. Sandra Knispel will be visiting with us and discussing the best ways to get great results in doing stories for radio.

Note that I sent you via e-mail these reports plus the written narrative that Ms. Knispel provided. A couple of the e-mails bounced back to me, however, so if you did not get an e-mail you'll want to check to see if your mailbox is full.

Project Update

2011-02-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

Last week we focused on obtaining background information in order to more fully understand the Latino community in Oxford. We were each responsible for meeting with a pre-determined source.
Ainsley spoke with the Methodist Church, Keith contacted the food bank, Douglas contacted United Way, and Rachel met with a member of the Episcopal Church outreach. From here, we were able to get additional sources who are active in reaching out to the Latino community to further our background research for this week.

Some additional contacts and groups that are active within the Latino community we are currently reaching out to are:
Bruce Macmillan, a reverend from Holly Springs, conducts the St. Peters service
Tommy Rosser, a lawyer, gives workshops on immigration.
Tom Fowkes has a free clinic by Big Star.
Robert Forster grew up in Latin America and may have some information
Patty Lewis (of Neilson's) reaches out to Latino women.
Interfaith Compassion Ministries provides free legal services, help with rent, etc to this community.
Spanish professors that are familiar with the Oxford Latino community may provide insight on the current social conditions as well.

We were also able to gather that OU Methodist church does a monthly dinner and First Presbyterian also does a monthly dinner, so these events may be helpful to coordinate to attend. Additionally, St. Andrews Methodist bought the hymnals used at the St. Peters service, and may have more contacts for us at St. Peters.

Through these sources, we are attempting to find at least three people to profile for our series. We have also decided that after the video packages and supplemental narratives are complete, we will publish our work to a project blog so all material may be seen together.

We have found that many Oxford community members are trying to bring the Latino community and the Oxford community together, which we are also considering as a different angle to a part of our series as well.

Various multi-media projects on the homess--video, podcasts, etc.

2011-02-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

Students:
Here are a few links to multi-media projects on the homeless. They include reports on veterans (who make up a significant number of the homeless), former gang members, school dropouts, and others. These include video, podcasts, etc. Check them out:

* A video about homeless veterans

* Podcasts by runaways and homeless youths

* A video on health care for the homeless

Multimedia on the NYT

2011-02-16T07:34:00.000-08:00

Hey all-

I found this story about rare diseases on the New York Times.

It's a simple but effective format for a multimedia profile of different individuals, like both of our group projects are striving to do. It reminded me a lot of the UNC Chapel Hill project, but the NYT website separated the audio and photos so you could browse at your own pace, which I liked more. The audio portions are just 1-2 minutes, and coupled with the detailed captions on the pictures, it's not as overwhelming as a print story including all the same information. That being said, I would have liked to read a print story that went along with that multimedia feature, just to give it more depth.

Just some thoughts!

-Rachel

Oxford Hispanic Community Piece- Rough Working Outline

2011-02-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

Overview:
As the issue of immigration gains growing importance in discussion not only around the state, but the nation as well, the viewpoint of these immigrants fails to be adequately covered. Therefore, in order to add information to the body of knowledge concerning immigration in Oxford, our group will handle a three-part narrative series from the perspective of the Hispanic community.

Project Description:
The project will be mainly print-based stories depicting the life, work, and events of at least three individuals of Oxford's Hispanic community. These print narratives will be accompanied with video footage in documentary fashion concerning aspects of home life, living conditions, work, interviews, etc. The theme of the narratives will center around the question, "What does it mean to be Hispanic in the Oxford community?", focusing more on the daily lives of these individuals that will, in turn, contribute to the broader idea and knowledge of immigration in Oxford. In order to gain confidence and interviews from the Hispanic community for the series, the phrase illegal immigrant will not be used.

Division of Labor:
Since each interview will be conducted concerning print and video, all group members will accompany interview outings to gather as much information and description as possible. There is an additional individual Rachel has contacted that will accompany the group in order to help translate if needed. Keith will be responsible for the video component of the project, although the editing process will be shared by all. The three print stories will be completed by Douglas, Ainsley, and Rachel.

Timeline:
Week 1: contact specified sources for background information concerning the Oxford Hispanic community- gather as much as possible
Focus on finding the three individuals to serve as the interviews in the series through background sources.

Week 2: Contact potential candidates for interviews to gain compliance and permission for the project.
Set up interview times for Week 2, and into Week 3 if needed.

Week 3: Completion of interviews
Compile video footage and begin editing process
Compile interview information and begin writing process, infused with background information

Week 4: Finish editing process. Peer edit each other's print stories. Finalize project.

Background sources:
Episcopal Church
Methodist Church
Food Bank
United Way
MIRA
Spanish Language Church on Highway 6
Balmaro Revelis

Lens from above

2011-02-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

The scene in Egypt is one that I believe needs to be expressed through pictures and video in order to relay the magnitude of the chaos to the rest of the world. This collection of photos from Egypt in and around Tahrir Square tell the story of what it's like to be there with just a few captions and mainly the letting the pictures speak for themselves. My attention is drawn to the second photo in the series that is a shot from above showing the tens of thousands of people packed into the square. There makeshift camps that have evidently sprung up on each side of the square as seen in the photo. Another photo that I can't help but laugh at is photo number 7 where a young gentleman has fashioned a helmet out of an orange mixing bowl and some gauze. It's very "Gangs of New York" esque when thinking about the different mobs in the square going at it with crude weapons like rocks and other rubble. The multimedia show is full of pictures from the lighthearted to the most serious. A great way of telling the story of Egypt now.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/25/photos.egypt.protest/index.html?hpt=T2

Cultural Aspects

2011-02-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

As Americans, it is somewhat hard for us to relate to the turmoil in Egypt because of our lack of experience in not only this type of uproar, but in this type of dissatisfaction with a governing body as well. Reading through news stories, one can only grasp to a certain extent the cultural aspects that have moved Egypt to this revolution. However, "Paranoia Strikes Among Egypt's Protesters: A Day and Night in Tahrir", from The Atlantic, attempted to draw the reader in with not only descriptions of personal experience, but with the use of organic ideas from the situation and culture.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/02/paranoia-strikes-among-egypts-protesters-a-day-and-night-in-tahrir/70860/

The writer angles his whole story around the idea of fitna, an Arabic word translatable to the English expression, “Why can’t we all get along?” The story elaborates on the paranoia that is trickling through the anti-Mubarak demonstrators, and other problems occurring that are prompting the demonstrators to begin to govern among themselves. The writer uses personal stories from protestors to further paint the picture, helping the reader to understand on a more personal level what is happening in the trenches of the revolution in Egypt.

First Person Perspective

2011-02-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

In the past, getting an individual participant's perspective on a breaking news story was usually reduced to a short sound bite or quick quote. The audience was at the mercy of the reporter's skill and selectivity. Today, in a world of instant connectivity, the access to information and people is universal and immediate. While we still rely on professional journalists to deliver images and information, the role of "citizen journalist"is providing us with more perspectives and affording us the ability to witness events through a participants eyes.

The first example is that of an Egyptian female who participated in the demonstrations whose first person narrative is shared through her father to a blogger in Dallas.

http://onemansblog.com/2011/02/03/a-first-hand-account-of-the-egyptian-revolution/

The second is the account of an American professor on vacation in Egypt.

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/02/04/1850018/wwu-professor-visiting-egypt-describes.html

Neither of these first person accounts could have been adequately conveyed in a video news package or news story.

Not Just the Facts

2011-02-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

For a reporter, getting the hard facts and figures of a story is extremely important. But it is often the softer side of the story, the human story, that provides the most insight into what is really going on. Every day when I turn on the news or check CNN.com, I see new information on the conflict in Egypt. Yet the video I watched today provided greater insight into how Egyptians are handling the conflict than most daily reports have provided.

The video starts by featuring a father and his daughter both telling Mubarak to go to hell. The father also claims that Mubarak has stolen the girl’s teeth and that he needs to give them back. The story gives the protestors in Egypt a face by concentrating on one family’s thoughts and actions. The video also shows the injuries of this father and of other protestors. By showing a family and listening to what one father has to say, we get to look past the politics and see how individuals feel and what they think about their country’s current situation. http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,778921462001_2046567,00.html

Also...

This story about a blind man in Sudan who is voting for an independent south is also a great video. Concentrating on a group of disabled Sudanese people who are determined to make a difference and make their voices heard gives this story depth and personality.

http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,777564146001_2046491,00.html

Homelessness in Lafayette County: Story Plan/Outline

2011-02-08T06:37:00.000-08:00

Knox Graham

Alex McDaniel

Jennifer Wilson

Objective:

After struggling with the feasibility of the Personhood Mississippi story, our group decided to tackle the story of homelessness in Oxford and Lafayette County. Our overall goal is to create a Flash-based website featuring photography, video and text to present both the overarching issues facing the local homeless community, as well as individual profiles of those willing to be interviewed for the project. The scope of this story is enormous, even for a small town like Oxford; however, making the profile series the dominant feature on the website will aid us in telling individual stories within the context of larger issues.

Division of Labor:

Overview

Our project plan is based on the strengths and interests of the group members. The goal is to give each group member the opportunity to showcase their own abilities while also having the chance to learn new skills in multimedia production.

Knox - Videography, photography, video editing

Jennifer - Writing, videography, photography

Alex - Writing, photo editing, web design

All group members will conduct interviews with various sources.

Tentative Timetable:

Week 1 (Feb. 7 - 11):

1. Gather research on homelessness on a local, state and national level.

a) Lafayette County/Oxford: Jennifer

b) Mississippi: Alex

c) United States: Knox

2. Make initial contact with local experts, sources of aid in homeless community for interviews

3. Seek advice from Prof. Atkins, other professors on interviewing homeless individuals

4. Develop mock-up, purchase domain name for the website

Week 2 (Feb 14 - 18):

1. Continue gathering interviews with experts, aid sources, etc.

2. Conduct initial visits to local homeless communities; interview, if possible

3. Set up the rough website

4. Log, edit video and photos

Week 3 (Feb. 21 - 25):

1. Choose individuals, families to profile for project; conduct additional interviews

2. Continue logging, editing content

3. Begin drafting text for website

4. Continue building on website

Week 4 (Feb. 28 - March 4):

1. Conduct final interviews

2. Complete all editing (video, photo, story)

3. Finish constructing website

4. Add additional interactive features (if deemed necessary after project is completed)

Databases/Interviews:

- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

- U.S. Census Bureau

- National Alliance to End Homelessness

Local contacts:

- The United Way of Oxford-Lafayette County

- Oxford Homeless Task Force

- Interfaith Compassion Ministry (Lena Wiley, Director)

- Local church leaders (who provide aid to the homeless)

- Mayor Pat Patterson

- WIN Job Center

- The Oxford Food Pantry

- Homeless residents

Additionally, our group has discussed the possibility of spending a day and night with a homeless individual or family, shadowing their experiences, and maintaining a video blog to be featured on the website. We discussed the possibility of a narrative piece about the homeless experience having the potential to be "overdone." No matter how objective we aim to be, can we really document a homeless person's life without some idea of what the experience is like? Knowing whether this is a possibility will ultimately depend on the relationships we cultivate throughout the project and approaching the story with sensitivity.

Using photography to reveal the specific within the general

2011-02-08T02:12:00.000-08:00

What has most impressed me about TIME Magazine's Egyptian protest coverage, particularly when it comes to photography, is the evident persistence to package content in a way that seeks to makes sense of the ongoing story, rather than offering hundreds of videos and slideshows to choose from.

TIME's collection of photo essays, despite lacking a substantial written element I typically seek when examining narrative content, are nonetheless telling impactful stories while highlighting the important human element.

A few selections:

"The Makeshift Helmets of Egypt's Protestors"

The title says it all, showcasing a photo display of protestors with crates, plastic bowls and even flattened rocks tied to their heads as means of protection.

"The Battle for Tahrir Square"

Depicting an almost apocalyptic scene, photographers capture horrifying images of those demanding the end of Mubarak and his regime.

"The Standoff in Egypt"

More than 100 photos find a way to tell individual stories within the much larger narrative playing out in Egypt.

It's not easy to look at some of these photos without automatically wondering about many of the subjects' personal stories, but I think we're going to see more and more narratives with strong written elements pour out in the coming months. In the interest of developing the strongest narrative stories in the shortest time possible, however, I think narrated, subject-driven videos and photo essays are effective in preventing the story of individual plight from getting lost in the overarching storyline.

Fear of the Nile versus Fear of a World without Free Press

2011-02-07T22:58:00.000-08:00

MacDonalds reporting brings to light the importance of free speech and how different governments oppress their constituents by restricting their news cycle. His story tells of his recent travels in Zamalek, a supposed safe haven for journalist as he sets out to enter into Tahir Square, an area known for its recent violence towards journalism. His story is detailed and has several common narrative forms. He used foreshadowing, as well as scene setting to draw the reader in. The vivid depiction of the screams of the tortured prisoners gave a dramatic feel to story the help push it over the edge in my opinion.

I liked the writing because the author dead a good job of making the reader see the story from his point of view. I actually felt as if I was going threw each change of emotion as I read the story. I actually picked it because it was an interactive piece that had both a written copy as well as a video post with it, but because of a lack of head phones I was unable to hear the video post.

Some multi-media project examples as you work on your projects

2011-02-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

Journalism 668 Students

Here are a couple examples of some multi-media projects that might give you some ideas as you proceed with your projects. Thanks to Alex McDaniel for letting me know about the Hardship & Hope series done by photojournalism students at the University of North Carolina. Check the link out. I enjoyed the story titled Holding On (which Alex passed along)and also Stop the Presses, which dealt with layoffs of journalists in Raleigh, North Carolina, some of whom I used to work with many years ago at the old, now-defunct afternoon newspaper, The Raleigh Times.

The University of North Carolina is doing some great stuff. Check out their multi-media gallery for other projects.
The team working on immigration will be particularly interested in the project titled Nuevasfronteras.

Also check out the Washington Post's Mediastorm site for some good projects, including an interesting one on the treatment of women in India.

Have a great weekend.

The Who, not the What

2011-02-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

News articles covering the protests in Egypt are doing a good job of getting as much information as possible, given the new restrictions imposed on journalists. Over in the editorial section, Thomas Friedman is, as always, writing insightful speculation on what the fall of the Mubarak regime could mean for the rest of the Middle East. (That article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/opinion/02friedman.html?src=me&ref=general)

The gap that these news stories leave out is the human story. Who are these protests? Why are they out there? The narrative journalism story I found set itself apart in the way the author described the people, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the words on the streets of Cairo. It's called "Street Battle over the Arab future" and can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/world/africa/03sudan.html?ref=middleeast

After reading this, I felt like I understood more than I have watching the news and reading stories for the past seven days. The author describes Muslim Brotherhood, "knelt in prayer at dusk, their faces lighted by the soft glow of burning fires a stone's throw away." This isn't a self-serving protest backed by a power-hungry mob, this is a unified front searching for justice in a country which has heretofore denied its people that basic democratic right.

Not everyone in the crowds is part of the Muslim Brotherhood, the author explains, and there is no leader to front such a massive movement. They are united by ideas- dignity, revolution, freedom, hope. The uprising is, "distinctly nationalist," the author says, invoking images of revolutions gone by. Another description of the crowd invokes a scene from the French revolution, a la Les Miserables: "Everyone seemed joined in the moment, fists, batons and rocks banging any piece of metal to rally themselves."

One other article I read, though not necessarily a narrative piece, was about an uprising in Sudan which has come in the wake of the Egyptian protests. A Facebook group called Youth for Change brought together thousands of students across Sudan. The article says individual protests are small, only a couple hundred students, but are well-organized and spread throughout the country. Oh, the power of Facebook. That article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/world/africa/03sudan.html?ref=middleeast

Narrative Strengths and Other Media

2011-02-01T22:26:00.000-08:00

After reading Buchanan’s story I was a little surprised at how graphic the story read. After getting a page or two into it though I began to grasp how she wrote and it wasn’t quite as intense of a read. This story about Margaret Elkin was absolutely crazy to read. The quotes from people that knew her were probably the most eye-opening parts of the whole story. It seems to me that she was a habitual liar. I could see this type of story made into a for tv movie or something of that nature. It seems like I was reading a script to a lifetime movie at times. I thought it was a great read by putting different parts of the story together, not in chronological order, and by then end of the story having the whole picture laid out in front of you. First starting with the 4^th husband and working backwards and ending with the quote from the first husband that is totally contradictory from the whole story.

The narrative told by Herr about Vietnam is one where you can picture the scenes as they are happening. While I was reading I saw him riding in the back of the convoy trucks or in the streets of Saigon looking at the rubble. This is one of the strengths that I noticed while reading through his passage. As far as other media is concerned I kept wishing that he had a video camera with him while he was telling these stories. This would have been an absolutely amazing video documentary if Herr had a camera going through the war with him. Everyone wonders what it is like on the front lines, especially in a war like the Vietnam War. I think these stories would have transitioned over to film nicely.

The story told by Talese is a glimpse into the life of Frank Sinatra, the pinnacle of all old school celebrities. My favorite parts of Talese’s writing were the scenes he would set with Sinatra. This is seen immediately when the story opens and he paints Sinatra sitting at the bar with two blonde ladies, neither of which are his girlfriend of 30 years his junior. Someone like Herr, but to a further extent Talese draws on this strength throughout the narrative describing his surroundings just as much as the story itself. Somehow the reader expects Sinatra to be sitting at the bar with two blondes, and that’s exactly what they get. I think the form of media this is in is perfect what he is trying to accomplish. I don’t see this switching over to any other form of media and being any better.

Playing to their strengths

2011-02-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

By Rachel Johnson

A good writer makes reading their work effortless. You feel what the author felt, see what they saw. The purpose of the story is unhurriedly revealed, saved until the end when the reader has time to reflect on everything they have read. The three authors we read are all masters of this form. These three pieces are captivating in their written form, though the strengths that the first two bring in their written style and use of quotes would lend themselves well to other mediums.

Gay Talese’s article, “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” is rich with telling quotes and detailed the descriptions. It works well as a written piece because Talese works with a loose time line, focusing on the picture of Sinatra, rather than a more biographical story-driven piece. Talese’s quote-driven descriptions of Sinatra make a documentary the most obvious, and most appropriate choice to re-imagine the article. The strengths of Talese’s writing come from how he uses the way other people treat and describe Sinatra. Likewise, the power of a documentary based on this piece would derive from the interviews of people who knew Sinatra, rather than from Sinatra himself.

In contrast, Michael Herr’s writing in “Hell Sucks” would be too much for a documentary or other filmed presentation. His detailed descriptions of the inhumanity of the Vietnam war are enough without further shocking a viewer with pictures or video of the place itself. Herr’s language is real, spoken language, which begs to be read aloud, and his quotes are the kinds of things people don’t want to be remembered saying, lending itself well to an audio piece.

Edna Buchanan leaves the mystery of the “Husbands of the Widow Elkin” for the reader to decide. The graphic nature of the crimes would be too much to hear in an audio format and the sight of the bodies and the people involved might detract from the intrigue of the story. I think this story is best read like a crime novel, letting readers decide who the bad guy really is.

The Devil is in the Details

2011-02-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

All three of these examples of narrative writing illustrate how effective attention to detail is to good story-telling. Somehow knowing that Cecil Elkin was watching "Family Feud" at the moment of his demise adds more than a bit of irony. That the Elkins seemed like any other average couple only adds to the disturbing nature of this "Black Widow" story.

Herr's attention to detail draws the reader into a foreign milieu that most will never truly appreciate regardless of how many movies about Viet Nam they have seen. This is especially true in the passage about the aid station and how the different players coped with death. Herr effectively uses one-word and two-word descriptions that intensify the writing. The "youngest-looking" Marine who weeps when he realizes that his wound is a ticket out. The "mustang" (former enlisted man) first lieutenant who knows b.s. when he hears it.

Talese also shows a knack for detail when he sets up the entire confrontation between Sinatra and the writer by indicating how much was paid for a pair of Game Warden boots.

Of the three pieces, Buchanan's "Husbands" would translate best to other media. It is very easy to see this as an episode of "CIty Confidential" as Paul Winfield describes how seemly normal were Margaret and Cecil. I think much would be lost from "Hell Sucks" if it were presented in another media. There isn't any way to match the word pictures that Herr creates.

Sorry, Mr. McLuhan, but the medium is not the message.

2011-02-01T07:53:00.000-08:00

“Husbands of the Widow Elkin” by Edna Buchanan

Buchanan’s attention to detail and almost rhythmic progression for readers to follow with her words alone makes this piece extremely powerful. But it also raises the question about the necessity of strong narrative writing when considering multimedia elements. It seems much of the piece was written with the intent to help readers develop a strong mental picture of Margaret Elkin and her ill-fated husbands. While this story could be easily adapted for any television investigative news program, some of her strongest passages might deemed unnecessary when written imagery can be easily replaced with video. Is this better or worse?

It could also be easily adapted for the web, with photos of Elkin and her husbands, a timeline of the murders, police reports, links to other articles, etc., while keeping Buchanan’s writing intact. There is also potential for packaging the piece as an interactive website of its own like this award-winning example by UNC student John W. Adkisson, “Hardship and Hope.”

“Hell Sucks” by Michael Herr

My father was deployed to Vietnam in the beginning of 1968, along with 331,097 other U.S. Army personnel. The only experience he’s ever shared took place one afternoon when Dad, fatigued, overheated and recovering from dysentery caused by an unclean mess kit, slumped down near a tree to unwrap the day’s C rations.

His arm suddenly snapped to his gun instinctively when he saw a brown and bloodied face leering at him from the nearby bushes. Dad strained his eyes to get a better look when the small face and the charred body attached to it emerged from the brush. It was a young Vietnamese boy, about 5 years old, starving and broken, probably in more ways than one. Staring intently at my father’s rations - an assortment he recalls couldn’t have been much more than canned meat, crackers and peanut butter - the child extended his hand, palm up.

Stunned and horrified, Dad said nothing. Eyes locked to the young child, making sure he wasn’t strapped with a grenade or weapon, my father wrapped up his C ration pack and threw it to the boy’s feet. The child grabbed it and retreated to the bushes, but not before at least 10 more nearly destroyed bodies crawled out of the bushes. All children. All starving. All Vietnamese.

Dad removed his remaining rations from his bag and started throwing them toward each child. No one said a word, not even the children. They simply grabbed whatever my Dad gave and ran away with little concern for their own burned and infected flesh.

This story instantly came to mind when reading Herr’s report on his own visit to Vietnam. Though the image in my mind of my 22-year-old father feeding tiny enemies is probably much different from his own experience. However, I didn’t have to be there to imagine how horrific it must have been.

The same rings true in “Hell Sucks.” I’m not always a fan of stories which focus on the journalist’s experience, rather than who or what they’re covering, but I think Herr was able to illustrate to the American public how traumatizing the war was for all involved, particularly when compared to a journalist’s hellish experience having only been there on assignment for a short period of time.

When considering how to convey this kind of imagery using multimedia elements, I instantly think of every motion picture I’ve seen about the Vietnam War, including those Herr contributed to. Those movies ARE my perception of the war and have been effective in communicating just how awful it really was. I think videos and photos would likely be the most effective way to complement the story on its own. Because Herr’s piece is packed with information about different locations, an interactive map linking portions of the story to where they occurred would also work well.

“Frank Sinatra Has A Cold” Gay Talese

What’s unique about Talese’s piece compared to the others is that his story revolves around a celebrity with a larger-than-life persona. Even those reading it now, 45 years after publication, can still see and hear Sinatra without difficulty, easily visualizing each carefully worded passage. Having fallen in love with this story years ago, it’s hard to objectively approach how to package it or add elements that would transform it into a multimedia piece.

Biases aside, however, I believe if Talese had written this piece today, he would have left it in the written form. Part of what makes the story so powerful is its evocative qualities and ability to conjure up familiar images in the mind of the reader. Do we need photos of Sinatra to enhance our own memory of his image? Do we need video or audio of him to more clearly imagine or understand his actions? I think the story’s strongest quality is Talese's effort to make the reader access their own previously formed perception of Frank Sinatra, and then try to imagine him in moments of weakness and despair. It is the reader’s own involvement with the story, creating these images in his/her own mind, which makes it a great read. I simply think this is a case when things are better left alone.

Ultimately, multimedia elements should be considered as tools, not the story itself. Journalists should take advantage of multimedia when these elements can somehow enhance the story, but not just because they exist. A primary challenge for journalists and journalism students will be learning how to determine what parts of a story are best paired with certain storytelling elements, whether it's photography, video, audio, web tools or the written word. Technology can amplify a great story, but it can also weaken its impact when placed on a pedestal as the only way to tell a story.

It’s essential for all of us to learn how to tell the difference.

Narrative Reflections

2011-02-01T07:50:00.000-08:00

“Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” kept me captivated from start to finish. As a journalist, I was blown away by the amount of research, observations, and interviews Talese conducted in order to complete this story. Very often, I thought I was reading a fiction story instead of narrative journalism, which further highlights how much work went in to this narrative. I loved how Talese continually repeated the fact that Frank Sinatra had a cold in order to explain his personality, influence over people and relationships with them. I also enjoyed how he placed contrasting images of Sinatra next to each other in the essay in order to show the reader the many sides of the celebrity. This story was translated wonderfully in print because of its great detail and reliance on imagery, and for that same reason I think it would translate successfully into a radio story as well.

“Husbands of the Widow Elkin” was a refreshing way to read a crime story. Buchanan had a gift for wording phrases that grabbed the reader’s attention, such as the lead and using the smallest of specific details to describe a situation. Buchanan built suspense against the Widow Elkin by telling the stories of her husbands’ deaths in chronological order—it kept the reader hanging on. I also liked how she, too, used contrasting images to show that the police could not prove her guilty; one phrase would seem to point a finger at the widow, while the next made the reader question it. The closing paragraph of the story was just as surprising as the first, as well. Again, the surprising elements of this story made it excellent for print, but because of the suspense could be translated into audio or video as well.

“Hell Sucks” was the hardest for me to read, but another great example of the descriptive use of imagery to bring the reader right into the situation; I think this is why it made the narrative hard for me to finish. He used vivid descriptions to describe the chaos that was taking place around him, making it very real. I liked how Herr was really part of the situation; he seemed more like a member of the team instead of an outside observer. He had relationships with the soldiers and was able to include their emotions and direct conversations freely. I think this is the only story I had a complaint with the way it was translated. I would have understood some of the more confusing aspects, such as the military language or location, had video provided some explanation as well.

My Thoughts

2011-02-01T06:42:00.000-08:00

Out of the three stories we were assigned to read, “Husbands of the Widow Elkin,” was my favorite. The story drew me in immediately with the first line and the writing made me feel like I knew the characters. I like how the writer was very specific and detailed. For example, when Buchanan wrote, “Someone murdered husband No. 4, Cecil Elkin, apparently smashing his head with a frying pan as he watched “Family Feud” on TV,” she created the scene of his murder perfectly in my mind. Print is the perfect medium for this story. I don’t think any other mediums of communication are needed to make it clearer or more interesting.

“Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” was also a great story. When Talese gave descriptions of Sinatra it was easy for me to picture his movements, his posture and his expressions. The story was easy to follow and I liked the background information Talese provided to help the reader understand Sinatra better. My only criticism is that some of the paragraphs felt unnecessary. I could have done without some of the information about Sinatra’s friends. I think that print was a good medium for this story and other mediums probably would not have worked as well.

I also enjoyed, “Hell Sucks,” but it was my least favorite story of the three. The writing was very honest and powerful. Some of the descriptions in this story also succeeded in creating vivid pictures for me while I was reading. Yet the story was hard for me to follow and stay interested in. This may have been due to the amount of military jargon used that I did not really understand. I think that if this story was told through a different medium, like video, I might have gotten more out of it.

-Jennifer Wilson

Welcome to Journalism 668/Narrative Journalism

2011-01-20T12:31:00.000-08:00

Welcome to JBANEWSPM! This blog has been created for the writing/reporting students taught by Professor Joe Atkins at the University of Mississippi. Where did the name come from? Well, JBA are Professor Atkins' initials (Joseph B. Atkins). "News" obviously refers to the regular comments and postings students will be making on this blog. "PM" doesn't mean this is an "evening" publication. It refers to the 1940s newspaper that was a milestone in American journalism and which included the work of Ernest Hemingway, I.F. Stone, Erskine Caldwell, Margaret Bourke-White, Arthur "Weegee" Fellig, and other legends. Stone biographer Myra MacPherson called PM "the most daring newspaper experiment of the twentieth century ... a tabloid that refused to pander." It was a hard-hitting publication that utilized the latest technology of its day (lots of cutting-edge photographs,for example) to tell its stories. That'll be the spirit and driving force behind this blog, which serves Journalism 668/Narrative Journalism. Here is where you'll find the behind-the-scenes reporting and ideas that went into all those great profiles, hard news stories, stunning features, in-depth investigative exposes,and multi-media projects that'll be coming out of this class. Stay tuned!