Cohen -v- Finkelstein

Last night, I was privileged to be able to see firsthand a classic, political debate. I was in the studio for the taping of Mark Finkelstein's next show with special guest, Jeff Cohen. It was one of the best debates I've ever seen, including ones I've participated in myself. It was the libertarian against the conservative. The left against the right. It was an hour of discussion that included blogs and political philosophy and the role of government, and at some points became very heated. Mr. Finkelstein was by far the most animated of the two, while Mr. Cohen was rather subdued throughout the whole thing. I was texting my dad through the majority of the debate, telling him the arguments from both sides. My dad enjoys politics and he wanted to know what each side was bringing to the argument. And even though I didn't agree with everything being said, sometimes from both sides, it was really cool to be able to be there!

Broadband infrastructure

It's hard to believe that a country like the United States, with all of its resources and all of its wealth, could be lagging behind in Internet broadband infrastructure. In reading the selected articles for class, they say that not only would better broadband be more "luxurious" for Internet users, but it would also "bring a wealth of knowledge to more citizens in more areas." The United States would improve in many different areas, many of them controversial in the political world today. So, why is it that arguably the most developed nation in the world in ranked 15 in a 30-country poll in overall broadband penetration?

Well, there are two sides to every story. And the second side of this story is the cost of improved broadband. I agree with Sam Gustin's statement, "'Every American should have affordable access to high-speed Internet, no matter where they live.'" However, with Obama's intended plan being to spend $7.2 billion on broadband, and the economy being in the state that it's in, I think that splurging on broadband should take a back seat to other, more crucial matters. I think there are many other problems that need to be addressed first, such as the economy and/or the War. Things need to be kept in perspective, and right now broadband speed should be toward the very bottom of the list.

Is a journalism degree worth $46,000 a year?

For me, this question is a toss-up. I have learned a lot in my time Ithaca College, but it still is difficult for me to justify paying $46,000 for it.

"The issue is not writing. It's what you write about. One of my favorite columnists is Jonathan Weil, who writes for Bloomberg. He broke the Enron story, and he broke it because he's one of the very few journalists in America who really knows how to read a balance sheet. That mean Jonathan Weil will always have a job, and will always be read, and will always have something interesting to say. He's unique. Most accountants don't write articles, and most journalists don't know anything about accounting. Aspiring journalists should stop going to journalism programs and go to some other kind of grad school. If I was studying today, I would go get master's in statistics, and maybe do a bunch of accounting courses and then write from that perspective. I think that's the way to survive. The role of the generalist is diminshing. Journalism has to get smarter."

I agree and disagree with this quote. I agree that a journalist has to write about what he/she knows. If you know a lot about what you're writing, then it will come across in what the piece. It will also make life a lot easier for you. However, I do think that the writing part is important as well. If you know a lot about a topic, but you don't have the skill to write it down and convey it effectively to an audience, then you are useless.

I, personally, have learned a lot at my time here. I have also gotten many connections through the work that I have done at Ithaca College. But I do feel that some of the classes here are quite redundant, and in that capacity something needs to be done. But where many students have chosen to take on a double major, I went after something a little different. I came into Ithaca with an immense passion and vast knowledge of the game of tennis, and I enjoy writing about it. That's what I want to do. But I can't go to grad school for tennis. It is just something that I picked up at a young age and have been following religiously for about 10 years. I can write about it effectively because I know so much about it, which is what Gladwell is trying to convey.

I am also a double minor in Spanish and Italian because I love foreign languages. I have also taken French for four semesters. I pick them up fairly quickly and understand the demand for people to be able to speak more than one language. I think I am bold enough to make the statement that many American journalists don't have a second language, and I think this severely limits them. I suppose that if the journalism route doesn't pan out for me, I can do something with the languages, be an interpreter or whatever. But I hope to be able to incorporate the languages with the sports journalism to be an effective aspect in life.

Mayhill Fowler -vs- Obama

I give Mayhill Fowler a lot of credit for publishing her story on Obama's comments. Not only does she write of the very-liberal Huffington Post, but she also was an Obama contributor and supporter herself. Other journalists, mainstream or citizen, might not have run the story because of their own personal bias and what the story would have done to the Obama campaign. But Fowler put aside her own politics and, in my opinion, did the right thing. She should be commended for that.

One thing that really struck me as I read this article was the opinions on citizen journalism. Citizen journalism has become the big thing. Many people praise it for being this great thing, a way for the "real" news get reported fairly and unbaisedly. And that is exactly what Fowler did: she reported the real news fairly and unbiasedly. But whenever something is reported that goes against the views of people, they attack it. I think Fowler's case demonstrates this perfectly.

What if she hadn't been a citizen journalist for the Huffington Post? What if she had been someone who had happened to catch the same statement from Obama and posted it online? Then what? Would she have gotten all of those hate emails? Or would she be heralded as a great online journalist?

Where have I been?

After listening to Professor Isakov's presentation on all of the new technology for journalists, I felt like I had been living under a rock for the past few months. I hadn't ever heard of any the things he was talking about, except for one. I don't normally keep good track of all of the new technologies being used, but I'd like to think that I know enough about them. But everything the professor was showing us was brand new to me.

I think my favorite thing was the Esquire cover that featured Augmented Reality. That was unbelievable to me! Something so simple as putting a code on the front cover and then allowing the user to access this through a webcam is amazing. I'm not a big fan of Robert Downey Jr. but I loved the special features Esquire offered to its subscribers.

I'll have to keep better track of what is going on in the technology world because I'm clearly missing out!

New Perspective on Twitter

I've never been a big fan of Twitter. I don't have a Twitter account and I don't plan on getting one in the near future. There has never been any reason for me to have one, I don't feel like anything I do is worthy enough to get tweeted for people to read. Who cares what I do or what I say or what I think? To have my own personal account seems pointless. I do, however, check Twitter everyday to see what certain celebrities/athletes are doing because I am a fan of theirs and it is interesting to me. But even then, reading simplistic Tweets about what they're doing or where they are or whatever, isn't absoloutely necessary. I think it is just another form of entertainment.

But listening to Kate Sheppard talk about how Twitter has helped her not only to communicate with other journalists, but also to get her a couple of jobs, has put a different spin on it. I never really thought of Twitter as something helpful or resourceful. I know that news stories have broke on Twitter because the people who are actually at the "events" are tweeting what is going on as it's actually happening, but I never really considered Twitter as anything more than that. And then she said that she hadn't been on the Twitter bandwagon before getting an account. That reminded me of me. She advised the class to get an account because it can really be used as a tool in the journalism world. That gave me a whole new perspective on Twitter; I might have to get an account myself.

True Fan

For the past few days, ever since I read the 1,000 True Fans article, I've been asking myself if I can consider myself a True Fan of anything. And the answer is: I'm a True Fan of too many things. From sports to television to movies, I am a Fan of a lot of different things. In sports, tennis is my number one. I've watched it my whole life and played it for almost 12 years. I follow the professional circuit religiously and always know what is going on. Football is next in line. I'm an avid Indianapolis Colts fan, and I have been for 15 years. But since I live in New York, Colts games aren't shown that much, so I will watch any game that is on television because I love the sport that much. I own countless sports stuff, from clothing to posters to stuffed animals for both tennis and football.

I watch countless television shows. But the one show that I can't miss is 24. I've watched 24 for years and it my favorite show on television. I can't wait for Monday nights to roll around so that I can watch 24. I would definitely say I'm a True Fan of that show. I will miss it when the series ends after this season.

Finally, I am a True Fan of old movies. My favortie movie of all time is Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart and Igrid Bergman. I love old movies because, to me, they are so much better than movies made today. There is a certain quality about them that I love, and the actors are so much better than the ones we have today. I watch them all the time and find new ones every day.

I would honestly say that I am a True Fan of all these things. My brothers say that I'm obsessed with it, but I just think I'm overly passionate about it all.