Semester Update

It's hard to believe that the semester is already almost over! It definitely flew by!! Looking ahead to these last couple weeks, the semester is beginning to wind down. We are now working on our Photography projects which will be due in two weeks.

I can't believe we've already completed a series of Audio and Video projects. I remember thinking at the beginning of the year that I'd never be able to get all of that done, but now I only have one project left! It is nice to feel accomplished after a lot of hard work.

News & Feature Stories Complete

At this point in the semester, both our News Story & Feature story are complete. I am very excited about the skills I am gaining both in recording events & interviewing skills.

As for the upcoming assignment, we are focusing on Audio production. I'm not 100% sure yet what I am going to use as the focus of my Audio feature, but listening to the example in class was very beneficial.

I can't believe how fast the semester is flying by! Before we know it, we'll be finishing up Audio & moving to Photography. Once we make it through that section, the semester is basically over already!

Citizen Journalism

The "Citizen Journalism" article looks at the unfortunate event of Oscar Grant, who was shot in 2009 in a subway station by officers of the Bay Area Rail Transit. 

Due to the immediacy of technology today, witnesses were able to record this event on their cellphones and upload the recordings to YouTube. As one would imagine, a large amount of controversy arose as these videos gained popularity. The witnesses' videos were even used in the trial as official evidence. 

I thought it was interesting how the videos generated mixed responses. Ok so they may not have been recorded in the best quality format, but I think it is important that this event was documented and shared by the citizens because the incident may have never gained as much popularity if it hadn't been broadcast by the citizens. 

Also, I think this article is a great example of how people don't have to go to college and get a degree to be a journalist these days. They may not be professional or follow all the rules, but with social media and technology anyone can record events and share their thoughts about what happened. 

I thought it was intriguing when the article stated, “Incidents such as Grant’s murder illustrate how a single event can rupture the social fabric by reintroducing past injustices (specifically, the 1991 Rodney King beating) and raising critical questions about the nature of law enforcement with regard to minority groups” (page 14). Is this really a bad thing?? Maybe more critical questions about the nature of law enforcement and minority groups should be proposed. I’m interested in hearing what else my classmates have to say about this on their blogs.