What is News?

Deborah Potter wrote an article about what news really is. http://www.america.gov/st/democracyhr-english/2008/april/20080416211618eaifas0.8870203.html She explains that news is what is new; it’s what’s happening. She goes into asking what actually makes news newsworthy? There are many things that the reporter has to take into consideration prior to writing the story. The first is timeliness. Did the story happen recently, if so it could be newsworthy. The second factor is impact. Does it affect people in the viewing area? The next is proximity. How close did this news happen to the viewing area? The fourth is Controversy. Does is involve debate? The next is prominence. Is the person involved well known? The sixth is currency. Are people here talking about this? The seventh is Oddity. Is this news unusual? The next things she goes into talking about is the differences between hard news and soft news. Hard news is something that is happening now and soft news is news that can be evergreen, which means can be used whenever because it will never be old. I believe that Potter explained what news really is in a way that anyone can understand it.

What I Know About News On The Second Day of JMC 201 at Marshall University.

Repoters have a very interesting career. They gather information and put it in a way that the citizens can get a nice understanding of what happened. There are a few different types of news writing that I would like ot partake in. I love the idea of writing for fashion news, like telling people what is going on in the world of fashion. The next thing, on a more iimportant note, is International Affairs. I like knowing what is going on around the world.


News is important ,new, unique information. I like to think that news is important, new, unique information that people want to know about and it is put in a way that is easier for us as individuals to perceive it. I believe that the definition of news is changing to an extent. People in the world are more interested in pop culture that what is really important. For instance, I believe that the health reform is way more important than Michael Jackson's death. Everyone dies, he was just a person like you or me. I know that he was famous for being the King of Pop, but he's been dead for almost two months now, move on. No one really knows all of the ideas behind the health reform because the media is stuck on Michael Jackson. So therefore the definition of news is changing from topics that are not as impor0tant and new to topics that the majority of the population wants to hear about.


Out of the seven qualities of news I only know a few which are: timeliness, space, and news worthy, attribution, and accuracy. But, I will have the rest of the answer by the end of the semester. The list of Repoter's Goals in News Writing are: accuracy, attribution, completeness, balance and fairness, objectivity, brevity and focus, and well-written. This is what I know starting out. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.

1999 Herd Football Compared to 2009 Team

In 1999 the Thundering Herd had so many great players, such as Chad Pennington, Randy Moss, and Andre O'Neil. http://http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/marshall/x1562580290/Freshman-linebacker-looking-for-playing-time-in-first-year That just has me wondering if the 2009 team has talented players. In the Herald Dispatch there are quit a few articles on the freshmen Who are on the team. Quanthony Fletcher is a freshman linebacker and is one of the freshmen who might get to play in games. To be a freshman and hear those words must be an awesome feeling, considering sophomores and up are usually the only ones whom get to play regularly. Then there is senior Cody Slate. Snyder says that this year is going to be the best year in awhile, with the combination of Slate and Smith it is going to be one of the best tandems in the tight ends of the country.http://http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1562580284/So-far-so-good-for-MU-football-in-2009 So will these Marshall football players stand up to the players from a decade ago? We will see in a couple of weeks, hopefully they do. GO HERD!!!

Is Scotland Doing The Right Thing?

Most Americans are probably thinking that Scotland's minister, Kenny McASkill, is not doing his job. On Monday he let the Lockerbie bomber, Megrahi, return to his home country of Libya. The reason behind his decision is because the bomber has prostate cancer and wanted to spend his last days with his family, which I think is the ethical thing to do. Just think about it if you were in prison and found out that you had cancer wouldn't you want to spend your last days with your family? In the United States people are upset because there were about 270 Americans killed in that bombing.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/18/AR2009081800609.html FBI director Robert Mueller wrote to MacAskill, saying: "Your action makes a mockery of the rule of law (and) gives comfort to terrorists." http://http//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/24/AR2009082401436.html I think that what Mueller said was a little harsh. The man was only having compassion on the bomber. I think people in this world have lost their compassion. If we all would have a little more compassion and help people this world would change. It's not going to change by going green, but by helping people and caring for others, even if they have done you wrong. Just a little something to think about.

All About Amber

Hey I'm Amber Leigh-Ann Hay. I have lived in Huntington, West Virginia my whole life. My family and friends are the most important things in my life. My best friend is Tiffany See and she helps me get through the tough times in life. My boyfriend, Nathan Payne, is the greatest thing that stumbled into my life unexpectedly. He's made me realize that I am smarter than what I look and he's my biggest support system. I am a Junior as a Public Relations major at Marshall University. Have a great day!