My Personal Code

Candace Burr
Personal Code of Conduct
Comms 239- Cressman
11.19.009

Candace Burr’s Personal Code of Conduct
My understanding of journalism has been drastically fine tuned by participating in the principles of journalism course. The high standard of peer commentary in class discussions has given me a better idea of who I want to be as a journalist in the future. It has helped me decide what behavior I want to have in the workplace, and what standard of excellence I will hold my work to. I have been able to mold a concrete concept of behavior I will expect from myself in my future professional endeavors.
First, I would like to articulate my understanding of journalism as a profession, so I can create a basis for my code of conduct. I believe journalism is one of the most important professions practiced today. Journalists are information gatherers and distributors. They help people become more aware of each other and of events. Information helps people maintain the good situations in their lives, or it creates an atmosphere of urgency to change for the better.
My feelings about journalism mirror those of Mr. Walter Cronkite, when he says, “The secret to our past success as a nation may be traced to the fact that we have been a free people, free to discuss ideas and alternatives, free to teach and learn, free to report and hear.” I agree with Mr. Cronkite that a free press that allows journalism to flourish is at the center of a functioning free society, a free market economy, and a democratic government. Restricting transmissions of or poorly communicating events perpetuates bad ideas and bad decisions for a nation, and for individuals.
As a future journalist, I want to keep this pure idea of journalism in mind. I want to be able to change people’s tainted view of journalism. I want the citizens to be grateful for the information they receive, and I want those in power to have a respectful fear for the monitoring of power that journalism fulfills. I want the profession to be revered, and not scoffed at. To do this, journalism must be practiced in an honest and open way. I want to stay true to the democratic duty I have as reporting citizen in this free society. I will try to accomplish this by:
(a) Always performing complete, in depth and accurate research. As a beginning reporter I already realize how easy it is to “take the easy story”. I have found myself going to newspapers or watching the AP wires for interesting news breaks. As a future reporter, however, I want to be creative enough to find my own stories the majority of time. My code of conduct will embrace my own original work.
(b) Following a personal moral compass. Although my moral compass may have different standards than other people I happen to work with, I feel that it is more important to stay true to yourself, than sacrifice what you know is right for money, fame, or the fear of losing your job. I will, as a future professional, choose my “reporting battles” carefully, and realize when it is time to take a stand on something I feel is not appropriate or helpful for the citizens I am responsible to.
(c) Reporting with loyalty to the audience. After learning about audiences, and the duty reporters have in reporting news specific to the interests of their audience, I realize I want to be able to make that distinction as a future professional. I will always try to report relevant information that will help the people I am responsible to make important life decisions. I will try to keep my interest from overtaking my work. I will always search for stories that will affect my audience, and not for stories that I selfishly want to cover for personal reasons.
(d) Remaining loyal to the station. As a reporter, or professional in the communications field, I will always strive to report news that pertains to my audience. However, I will also try to remember that I am an employee for a business, and that I am responsible to a larger entity. I will always live up to station policies, and produce work that is original, and personal, while still fitting the mold of the station ideal. I will produce work that will bring a positive light and reputation to the company I work for, and I will conduct myself in a way that presents the company in a positive public light.
(e) Steer clear of sensational reporting. Reporting celebrity news, or entertainment related news may be easy, and interesting, but it does not inform audiences of important life changing events. As a reporter, I will always try to report heavy, hard news, and report feature or soft news on topics that are truly important to the audience. I will always steer clear of entertainment reporting if I am reporting for a serious news organization.
(f) Keep work relationships professional. In the broadcast industry, reporters work extremely long hours, and develop close relationships with the people they spend the long hours with. Making friends is part of the job, but as a reporter I will always keep those relationships at strict friendship level.
On top of keeping appropriate colleague boundaries, I will always try not to talk negatively about fellow co-workers. I will always try to give credit where credit is due, and keep my negative opinions to myself, or express them to my employer, or boss in a private setting.

By holding myself to these journalism standards, I feel that I will be able to have a successful and fulfilling professional career. It is important to set standards before situations occur, because I know they will.
My career objective will be to improve the practice of journalism. As I practice in a professional manner, I hope that my example will inspire my co-workers to also practice honestly and excellently. Hopefully I will be able to, in a small way, improve society’s view of journalism and improve people’s understanding of the world.
I think that success in any workplace with any person comes by having a well-balanced life. Commitment to working hard and developing a respected career is very important to me, as long as I am not placing an unbalanced importance on career versus other parts of life. So, in my code of conduct I would like to include a section on my hopes for my life in general. I hope that my personal life, family, husband, and religion will bring me fulfillment that I can translate to others through my work.
I hope that I can teach and inform audiences, and as a professional I would like my occupation to teach me and inform me through my time in the field. I want to be able to learn more about the world and myself every day. I want to meet new people, and learn about the way they see the world. I want to always have an eye for the compelling story, and an attitude that cares about individuals more than me or my career. This will be possible through the exciting, spontaneous experiences that reporting presents for me, and by dedicating myself to the behaviors I have spoken about. Overall, I will strive to bring praise and respect back to the practice of journalism.

Trib brings some fun to journalism!

In Utah, Jell-O always has a place on the Thanksgiving table right next to the turkey, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. But we don't take molded gelatin too seriously. Which explains why The Tribune received more than 450 haikus in our third annual Jell-O poetry contest. We were most impressed with the number of student entries. Junior high and high school students submitting 212 haikus while elementary age group had nearly 70 entries. We'd like to thank their teachers who obviously made the poem a class assignment. Some haikus were heartfelt. Others were silly. A few were irreverent. Read them all by clicking on the links in the box at right.

The best adult haiku:

How they would bellow
When the kids missed their Jell-O.
Now they're more mellow.

-- Mark Fotheringham

The best secondary:

Utah's favorite treat
Best eaten on a mountain
Best when colored green

-- Caitlin Lundy, Woods Cross High

The best elementary:

Thanksgiving dinner
When we all come together
Please don't have Jell-O

-- Ellie Agnew

SECOND PLACE

Adult
Jell-O is the sole
Solid food allowed before
Colonoscopy
-- Theodore Gurney
Secondary
When you stick Jell-O
In a microwave on high,
BOOM! Get a paper towel.
-- Micalea Berglund, Ecker Hills Middle School
Elementary
Moldy Jell-O gross
My brother dared me to eat
Ouch my tummy hurts
-- Hana Gottlieb

THIRD PLACE

Adult
Weapon of mass fun
Rockets around the lunchroom:
Jell-O on children.
-- Ira Hatch
Secondary
Sweet Jell-O salad
Memories of sticky hands
Cool whip covered face
-- Sara Davis, Valley High
Elementary
Whipped cream welcoming;
Celery, carrots, peas, no!
Leave plain, it's Jell-O.
-- Connor Lloyd

HONORABLE MENTIONS (ADULT)

Bare bones bleached and boiled
Skin scraped degreased acid soaked
Scrumptious gelatin
-- Trisha Topham

Green Vodka Jello!
For Mormons who sneak a drink
Don't tell the bishop.
-- Skylar Schulzke

Neighborhood potluck
Turned festival of Jell-Os
As the molds lined up
-- Leslie Brockway

Church potluck Jell-O
Carrots, beets, miracle whip
Sister's germ warfare
-- Janet Beverley

Since Utah is home,
We consume Jell-O daily,
Year in and year out.
-- Cheryl Farr

Jell-O is made of
Horse hooves and synthetic dye.
We feed this to kids.
-- J.C. Smith

Mix bones and sugar
Anti-Vegan evil treat
Diabetics Die
-- Arthur Reilly

HONORABLE MENTIONS (SECONDARY, GRADE 7-12)

Did you ever think
Dictators are like Jell-O
Spineless and crazy
-- Sam Mortensen

Snack pack of my dreams
Where are you when I need you
I guess at the store
-- Quinn Cleveland

If Earth was Jell-O
What such bouncy disarray
Our planet would be
-- Collin Kenny

Jell-O any flavor
Non-edible, weird, slimy
Meat-by-product. Eww
-- Nikki Low

To ease the group's strain
Grandma's taking Jell-O shots
Ahh, Jell-O salad
-- Samantha Paul

Extra lime Jell-O
Get rid of the tofurkey
More Jell-O for me
-- Jackson Burton

Jell-O day is here
My favorite day this year
Always room for more!!
-- Allison Vernon

"Slimy, squishy, fun
Slipping, sliding in my tongue,
Yummy, Jell-O gone!"
-- Stephanie Everson

Seven Calories
Artificial Flavor
In a cardboard box
-- Rachel Davidson

Squishy sticky mess
In my hair and on my clothes
Jello-O fight. Oh. No.
-- Liesl Roberts

HONORABLE MENTIONS (ELEMENTARY)

Absorbs anything
Try putting anything in
Just pop straight right out
-- Christopher Alex Alexis Lopez

I don't like Jell-O
But I like my mom's it's good
I love her Jell-O!
-- Taedra Benson

Jell-O is crazy
Baby is very brainy
Covered in Jell-O
-- Efren Diaz

Abdul-Jabbar Leukenia Fight

In my opinion, this is a very smart move for Abdul-Jabbar. By bringing himself into the media, he counters all of the rumors and is able to tell the truth. After a life-time of media following him, Jabbar knows the ropes.

Sports of The Times

Abdul-Jabbar Goes Public With Leukemia Fight

Richard Perry/The New York Times

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said he learned last December that he has chronic myeloid leukemia.

In addition to his signature sky hook and a legacy of winning at every level, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was known for his stamina and fitness. During a 20-year N.B.A. career that included six championships and six Most Valuable Player awards, Abdul-Jabbar had one serious injury, a broken wrist. Other than that he had enjoyed a healthy career.

Carol Francavilla/Associated Press

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, battling Robert Parish of the Celtics, was a six-time M.V.P. during his 20-year N.B.A. career

So the news Monday that the 62-year-old star athlete turned writer and coach was battling leukemia came as a stunning revelation.

“Imagine how I felt,” he said in an interview in Manhattan. “It was frightening. You hear the word leukemia and it’s something that really affects you.”

Especially when there is a history of cancer in the family. Abdul-Jabbar had a grandfather and an uncle who died from the disease. “And my father almost died,” he said, “so it’s something that really got me going.”

The first person Abdul-Jabbar thought about after learning he had the disease was a close friend who died of leukemia. He remembered talking to his friend just before the end. “He was weak, his voice was fading, his blood vessels deteriorated — it was really horrific,” Abdul-Jabbar said.

“He got diagnosed one day and within four weeks he was dead,” he added. “I thought I was on that same path. I don’t have that type of leukemia. You just say the word leukemia, you’ve got reason to be scared.”

Abdul-Jabbar learned last December that he has chronic myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow in which the body produces cancerous white blood cells. Chronic describes a relatively slow-growing cancer that may take years to progress. Myeloid refers to the type of white blood cell being overproduced.

“It’s been almost a year now since I’ve been diagnosed,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “My first reaction was to deal with it, make that fight for my life.”

Like many patients found to have this particular strain of leukemia, Abdul-Jabbar learned he had the disease while it was in its early phase.

“In order to really deal with this situation, you have to find a specialist and follow their instructions,” he said. “You have to take your medication; you have to get your blood checked regularly so that you can be monitored.”

For the last 11 months he has kept a brisk regimen: coaching with the Los Angeles Lakers, completing a documentary about the all-black Harlem Rens teams and writing a children’s book.

“It’s something that can be managed,” he said of his disease. “You can continue to live a productive life without changing your lifestyle that much. It does not have to be a death sentence.”

Why would someone who has been so fiercely private be so public about such a personal issue? Over the years Abdul-Jabbar has been one of the most intriguing athletes: a champion and, after the cheering stopped, a scholar and intellectual. He has written several best-selling history books, and is completing a documentary film. His seventh book is scheduled to be published in 2011.

Through all his accomplishments — at Power Memorial High School and U.C.L.A. and with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar has kept largely to himself. So why such a public disclosure?

“I think that someone like me, who has a public presence, because people pay attention to what’s going on in my life, can help save some lives,” he said. “I want to get the message across: this condition is treatable. I want to get people to go to doctors, take the medication. This disease can be managed and you can continue to live a very meaningful life.”

A related objective is to encourage people, especially men, to take better care of themselves. This means making more frequent trips to the doctor for checkups.

“You’ve got to be proactive about your health,” he said. “You can’t just sit back. If I can affect that condition, I’m a very happy guy.”

Why is it that the illness of a great athlete is so disconcerting, be it Lou Gehrig or Ernie Davis? Perhaps because those of us who spend so much time in sports live in a cocoon of healthy, young bodies where fatal illness is rare and injuries are simply part of the landscape.

“I’ve been a student of the martial arts my whole life,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “The whole idea of facing death calmly and doing all you can with your life up to that moment and to keep your objectives — that’s been the part of this that has made me.”

In his sport and in his day, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a true King of the Hill. Two decades after his retirement, he still holds the N.B.A. career scoring record. The diagnosis of leukemia is one more mountain to climb, one more season to negotiate.

“I’m going to be able to do the things that I love to do,” he said. “Deal with my children, write, coach. I can still live a meaningful life and manage this disease.

“I’m going to continue being me. I can’t stop doing that.”

An Interview About the Future

The Future of News is daunting. We know the internet has drastically altered the playing field. But there is an upside: most news outlets are creating web departments, opening jobs for web specialists and designers, and acknowledging the presence of alternate emerging media. For my Journalist Interview I had a conference with the web department at the NBC affiliate in Boise. I worked with the station a little this summer, and never got a chance to talk to them specifically about web-based journalism, so i dug a little deeper.

It was fun for me to realize how optimistic and excited they are for the future of journalism. The internet is not something that needs to be feared or compensated for, it is something new and full of opportunity that needs to be embraced and adjusted for. Here is a transcript of our conversation...I'm giving the most interesting answer for each(in my opinion! what are blogs for?)

Q:Why did you decide to become a web-based journalist?

A: I recognized digital media as a very moldable versatile medium. I recognized it as a chance to explore new opportunities and break-through technology. It fascinated me, and I was really good with computers! The job market for internet positions at stations was so much more forgiving and open than reporting jobs, so I gave it a try and it ended up working for me more than I thought it would.

Q:How do you define good journalism? What should be posted to the websites or covered in online packages?

A: I ask myself, what does your audience want to know? What will they be searching for this morning once they drop their kids off at the bus stop? The internet is more important than most think. People are turning more and more to it because they can have a more refined search on their personal timetable. I define good journalism as journalism that explains he world to the audience, explains what is going on, but doesn't tell them what to think. It doesn't tell them what to believe or what to do, but it is a medium for information. When you inform, you are doing your job, but deciding what to inform about it the hard part.

Q:Do you feel NBC practices good journalism based on your definition of it?

A:I do. We stick to our station motto, but that in no way dampens our journalistic content. I feel that NBC is one of the top stations in breaking news coverage, and our reporters are dedicated to finding stories applicable to the people.

Q:Does your organization allow you to do the type of journalism you want to do?

A: Of course they masage ideas from everyone at the station, but I wouldn't say they cover the news I specifically want. If I could get news it would be on new movies and video games, so of course they don't cover that! It's important to target your information to the general audience in your area, it's tricky when you get really specific to a demographic. But, they take my ideas for what they are worth, and they realize the importance of digital media.

Q:What is your opinion about civic journalism or citizen journalism?

A: oh, we need it. It is so important to what we do at the station. Most stories come from tips, from people calling or e-mailing and telling us what's gong on, what they want to hear about. Without the citizens digging up things, we wouldn't know half of what we do about the underground happenings in the community.

Q:Have you ever had an experience where you felt that your journalism really made a difference?

A: I couldn't really pick out a specific story or instance, but I can tell you that wehn we get e-mails thanking us for the things we do, it is such a good feeling. We get e-mails thanking us for the channel's work in changing the community, and of course the people love the BSU football coverage, it's silly, but it's what they want to hear!

Q: Have you been affected by dropping circulations, ratings, layoffs, and 

growth of citizen journalism? 

A: I think it can be said the same for stations across the country. Less and Less jobs are available, and the people who are kept on need to be very versatile workers. The reporters write their own web stories, and sometimes edit on their own. More people are taking on more responsibility as less people are part of the newsroom. Producers are amazing, they do as much work as five of us. But my job is fairly stable because the internet is emerging, new, and needed.

Q:What advice would you give to students, like me, who want to go into journalism?

A: I would tell them to grow a tough skin. As sad as this may be, news is cut throat, it's first come first serve. There is a time for sensitivity, when interacting with interviewees, there is a time for respect and propriety when dealing with directors and editors, but there is a time to get to the bottom of things, and reporters learn to balance their emotions and behavior like that. They are very accomplished investigative intelligent people, I admire their work and persistence every day.

AND SO IT GOES..... THERE YOU HAVE IT! WHAT A FUN INTERVIEW!

THIS IS IT!

Like many dedicated fans, I will be attending the new Michael Jackson documentary 'This is It' this halloween weekend. JUST ONE THING THOUGH! ONE PIECE OF COMMENTARY!

It is so funny to me that a man, who was mocked in life, is revered in death. I love his music, I think he was intriguing, talented, and mysterious....and no doubt a great performer. But this god-like status he is now on confuses me. I feel like we have a serious case of "perpetuated fame" on our hands.

Shouting the new Spanking

So I did my news story for my reporting class this week on "Shouting being the New Spanking". Many doctors say a societal shift is occuring, and that todays parents are becoming a loud mouthed generation. I found this to be a very compelling topic, and my interviews were so fun! I enjoyed covering news that was family oriented, and that will most definately make people THINK.
 video from CNN that is undoubtedly better than mine, but nonetheless focused on the same topic.

The New Age of EVERYTHING

In the new age we could expect children to use the internet more and more, cell phones to render land lines extinct, and virtual social networking to be more prominant that actual real social networking.

But did you ever think that this would happen? Companies are now turning to online sources to cute costs in recruiting celebrity and athlete endorsers. Clever, cheaper, and well.....new!

Michael Phelps is a perfect example of why extra caution is being taken. brands want to know that their endorsers are SOLID and trustworthy, not making seriour career and personal blunders.

You'd think iphone would know their demographic better?

For being such a "future forward" company, it is suprising that apple is missing the boat on this one. Adult women are a demogrpahic with a lot of purchasing power...making this a problem for the iphone....

Who's Ignoring Those iPhone Ads? Women.

By SARAH PEREZ
Published: October 16, 2009

According to mobile marketing firm Brand in Hand, female iPhone users are the worst demographic in terms of interacting with mobile ads on the iPhone. The company, whose high-profile clients include Procter & Gamble, General Mills and American Express, has run 60+ mobile ad campaigns over the past two years. During that time, they've had the opportunity to study the engagement of iPhone users with their ads. So why are women ignoring the ads? Apparently, they're too busy actually using the apps.

Women Use the Apps, Ignore the Ads

From an article on AdAge, which reported on Brand in Hand's news in detail, the reason that the women were not engaging with the mobile advertisements came down to how they actually used their phones. The research showed that women, "especially so-called super-moms, are task-oriented and tend to use their smartphones to help them get things done."
In other words, these busy iPhone users didn't have time to goof off by clicking (or rather, tapping) through on a mobile ad. Ads were seen only as distractions that would take them away from the particular task at hand.
For advertisers trying to market to this particular demographic, the new findings will have an impact on what type of mobile campaigns will be run in the future. And given that only 18% of women age 18-49 have a smartphone today, according to Nielsen, smartphone advertisements just won't deliver the numbers that advertisers need. At least for now.
A Better Alternative to Mobile Ads?
Although the AdAge article didn't go into any detail about how marketers could engage smartphone-owning women in different ways, we think that there's at least one company that may have figured it out. Instead of offering distracting mobile banner ads that get in the way of the task that needs to be done, food and beverage giant Kraft introduced their own iPhone app instead.
This branded effort, dubbed "iFood Assistant" (iTunes link), is a recipe app that helps users plan meals. This fits in perfectly with how Brand in Hand claim women use their smartphones - they launch apps designed for a particular purpose. Yet this time, while doing so, the women (and men, too, we suppose) are also engaging with the brand itself because the recipes featured in the iFood Assistant app include Kraft food products of course.
This app is so successful that Kraft is even able to successfully charge for it, something that rarely works for branded apps. But Kraft's app sells - and sells well - priced at 99 cents in the iTunes App Store. They even hit their 3-year download goal in a matter of weeks, said Ed Kaczmarek, Kraft Foods director of innovation.
While at the moment, Kraft's iPhone application appears to be the exception and not the rule when it comes to creative marketing efforts, it's a great example of how mobile marketing could and perhaps should be done, especially if you want to engage busy, task-oriented women.

Although it is sad, this is Big News for Utah. No one ever thinks stuff like this is going to happen. I like that most local news outlets are focusing on gathering information about this teacher that is uplifting and truthful, they are trying to present herin the best possible light becasue she passed away trying to save others. As regrettable as it is, I feel like other news outlets I have participated in would have tried to dig up false information or scandal that in some way dishonors the dead. In news I think it is appropriate to just leave them at peace!

Journalism....misleading but hilarious!

Tell me what you think of first when you see this headline! Journalists have so much power to manipulate what we think......this time it made me laugh!

October 8, 2009, 12:34 pm

Marathon Streakers: 33 and Counting

By Liz Robbins

Joe Fornabaio for The New York Times Tucker Andersen, left, and Dave Obelkevich have run the New York City Marathon all 33 years since the 1976 inception of the five-borough race.

There is a certain obsessive allure to being a streaker.

Before you snicker, a “streaker,” as it relates to the running world, is completely clothed — someone who has run a certain number of consecutive races.

Tucker Andersen and Dave Obelkevich are the only people to have run every New York City Marathon since the race expanded to its five-borough form in 1976. For both, it’ll be their 34th straight year come Nov. 1.

And in Chicago this Sunday, Larry Moon will run with eight other men who have participated since that race began in 1977, bringing their number to 32. (In 1987, the Chicago Marathon was not held because of sponsorship issues.)

As their races approach, all three men report a sense of familiar anticipation and adrenaline, as if they are preparing to meet an old friend they cannot let down.

Whether runners are racing their 3rd or 30th straight marathon, the celebratory atmosphere of the days leading up to the race helps relieve the pressure to return to the starting line. Worries about injuries and sketchy weather forecasts fade.

“It’s a building emotional high,” Mr. Andersen, 67, who lives in Connecticut and Manhattan, said about the days leading up to New York’s race. “You’re seeing all the signs for the marathon, you see the foreigners across the city, and in Central Park, there’s a total different pace. You hear people running by you in different languages.”

This week in Chicago, crisp fall weather has returned after two years of dangerously high temperatures. In 2007, officials stopped the race after three and a half hours when the thermometer reached 89 degrees and water stations ran out. Sunday is forecast to be cloudy, with a high of 48 degrees.

“I’m ready to jump up and down with joy,” Mr. Moon, 68, said. “It’s gone from a little too warm to perfect weather conditions for running.”

All three men say they are not in as good as shape as they would like to be. Time — along with arthritis, plantar fasciitis and upper respiratory infections — have taken a toll.

“The difference between now and 1976 is that I want to keep going and finish,” said Mr. Obelkevich, 66. “I used to want to do a really fast time, but that’s by the boards now.”

Fast is relative. Mr. Obelkevich, who ran his personal best in 1982 in 2 hours 40 minutes 34 seconds, still has a goal: to break 4:15 and qualify for the Boston marathon. He ran 4:03:42 last year and thinks it’s possible, despite battling a terrible cold that sidelined him for 10 days in September.

He will run the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, Pa., on Sunday, followed by the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Va., on Oct. 25, and New York a week later. Three weeks later he’ll run the Knickerbocker 60K (37.2 miles) in Central Park.

Why?

“Why not? They’re there,” said Mr. Obelkevich, a retired city high school music teacher who still plays his violin in chamber music groups when not running.

Mr. Andersen, an investing consultant, said he changed his self image by becoming a runner in the 1970s. The first race he ran, in 1975, was the Long Beach Island 18-Mile Run in New Jersey — and, this Sunday, it will be his longest streak: 35 years.

It is also the only long run he now does in the months leading to the New York City Marathon and, despite the way he gives up ice cream and McDonald’s in the month beforehand, his body breaks down on schedule right after.

His massage therapist will be skeptical about his running New York, he knows, and his wife will tell him not to do it. But always, a few days before the marathon, the aches suddenly go away and, as he put it, “You’re in tune.”

So far, nothing — even cracked ribs — has failed to break the streak for all three runners. After Chicago race officials closed the course in 2007, when Mr. Moon was at Mile 18, they told him they would count all streaks no matter when the runners stopped; he went back later that afternoon to complete the final 8.2 miles. In 1987, the year the race was canceled, Mr. Moon ran a 50-kilometer race along the city’s lakefront around the same time in October.

Mr. Moon, who had run track in high school in Iowa, decided to quit smoking and begin running on Jan. 1, 1977, after seeing unflattering photos of himself. That year he ran the first Mayor Daley Marathon, as it was called, and he was hooked.

Why does he maintain his membership in the alumni group, as Chicago calls its streakers? ”Just for my own sake,” he said, explaining that every pound shows on his 5-foot-5-inch frame. “I dread the day I miss the marathon; I’d probably balloon up into a roly-poly person.”

In New York, Mr. Andersen and Mr. Obelkevich are part of an illustrious group of 20-year-plus streakers that includes, among others, David Laurance, 57, who has run every New York City marathon since 1977. The top women include 64-year-old Jillian Lazaridis (26 consecutive marathons) and 72-year-old Billie Moten (23 marathons).

Virtually every streaker offers first-timers this advice: Don’t run for record time; just enjoy the experience.

“Talk to people — you’re going to have 42,000 others along with you, so really enjoy it,” Mr. Obelkevich said. He also advises keeping a diary the week before and after the race, since “you’ll never have a first marathon again.”

And who knows? Perhaps it will be the beginning of a streak.

A few years ago, Mr. Andersen had T-shirts printed to commemorate his and Mr. Obelkevich’s accomplishment, if not to challenge his competition. The shirt reads: “Finisher, Every New York City Marathon, 1976 — ????” And written below, inside the shape of a stop sign, are the words, “No Age Limit.”

“It’s certainly not time to stop,” Mr. Obelkevich said. “That’s a four-letter word.”

Google Has Moral Responsibility to help Newspapers Survive?

The CEO of google recently stated that he thinks google has a responsibility to help the established players of print journalism to survive. Very interesting! One of the foremost media big wigs wants the dying industry to stay alive! He must not think that newspapers will give google competition(which they won't)! Nevertheless, it is heartwarming to think that the principles of JOURNALISM, TRUE JOURNALISM are still important to people. 

Check out a summary of his comments.....here!

Disney thinking about future!

In an age where none of us know where media is headed, not only does Disney dominate the movie, show, and cartoon industry...they are now planning on creating a dominance for online storybooking. They say it will not replace tim snuggled up as a family reading a book, but it will allow children groing up in the technology age to interact with their stories in a very accessible format. I think very interesting! and very future forward of the amazing company and brand!http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/business/media/29disney.html?hpw

Free Speech?

For some reason I am jazzed about our Comms 300 class discussions!

Today we had the pleasure of listening to a guest professor, yes I know it is super lame that I don't know his name, but he was an amazing speaker! He led our discussion about "disruptive speech" and it was fascinating!

It helped me realize where the boudary line is that protects our first amendment rights, and how close you can teeter to that line! Some of the things that people have said, especially by a White supremacist used as an example in class, is appalling but still protected by the first amendment's right of free speech. WHY?

if it weren't we wouyldn't be allowed to freely express religious ideas through missionary work, and we wouldn't be allowed to freely challenge governmental ideas( yes they are imperfect sometimes!)

SO yes, OPPOSITION IN ALL THINGS IS NECESSARY however uncomfotable it may be. THE end.

SO TRUE! an article that hits home.....and your wallet.

This article is very clever, and speaks to many people. I love how reporters think. They tell us that we are not the only ones in the boat, they let us know that we can relate to each other. This article helps us take a look back to the past, and understand that the economic crisis falls in a cycle, and that trends, even like clipping articles, can be seen throughout history. A soft piece that makes us laugh in irony, but helps us relate past, to present and future. These days, (especially in college) we are all trying to save a buck! Life is so expensive as a student, from food, tuition, and clothes, to dating, entertainment, and tickets for trips home...things start to add up. Read this!

A new Angle on the Mp3

This Article, like all good articles should, brings to light a seldom thought about issue concerning Mp3 players. I love that this parenting blog stepped back from the apple craze and took a closer look to warn us.

Ipods are a dime a dozen these days! Almost 1 out of every 2 students walking through Brigham Square is "plugged in". Mp3s afford us with limitless possibilies as far as mobile music goes, but do they pose a danger to children and youth? This areticle helps us see the other side of the Mp3 craze...http://health.usnews.com/blogs/on-parenting/2009/09/21/start-early-to-protect-childrens-ears-from-that-mp3-player.html

To go along with the article here are some good and bad qualities of the Mp3 in my opinion!

1. They keep us from interacting with the world around us.

2.Mp3's take your parenting power away: If used too much or in the wrong settings, these devices allow kids to selectively listen, and in effect, selectively obey.

3. Mp3's have a purpose and it's very valuable to us!: They are so valuable, you can run to music, you can ski to music, the possibilites are endless....

4. I somehow can never figure out how to get new music on it....so complicated!

5. They can damage our hearing!

Stories With Pictures

Sometimes I get so preoccupied with myself, and local news, that i forget about the amount of news this WORLD has to offer. And what better way to tell the news than in pictures?

here are some shots by US News and World Report photographer Jim Lo Scalzo... I love is work, he tells stories with pictures. Very similar to what we do as broadcasters, tell news with video pictures.

THOUGHTS ABOUT COVERING TRAUMATIC NEWS

As I was working at ABC4 in Salt Lake this summer, I was faced with the situation of having to shadow a reporter on a murder case. The case involved a house-wife being beaten to death by a burglar in her own kitchen, while her children were in the house.

Objectivity for me was very hard. I was emotionally subjected, I already hated the person who had killed her.

Her neighbors were crying, and her children were being forced to make witness statements, it was "hard to cover news". As we interviewed a teary neighbor, I couldn't help but get misty eyed hearing his story of the last time he had seen the woman taking in her garbage cans the day before.

I wonder, how can you cover news like this day by day and not become depressed or cynical? How do you cover such emotional news? A blog I read today included amazing advice from a New York Daily News photographer David Handschuh who was near ground zero on september 11th. If you wonder the same thing I do read this article, it will help you gain a context for these issues.

Here's a little taste of his experience.

" On Sept. 11, 2001, Handschuh was driving to a graduate-level class he taught at New York University when he heard scanner traffic about a plane hitting the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Handschuh said he called the Daily News and was told to head to the site. He also called the university and left a quick message at home: "I'm going down there. Love you all."

Following a rescue company he'd covered at other scenes, Handschuh reached the towers at 8:53 a.m., about 10 minutes before the second hijacked airliner struck the South Tower.

The scene was "surreal," he said. "I was cognizant of what was going on, but I don't think I was accepting of what I was seeing."

He didn't hear sirens but remembers smells. He didn't register the sight of people plummeting to their deaths but still hears "the sound as they were hitting the pavement."

He recalls the "Kodachrome-blue beautiful sky" overhead moments before the South Tower collapsed in front of him, tossing him about a block. His right leg was shattered. "I thought I was going to die face-down in the gutter," he said. A group of firefighters from Engine 217 in Brooklyn hauled him to safety."

During my time at ABC I shadowed reporters on many hard stories, 8 year old kid falling into fast moving ditch and dying, innocent housewife killed by burglar, ATV accidents, boaters dying on Utah Lake....it's a hard world out there! But we need to warn everyone else to be careful, and be thankful for the life that they are living.

In Handschuh's own words on helping to deal with traumatic events, "We need to work as a community," Handschuh said. "It took a 110-story building falling on my head for me to realize how short life is. Appreciate life. Appreciate every day. Appreciate the little things."

AM I ALLOWED TO SAY I MISS HIM? : )

Off the record.....BUT STILL VERY INTERESTING!

Obama: Kanye West a ‘jackass’ for outburst

Off-the-record comments were sent via Twitter, opening ethics debate

President Barack Obama's candid thoughts about Kanye West are provoking a debate over standards of journalism in the Twitter age.

ABC News says it was wrong for its employees to tweet that Obama had called West a "jackass" for the rapper's treatment of country singer Taylor Swift. The network said some of its employees had overheard a conversation between the president and CNBC's John Harwood and didn't realize it was considered off the record.

The network apologized to the White House and CNBC.

Now tell me again where we can place our trust in professionalism? In our country's leaders? or in the press? oh wait....

you better believe it. just clinging to the latest cultural craze.

An Article That Finally Made Sense of What Happened To Tamarack.

Very well written but semi-long. I never knew what was going on, who owned it, or who was in bankruptcy, but some journalists just understand how to put things in "LAME MAN" terms for us that are economically challenged.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aT4PzNc1EgrU

What do you think?

Great Story, this is what journalism is.....asking questions, not always finding answers, letting you decide for yourself based on your experience!

Airport Security Getting Smoother, But Are We Safer?
by Brian Naylor
September 11, 2009


As any airline passenger can attest, security at the nation's airports has gotten infinitely more stringent in the eight years since the Sept. 11 attacks.
While the technology to screen passengers has become more advanced and the check-in lines a little shorter, the question of whether flying is terrorism-proof remains.
By now the routine has become mind-numbingly familiar: Travelers take off their shoes and put them in gray plastic containers along with their toiletries. They carry no more than three 3-ounce bottles in a 1-quart plastic bag, remove laptops from cases and so on. It's a scene played out millions of times a day across the country's airports.

If not a showcase, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is certainly one of the nation's better-equipped facilities, security-wise. It has the latest in explosives-detecting luggage X-rays and something called a "millimeter wave whole body imager." The machine produces an image of each traveler who passes through it and leaves little to the imagination.

We're wasting immense amounts of time and manpower searching through people's bags for little knives and pointy objects, and taking harmless liquids away from people. That doesn't make us safer.
- Patrick Smith

A TSA employee who cannot see the passenger checks the scan for what Robin Kane, assistant administrator of security technology at the Transportation Security Administration, calls anomalies.

"He'll just see the image come up," Kane says. "They'll look and see if there are any anomalies on the body." For instance, he says, the employee scanning the images might notice the person has something in his right pocket, which would allow a targeted search.
The machinery at the checkpoints is just the tip of the iceberg of what the TSA says is a 20-layer approach to security.

'9/11 Hangover'

But critics of the airport-screening process call all this "security theater."
Patrick Smith, a commercial pilot who writes a blog called Ask the Pilot, for Salon.com, says much of what occurs at airline checkpoints is needless.
"We have this 9/11 hangover going on for eight years," he says. "We see it most poignantly at the airport."
Smith says there should be less emphasis on looking for sharp objects, which, since the advent of secure cockpit doors inside planes, don't pose much of a threat anyway. The focus, he says, should be on explosives detection.
"We're wasting immense amounts of time and manpower searching through people's bags for little knives and pointy objects, and taking harmless liquids away from people," he says. "That doesn't make us safer."

Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon says airports need to beef up security in another area — the "back" of the airport, where maintenance personnel have unfettered access to planes.
"Our original vision was that everybody accessing the secure area of the airport, whether it was the terminal or the tarmac, would have to go through screening — similar to the system at Heathrow airport," he says. "I mean mechanics — everybody has to go through that system every time."

Positive Steps

But DeFazio defends the TSA. He says screening has improved dramatically in recent years. "When I came to Congress, the level of security at the airport couldn't even find a fully assembled .45 in a briefcase with a pair of socks and a pair of underwear," he says. "Today there is no question they would find a fully assembled handgun."
The government has spent about $45 billion since Sept. 11, 2001, on aviation security. DeFazio says one step remains to be taken — the appointment of a permanent administrator for the TSA.

ERIC IS IN THE BIG CITY!

HERE HE COMES NEW YORK!

Using Journalism/Advertising for GOOD!

We all remember this...

I ran across this awesome video today! In remembrance of September 11 and the war that soon followed, here's what we can do! I may not agree with everything that these women support, or even the war, but I agree with them on this one!

I'm glad that they are using media for good, and I think this video is very well done!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHCE60IYTQU

Cool Angle

President Bush's Iraqi Shoe Thrower Due For Release Monday

I was surfing through NPR and came upon this story! Whoever wrote it really tied in the current Obama "you lied" situation with Bush's "shoe throwing" situation. Not to mention, it's kind of hilarious that ths guy pent nine months in jail! haha give it a read...very interesting, satirical, and comparable to now!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/09/president_bushs_iraqi_shoe_thr.html

MY ESSAY!

Candace Burr
Aug 31, 2009
Comms 239 – Cressman
Essay #1

Journalism Defined: What it is, Who Does it, and Why It’s Important

Journalism is inescapably woven into the fabric of American Society. In societies of the world where freedom of speech is available, journalism, or the free exchange of ideas and information, is also a permanent and vital institution. Journalism is about conveying information to better educate society. Journalism creates an open forum for the exchange of information, ideas, and events. Information sparks the desire toward change for an increasingly functional society. For this to happen people needs to be connected and informed and journalists facilitate that need.
Journalists are information gatherers for the public. Information drives people’s reactions, and reactions drive change for the future. Journalists take upon themselves the duty of improving democracy by becoming an open and unbiased channel for communication and information. They dedicate time and effort to help inform the public of events that impact their communities and personal situations for better or worse.
To be a good journalist it takes time, commitment, meticulous investigative skills, and proper education. One of the most important qualities of a journalist, though, is the constant curiosity they carry with them. Journalists are never satisfied that they know enough, a good journalist is not a lazy person.
Journalists are also part of an extra check and balances system. They take upon themselves the responsibility of being a societal watchdog. By exposing what others don’t want known, journalists protect and warn the public. People want to know that their representatives are being held accountable for the actions that they take on their behalf, and journalists make this possible.
It seems to me those who choose journalism choose a very patriotic path of life. Journalists are directly involved with democracy. They do their job so that I don’t have to walk blindly as a citizen of this country. People say that “journalism is so negative these days”. I disagree. Although many unfortunate things are reported on, journalism fills me with confidence, not negativity. Journalism gives me the confidence because it lights the sometimes ambiguous world with bright, shining truth.

As We Head Back to School

This weekend in Boise was so fun! It was reat to lay back and enjoy the comfort of home! Not to mention the two great football games (go Broncs/Cougs)... I returned to Provo this morning, drove home from the airport jamming to EFY songs the whole way, parked my car, and headed straight to church.

I wasn' ready for what I saw. I've been talking a lot about Provo and the phenomenons that occur here! One I think I'll have to get used to is being in a setting with over 100 smart, outgoing, beautiful girls in one room. Unfortuantely, competition is at an all-time high.Classes, church, going to the gym...for some reason female interaction is so strange here. ( to be fair, I am generalizing a bit, I have met some of the most amazing, strong, friendly girls here. However, they are definately a MINORITY).

Having personally seen the effects comparison and pressure can place on young girls I found the below article very intriguing about research being conducted about the issue.

Girls and Dieting, Then and Now

By JEFFREY ZASLOW

One day in January 1986, fourth-grade girls at Marie Murphy School in Wilmette, Ill., were called down to the principal's office.

A stranger was waiting there to ask each girl a question: "Are you on a diet?"
Most of the girls said they were.

"I just want to be skinny so no one will tease me," explained Sara Totonchi.
"Boys expect girls to be perfect and beautiful," said Rozi Bhimani. "And skinny."

I was the questioner that day. As a young Wall Street Journal reporter, I had gone to a handful of Chicago-area schools to ask 100 fourth-grade girls about their dieting habits. Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco were about to release a study showing 80% of fourth-grade girls were dieting, and I wanted to determine: Was this a California oddity, or had America's obsession with slimness reached the 60-pound weight class?

My reporting ended up mirroring the study's results. More than half of the 9-year-old girls I surveyed said they were dieting, and 75%—even the skinniest ones—said they weighed too much. I also spoke to fourth-grade boys and learned what the girls were up against. "Fat girls aren't like regular girls," one boy told me. "They aren't attractive."

The front-page story helped spark discussions about America's worship of thinness and its impact on children. It raised the question: Would these girls be burdened by the dieting culture as they grew into women?

Those girls I interviewed are 32 and 33 years old now, and when I got back in touch with some of them last week, they said that they and their peers have never escaped society's obsession with body image. While none of them descended into eating disorders, some told stories of damaging diets and serious self-esteem issues regarding their weight.

They felt—and recent studies make clear—that the weight-focused pressures on young girls today are even stronger. In the now-quaint era of 1986, the girls had told me about drinking Diet Cokes and watching Jane Fonda exercise videos. Ms. Totonchi had read a teen novel about a girl with an eating disorder.

But today's fourth-grade girls are barraged by media images of thinness. They can cruise the Internet visiting "Pro-Ana" (pro-anorexia) Web sites and can view thousands of "thinspiration" videos on YouTube celebrating emaciated young women.
"Models look like popsicle sticks," Suzanne Reisman told me in fourth grade. Today, she amends her observation: "Now they look like toothpicks."

In fourth grade, Christy Gouletas told me thin models "are sexy, so boys like them." Today, she is a middle-school teacher in Wheeling, Ill. On lunch duty each day, she notices 10 girls who eat nothing. "We make them take a few bites," she says, "but they fight me on it. They say, 'I'm not hungry,' and I tell them, 'You've been here since 8 a.m. Of course you're hungry!' "
"The influences are worse now," says one researcher, Kerry Cave, a clinical nurse leader at Martin Memorial Medical Center in Stuart, Fla. Earlier this year, in the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing, she chronicled the latest research on "the influences of disordered eating in prepubescent children."

Among the findings: A preoccupation with body image is now showing up in children as young as age five, and it can be exacerbated by our culture's increased awareness of obesity, which leaves many non-overweight kids stressed about their bodies. This dieting by children can stunt growth and brain development.

Incidences of bulimia have tripled since the 1980s and anorexia incidences have also risen, according to studies collected by the National Eating Disorders Association. Parental fixations on weight, children's urges toward perfectionism, family conflicts, and a $40 billion-a-year dieting industry can all lead girls to disorders.

But studies also show that self-starvation in girls can be triggered by media images, including Internet sites promoting anorexia and bulimia as lifestyle choices. Among the pitch lines used on these sites: "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels."

On one recent "Pro-Ana" blog, a woman suggested a 30-hour group fast and received 64 responses such as "I can't wait to do this fast with you. Thirty hours food-free sounds like heaven" and "I'm with you. Down to the bones."

Researchers have seen a marked increase in children's concerns about thinness in just the past few years. Between 2000 and 2006, the percentage of girls who believe that they must be thin to be popular rose to 60% from 48%, according to Harris Interactive surveys of 1,059 girls conducted for the advocacy group Girls Inc.

Compared with the fourth graders of 1986, girls today see body images in ads "that are even further from reality. Retouching is rampant," says Claire Mysko, author of "You're Amazing," a book encouraging self-esteem in girls. She worries that childhood obesity-prevention efforts can make girls obsessive about weight. While these programs are important vehicles to fight a growing problem, "we have to be really careful how we are implementing nutrition and body imaging," she says.

Those fourth graders of 1986, now all grown up, offer heartfelt reflections on all of these issues.
Ms. Totonchi is public-policy director at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta. In fourth grade she told me she wanted to be thin so no one would tease her. "What I said that day is still very true," she says. Today, she watches her weight "so I can be successful in a world that puts great emphasis on how a person looks."

She vows to do so through healthy eating. As an adult, she once experimented with a low-carb diet and says she still has high blood pressure as a result. "It did so much damage to me," she says. "It was a lesson to me not to follow fads."

Ms. Reisman, now a writer and blogger in New York, says she was an emotional eater as an adolescent, "turning to food for comfort." She got heavier in college, but she now watches what she eats and weighs a healthy 125 pounds. She is concerned about the heightened pressures on girls today to be thin and sexy. She knows of 9-year-olds asking their mothers to buy them thong underwear. "That's horrifying to me," she says.

Ms. Gouletas, the teacher, says she was "always a fat kid" and is now 40 pounds overweight. Even though she eats healthy food and exercises five days a week, it's hard for her to shed pounds.

As a fourth grader, Krista Koranda recognized that some people can't help being overweight. "We don't make fun of fat girls," she said. Not all her male classmates were as empathetic. One boy in her class responded that if someone can't help being fat, "then you shouldn't make fun of them. But girls in the fourth grade can help it."

Now a public-relations consultant in Boulder, Colo., Ms. Koranda Torvik (her married name) says she appreciates it when ad campaigns today use plus-size models. "That's encouraging," she says, even though such ads are the exception.

In fourth grade in 1986, Ms. Bhimani says, she and her friends admired teen celebrities such as Molly Ringwald, "girls who were skinny but healthy." Now, the actresses on teen TV shows such as the resurrected "90210" are being called "alarmingly thin" in media reports. "They look so unhealthy," says Ms. Bhimani, an attorney for the Federal Trade Commission in Chicago. "And it's a skinny that's unattainable for most people."

Ms. Bhimani became heavy in college and later took off 40 pounds through exercise and portion control. When she reread my 1986 Journal article, she found some of the boys' comments "appalling." She thought about her 3-year-old son. In six years, he'll be in fourth grade.

"I hope I am able to instill values in my little guy that help him see past weight," she says. "The pressure to stay thin comes from many different sources in society, and I just hope my son isn't one of those sources."