"Virtual Journalism" to be Explored at Upcoming Conference
The worlds of journalism and virtual technology will merge at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.
Leading technology experts and journalists will participate in workshops, presentations and panels about the emergence of virtual journalism in a partnership between Washington State University and the McCormick Foundations on April 6.
"We're excited to bring together many of the leaders in technology and journalism to discuss and explore this new media channel for storytelling," said WSU President Elson S. Floyd.
Virtual journalism is a new way of journalism organizations sharing content with their public. News organizations such as Sky News and CNN have picked up on this trend, by using "in-world" news bureaus that offer quick access of content in a virtual world.
"As the traditional, newspaper-based world of journalism looks for appropriate new ways to provide the vital checks and balances vital to democracy, this event will provide a very significant catalyst for innovation," said Erica Austin, interim dean of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.
Second Life and Club Penguin are two popular examples of virtual worlds. Founders of both companies will be present at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.
Questions:
How does the public access these "virtual journalism" sites and what information is shared in these sites?
Why did the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication decide to choose "virtual journalism" as this year's theme?
Monday, November 16, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
News Feature Story
A fleet of camouflage, army cargo trucks sit in a parking lot while men from the National Guard use forklifts to load supplies into the truck beds.
This isn’t a disaster-relief area or a war zone. This is the Zeppoz parking lot in Pullman and the supplies are non-perishable foods collected after last year’s Palouse Cares food drive.
The Palouse Cares food drive is one of several events that will cap off the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week from Monday, Nov. 16 to Friday, Nov. 20.
“The whole week is to bring education to students who don’t realize how many homeless people there really are. It gives all of us new insight,” said Kelsey Parsons, a peer mentor for the Center for Civic Engagement.
The campaign aims to collect supplies for the homeless and to educate the public on issues of poverty and hunger in the United States.
Events throughout the week include a free musical and dance performance, four separate banquets, a community service project, a film, and the Palouse Cares food drive, said Parsons.
Funds collected from the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week will go to local food banks.
The Palouse Cares food drive is one of the main events during the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
The food drive has occurred on the first Saturday of every December for the past 15 years. Around 500 volunteers go door to door in neighborhoods throughout Pullman and Moscow to collect canned foods.
Last year the food drive collected about 28,000 pounds of food, said Rick Minard, president of Palouse Cares.
Though the Palouse Cares food drive takes place after the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week it is still considered an event for the campaign.
“Being out there every year brings credibility and legitimacy to my charity,” Minard said. “If a volunteer gives me an hour of their time and we get the numbers we want, the drive is an instant success.”
The main goal for the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is to educate students at WSU about people in the community struggling to make enough money to feed their families, Parsons said.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average income for Whitman County is well below the state’s average. In 2007, while the average income in Washington was $55,628, the average income for Whitman County was $36,438.
The difference in income hints at a poverty problem in Whitman County.
“This is a serious issue I’m dealing with 365 days a year,” said Jeff Tietjen, assistant manager of family development for the Community Action Center.
The Community Action Center serves more than 5,000 people who are living in poverty in Whitman County each year.
Tietjen said when he first started working for the Community Action Center seven years ago, the organization served around 70 families a month. However, the Community Action Center now serves 200 to 300 families a month.
Parsons hopes the education students experience from the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week will breed action in the fight against poverty.
“When students learn about this, they are more likely to help and do good things for the community,” said Parsons.
This isn’t a disaster-relief area or a war zone. This is the Zeppoz parking lot in Pullman and the supplies are non-perishable foods collected after last year’s Palouse Cares food drive.
The Palouse Cares food drive is one of several events that will cap off the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week from Monday, Nov. 16 to Friday, Nov. 20.
“The whole week is to bring education to students who don’t realize how many homeless people there really are. It gives all of us new insight,” said Kelsey Parsons, a peer mentor for the Center for Civic Engagement.
The campaign aims to collect supplies for the homeless and to educate the public on issues of poverty and hunger in the United States.
Events throughout the week include a free musical and dance performance, four separate banquets, a community service project, a film, and the Palouse Cares food drive, said Parsons.
Funds collected from the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week will go to local food banks.
The Palouse Cares food drive is one of the main events during the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
The food drive has occurred on the first Saturday of every December for the past 15 years. Around 500 volunteers go door to door in neighborhoods throughout Pullman and Moscow to collect canned foods.
Last year the food drive collected about 28,000 pounds of food, said Rick Minard, president of Palouse Cares.
Though the Palouse Cares food drive takes place after the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week it is still considered an event for the campaign.
“Being out there every year brings credibility and legitimacy to my charity,” Minard said. “If a volunteer gives me an hour of their time and we get the numbers we want, the drive is an instant success.”
The main goal for the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is to educate students at WSU about people in the community struggling to make enough money to feed their families, Parsons said.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average income for Whitman County is well below the state’s average. In 2007, while the average income in Washington was $55,628, the average income for Whitman County was $36,438.
The difference in income hints at a poverty problem in Whitman County.
“This is a serious issue I’m dealing with 365 days a year,” said Jeff Tietjen, assistant manager of family development for the Community Action Center.
The Community Action Center serves more than 5,000 people who are living in poverty in Whitman County each year.
Tietjen said when he first started working for the Community Action Center seven years ago, the organization served around 70 families a month. However, the Community Action Center now serves 200 to 300 families a month.
Parsons hopes the education students experience from the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week will breed action in the fight against poverty.
“When students learn about this, they are more likely to help and do good things for the community,” said Parsons.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Grammatical Revisions for Story
Andrew Talevich
For many local voters, Referendum 71 encompasses more than politics- the piece of legislation puts religion front and center. (technically the referendum is not legislation)
(I think a summary lede may work: Dozens of religious leaders have announced their support for a referendum that would extend rights …)
(an anecdotal lede with Laird may also be stronger)
In the months leading up to the November election, the Washington Association of Churches gathered a signature list of more than 85 clergy leaders who support Referendum 71. These clergy members come from a scope of different religions including Judaism, Methodism and Evangelicalism.
* great job finding an interesting angle to a well-tread story
Among the clergy supporters of Referendum 71 is Associate Pastor Chip Laird of the United Church of Christ in Pullman.
“Along with faith, this is also an issue of people’s rights in America, and it should be treated like that so I’m very much in support with Referendum 71,” Laird said.
Referendum 71 is commonly referred to as the “everything but marriage” law because it would grant same-sex partners the same rights as married couples.
While many clergy leaders across the state support Referendum 71, a large population at WSU opposes the measure. Freshman McKinley Storey is one of those students.
“I oppose Referendum 71 because I’ve always learned that marriage should stay between a man and a woman,” Storey said. (counter from supporters who mention that it’s not technically marriage)
Jordan Seider, a senior accounting major and member of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender and Allies committee, said he has experienced direct opposition from conservatives who oppose same sex marriage because of their faith.
“I’ve noticed that people who are against this referendum are usually more conservative,” Seider said. “They try to bring in religion. In general people try to use the bible (Bible) as a defense.”
Seider said the Bible has also been used in the past to stop progressive movements and to justify stances against interracial marriage and women’s rights.
“Every time one of these issues comes up there’s always a Bible verse that is used to justify their position,” he said.
Though Seider is a non denominational Christian himself, he said that he has not experienced any conflicts between his religion and his stance in support of Referendum 71.
Storey, a conservative Christian, said he uses his faith as a moral compass in determining his values.
“A lot of the decisions I make are based on what I learn from the church,” he said. “I think that’s a good thing because it has the power to be a strong guide.”
The majority of churches in support of Referendum 71 were from Western Washington. The United Church of Christ was the sole church from Pullman listed by the Washington Association of Churches.
Laird said he was unsure about whether other religious communities were in support of Referendum 71 in Pullman. However he believes that based on local historical beliefs less people in Pullman were in support. (how have other church leaders responded to his support of this? Did the head pastor support as well, or just the associate pastor)
“It continues to surprise me that people in America don’t support basic civil rights,” Laird said.
Despite his pessimism about people’s beliefs he said he was encouraged by the growing trend of religious leaders who signed in support of the domestic partnership law.
An interesting angle, especially the content from Laird. But why include the students’ voices when you could include the voices of other religious leaders who disagree with Laird? See notes in text. 89/100
For many local voters, Referendum 71 encompasses more than politics- the piece of legislation puts religion front and center. (technically the referendum is not legislation)
(I think a summary lede may work: Dozens of religious leaders have announced their support for a referendum that would extend rights …)
(an anecdotal lede with Laird may also be stronger)
In the months leading up to the November election, the Washington Association of Churches gathered a signature list of more than 85 clergy leaders who support Referendum 71. These clergy members come from a scope of different religions including Judaism, Methodism and Evangelicalism.
* great job finding an interesting angle to a well-tread story
Among the clergy supporters of Referendum 71 is Associate Pastor Chip Laird of the United Church of Christ in Pullman.
“Along with faith, this is also an issue of people’s rights in America, and it should be treated like that so I’m very much in support with Referendum 71,” Laird said.
Referendum 71 is commonly referred to as the “everything but marriage” law because it would grant same-sex partners the same rights as married couples.
While many clergy leaders across the state support Referendum 71, a large population at WSU opposes the measure. Freshman McKinley Storey is one of those students.
“I oppose Referendum 71 because I’ve always learned that marriage should stay between a man and a woman,” Storey said. (counter from supporters who mention that it’s not technically marriage)
Jordan Seider, a senior accounting major and member of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender and Allies committee, said he has experienced direct opposition from conservatives who oppose same sex marriage because of their faith.
“I’ve noticed that people who are against this referendum are usually more conservative,” Seider said. “They try to bring in religion. In general people try to use the bible (Bible) as a defense.”
Seider said the Bible has also been used in the past to stop progressive movements and to justify stances against interracial marriage and women’s rights.
“Every time one of these issues comes up there’s always a Bible verse that is used to justify their position,” he said.
Though Seider is a non denominational Christian himself, he said that he has not experienced any conflicts between his religion and his stance in support of Referendum 71.
Storey, a conservative Christian, said he uses his faith as a moral compass in determining his values.
“A lot of the decisions I make are based on what I learn from the church,” he said. “I think that’s a good thing because it has the power to be a strong guide.”
The majority of churches in support of Referendum 71 were from Western Washington. The United Church of Christ was the sole church from Pullman listed by the Washington Association of Churches.
Laird said he was unsure about whether other religious communities were in support of Referendum 71 in Pullman. However he believes that based on local historical beliefs less people in Pullman were in support. (how have other church leaders responded to his support of this? Did the head pastor support as well, or just the associate pastor)
“It continues to surprise me that people in America don’t support basic civil rights,” Laird said.
Despite his pessimism about people’s beliefs he said he was encouraged by the growing trend of religious leaders who signed in support of the domestic partnership law.
An interesting angle, especially the content from Laird. But why include the students’ voices when you could include the voices of other religious leaders who disagree with Laird? See notes in text. 89/100
Monday, November 2, 2009
News Feature Story Proposals
Snail, drug use.
A group of students and professors in the College of Veterinary Medicine are currently working on experiments which measure the effects on memory of snails that are subjected to methamphetamine. The conclusions from these experiments may expand revelations on human drug addiction and relapse rates. When covering this story I would want to know how a simple experiment with a snail could be relevant to drug addiction. Furthermore I would want to know how these conclusions could help people fighting addiction. I would want to talk to students or professors who are conducting these experiments and drug experts who may see why these experiments may be helpful to their line of work.
Friends of Bahia Street
A while ago for the Daily Evergreen I covered a group which had just started up called Friends of Bahia Street. This group supported a larger group, Bahia Street International which raised money and resources for young women and girls living in poverty in Salvador, Brazil. The aim was to provide these adolescents with education which would empower them to become successful when they were older and help them escape poverty. Friends of Bahia Street was started by a junior at WSU who had witnessed the poverty first hand while on a mission trip. To cover this story I would talk with the president and possibly the advisor and others involved in the group. I would also want to talk to a representative from Bahia Street International. To make this story up to date I would want to find out what specific actions Friends of Bahia have completed to raise funds and what future events they have coming up. I would also want to report on their progress from their start up until now.
A group of students and professors in the College of Veterinary Medicine are currently working on experiments which measure the effects on memory of snails that are subjected to methamphetamine. The conclusions from these experiments may expand revelations on human drug addiction and relapse rates. When covering this story I would want to know how a simple experiment with a snail could be relevant to drug addiction. Furthermore I would want to know how these conclusions could help people fighting addiction. I would want to talk to students or professors who are conducting these experiments and drug experts who may see why these experiments may be helpful to their line of work.
Friends of Bahia Street
A while ago for the Daily Evergreen I covered a group which had just started up called Friends of Bahia Street. This group supported a larger group, Bahia Street International which raised money and resources for young women and girls living in poverty in Salvador, Brazil. The aim was to provide these adolescents with education which would empower them to become successful when they were older and help them escape poverty. Friends of Bahia Street was started by a junior at WSU who had witnessed the poverty first hand while on a mission trip. To cover this story I would talk with the president and possibly the advisor and others involved in the group. I would also want to talk to a representative from Bahia Street International. To make this story up to date I would want to find out what specific actions Friends of Bahia have completed to raise funds and what future events they have coming up. I would also want to report on their progress from their start up until now.
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