Last Class

Last class was pretty interactive although I am not too sure what we learned directly aside from learning to think critically about articles. As I am unsure of how to go about writing this blog entry and being able to add certain external links I will do my best

First, let me introduce you to my all time favorite TV show "19 Kids and Counting". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER69OXzenVE They are expecting baby number twenty.

Why do I introduce this randomness? Well, besides the fact that I am so excited for it I thought that I could use the "10 Questions" given to us in class that could help me to write about this subject if I were to do so. I think you can use these questions for just about anything journalistic related so please forgive if I am off from the way that these questions were meant to be used for.

Question 1: What do I know? What do I know? Answer: The Duggar family includes 19 children, two grandchildren, one in-law, and two parents--all are biologically connected. Also, as stated above they will be expecting baby #20.

Question 2: What is my journalistic purpose? Answer: To inform the public about this family as it is a major milestone for any family.

Question #3: What are my ethical concerns? Answer: To show this family in the best of light as to not create conflict or to isolate myself or my news corporation (if I had one) from being able to report on this family from a personal interaction perspective. (You really don't want to be reporting the story like this guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUJgLxDqfBc --WARNING: extreme dumbness/some foul language. Also, you may want to stop after the first minute and a half--actually you really do want to/should)

Question #5: How can I include other people, with different perspectives and diverse ideas, in the decision-making process? Answer: Easy! Get their intake! A lot of times on the Duggar show they interview people outside of the show to get their intake on certain things Duggar-related. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SsLgHr5rSk skip to 4:30 so that you can get to the different perspectives part. This link shows the Duggars at a creationist museum and also shows other people disputing the subject.

We Are Superheroes!

I really really really enjoyed the group's presentation. Especially Jordan's hilarious remarks concerning rugby, his accent, etc--the things he gets away with just because he's from New Zealand!!! Not sure what I learned exactly (with his and everyone else's presentation) but I do know that I enjoyed it a lot.

On one of Jordan's (I think) slides there were pictures of Spiderman, Captain America, and Bat Man who supposedly had something to do with the journalism field. The main thing that I got out of that presentation was that we need to be truth tellers and superheroes for the people; basically, we need to be the person that the public trusts.

picture of superheroes: http://thebatmanuniverse.net/image/Misc/Blog/Indivdual%20Posts/Dave/Situation%20Room%20Heroes.jpg

It got me thinking. The people trust us, right? Sure they do! Yeah, there is no such thing as "real" superheroes with spider webs shooting out of our wrists, capes that make us fly, or shields that give us power BUT we can be the person who saves the day. With what you may ask--with truth: "The whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help [us] God."--courtrooms of America

Screamo song about "the whole truth": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7pgYHkhUpE please note that you may need a screamo to interpret it for you; otherwise, you may only understand the parts where it says "We want the truth! The whole truth and nothing but the truth!"

As people "We want the truth!" or do we not? I think we do. We demand it. Without it, we succumb to ignorance and allow others to eventually override our independence. As journalists, we need to rip away people's chains of ignorance and to save them from it. We need to give them back their independence. Sure, they can question us and our information--we should welcome that. Afterall, we are the heroes of truthc and even heroes need to be kept on the right path.

Side note: growing up, my favorite tv shows to watch were courtroom related. Judge Judy has to be my all time favorite. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH57MnJIjkc I love it when she says "I am a truth machine, Sir", "Liar, liar, pants on fire! Don't be a liar!", and "I eat liars for breakfast". I find it pretty entertaining how people can give an oath to tell the truth and then they do not. I think that we are obligated to give the truth and that as truth heroes we need to make sure that we always tell truth. We need to make it our personal oath to tell the truth, "the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help [us] God"--AND we need to make sure that we do live by that oath. Otherwise, just like these people in Judge Judy's courtroom it will come back to bite us in the arse because it will shatter our repuatations as the people do not like being lied to.