Reviewing

Whenever we consider, evaluate, and offer our opinion on something—a text, a movie, a meal, a new product—we become reviewers. Reviews are arguments that writers need to support with observations and facts. Keeping in mind a few simple strategies will help you organize your reviews.

Briefly summarize the content and state the purpose of what you are reviewing. 

Assess the content. What works and what doesn't? Did you stay up all night reading the novel because you couldn't put it down? Did the ideas in the blog challenge your assumptions and lead you to discover something new? Were the vegetables overcooked? Was the actress who played the troubled teen too old for the role?

Ask yourself how others would respond. Would your sophisticated readers really enjoy the kitschy atmosphere of the dance club? Would people relate to a lead actor who seems incapable of expressing emotion? Is the blog boring after the third sentence? 

Finally, to be a creditable reviewer you must appear to be knowledgeable about the subject. Presenting background about the context of what you are reviewing will help educate your readers and establish their trust in you as a source of information.

Linklogs, Vlogs, Blooks

Before you write your feature/review about blogs at SBC, you should research blogging so that you understand the history, context, and implications of this relatively new form of mass communication. To help you get into the spirit, here are a few assorted facts about web logs. 

Blogs have become part of the way we report and receive news. The "user generated content" of blogs has impacted politics, journalism, and entertainment around the world. According to blog search engine service Technorati, there were more than 112 million blogs as of December, 2006. 

A "blook" is a book based on a blog. Some of the best "blooks" have been based on the first-hand reporting posted in blogs by U.S. soldiers in Iraq.  One good example is Colby Buzzell's narrative, My War: Killing Time in Iraq.

Linklogs are blogs that present on-going compilations of interesting links to other web sites or blogs.

Vlogs are video blogs. They often take the form of real or fictional videotaped diaries. One of the most famous is lonelygirl15, which was originally presented on YouTube as the vlog of a 16-year-old girl (portrayed by actress Jessica Rose), but later proved to be a hoax. 

A Question for the Ages...

Fame, Fortune, Feminism

Here's a chance for you to write an essay in place of one of your required news stories for this course and maybe even win yourself a few bucks to play with on the weekends. First prize is $150.00 and second prize is $100.00. Not bad for school work. Essays are due by March 21.

The Women and Gender Studies Committee also invites students to comment on the following subject: "Women and Gender Studies at Sweet Briar: Should it live or should it die?"  The Voice will publish the winning responses. 

Let me know if you plan to work on either challenge. I'll be happy to provide you with more details.

Talking Up The Voice

I encourage each of you to get involved with the Sweet Briar Voice. Writing for a student-edited newspaper is an excellent way to improve your writing, learn about interesting events and people at SBC, and your sharpen your skills as a journalist. Even if you plan to work outside of journalism, showing potential employers clippings of your published articles will clearly demonstrate your writing skills. With many seniors graduating this spring, the paper has a real need for talented, enthusiastic replacements in key positions. Don't let this great opportunity slip by. 

Throwing rocks at "Rock my Network"

It seems Theodora Stites' article "Rock My Network" caused an uproar among some young readers when The New York Times republished a condensed version in July, 2006. I thought you might enjoy a link to one particularly combative response, as well as the author's reply:

http://itsinmyshoe.livejournal.com/146376.html

Your Editor is Your Friend?

In the warmest, fuzziest, most idealistic recesses of my imagination, I imagine you thinking of me as your editor instead of as the unbearable tyrant who insists you update and correct your blog with such maddening regularity. Journalists depend on their editors for advice and guidance. During the workshop sessions of the class I will listen to your ideas, try to answer your questions, and offer suggestions about your work. 

Student writers who budget a little extra time (before class, during my office hours, or via email) to discuss their story ideas, drafts of profiles and stories, and strategies for structure and revision, will likely perform better than those who don't. I encourage you to take advantage of the extra help and support I am always happy to provide. 

Profile: Researching and Reporting

Thursday, February 21 you should come to class with the date and time of your initial interview with the subject of your profile. If you haven't done so already, you will need to start making phone calls and sending emails to the person, requesting a meeting. Be persistent. Interesting people tend to lead busy lives. Sometimes it takes several tries to reach a subject. Though you leave a message, don't wait for the person to return your call. Try again later the same day—several times if need be. Be polite and resolute. Once your subject has agreed to meet with you, be sure to thank him or her in advance. If you have already met with your subject, set up an interview with someone close to him or her (co-worker, spouse, etc.). Bring the date and time of these meetings to class.

You will also need to bring to class on Thursday either a draft of your profile or detailed notes on the background of your subject. Ask yourself exactly what specific information you can find out about the person prior to the interview. Has the person published articles, books, opinions or letters in newspapers? What do public records tell you? What does an internet search reveal? Knowing something about your subject's field of work or other interests will give you valuable information for your profile and help you shape the questions you ask in your interviews. 

For example, if you were profiling a campus police officer who you knew also bred Arabian horses and ran a travel/adventure business, you would want to know a little about being a police officer at SBC, Arabian horses, and the adventure travel business before you interviewed your subject.  

Some Suggestions for Reading Critically

The readings I assign throughout the semester have two purposes. Close reading and analysis of both the content and structure of these texts should help students improve their critical reading skills. More importantly, the texts serve as models of excellence for various styles of print journalism. 

When reading the assigned profiles, news stories, and feature articles, you should first arrive at an understanding of what the story is about. If you don't grasp the main idea of the article first, you can't successfully analyze the structure. Often profiles and other types of narrative journalism have micro and macro levels of meaning. The macro level idea connects the subject to a universal theme. Many times authors imply rather than directly state these "big picture" themes, thereby allowing readers to fully participate in the discovery. For example, the micro level of Chuck Palahniuk's profile of Marilyn Manson reveals a complex, intelligent artist who is surprisingly self-aware and optimistic. Palahniuk combines anecdotes, narrative, description, quotations, and symbolic and telling details that lead readers to an expected conclusion. The macro level seems to condemn reactionary judgments based on ignorance. In other words, the theme of "Reading Yourself" is "don't judge what you don't know."

Once you comprehend the meaning, note how the author has constructed her story. Try to identify unusual and striking leads, lead quotes, kickers, "telling details", and effective use of language. Does the story have a narrative element? If so, what is the chronology and narrative structure? What kinds of specific background facts does the author use? In "Reading Yourself" you should note, for example, that the author bases the structure of the profile on a Tarot card reading, a device which allows for multiple shifts in the chronology of the narrative, from present, to past, to future and back.

Finally, what is your reaction to the text? Is the reporting fair and balanced? What questions are left unanswered? How successful is the author in selecting and arranging the facts, key details, quotes, and background material of the story to communicate the main idea?

Reading Quizzes?

I'm starting to wonder if our class needs the motivation of quizzes on the assigned readings in order to stimulate discussions of these texts. From now on, in class I will assign two students at a time to lead discussions of each story assigned for the next session. However, I plan to keep the dreaded quiz in my toolbox (or briefcase), just in case...

Revising Your Blogs

As you begin work on your second blog entry, think about how you might improve what's already there as well. Some of you might want to consider adding a brief introduction near the top of your layout so that first-time visitors can quickly understand the focus of the blog. Experiment with design elements to improve the visual aspect of your blog. Add photos, graphics, video, sound, links, polls and other multi-media elements to create interest.

Remember that I expect you to revise the text in your posts based on what you are learning in class about editing prose. How can you make your prose leaner and more direct? Would applying "The Paramedic Method" help eliminate awkward and wordy sentences and passive voice constructions? 

Whenever you make a new post or write a story, you need to research, report, write, revise, and edit (then revise again and edit once more).

Revised List of Assignments

Life got just a little bit easier for Print and Electronic Journalism I students Thursday, as I cut two columns and a review from the portfolio of writing due this semester.  Students will now write three news stories instead of two, and there will be more emphasis on the quality of student blogs. 

Here's a revised list of the assignments due this semester. Update your syllabus.

Reporter's Notebook

Blog (updated at least once a week, preferably more often)

Reading response x 3

News story x 3

"Blogs at Sweet Briar" review

Budget line proposals 

In-depth profile

Feature article (or investigative story)

Three Little Guinea-Pigs

I thought you might like to see some more information about "Guinea-Pigging" for medical research. Below are links to discussions on the topic. You'll also find a link to a company that matches potential research subjects with upcoming studies. As professor Elliot says in his article in The New Yorker, "This is not something you or I do. This is something the poor do so the rich can get better drugs." Clearly medicine cannot advance without human testing. Do you think there should be more regulation to ensure that these studies are safe and ethical?

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/01/18/human-guinea-pigs-go-pro-at-a-cost/

http://www.gpgp.net/

P. S.  Amanda draws first blood in the "find error's in Greg's blog" contest, proving in the process that a spell check program is no substitute for careful proofreading. Brava, Amanda! 

Profiles

By now all of you should have selected someone from SBC to profile. Your written proposals for the profile are due in class Thursday, Feb. 7. We will look closely at your notes, background research, and drafts of the profile over the coming weeks. 

You should have already spoken to your subject and secured his or her consent. Next you will need to set up your first meeting. Be sure to do background research before you begin the interviewing and observation process. If you already know something about the person and his or her work, you will be able to ask better questions and establish a better working relationship.

Blogmania

This semester Print and Electronic Journalism I students at SBC will create and maintain original blogs, which they will update at least once a week. Choose a newsworthy subject for your blog—preferably a subject that will interest members of the SBC community at large. Don't forget to vote each week for your favorite student blog update on the right.