I learned, well more rather re-read and was re-impressed, that there have been so many people to give their lives up for us to have this version of the Bible. So many people thought it was worth dying over in order to have the bible in English. It makes me feel bad that I don't always read my scriptures. The truths inside the Bible are so precious, and we have the main account of our Savior's life in that work. So many people wanted to do all they could to spread that truth to the entire world. I am sure these people who gave everything for the Bible have a special place in heaven. I am also grateful for England to oppose the Catholic rule that the bible cannot be translated into English. The slimy Catholic church was trying to keep people ignorant so they could rule over them in any way they wanted to!
I am thankful for people to fight for the truth, and that is one reason why I had such a great time serving my mission. I was doing my part in battling for Christ. He is my Savior and I am glad to know that so many people before me did so much in preserving the record of the Bible so that I could have it in my day.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
What are the advantages and risks of journalists actively working to "market" their content to audiences?
The advantages are simple. Profit. A journalist usually isn't in the business to make lots of money, but they do need to make some sort of income in order to be able to continue working in that profession. If they market their content, they are doing exactly what anyone else does when they have a business.
On the other hand, the risks of "marketing" their content to audiences will cause the audience to go somewhere else where it is free. We live in a digital age, and almost anything you want is free. It may be illegal, but you can get it for free. With social media, especially twitter, it is so easy to find news. One person will break a story, then within seconds, the entirety of the world will know what a journalist may be trying to keep quiet until they get paid.
It must be tough to be in either position, but both sides of the coin have a good point. Journalists require a salary, but consumers demand free media coverage. Back in the day, the newspaper was a quarter, but now i get all the news I want straight from my smartphone. Maybe journalists need to start hunting down mobile phone companies and charge them for destroying their product!
On the other hand, the risks of "marketing" their content to audiences will cause the audience to go somewhere else where it is free. We live in a digital age, and almost anything you want is free. It may be illegal, but you can get it for free. With social media, especially twitter, it is so easy to find news. One person will break a story, then within seconds, the entirety of the world will know what a journalist may be trying to keep quiet until they get paid.
It must be tough to be in either position, but both sides of the coin have a good point. Journalists require a salary, but consumers demand free media coverage. Back in the day, the newspaper was a quarter, but now i get all the news I want straight from my smartphone. Maybe journalists need to start hunting down mobile phone companies and charge them for destroying their product!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
What do you think are the biggest challenges facing journalism today
I think the biggest problem is that there are so many different places to look for journalists. If you have this opinion, then you follow that one person. The problem may be that this person twists facts in their favor just to get their point across. For example, Fox News and CNN report the same events happening, yet you get a completely different view of the event from each person. It is almost a joke to me at this point how people argue about political issues. I think what needs to happen is that the news needs to come from one source to make sure all the facts are correct, then these other organizations can eat them up all they want. I just want to go to the source, I do not want anyone's agenda mixed into my news intake.
Another way to fix it would be to require people to try to report on both sides of the story. that will never happen because people have to get paid and sponsor pay to be behind one side of the issue and not the other. Why do you think so many advertisers left Rush?!
Another way to fix it would be to require people to try to report on both sides of the story. that will never happen because people have to get paid and sponsor pay to be behind one side of the issue and not the other. Why do you think so many advertisers left Rush?!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
How would you describe the role of journalism in a democracy?
Journalism is the 4th branch of government, in a way. It watches over everyone to report all that is going on. People need to know the truth about what is going on with our government at all times. Corruption is something that needs to not happen in our government, and journalism has been the cause of one corrupt president resigning from his role as president!
In more modern times, I think of the SOPA/PIPA acts about coming down a lot harder on the internet. From what I have read, people in the government tried to pass these laws quiet in the night so that little publicity would come to them. the fact is that people started to hear about them, and HUGE movements were made online to try to get rid of these things. People have the right to know what is going on in the government, and I think the best way we learn what they are doing in through the media.
One final thought that I have about journalism and democracy, is I feel like it is hard for a single politician to be a favorite with the media. Everyone is always going to not like you, so there is always going to be two sides to every story. People will always see candidates transparently, and will see people for both good or evil.
In more modern times, I think of the SOPA/PIPA acts about coming down a lot harder on the internet. From what I have read, people in the government tried to pass these laws quiet in the night so that little publicity would come to them. the fact is that people started to hear about them, and HUGE movements were made online to try to get rid of these things. People have the right to know what is going on in the government, and I think the best way we learn what they are doing in through the media.
One final thought that I have about journalism and democracy, is I feel like it is hard for a single politician to be a favorite with the media. Everyone is always going to not like you, so there is always going to be two sides to every story. People will always see candidates transparently, and will see people for both good or evil.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Religious....Freedom?
A journalist is expected to be one who is independent and one who is objective. Many people, especially us at BYU, are religious and have beliefs that affect everything we do from our home life to our work life. What happens when that religious belief is in conflict with the independence of a journalist? I personally believe that a person shouldn't be judged by what they believe, but in terms of writing a story about it, religion may get in the way. I mentioned my personal opinion in class a while ago that I think if anything that you as a journalist are assigned to report on is in direct contention to what you believe, that you should ask to be off the story. I feel that the work of the journalist in a position where his entire heart is not into the reporting, then the end result is not going to be up to the standard the journalist may previously set. I know if I were to report on a group of anti Mormon's, then I would put them in a light of negativity and hatred, whereas maybe they are just fighting for equal rights when the Mormon church is against gay rights. I don't want to have that story, I would rather have someone else who isnt emotionally involved work on the story.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
5 Ethics of Journalism
Truth: I think most important is the ethic of truth. If one is reporting things that aren't true, they are leading away many people from their basic right to truth. In fact, that is one of the main reasons for journalism in our country. It is to spread truth and to bring everyone a message so that they can act in which ever way they seem fit to do so.
The text talks about the journalism of verification. This is my next ethic. I feel like journalism needs to go away more from this as a whole. People break a story, and the rest of the news world just adds their own interpretation. We need to be original. This may be harder than it seems and I guess the world of journalism may never go this direction due to the constant 24 hour cycle of news available. I guess the best way to label this is to rely on your own original reporting.
Objectivity: This ethic is so hard in today's journalism. People try to write stories that they know will be published by their editor, and that may not be what they feel is completely objective, but may ahave a little twist to appeal to your editor. Maybe a journalist writes for a paper that is completely liberal, and they do not quite see every issue through the eyes of their employer, but they are afraid of writing something that opposes them so they do not lose their job.
Humility: Being a journalist isn't about bringing and fame and glory to you, it is about giving people the truth. The minute you become larger than the story, that is the minute you are doing it wrong. The way to prevent this is to stay humble in all that you do with your journalism career.
Minimize harm: this could also be known as being human. In journalism, sometimes you have to interview people to get information and facts. Be kind to these people and treat them as you would want to be treated. Be clear in your motives with people so that they know why you are trying to interview them. This way if they do not agree with your beliefs or your angle to the story, they don't have to give their own opinion.
The text talks about the journalism of verification. This is my next ethic. I feel like journalism needs to go away more from this as a whole. People break a story, and the rest of the news world just adds their own interpretation. We need to be original. This may be harder than it seems and I guess the world of journalism may never go this direction due to the constant 24 hour cycle of news available. I guess the best way to label this is to rely on your own original reporting.
Objectivity: This ethic is so hard in today's journalism. People try to write stories that they know will be published by their editor, and that may not be what they feel is completely objective, but may ahave a little twist to appeal to your editor. Maybe a journalist writes for a paper that is completely liberal, and they do not quite see every issue through the eyes of their employer, but they are afraid of writing something that opposes them so they do not lose their job.
Humility: Being a journalist isn't about bringing and fame and glory to you, it is about giving people the truth. The minute you become larger than the story, that is the minute you are doing it wrong. The way to prevent this is to stay humble in all that you do with your journalism career.
Minimize harm: this could also be known as being human. In journalism, sometimes you have to interview people to get information and facts. Be kind to these people and treat them as you would want to be treated. Be clear in your motives with people so that they know why you are trying to interview them. This way if they do not agree with your beliefs or your angle to the story, they don't have to give their own opinion.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Anonymous
2. What do you think about use of anonymous sources in American journalism today?
I think it is so cowardly. I am a sports fan, and this kind of stuff happens all the time, and it is so annoying. I am a Jets fan, and recently "anonymous" sources claimed that there was a huge rift between certain players and that the team was falling apart. Of course that was told to reports by a player who just didn't want to be the bad guy in front of his teammates. IF you have something to say, then claim it.
As with other branches of journalism, I think they are also weak. I think people need to be behind what gets spread into the media, so that people can ask further questions to that person, so that we don't have to hear people just speculate on the subject. That may be my biggest problem with anonymous sources; they leave everything up to speculation. When speculation enters into the field, many people make comments that can lead opinion in just absolutely incorrect directions and spawn completely false ideas. The last thing this country needs is an anonymous source telling them something that will completely be taken in the wrong light.
I think it is so cowardly. I am a sports fan, and this kind of stuff happens all the time, and it is so annoying. I am a Jets fan, and recently "anonymous" sources claimed that there was a huge rift between certain players and that the team was falling apart. Of course that was told to reports by a player who just didn't want to be the bad guy in front of his teammates. IF you have something to say, then claim it.
As with other branches of journalism, I think they are also weak. I think people need to be behind what gets spread into the media, so that people can ask further questions to that person, so that we don't have to hear people just speculate on the subject. That may be my biggest problem with anonymous sources; they leave everything up to speculation. When speculation enters into the field, many people make comments that can lead opinion in just absolutely incorrect directions and spawn completely false ideas. The last thing this country needs is an anonymous source telling them something that will completely be taken in the wrong light.
Modern Journalism
How well do you think modern American journalism tells the truth, and what thoughts or suggestions do you have about how that can be improved?
I think they tell the truth for the most part. The thing that I think may be up for a little discussion is how they may be leaving out critical parts or analyzing only part of the truth so that they can advance their own thoughts and agendas. This may not be the case on all sorts of journalism, but I believe that this is what is going on with modern day politics, and ancient politics for that matter. A suggestion that I have is that people when writing an article for whatever they write for, they should indicate before the article even starts what their political bias is, and in what direction they plan to spin this topic. Let me give you an example: for the most part, I enjoy watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Some days, they are clearly way way left, and it makes me angry what jokes they do and what they talk about. I'd rather be warned right away that they are going to be making fun of Romney, and praising how much Obama has done. I'd be sure to miss that day instead of wasting that time and not caring at all or agreeing about what I am hearing. Or when reading an article in the Wall Street Journal, I'd love to kn ow that this particular writer wants to show how Mitt Romney is just showing how good of an American he is by releasing his tax returns. There are several different ways to look at every single occurrence, and I just want to know which side I'm reading before I read it.
I think they tell the truth for the most part. The thing that I think may be up for a little discussion is how they may be leaving out critical parts or analyzing only part of the truth so that they can advance their own thoughts and agendas. This may not be the case on all sorts of journalism, but I believe that this is what is going on with modern day politics, and ancient politics for that matter. A suggestion that I have is that people when writing an article for whatever they write for, they should indicate before the article even starts what their political bias is, and in what direction they plan to spin this topic. Let me give you an example: for the most part, I enjoy watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Some days, they are clearly way way left, and it makes me angry what jokes they do and what they talk about. I'd rather be warned right away that they are going to be making fun of Romney, and praising how much Obama has done. I'd be sure to miss that day instead of wasting that time and not caring at all or agreeing about what I am hearing. Or when reading an article in the Wall Street Journal, I'd love to kn ow that this particular writer wants to show how Mitt Romney is just showing how good of an American he is by releasing his tax returns. There are several different ways to look at every single occurrence, and I just want to know which side I'm reading before I read it.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Daily Universe to weekly issues
The BYU newspaper went online recently. Along with this decision, they are reducing the Daily Universe to a weekly publication, no longer daily. This is good news, in my opinion, because the material that was being published daily was not the best news reporting I've ever read. The sports section was awful, incredibly biased as well. I guess that comes with living in a particular region, but only hearing about BYU sports and the woes of the Utah Jazz was annoying, at best. This is an opportunity for the students to take a little bit more time and get each article to a higher standard that will be enjoyed by a greater majority of the newspaper readers. It is quite sad that the Daily universe will be dead after decades of daily publications, but I guess the way that everything in the media is going online, it isn't the worst idea to follow that path. I am pretty excited to read the weekly papers, because I had lost most of my faith in the daily publications.
Who are Journalists?
According to our book "The Mind of a Journalist" journalists are people who: love to read and write, have an intense curiosity, have a desire to contribute, are independent, are on the inside, and like the challenge of going deeper. Yes, I just took the headings of each topic of the first chapter and said that those are journalists. But I believe those things, and I believe that they are more than that. I believe journalists are people who are concerned with getting the truth out into the open. Why do they do it? Maybe they want to be a famous journalist? Maybe they just like being someone who informs? It is different for each person, but the bottom line is for each and every journalist, there is a person who wants to inform. That should be the key for every journalist. IF they aren't informing, then they are doing it wrong. Being a faulty journalist is wrong for the people out there who do not know the truth.
What is Journalism?
Being a wonderful college student in the fine year of 2012, the first place that I go to to answer this question is the mighty Wikipedia. They give me the following answer:
"Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and business, journalism also covers cultural aspects of society such as arts and entertainment. The field includes editing, photojournalism, and documentary."
Thanks Wikipedia! You helped me be a journalist, and a fine one at that! I investigated my question and reported the event in a timely fashion! On a more serious note, I think that journalism is a wonderful part of our society. We all live our lives and have things to do. While that may be true, we are still concerned about other things that happen all over the world. We rely on journalists to get that information to us to help us know what is going on in the world. I am an avid sports fan. I love the LA Lakers. Living in Utah, I can only watch the games on national TV, but I care about more than just those games. I rely on journalists giving up to the second information on every game. (thank you Twitter!) I am glad I have that opportunity, unlike the people 30 years ago who had to wait for the newspaper to report on what happened in each game. Now I don't have to wait, and I love that about my generation!
"Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and business, journalism also covers cultural aspects of society such as arts and entertainment. The field includes editing, photojournalism, and documentary."
Thanks Wikipedia! You helped me be a journalist, and a fine one at that! I investigated my question and reported the event in a timely fashion! On a more serious note, I think that journalism is a wonderful part of our society. We all live our lives and have things to do. While that may be true, we are still concerned about other things that happen all over the world. We rely on journalists to get that information to us to help us know what is going on in the world. I am an avid sports fan. I love the LA Lakers. Living in Utah, I can only watch the games on national TV, but I care about more than just those games. I rely on journalists giving up to the second information on every game. (thank you Twitter!) I am glad I have that opportunity, unlike the people 30 years ago who had to wait for the newspaper to report on what happened in each game. Now I don't have to wait, and I love that about my generation!
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