Outside of Stephens Hall at Towson University, sunlight shines on a statue of the school's mascot, the Tiger during a fall day in November.

     

Blake Savadow 

Sophomore

Mass Communications 

Students study and walk to class outside of 

the Cook Library during a cool, fall day on 

Monday, Nov. 3. 

Ways to Improve:

There is always room for improvement. I have noticed a number of things I could to enhance the quality of my photos and photo taking ability. For one, I need to keep an eye out for an interesting shot, meaning the angle, lighting or subject matter of the photo. It is also important to use the rule of thirds so the viewer is more attracted to the photo. My main concern is understanding which settings I should have my camera set to when shooting under certain conditions. This takes repeated practice. I need to continue to take photos in different situations that call for a different combination of shutter speeds and aperture settings.

Photo illustration by Daniel Gross

This article was found from The Baltimore Sun's Web Site. (www.baltimoresun.com)

Man shot, wounded by city police during drug stop

By Justin Fenton

September 26, 2008

A man was shot by city police yesterday morning after he reached for an officer's handgun during a drug stop, police said. 

Sterling Clifford, a police spokesman, said three officers on dirt bikes were in the 700 block of Lennox St. in the Reservoir Hill area about 10:45 a.m. when they approached an apartment complex and stopped to interview a man who they believed was involved in drug activity. 

Police said the man began to fight with the officers, and the altercation moved into an apartment stairwell. Clifford said the man grabbed at an officer's gun, and the officer fired at the man. The man, hit in the shoulder, was taken to a hospital with a wound that was not considered life-threatening, Clifford said. 

This article shows a great example of the inverted pyramid style of news stories.  The reporter chooses to place the most important and relavent information at the top of the story in the first paragraphs.  This way, the reader will be more intreagued to read on and at the very least they will have read the things that are most important to know in the story.  

Click here for Justin Fenton's full story

Photos courtesy of www.towson.edu

For my news event coverage, I plan on attending the next SGA meeting at Towson University to listen to what issues are currently happening throughout the school. I think this will be a great, newsworthy event to cover, especially seeing the many different things that have happened on and off campus recently. I predict that the SGA and their student guests may have quite a few things to say in regards to a recent fight that had broken out in the union, the new school budget for the next fiscal year and the appointment of new freshman senators into the SGA. After attending the meeting, I will obviously have to hone my story topics down, to understand what is truly newsworthy and what specific aspect should be covered.

___________________________

What advance information is available about this speech or event?

The advanced information that I have is what I know are major topics in the student community right now. I am aware that the SGA covers new and appropriate topics at their meetings. There is also advanced information from any of the members on the executive board that I will speak to prior to the meeting so that they will be able to prepare me of what I might look for.

_________________________

Who will be your main sources?

My main sources will certainly be any of the members on the executive board of the SGA, most likely SGA president Kristen Guy or vice president James Torrence. The newly appointed, freshman senators will also be points of contact because they will have prevalence at the meeting. David Satterlle, director of new student programs, will also be a good source for this story, since he will be tackling the issue concerning the fight that broke out.

_______________________

What questions will you ask?

When the meeting is over, I might ask the exec. board what they thought of the meeting, ask them what they thought of certain student reactions and how they plan on helping in hte situation. For the freshman senators, I may ask them what they think of the SGA, why did they want to join and what they hope to accomplish this year.

_______________________

What additional details will you look for?

In addition, I will also look for certain reactions for others in the audience or in the SGA. I will look for other issues to develop or come out of the freshman senators being elected or other issues concerning the major fight on campus.

Photo taken from www.twitter.com

After reviewing a number of Twitter profiles and reading sample headlines of recent stories published in The Towerlight (www.thetowerlight.com), I was able to see many good examples of headlines and story briefs. Below are a few examples I found when perusing a few Twitter profiles.

__________________

"By Decemer, about 2,800 new recylcing containers will be placed throughout Towson campus in order to promote the RecycAll program," Towson student Katelyn Mattingly wrote in reference to a recent article in The Towerlight.

• For one, this tweet interested me because I wrote this story for this issue and I found the RecycAll topic interesting when doing the research for the story.
• Two, I thought that this post gave a great insight to the story by covering most of the 5W's to prepare the reader for what they are about to dive into.
• The wording is also using an active voice, which makes for an exciting appeal to the story
• Also, as a future tip, I would say that it would've been best to start with something other than the "When" W, as the when side of the story is not as important as the what.
• I also think it gets a bit wordy when using words like "in order to." This would be great wording for maybe further down the story but for a lead into type sentance, I would have been a little more to-the-point.
• Very good post though, i enjoyed this piece.

Click here to view Katelyn Mattingly's Twitter page

"Sean Schaefer throws four interceptions to help Richmond come back after last year's dramatic last-minute loss to the Tigers," Towson student Carrie Wood wrote in reference to a recent story published in The Towerlight.

• I thought this was a great exampl of an active, concise headline. It is written i a way that draws the readers attention. It is organized in a way that puts out the most important information first. It is very clear at what the story will be about when reading.
• In this headline, she includes all of the major W's for this story without rambling on or making the headline too extensive.
• I especailly enjoyed how she tied in this event to previous occurances with the same teams. That certainly makes for a more interesting story.

Click here to view Carrie Wood's Twitter page.

"Quaterback Sean Schafer struggled, with four interceptions and one touchdown, to lead the Tigers to a loss," Towson student Amber Kowens wrote in reference to a recent story found in The Towerlight.

• I thought this was another great exapmle of a story headline. It is very cler and to the point, addressing the main thoughts of the story.
• It does not neccessarily cover all of teh 5 W's like the "when," but overall it is a headline that will pull the reader in to the story.
• I mostly like the simplicity of the headline because I think it would generally attract more readers. It is much easier to understand than some others.

Click here to view Amber's Twitter page.

Photo taken from www.twitter.com

Exxon fined $4 million for gas leak

By Nick Madigan and Arin Gencer

Baltimore Sun Photo taken by Patrick Smith

Article Brief:

In what officials say is the largest environmental penalty ever levied by the state, ExxonMobil Corp. has agreed to pay $4 million to the Maryland Department of the Environment for a 26,000-gallon gasoline spill at a Baltimore County service station almost three years ago.

Under the agreement announced yesterday, the oil giant could face an additional annual penalty of $1 million if it does not stick to a cleanup schedule that could last several more years in Jacksonville.

The settlement stemmed from a $12 million lawsuit filed against ExxonMobil by Maryland's attorney general, Douglas F. Gansler. He said in a statement yesterday that the agreement was a significant victory for the environment and residents of the area "who have had to live with this contamination for too long."

The settlement was more than twice as large as a $1.9 million civil penalty levied against the Potomac Electric Power Company for a leak in April 2000 that sent about 111,000 gallons of oil into the Patuxent River from an underground pipeline at the Chalk Point Generating Station, the state's largest power plant.

See the full story from The Baltimore Sun HERE

Article Summary:

This article is a great example of an original reporting story that shows many signs that this is a fully functioning journalistic story.  There are definate clues that usually tell the reader if the story is something that an actual journalist researched, interviewed and wrote from scratch.  Below is a list of clues that helped me come to my conclusion:

• Article shows a byline, emphasising the fact that it was written by the person and that they should take full credit of their work.
• The article has a good length to show that it was not taken from a short press release or police report.  This story is almost a full two webpages in length.
• There are many quotes throughout the story to illustrate that the reporter was able to seek others out and capture a number of voices to boost their story.  This makes their story more credible as well.
• There are multiple chunks of facts about Exxon and the surrounding area the story is dealing with, to show prior research when writing the story.  

These are all ways in which one can see that there is no press release here; this is full blown journalistic writing at its finest.  

2 teens sought in armed robbery of Towson High's Store

By a baltimoresun.com reporter

Baltimore County police have obtained warrants for the arrest of two teens sought in the robbery of a High's store in the 8400 block of Oakleigh Road in Towson on Aug. 26.

The youths are identified as Mark Anthony Demory Jr., 18, of the 1700 block of Weston Ave., and Jamal Dewon Harper, 16, of the 1700 block of Willow Oak Ave.

Mark Demory Jr. is described as a black male, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing approximately 155 pounds. Harper is described as a black male, 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing approximately 140 pounds. Both have been frequenting the Towson and Parkvilleareas of Baltimore County.

Detectives say that on Aug. 26 at 9:25 p.m., two suspects entered the store and forced the clerk to open the cash register. One of the two suspects was armed with a handgun. The suspects grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash from the register and ran out of the store.

•  
  Mark Anthony Demory Jr.

   
  Jamal Dewon Harper

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call Baltimore County police at 410-307-2020 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587). Those calling Metro Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.

_   _   _   _   _   _   _   _   _   _   _   _   _   

Conclusion

By: Daniel Gross

From what I can see, this article shows good signs that the story came almost straight from a police report, or press release.

For one, no one is being quoted in this story.  This shows that interviews were not conducted to get different viewpoints, facts or ideas.

The story also simply states the basic information of what occured on this day.  It chooses not to dig deeper to uncover any linkages or other things to make the story more appealing and newsworthy. 

One last sign that shows this was mainly all from a press release or police report is that for a byline, it states, "a Baltimore Sun reporter."  The story writer chooses not to include a personal byline because the story is merely a recreation of a police report.

Photo Taken from Google Images
Article Title (9/14/08): Code Red Heat Alert Issued for Today

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.briefs141sep14,0,3140283.story

Short Report:

With high humidity and temperatures forecast in the mid-90s today, the city has issued a Code Red heat alert and plans to open emergency cooling centers. Six centers, operated by the city Housing Department, will open at 10:30 a.m. They include: Northern Community Action Center, 5225 York Road; Southern Community Action Center, 606 Cherry Hill Road (inside the shopping center on the second floor); Northwest Community Action Center, 3314 Ayrdale Ave.; Western Community Action Center, 1133 Pennsylvania Ave.; Southeastern Community Action Center, 3411 Bank St.; and Eastern Community Action Center, 1400 E. Federal St. Residents can also go to Recreation and Parks centers throughout the city for relief from the heat, officials said. The Baltimore City Health Department recommends that residents check on older, sick, or frail people in the community who may need help.

Story taken from The Baltimore Sun (baltimoresun.com)

Article Title (9/14/08): China faults dairy for delayed notice of tainted milk

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/world/bal-te.china14sep14,0,3045693.story

Story Lead:

BEIJING - China's health minister blamed a dairy yesterday for the delay in warning the public about tainted milk powder linked to kidney stones in infants and at least one death, as authorities increased the number of known sick babies to 432.

What is a Lead??? What is a short report???

Illustration and explanation by: Daniel Gross

• A lead or lede in journalism is generally the beginning sentences to a news story. This is where the journalist attempts to write the most newsworthy portion of the story, usually including a number of the five W's (who, what, where, where and why.) The lead to a story is found at the very top of the story and is read before anything else.

Now, what you'll find is that in many stories, the writer does not always fit each of the five W's into the lead but saves some of them for later down the story. This is where the most prevalent information and story relevant sentences are found.

In my example, The Associated Press explains a situation in China where the health minister has blamed a dairy for not making proper warning to the public about certain milk causing kidney stones. The lead gives the reader a general idea of what the story will entail and what it is concerning. This lead chooses to cover the who, what, where and when of the story but does not explain the why until later. Still, it gives enough information to segway into further details.

• A short report can mean a number of specific things relating to a news story. Much of this is depending upon the source of media you are reading the news story from as well as the level of interest the story has. The short report is usually only a few sentences. It usually gives some interesting lines that will draw the reader in to let them know the basis of what has happened. It doesn't necessarily give a full outline of the story but it gives out something interesting to make the story appealing.

These shorts can also be used to get small pieces of information out before having the actual full story completed. This could be the case for some breaking news or news alert where there is something happening but the story is still being developed. The shorts can also be used for stories that don't necessarily deem full coverage. In the example, The Sun posted a weather alert to explain the heat advisory. There was no interviewing or investigating involved with this story. It was simply posted to alert the public and provide useful general information.

Photo Taken from Baltimore Sun.com

6 shot, 1 dies in attack in city

Article By: Richard Irwin and Brent Jones

To see the full article for this story click here.

This story was seen on the front page of the BaltimoreSun.com.  The main reason that this story was brought to the front and why it is seen as a very newsworthy story is due to the numerous amount of "news values" the story covers.  First and foremost, the story has a high level of impact.  For readers to see, "6 shot, 1 dies in attack in city," that instantly gives the story a high impact because readers are curious and at times fearing what the story contains.  Readers are effected because they are left wondering if there city is safe, if someone they know was involved and other questions similar to these.  

Second, the story also has timeliness.  This occurrence happened just last night and it has already been posted with a photo on the web.  Therefore, the story is very current and up-to-date for the reader to view, making it very newsworthy.  

The story also has proximity to the paper's circulation.  This happened in Baltimore City and since the readership is in Baltimore, the proximity of the story plays a major role as to why it is newsworthy.  

A new Pratt

Story By: Edward Gunts

To see the full article click here.

In this story, the article is explaining a complete makeover of a popular and heavily used road in Baltimore City.  

This story also has a high impact because many citizens are impacted by it.  Many readers will want to know about the new shops then will be passing by on the way to work in the near future.  This in turn, gives the story credit and it becomes newsworthy.  

The story also has timeliness because as it said in the story, the mayor of the city will unveil the final plans of the project some time today.  

Man shot 13 years ago dies; case ruled a homicide

Story by: Richard Irwin

To see the full article click here. 

This story also makes the headlines for a number of reasons.  It contains many of the news values one might look for in a story.

For one, it has a sense of unusualness.  It is very out of the ordinary that you would find someone dying from a gunshot that happened 13 years ago.  Many people would find that interesting and unusual.  

The story also has a great sense of conflict due to the fact that officials have ruled this case as a homicide.  Many people would find this issue controversial and would want to know why it was ruled in this way.  

And as in most cases, this story has timeliness and although he was shot 13 years ago, police just revealed yesterday that the case was ruled as a homicide.

All of these news values contribute to stories to give them meaningful purposes and credibility for being cover stories.  

News Values:

Impact

-How the story impacts the reader.

Prominence

- Stories that are containing high interest names.

Unusualness

-Anything occurring in a story that is out of the ordinary

Currency

-A story that is tied with past stories that have been written regarding similar instances.

Conflict

-Anything that is dealing with crime or punishment or sickness that raises a level of fear or excitement.

Timeliness

-A story that is prevalent in time and current.

Proximity

-An occurrence that happened or is happening within the area of the readership.

-Daniel Gross