News in Maine

Source: http://www.wmtw.com/news/22656789/detail.html

It was recently discovered in Portland, ME that a widespread of red tide is a huge threat to the shellfish industry and many beaches especially this spring and summer. Scientists and other individuals are concerned for the well being of those who consume the shellfish because it can cause a severe sickness and even death for humans. It seems as though researchers are beginning to confirm a certain toxic algae that causes red tide. The shellfish absorb the toxins from the algae, which therefore restrains humans to harvest them. The article reports that "Last summer, officials shut down nearly the entire Maine coast to calm digging because of an outbreak that officials said was the worst they could remember."

Unexpected thunderstorms use to be the main concern to spoil a day at the beach, but now the newest threat to beach fun is the huge floating blanket of red algae, known as red tides. During a red tide, oxygen-consuming, toxic algae cover huge components of the ocean. Fish, whales, dolphins and other living ocean creatures end up washed up dead onto beaches, with red tide being a suspected cause. For humans, just breathing in the vicinity of a red tide can trigger asthma, coughing and throat irritation. Many residents that reside on the coast find the effects quite insufferable and staying indoors for them does not solve the problem. The main problem other than toxication, is consuming the fish and ending up with serious digestive and other health problems.

The good news is that most human activities suspected of aggravating red tides can be addressed with more sensitive development on our coastlines, better stewardship of waterways and a tighter rein on water pollution coming from farms. It is important that scientists who study red tides should have more support to fully understand how red tides are caused, and the best ways to address the problem.

Campus Event

The Roots are finally coming to Orono, Maine on March 20th 2010 and playing at the University field. After many attempts made by students of making facebook groups called "Bring the Roots to Maine", the band finally decided to perform for our University. Each year a different band attends the University of Maine and students purchase their tickets to go see them play, but this particular group seems to be a bigger hit than any other band that has performed. The Roots are not very known to tour universities, which is why it is becoming a big deal that they are attending the University of Maine.

Incase individuals are not aware of this musical group, The Roots originate from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are an American band famous for their jazzy hip-hop music, which includes live instrumentals.

Tickets are still on sale, so students should quickly purchase their tickets. They seem to be running at an inexpensive rate, which is $15 for students and $20 for the general public.

If you like to dance and bump to great music, attending the Roots is the right thing to do. Do not miss this opportunity!

Profile Story

Walking through campus with a friend early Thursday morning, I saw a short unique looking boy who seemed very confused. His attire consisted of fitted blue jeans, black converse shoes and a fancy zip up coat. He automatically came to my attention because he seemed and looked different than most of the boys that I see everyday walking around campus. I thought that he must be new to this school since his eyes kept wondering around searching for the right building.

As I continued to observe him, I realized he was walking towards the Union, where he gathered up with a group of International students, who are new this semester at University of Maine. I kept trying to figure out what country he is from and if he spoke a bit of English. A few minutes later, coincidentally it just so happened that my friend recognized him from one of her classes. She said he is a freshman who just moved here from Italy. That is when I realized the reason why he must dress so nicely is because he comes from Europe, where most individuals have a passion for style.

My friend and I thought it would be a good idea to stop by the International meeting at the Union and meet some of these new students, who most probably do not know many people. We found out that this particular boy from Italy, worked a full time job every day and took classes, which seemed very impossible for me to do. I was in shock that his parents were making him pay for school, even though he did get a grand amount of money to attend this University.

I strongly believe this young man's future is in good hands. He is a strong worker, apparently very smart and bilingual. I asked him if he is trying to make any improvements with his life and he responded quietly and said, "Other than improving the language, all I want to do is learn my way around this school, it is way too big!"

Newscast Video

Source: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/panda-tai-shan-departs-020410

The news video I chose was about two giant pandas, born in American zoos, that are being shipped to China to become a part of a breeding program with the rest of the endangered species. The video indicates that the panda is getting ready to leave the national zoo, "the only home he's ever known". This event impacted many individuals, mainly kids, who fell in love with the panda at daily zoo trip visits. Kids were lined up waving goodbye while the panda was being pushed into an airplane to depart on a long journey.

In this article, the reporter did started off with a pretty solid lead paragraph. It was strong in the way that it began the article by stating what she is talking about, who it is about, where and when it took place and why it is happening. However, in the video, the reporter doesn't indicate where the Panda is going until later on through the video. If I were a reporter writing this article, I would first off start of my sentence indicating when the event is happening and where, followed by who and what the event is about. I personally consider that a more professional format for a journalist or reporter. As for grammar and verb use, the reporter seems to not make any mistakes and has a good flow of words and details. The structure of the article starts off with the basis of the story and then goes into more details as the story develops. I liked the fact that this story included a written article as well as a video, so the audience can put words and pictures together to get a better understanding of the article. The reporter also did a nice job of interviewing other sources to make the story plausible.

Article Critique

Source:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/world/americas/21haiti.html?ref=world

This New York Times article states that because of untreated injuries, health conditions in Haiti are worsening by the day and are remaining to be a major medical crisis.

It seems as though the article shows accuracy, and the reporter made no mistakes. The traumatic event is very recent and the reporter is keeping individuals up to date with the results of the earthquake. Most of the comments related to the article that were sent by people tend to agree with the article and are sending their positive thoughts to Haiti.

The reporter does a good job of naming sources, for example when Dr. Eduardo states "There are still thousands of patients with major fractures, major wounds, that have not been treated yet", the reporter clearly states his name and important facts about him right after his direct quote. He also uses reports from the World Food Program and the head of the World Health Organization.

The article is complete. It is based on a certain point and put in vital information. It allowed individuals to become more informed on how people are handling themselves in the devastated country of Haiti. It is also warning people that the increasing amount of injured people are very close to death if they don't get treated immediately.

As far as being fair, the article demonstrates a great balance and all sides are presented. It isn't meant to offend any particular individual nor it is spreading any rumors about anyone. There shouldn't be any reason for anyone to be mad at the reporter for writing this article.

The writer did a good job of not including his opinion and sticking to information given to him by other sources.

As I mentioned earlier, the news story gets straight to the point which makes the article brief and focused. It is a short article and stays on track through the reading.

Finally, the story is well-written, meaning it is clear and has a good flow with a lack of mistakes.

Moral issues in journalism

Morality is basic to the theory and practice of journalism. A moral issue that many journalists have to face is privacy and confidentiality. A journalists decision to keep a particular issue confidential is normally very difficult for them. They automatically are given two different options after hearing about a particular report; to respect an individuals word or to reveal the personal story to the world. Many choose to face the consequences and expose the first rumor they hear without thinking about privacy in general. Personally, I believe that if a source wants to remain confidential, the journalist should grant them their privacy and not expose it through the media.

For example, the fact that Tiger Woods had an affair with another woman and his wife found out through his text messages is a private matter for Tiger, and not for the rest of the world. His famous career as a professional golfer is definitely a motivation for reporters and journalists to disclose any rumor they hear about him, which many times can lead to a libelist statement. Even though Tiger may of done the wrong thing, it must of been extremely hurtful for him to have to deal with a billion people he does not even know to read about his miscalculation.

I feel as though a majority of journalists are only concerned about the money and making a name for themselves, which I do not think is the right attitude for a professional. Showing respect and trust towards the privacy of other individuals is something a real journalist should learn to accomplish.