Post Interview Thoughts

Boal a news anchor from KSL took the time to answer some questions I had and here our my opinions in relation to his. The first thing that caught my attention was the fact that after Boal went to graduate school he went to a small market in Florence, Alabama. Do you know where Florence is? The only Florence I know if is in Italy. But this advice is the same that guest speaker Amanda Butterfield gave us aspiring journalists. Go to a small market, where you will learn immensely and get to take on every role and be apart of the whole news process. 

I would have to agree with almost everything he said throughout the interview. Good journalism is about reporting the events and news that people are interested in. You wont have success if you write these amazing articles yet no one picks up to read it. It wouldn't be news. No one would be talking about and it would go untouched, unnoticed. I liked how Boal summed it up at good journalism all gets people to ask themselves, "why should I care?" He then defines how KSL only gives good journalism. Now this may be true, but why would he say differently. He represents KSL, he works for them so of course he is only going to put them in good light. Knowing this, and having watched this particular news channel I can agree with Boal on this one.

I found it interesting that he will report the stories that are assigned to him yet he gets to put his own taste and feel to them. He can report them as he would like and he can even go as far as to dig up his own stories and have them get approved. I have worked in a newsroom but he said most don't work that way. They are assigned a story, they cover that story and that's that. What a great thing KSL offers to their coworkers to be able to get out in the field, talk to those in the community and write a a story that they are personally passionate about. 

When it came to talking about civic, citizen and public journalism I found his answers to be rather interesting. He had to make a plug that this news channel is all about serving the people and the community. "KSL TV has done community journalism since it first went on the air." Right here, he is stating that this has been a central focus to their company since they first started and has continued to be that way over the years. He brought up an important part about civic journalism. When is comes to dealing with community issues like gang violence as he brought up, what better source to get the real hard facts than from the people themselves. The people who are living amongst gangs or who know people inside them. I do think he brought up the point that as citizens we can partake in a huge role of reporting and getting the news out there. We have different mediums like twitter and thing called blogging )what I'm doing right now) that helps contribute to our voice being heard. I thought the last statement he made was rather interesting. He brought up the fact that bloggers wouldn't have anything to talk about if it wasn't for the journalist relaying the story. I would have to disagree with this comment. I think news can be created through the people first. I think news can be heard through blogging and tweeting before it could even make it on air on the channel 5 news. Boal in a way underestimates the power of the community and the power of the people through this comment. 

Boal's comment about making a difference was really inspiring. He brought up a story about how he was trying to raise money for someone who had leukemia so she could get a bone marrow transplant. While I think that a good majority of the news is pointless, and has little value to me, stories like this give me hope. Personally, I would rather hear about people doing good for the community, doing good for a fellow citizen that to hear that Britney Spears broke up with her boyfriend. Who cares? I definitely don't.  I too think that a lot of the news stories have bad endings or are tragedies. That's what catches people interests, that's what shocks the world and in a way, that's what  people like to hear. It's nice to know that a big news channel like KSL can still promote these stories that are for a good cause. 

When it came to the question about how has journalism changed over the years, I thought it was interesting how he said their newsroom doesn't tell biased stories. Wouldn't all newsrooms like to think that. I think he should have stated that as a newsroom, they try not to produce biased stories, they try to hear both sides. People have beliefs in one thing, who has been raised thinking a certain way and who has developed their own personal stance in certain issues. How can you not say that these feelings aren't going to push them in certain directions. As far as the decline in TV viewership and the decline in people reading the actual newspaper, he addressed the same issue that we talk about tin class. He talks about how it will be important to work and know about the media because that is the future. Boal said earlier that KSL's website is the most watched over and that right there is a big leap ahead the other news channels. I believe just as Boal said that the news channels with strong websites are the one's that will survive.

His advice was beneficial. he told me to read the New York Times. Hmmmm....sound a bit familiar? Isn't that what Dr. Cressman  has required of us in this Intro to Journalism Class. He told me to work hard and to be in this field I have to love it. This comment reflects what Amanda Butterfield had to say on Wednesday in class about how journalism is a life commitment. It isn't a 7-5 job Monday through Friday but you have to commit your life to it. If you don't love journalism, than do something else. He told me to spell check and what am I about to do as I close this blog post up, spell check. What a wise man he is. This interview really got me thinking. I am only taking this class because I have to, I haven't had any real desire to get into journalism but this class and an interview like this has made me appreciate this work and what journalist have to offer.

Up Close and Personal with Jed Boal from KSL-TV 5

1. Why did you go into journalism? 

Unlike many of my colleagues.  I did not pursue Journalism as an undergrad.  I majored in English and History at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  When I graduated, I thought I might go to law school, but it was writing that I truly enjoyed.  I wasn't quite ready to write the Great American Novel, so I decided to go for a Master's in Journalism, where they would certainly assign the projects for me.  Once in grad school, I discovered I liked TV more than print, because of the immediacy of the medium and the teamwork. 

2. How did your break in the field? 

Once I graduated, I sent out tapes to small markets across the country and started as a TV reporter and anchor in Florence, AL.  Tiny market, about the size of Idaho Falls.

3. How do you define “good” journalism? 

Big question.. that's what it's all about.  Good journalism first and foremost is good storytelling.  Tell the stories that matter to your audience: inform them about community crises and community affairs, uncover and expose negative undercurrents and activities, and entertain the viewers with surprising stories about the people of their community.  Good journalism always answers the question, "Why should I care?"

4. Do you feel like your news organization practices “good” journalism? 

KSL-TV's mission is good journalism.  Most days we measure up.  We have a bigger and more experienced staff than our competitors.  That gives us the ability to cover more stories every day, stories that go beyond the breaking news and the police blotter of the day.  We deliver "real news": important and interesting local news stories with direct relevance to the lives of our viewers, presented in a clear manner.  It's pretty simple when you don't have to worry about gimmicks.

5. How would you define the type of journalism you do? 

I'm a general assignment reporter.  I cover any story on the board.  With anchoring duties, however, I usually end up doing stories that do not require me to be live in the field.  The assignments vary in the course of a career.  I do a lot of military affairs, transportation, and business stories these days.

6. Does your organization allow you to do the type of journalism you want 

to do? 

If I pitch a good story to my boss, I get to do it.  On any given day, they may assign me something that needs to be done that day; but, eventually I get to do the stories I like.  I'm lucky.  That's not the case for most reporters today in most newsrooms.

7. How does the journalism you practice serve your community? 

We give our viewers a fair, comprehensive and professional brand of journalism, nearly all of the time, throughout every newscast.  Our website reaches more people than all other media websites in the state combined!  People come to KSL, BECAUSE we serve our community, by telling the stories that matter.

8. What is your opinion about recent movements such as community, 

citizen, civic, and public journalism? 

KSL TV has done community journalism since it first went on the air.  We will always cover the stories of all communities of Utah, even the smaller towns. Public journalism, as I see it, puts us in a greater role of advocacy, and we do some of that.  I think when a newsroom tries to tackle tough issues like gang violence, domestic violence, or other large-scale civic issues, it makes sense to take that role and partner with members of the community to further the reporting.  Citizen journalism is always evolving, and extremely variable.  On one end of the spectrum, it can amount to propaganda and campaigning.  On the other end, it can be a good way for members of the community to keep professional journalists on their toes.  Bloggers across the country now do much more coverage of city council meetings, and events right down the street that newsrooms don't have the time to cover.  Other bloggers, however, would have nothing to spout off about if a pro wasn't other there telling the story first.

9. Have you ever had an experience in which you felt your work as a 

journalist really made a difference? 

 I know my work makes a difference regularly.  In J-school, one of our profs mocked us all for "wanting to make a difference."  He believed we could change nothing in the world, and we were naive to think we could   He was wrong.  We tell stories at KSL that motivate people in our community to do great things every day.  Tonight, I will tell the story of a Mongolian girl dying from leukemia.  She needs $350,000 for a bone marrow transplant to save her life.  Her friends started a website to raise money.  Undoubtedly, people will see the story tonight  and want to help.. by the thousands.  Will it be enough? It just might be.  That's not the case every day, but, don't let any cynical academics tell you it doesn't happen.  I could write for hours about the stories KSL has done just this year that made a difference in the lives of many people.  If you think you're not making a difference as a reporter, you need to dig for better stories, or go do something else. (That topic always gets me going;)

10. How have your views about journalism changed over the years? 

We all become more cynical and jaded, no matter how we try to guard against it.  I get weary of more violence, more crime in our neighborhoods and more teachers who have sex with their middle school student.  At the end of every day, I love this job.  Despite claims from the right: many mainstream newsrooms are not biased, and actually tell balanced stories every day.  I think the business itself has changed more than my views of the business.  Newspapers continue to flounder, TV viewership is down, young journalists need to aspire to newsrooms with the most reach on the web.  TV will evolve, newspapers without major websites will continue to go out of business.

11. Have you been affected by dropping circulations, ratings, layoffs, and 

growth of citizen journalism? 

 I don't think citizen journalism has affected KSL TV.  I don't think a blogger in a bathrobe will bring down KSL.  Despite the intrigue of the movement, few bloggers will ever make a difference to anyone but friends, family and everyone else who already drank their kool-aid.  Having said that, the overall content of the web has cut into viewership.  Ratings are down, that affects revenue.  We've cut about 15-20% of our station staff, from management to reporters, most of it through attrition, but some people were let go.  At Channel 2, they've fired half their station in the last 15 months!. I think 30% at the papers in SLC.  I feel lucky to work here, and have a great job.  Everybody works harder when the economy is bad.  Unfortunately, thinner newsrooms mean thinner product.

12. What advice would you give students wanting to go into journalism? 

You'll probably get more advice than you'll ever want, so I'll keep it simple.  Read the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal (or another major national daily) on line when you can.  Follow the news in your community.  As a working journalist, always keep an open mind, and never underestimate where a story idea might come from.  Read a lot, write a lot, watch a lot of local and national news, pay attention and repeat.  It's a very competitive business.  To succeed you have to work harder than the person sitting next to you, and then keep doing it, year after year.  To do that, you have to LOVE it.  If you find that you don't love it, go do something else.  On the more practical side: you need to be able to offer a potential employer a lot of skills.  You need to know the fundamentals AND new media.  If you're going into TV, you need to be able to one-man-band, edit AND put stories on line.  Who, what, where, when, why and how?  Pay attention to detail: it's all about details.  Spell check.  Lastly: be eager, cheerful, and ready for any assignment.  My boss hires good people, but only people he likes:)

RIP

Just two weeks ago it was a Friday night and I went to this part my friends were throwing. it was there that I saw and met Robi for the first time. LIttle did I know that this was going to be our last encounter. Just this past weekend, Robi was longboarding down the Provo Canyon Trail with friends when he lost control, fell straight on his head and was knocked unconscious. He was then airflighted to the hospital but pronounced dead. I didn't know this man really well but I was in his ward last year. I knew his friends. One of my best friends was dating his roommate so there were some connections, there were some ties but now he is gone.

I have had some really good friends of mine get in serious longboarding accidents where they are rushed to the hospital, knocked unconscious or had gotten into an accident that cause so much internal damage they had to relearn how to read and write. This accidents happen more than one knows and a lot of these accidents are because people aren't wearing helmets. They are off with their friends, crusing down the Provo Canyon Trail and something happens which cause them to lose their balance. More times than not, when one falls there's serious repercussions. Some so serious that the life os someone is taken. I think people need to be smarter. People need to prtect their heads. Ya, this might not be the cool, trendy thing to do but when it comes to life or death situations is that really going to matter?

Obviously I am not the only one who finds this to be a serious problem in our local area. Longboarders have been banned and limited to certain restrictions when going down the trail. People are being overly cautious to protect the people from harm.

Different people from the community in this clip express their views and concerns with the current situation. Sometimes it takes something big like the death of an aquaintance to really open up the yees of those around. This incident happening in Thursday did just this for me. I can't even imagine being the parents. I can;t even imagine losing a close friend, a roommate. I can't even imagine thinking that would be the last time I would see that person. I can;t even imagine having my life flash before me as I was about to fall. I can;t even imagine paxking up my roommates things knowing he wont be there any longer. All of these things could have been prevented if he would have done one things. But why say you could have, should have would have. Because we have the gospel in our lives we know that this was his time. We might not understand it but the Lord must need him on the other side. 

As I hear more tragic stories about this, it makes me want to take more of stand and make a difference. I guess that's what you could a journalist.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=8452265

Someone Needs More Attention

One of the most memorable stories covered this past week in the newspaper was the Balloon Story. It wasn't because I was fearful and worried about the missing kid, or because i sympathized for the parents of the missing child. This article was just straight up absurd. None of the facts measured up, and the parents were acting a bit suspicious. Now that the story has been released, we all know the outcome. The parents claimed their child had flown off into a hot air balloon and for a couple hours was "missing." News reporters from all over were covering this story, helicopters were following the balloon just waiting for its landing. All of the sudden the balloon was slightly descending and heading straight into a tree! The balloon hit hard and toppled to the ground. As the basket turned over, there laid the boy, dead! Believable?

Well that didn't happen. Half of the story was hyped up. I just wanted to add some drama to the story, spice it up a bit. Who cares if some of it's a lie, it's interesting, more people will want to read it and that's all the matters. OK, so maybe I'm being really facetious and sarcastic, I'm just trying to make a point. Just as I wanted to fabricate a story to draw interest, get more recognition for my crazy ending to the balloon story, this same act was sought out in the story. The parents through lying and calling the police to report their missing child achieved just this. The whole thing was a hoax, they did it for fame and recognition and because they were caught, it's going to have serious repercussions. As the little boy said when asked why he was hiding up in the barn he replied, " I thought you told me to do it all for the show." And a show they made. 

This story was nationwide and it was all a lie. Some people instantly believed and followed the news covering, believing every word and sight. Others had reservations about the truthfulness of the article. This just goes back to what we discussed in class, verification. Is it the reporter's role to convey a story that is nothing but the truth? Is it the editor's responsibilities to check what the story is about and make sure it's backed up with legitimate sources? Is it the reader's responsibility to not believe everything they see in print. While we would like to believe that reporters are only going to give us the truth, we have to realize this isn't always true. The same goes for those the story is about like this particular case, those relaying the story were making things up! I think we have a responsibility to do our own personal research if things don't seem in line and we have a hard time believing if something is true. This way, we would have done our homework and we will find out whether it's true or not. If it really is true, perfect. If it was all a lie, than we need not to wonder. We can't always depend on those writing the story or those giving the facts. We have to do our own part if want the truth. As much as we would like to trust all those who live in this world sadly, it just doesn't work that way.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/10/16/us/1016-BALLOON_ready_9.html

Orthodox Jews Not So Orthodox

On the front page of the New York Times today the article, "Orthodox Jews Rely More on Sex Prosecution" caught my interest.  As i read further it didn't go into detail about all the convicted criminals, or give full on details of the victims but it was what they failed to mention that intrigued me. The New York Times was spotlighting a religious sect in relation to sex prosecution which seems counterintuitive. Stories of molestation and rape have been covered in every newspaper and in every town, but choosing to focus on one specific group of people is rather interesting.  

We know that orthodox Jews aren't the only one committing these acts but that is solely what the article covers. Biased? I'll let you answer that. I don't ever see people writing stories on the African American race and their incidents with rape or older white males and their run ins with the law. So why segment these people. Yes, (according to the article) there's some 180,000 people under the Hasidic religion with only one or two arrests being made a couple years ago. The numbers have significantly increased, last year the number was 26. Now doesn't 26 seem like a large number?! I would tend to disagree. While 26 is greater than 1 or 2, in comparison to the whole United States population this number is minuscule! This increase in number seems to be the anchor of writing this story which i find preposterous. I think the reporter's just wanted to put two topics together that they knew would cause someone to think to themselves.....hmmm Orthodox Jews and Sex Offenders?An article like this makes a reader want to read more than just the headline. You could say it worked for me. 

So one must ask themselves, is that what a journalist is supposed to achieve? Are journalists supposed to stretch information to give the general population something of interest? Or should they relay the information they receive in an appropriate, informative yet interesting manner. This question goes back to our discussion we had today in class about what is truth and what's a journalist's responsibilities.  While I think some of these facts are proof in this article http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/nyregion/14abuse.html?_r=1&ref=todays paper it just doesn't do it for me. Let's talk about a specific incident that has never been covered before. Lets tell a story that has never be told. 

If i were a journalist I would steer away from the lets pick a somewhat innocent sect of people and tag them with sex prosecution. Some might call this harsh but that's not the point I'm trying to make. Yes, it can be offensive to reveal the Jews in this kind of light but I ask myself why? Is it necessary knowing that some 26 Orthodox Jews committed sexual crimes? No. Why not emphasize the one interesting sentence in the article about the fact that up until recently Jews haven't been able to voice their opinion. They always took matters into the hands of their rabbis and most of the time situations were too complicated for them to handle. Now, Jews are speaking up and standing up for themselves. Why not tune in to this part of the story and take it one step further through telling the story in the voice of a Hasidic Jew? This would give the deep, emotional wow factor that would give the readers exactly what they want to read.

LA TIMES VS. NY TIMES- a Graphic Design Perspective

Los Angeles Times verse the New York Times. Two separate magazines both catered for a specific city but sent out nationally. That doesn't remain the only difference. Lets just look at the websites. While I have become pretty accustomed to looking at the NY Times seeing as I read it daily and have the privilege of studying for those quizzes, I have become used to the format. Is it the mos successful and the easiest to navigate? I would say no. Just look at the website for the LA Times for instance. http://www.latimes.com/ The navigation bar is on the top of the screen in nice bold letters. The background is black with white text enabling the important information that one would want to look at completely legible. It is divided into all the sections that would appear in a newspaper which enables the viewer to find exactly what he or she is looking for. While the NY Times offers these same things, there information isn't as clear. It is posted on the left-hand side of the screen and is not fully visible until you further scroll down the page. The text isn't as bold and doesn't catch my attention as much as LA Time's website. Something that seems so minuscule and simple might not seem like it would create such a large impact but trust me, it does. I'm in a class right now that is specifically for web design and it makes a difference. If people can easily navigate through your website, the more likely they will return. The more they view your website, the more publicity you will and the more revenue you can receive towards the actual newspaper through subscriptions or even advertising.

Less people are reading the newspaper. While people in the older generations still look forward to receiving their morning paper, the younger generation is turning to the Internet. With these facts, it's proven that less and less print journalists are getting hired. It's not about just reporting a specific event but times are changing where conveying news through different medias is acceptable. With the rising downfall, newspapers are struggling to stay alive. Revenues and readers are declining. While some papers are falling completely out of business these two remain strong. One thing that the LA Times has going for them on their website that again the NY Times is lacking in is the clear visibility of the subscribe button. Isn't that one of the main objectives in getting people to view your website? To find the news so engaging that want to subscirbe so they have their own personal copies? I couldn't even find that button on the NY Times website while the LA Times has placed it at the very top. The subscribe is literally the first button on the top of the site that one can click on. How strategic and perfect is that? If that's their main objective than they are doing a good job at succeeding that in a design perspective.

I'm not saying in any way that I prefer reading the LA Times over the NY Times, after all they both have informative informative and stories to tell. But as a graphic designer, and after really looking at the individual websites of the two newspaper companies I can strongly say the LA Times has the better design. Their website is easy to navigate and that's what the population is looking for, interesting content that is easy to get to, inviting the readers to come back and visit again.

Youtube

Youtube appears to be "mastering the art of turning video piracy into revenue for itself and its partners." That's why it's one of the most viewed website making piles of money. This website serving as a place for people to upload, exchange and view video clips has taken over the internet world. For the past couple years, music video and television clips created tension between them and Google. Copyright issues were brought to the surface when people would upload videos without permission. Up until last year things had bead been a certain way but now things have changed. Companies are wanting their video clips on Youtube because they know it will create more publicity and a buzz. Youtube has online advertisements and the money made is split between them and the company. Youtube is even working with smaller based companies who convert audio and video media into digital files. This technology will enable them to identify certain clips almost instantly after something's live.

According to ComScore, 40 percent of all the online videos seen in the United States in August were through Youtube. These are astounding numbers. Youtube is taking over and enabling information, and ideas to be spread not only nationally but worldwide. Here's some examples.....


clips on ESPN about byu's epic win against Oklahoma or something totally pointless about a bearded, dancing man/woman with over 65,000 viewers

Whatever the source or topic, Youtube i taking new venues to make their website more user friendly for it's million users. To sum everything up, Youtube is taking over.